The HD Express opens your Mac or Windows computer to the world of HDMI® video, the next-generation digital video connectivity standard found on today's latest HD cameras, monitors and set top boxes.
HDMI supports full-raster, pixel-for-pixel digital clarity with no video compression, resulting in stunning image quality and color depth that far surpasses highly-compressed workflows based on DV, HDV, AVC and similar capture codecs.
In fact, on many of today's cameras, HDMI output streams directly from a camera’s image sensor, bypassing the compression chip, allowing the HD Express to deliver an absolutely pristine, uncompressed HD digital video signal straight from the camera's imager to your computer.
If you require the best-possible image quality, you can work with uncompressed HD and use the money you save on the HD Express for other system components required for uncompressed HD, such as fast storage.
Or, if you prefer to edit more conveniently at a lower data rate, you can choose Apple ProRes, ProRes HQ, Avid DNxHD, or the codec of your choice in Avid Media Composer 6.5 or Apple Final Cut Pro for maximum CPU efficiency and smooth editing. In Premiere Pro on Windows, you can choose among several popular codecs, including DVCProHD. By choosing a codec directly supported by your host, you eliminate unnecessary extra stages of compression and decompression, which produces maximum CPU efficiency and smooth editing.
To monitor your work with the best possible image quality, connect the HD Express output to your favorite affordable plasma, LCD monitor or projector via HDMI or DVI (DVI adapter sold separately).
The HD Express provides all the legacy analog video connectors you need for capturing and monitoring component HD/SD, composite and S-Video in 10-bit 4:2:2 broadcast quality PAL or NTSC.
The HD Express captures and plays all eight channels of embedded HDMI audio, and it even provides eight channels of analog audio output on convenient RCA jacks, which you can connect directly to powered speakers for full 5.1 or 7.1 surround audio monitoring. S/PDIF digital I/O is also provided.
Do you require high-performance desktop operation? The HD Express is available with PCI Express card connectivity for today’s ultra-fast, multi-core Mac and PC towers. Need to go mobile? The HD Express is also available with an ExpressCard adapter for any current-generation Mac or Windows laptop equipped with an ExpressCard slot.
From initial capture to final finishing, the HD Express delivers exceptional video I/O performance and quality.
HDMI, the HDMI Logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United States and other countries.
Laptop operation
Are you thinking about doing field capture with a laptop, or editing on the go with a laptop-based system? The HD Express connects to a Mac or PC notebook via an included ExpressCard adapter, but it is also available with a PCI Express card for operation with today’s ultra-fast multi-core Mac and Windows towers.
Most current-generation high-performance PC laptops, including Apple MacBook Pro computers, are equipped with ExpressCard slots. On these portable systems, the HD Express gives you broadcast-quality capture and monitoring. With the enormous performance gains seen in laptop technology, these compact computers are now powerful enough to easily capture and play back both HD and uncompressed SD video. You can essentially build a complete capture/edit system that fits in a backpack.
There's another major benefit for using ExpressCard connectivity to a laptop for video I/O: doing so frees up the FireWire port on your laptop for professional-grade video storage solutions, which offer enough storage space and access speed to support the most demanding HD and uncompressed SD workflows.
Feature highlights
- HDMI® video capture and monitoring for Mac & PC — Capture uncompressed-quality, digital HD from HDMI-equipped camcorders. Monitor pixel for pixel on today’s latest plasma and LCD screens.
- Analog video I/O — Capture and monitor component HD or SD, plus composite and S-Video (NTSC or PAL).
- Tower or laptop operation — connects to a Mac or PC tower via PCI Express for ultra-fast operation, or connect to a laptop via ExpressCard connectivity for mobile operation.
- Comprehensive video capture & monitoring — supports all standard SD and HD video formats up to and including 1080p30 (720p, 1080i, 1080p & 1080PsF).
- Cross-platform software support — supports Avid Media Composer (Mac/Windows), Apple Final Cut Pro 7 (Mac), and Adobe Premiere Pro (Windows).
- Captures and plays uncompressed HD and SD — 10-bit 4:2:2 color depth and 1920x1080 resolution.
- Support for ProRes, DNxHD and other popular codecs — capture and monitor full-raster (1920x1080 or 1280x720) Apple ProRes, ProRes HQ, DNxHD or other popular host-based codecs supported by Final Cut, Media Composer and Premiere Pro.
- Support for file-based workflows — lets you capture, edit and monitor in any codec supported natively in Final Cut, Media Composer, or Premiere, with no transcoding needed.
- Broadcast quality — 10-bit 4:2:2 signal path throughout.
- Comprehensive audio — Capture 8 channels of embedded HDMI audio. Play back stereo, 5.1 or even 7.1 surround sound directly to powered speakers. Connect speakers, a home theater amp or an audio mixer and monitor your mix in stereo or full 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. Also provides S/PDIF digital I/O with sample rate conversion.
- Half rack space form factor with dedicated connectors — no cable swapping or gangly, inconvenient breakout cables. Includes rack mounting brackets.
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