video capture card for mac with software

The only other card with dual-stream capabilities is the Kona SD, whose accompanying software currently offers 11 dissolve and color effects.

However, to unlock any of its powerful effects, you’ll need to part with $2,495 for Pinnacle’s RT software upgrade. You can even add keyframeable RT effects and filters - such as color balance, tint, opacity, and scale - to these simultaneous streams. With its dual-stream system, the CineWave Classic can play back either two streams of video and one graphics track with an alpha channel, or one video stream with two graphics layers. Real-time (RT) effects are the ultimate time-saver, and in this arena, the CineWave Classic is the clear champ. The IgniterRT has a unique $3,999 film-option upgrade for converting telecined video footage from its 30-frame sequence to the film’s original 24 frames per second and the CineWave Classic card can even step up to high-definition editing with the addition of the $9,995 HD BOB. To gain SDI inputs, for example, you’d have to add an SDI BOB, which costs $1,295 from Pinnacle and $2,999 from Aurora.Īdditionally, these cards have upgrade options that significantly expand their capabilities. You add functionality to these cards through BOBs - connection boxes tethered to the capture card - and/or daughter cards. Unlike the Kona SD and D1 64AV, the IgniterRT and CineWave Classic are base cards without built-in video inputs. Both cards have a desktop-mirroring ability for routing a desktop workspace to a video monitor. If you want to work with composite video, you’ll need to connect a composite-to-SDI converter to the card.

Meant for high-end work, these cards have only serial digital interface (SDI) video inputs and AES audio connections. The Kona SD and D1 64AV are standard capture cards with built-in video and audio inputs. Of the four capture cards we tested, there are two types: standard cards and breakout box (BOB) cards. The cards performed as promised, so their individual features are what set them apart. Our test systems were an 867MHz Power Mac G4 and a dual-1GHz Power Mac G4, each with 1GB of RAM, an Ultra-160 SCSI RAID, an ATA-133 hardware RAID (for comparison), and a digital beta video source. But be aware that you’ll need peripheral equipment to support them: an Ultra-SCSI RAID is a must for the data rate these cards produce, and to control your videotape deck, you’ll also need an RS-422 serial port. Choosing the right card can be daunting, though, since there is more to consider than just image quality.įinal Cut Pro supports four capture cards: AJA Video Systems’ Kona SD, Aurora Video Systems’ IgniterRT, Digital Voodoo’s D1 64AV, and Pinnacle Systems’ CineWave Classic. PCI video-capture cards allow editors to capture and edit uncompressed and even high-definition video and graphics.

Final Cut Pro works admirably as a software-based, nonlinear editor, but adding hardware to the mix can expand its capabilities.

Video capture card for mac with software