Which Would Be Better Quality? Capturing from an Intensity Pro (BlackMagic) card, or the standard firewire wire?

I assume since many people have looked and not respinded its a stupid question. So well since you have to pay for the black magic i assume it would be higher. but HOW MUCH better?

Both will be the same quality technically if you're talking of capturing from the cameras tape drive. The source is HDV already...firewire with your editor basically makes a file of that HDV tape without conversion. The footage is already compressed on the tape so capturing that footage through intensity wont make much difference other than being able to transcode as you bring the HDV in. That doesn't mean you gain quality it means you take the same source and transcode it to something that might be a better to edit with. The footage itself wont be any different.

However, if you capture to intensity out of the camera as its recording (not from the tape but out of the Component output for instance) then yea your getting slightly better quality.

- Kyle

Thanks =D very informative.