There are many great reasons why DeckLink cards have helped introduce thousands of people worldwide to the incredible quality of broadcast video.

Uncompressed Video

Formats such as DV use video compression for smaller and easier to manage files but which sacrifices image quality. Uncompressed video capture of perfect quality is now easy thanks to modern, faster hard disks. Uncompressed video won’t suffer from generation loss and always looks amazingly clean and sharp. Uncompressed video also renders faster as you don’t waste CPU time with video compression. Now 100% of your CPU time can be used rendering your effects!

Move between Standard Definition and HDTV

DeckLink HD Pro and Extreme models support dual rate SDI so you can instantly switch between SD and HD. This is ideal for modern workflows where HD may be a smaller part of the market for most people. Most people run standard definition for 80% or more of their work, but need high definition capability for specific spots. With SDI products, such as DeckLink cards and Blackmagic converters, you can immediately switch over to HD when a job comes along. Full resolution video is supported from standard definition SDI using 720 x 486 for NTSC and 720 x 576 for PAL, and the HDTV resolutions of 1280 x 720 for the 720p HD standard and 1920x1080 for the 1080 HD standard. All downstream converters and routing switchers available from Blackmagic Design will automatically switch between standard definition and HD, making the changeover incredibly fast and easy. That’s perfect so you can take on HD jobs as and when they come along, keeping your equipment productive with standard definition work.

Higher Color Resolution and Flexibility

SDI doesn't use compression so you can record video to any kind of broadcast or high end consumer deck, completely independent of the tape format. Unlike DV which only has 4:1:1 color sampling, with 1-red and 1-blue video sample per 4-luma samples, SDI is usually 4:2:2 and has twice the color resolution.

SDI supports 8 and 10 bit video interchangeably with all DeckLink cards supporting 16 bit rendering where possible so full bit depth is always preserved. SDI video is also very flexible as all equipment connects together using simple coax BNC cables up to 100 meters or 300 feet apart. Although SDI was previously expensive, Blackmagic Design has single handedly changed the industry making it more affordable for everyone.

Connect to Everything

SDI enables every kind of video equipment, including all tape format decks, monitoring and distribution, to be easily connected for maximum compatibility. No matter what the tape format, you'll find a compatible deck model with SDI connections. SDI has absolutely no latency, so unlike FireWire, you get an instant response when editing. SDI also allows direct monitoring with all good video monitors having SDI input options or use SDI to DVI-D converters, such as Multibridge or HDLink, for digital LCD monitoring.

Audio perfectionists will appreciate the massive multi-channel audio capability of SDI, enabling DeckLink HD cards to capture up to 12 channels of audio. That’s great for 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound work and even the full 12 audio channels of a HDCAM SR™ deck! As with uncompressed video, all audio is digital so there's no generation loss of any kind, and all with perfect AV sync! There are thousands of SDI based products in the industry today which are fully compatible with DeckLink cards.

High Quality 14 Bit Analog Monitoring

DeckLink HD Extreme supports full component video connections with 3 BNC cables connecting Y, R-Y and B-Y color channels. This provides the highest quality analog video monitoring, combined with 14 bit digital to analog converters for incredibly clean HD analog video. DeckLink HD Extreme's digital to analog output uses active electronic filtering, so get higher quality than common external digital to analog converters. High bit depth conversion combined with active video filtering handles fine HD image detail much better than passive filtering.

Feature Film Video Quality

SDI features twice the color resolution of DV so you get incredible quality graphics and effects. All Blackmagic Design products use full 4:2:2 10 bit SDI video with video stored at full resolution using 10 bit depth. If you're doing higher quality feature film work, then the DeckLink HD Pro model is perfect because it supports Dual Link RGB 4:4:4 video. All of our converters support Dual Link HD 4:4:4 10 bit RGB using an extra SDI cable connection to allow full color detail.

That’s ideal for incredibly high end work, given that most of the world's expensive pre-built dedicated systems don’t even support this level of quality! Dual Link 4:4:4 compatible decks are available from companies such as Sony™ with their HDCAM SR™ series decks, and all telecine film scanners. With Blackmagic you can choose compatibility with either 4:2:2 SDI or the highest quality possible with 4:4:4 full color resolution video. DeckLink HD Pro 4:4:4 models even feature hardware color space conversion so 4:4:4 clips can be played to 4:2:2 SDI decks, and 4:2:2 clips can be played out to 4:4:4 decks such as the new Sony HDCAM-SR.

The new DeckLink HD Extreme is available now at only $995.

Buy now from your local Blackmagic Design authorized reseller.

Products
DeckLink HD Extreme™	US$995
Alternate Models
DeckLink HD Pro PCIe™	US$1,195
DeckLink HD Pro PCI-X™	US$1,495
Compare models...

Serial Digital Interface

For over a decade, high end post production companies have used the Serial Digital Interface (SDI) to connect all kinds of equipment together at the highest quality possible. SDI is fully digital and has no video compression, so it doesn't suffer from any image degradation. Unlike DV based consumer video standards, SDI uses 10 bit video quantizing which allows 1024 video levels, 4 times the quality of the 8 bit DV video totally eliminating banding and contouring problems in high quality video. When doing complex creative work, such as broadcast graphics and multi-layer keying of video, SDI is ideal.

Go the Distance

SDI video connects long distances up to 300 feet or 100 meters, so you can connect everyone together in your facility. Cables are simple BNC coaxial cables so you can easily make cables to the perfect length for your needs.

Industry Standard Format

Connect to any SDI deck for all industry tape formats. From DV, Digital Betacam™, D1, up to HDCAM SR™ and HD D-5, you have them all covered. DeckLink HD Extreme enables you to capture to a wide range of disk formats such as JPEG and DVCPRO HD or uncompressed 8 bit, 10 bit and RGB 10 bit.

Professional Software Compatibility

Edit and design with DeckLink HD Extreme for the highest quality possible. Unlike dedicated pre-built systems, you have the flexibility of customizing a system to your needs and not the needs someone has decided for you. Check out powerful software such as Final Cut Pro™, Premiere Pro®, Motion™, After Effects®, Shake™ and Photoshop® for cutting edge creative tools.

Industrial Strength Cabling

When your company becomes larger, SDI cabling is ideal. With SDI, it’s easy to find engineers who can custom make BNC cables that are strong enough to run under floors and up above in cable trays. SDI cables are fully shielded and able to withstand the rigors of large system construction.

Choose RGB
or YUV Workflow

Normal SDI video uses the 4:2:2 sampling where, for every 4 black and white pixels, there are two color pixels for red and blue. YUV is fully compatible with most television requirements and is the native format for SDI video connections. For feature film and other high end work, choose the DeckLink HD Pro 4:4:4 model for RGB workflow. Many people like to work in RGB because film, computers and video monitors work natively in RGB and this eliminates color space conversions. However RGB video, commonly called 4:4:4, requires extra bandwidth on a second SDI cable and uses extra hard disk space. With DeckLink HD cards, you can choose the best color space for your workflow.

Uncompressed Video Quality

SDI uses a higher data rate than DV, so it’s got the speed to handle full resolution video in standard definition or high definition uncompressed. That means you can preserve video quality until you need to compress the video for streaming or broadcast.