i did a search but could not find an answer. i was wondering what is needed in order to view HVX footage without using an expensive 1200a deck? a popular monitoring solution now seems to be w/ Dell's 2405fpw w/a rez up to 1920x1080. i believe a decklink card w/ hdlink would be needed to go from hd-sdi to dvi into the Dell. i'm wondering if there's a simpler and cheaper solution as in the HVX acting as a deck and out to an HD monitor(as DV cameras act like a deck and out to an sd monitor)? maybe it's too early to say since the camera isn't out yet, but it's good to set a budget not only for the HVX/P2, but additional hardware needed to view Panasonic DVCPro HD, SD50, DVCPro25 w/ any NLE...thank you for your comments!

You could use the firewire input to have the camera serve as an intermediary device, yes. Firewire in, analog component out. Would work for all modes (DV, DVCPRO25, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO-HD).

You wouldn't need a deck, and HD-SDI really isn't in the picture unless you want it to be. You could directly display the footage from your NLE onto the Dell 2405fpw through the HDMI connector, or pipe it out firewire to the camera and then back into the Dell through the analog component connectors, either way.

hi barry,

let me make sure i understand you correctly...

scenario 1: computer firewire out to hvx firewire input, out to component to the the dell component input? (does that mean the hvx will have component connections?)

scenario 2: dvi(from ati x800) to dell dvi input(no hdmi on dell)? no hvx needed?

thanks again barry!

Correct, yes. And yes, the HVX has component outputs.

great! thanks for clearing things up! i'm just wondering then why one would want to spend additional $$$ for a decklink card w/ hdlink over the solutions mentioned above? hopefully graeme can chime in here...

here's graeme's review:

http://www.lafcpug.org/reviews/review_decklink.html

Well, primarily because prior to the HVX, there hasn't been any ability to pipe HD back to a camera and use it as a playback device... no HDV camera can do it, so prior to the HVX the closest you could come was the $25,000 AJ-HD1200A deck.

but what about scenario 2? ati x800 dvi out to dvi input of dell? no camera is involved there...or am i missing something?

Haven't done that, so I don't know if there's any restriction on doing it.

Again, it could be that until FCP-HD, there was no way for a desktop computer to play back HD material (unless you had a BlackMagic or Kona or other comparable system).

I don't know why direct DVI input wouldn't work. Seems like it should.

Well, planning ahead (!), I was just looking these days at different HD models of the Decklink cards. I have the Decklink Pro (SD) now but I wanted to upgrade soon.

But -- it seems that if I buy the HVX camera in the Fall, I won't need an HD card? If I buy one, however, what would it offer me to convince me to buy it anyways? Something that the camera won't offer me.

Thanks.