Thank you Black Magic

[Arnie Schlissel]

Take a quick look at the Black Magic website if you can. Blackmagic Design Among their NAB announcements are:

Decklink HD Extreme 3D capture card. Stereoscopic capture over dual-link SDI, stereoscopic playout over dual link SDI or HDMI. Works with all flavors of SD & HD video in 2D, too.

HDLInk Pro 3D. Allows you to play dual stream SDI to a 3D compatable DVI or Display Port monitor or projector.

Dual Channel SDI card. No specific mention of 3D support, but this card is seen by your computer as 2 separate cards, with both SDI in & out for 2 independent channels of capture and playout. Sync generator is integrated into the card.

DaVinci software for Mac OS. Starting at $1k. No, I'm not kidding. The 'Kleenex' or 'Xerox' of color correction for broadcast & film is now available as a software only version for the Mac. Will apparently run on a laptop for field use. While DaVinci offers stereo support on it's turnkey linux systems, I'm not sure if this feature is available on the Mac version.

As a dedicated AJA Kona user, all I can say is WOW!

[Adam Stanislav]

Looks nice. Though it would be much nicer if it worked as a standalone device similar to the nanoFlash. How often can you have a desktop computer with you while you are shooting?

[Alister Chapman]

Don't forget the Nano3D will be available soon. This will allow for dual stream 3D capture and playback as well as multiplexing of dual stream 3D to most of the commonly used single stream fromats such as side by side and line interlaced.

[Bruce Schultz]

I've recently been researching mux/demux solutions for on-set display to larger (46"-60") HDTV 3D sets. It's a bit sparse and what is available is quite expensive.

So far I've found;

Inition Stereobrain - from all reports it works but requires some degree of computer setup ($4000 USD)
Assimilate 3Play - does most necessary functions including flip/flop of mirror cam output ($5000 USD)
Doremi Dimension 3D - does most necessary functions excluding flip/flop of mirror cam ($5000 USD)

and there are a few other vaporware selections out there too.

This leads back to the $495 USD BlackMagic HDLink Pro 3D unit discussed here. I've spoken directly to B-M sales and although they won't comment on specific features, they wouldn't confirm whether the unit would have the flip/flop feature necessary for mirror rig field use. If not, then it will be a very good edit room display tool, but unless your camera or other device can perform a flip/flop (like the EX1-R) before the box then it won't be of much use in the field.

Like everyone who uses NanoFlash, I'm looking fwd to the Nano 3D firmware update to provide the mux/demux feature and I've suggested to the techs there to add the flip/flop feature also so we'll see . . .

[Arnie Schlissel]

I don't think the HDLink Pro 3D can do the flip/flop without being attached to a computer. IOW, you do the flip/flop in your playback software on your computer & output that to the HDLink Pro 3D.

[Tim Dashwood]

According to the Spring 2010 catalogue I picked up at the BM booth the HDLink Pro 3D Displayport tech specs say "Line-by-Line, Side-by-Side. Horizontal and/or vertical image flip can be applied to either input."
I assume this is something that can be configured either via the USB port or dip switches.

[Tim Kolb]

Originally Posted by Arnie Schlissel

Take a quick look at the Black Magic website if you can. Blackmagic Design

As a dedicated AJA Kona user, all I can say is WOW!

We were running 3d edit workflows in the AJA booth at NAB on Premiere Pro CS5 and Final Cut...using CineForm NEO. Both eyes...one file.

Two eyes feed individually out Kona 3's dual HDSDI, or you can output muxed via Kona LHi's HDMI port.

I was only briefly by the BM booth, so i don't know if they were running anything, or if was just an announcement, but the Kona product line is far from trailing in the realm of Stereoscopic workflows...

[Bruce Schultz]

Originally Posted by Tim Dashwood

According to the Spring 2010 catalogue I picked up at the BM booth the HDLink Pro 3D Displayport tech specs say "Line-by-Line, Side-by-Side. Horizontal and/or vertical image flip can be applied to either input."

Great find Tim, that would make the unit a viable tool for beamsplitter/mirror rig 3D production.

[Arnie Schlissel]

Originally Posted by Tim Dashwood

According to the Spring 2010 catalogue I picked up at the BM booth the HDLink Pro 3D Displayport tech specs say "Line-by-Line, Side-by-Side. Horizontal and/or vertical image flip can be applied to either input."
I assume this is something that can be configured either via the USB port or dip switches.

That would be way cool! There's no manual posted on Black Magic's website, yet. Only for the previous model of HD Link Pro. The 3D model is supposed to be released this month, though. Perhaps the manual will be posted soon!