Blackmagic Design today announced DeckLink HD Extreme, the world’s first PCIe HDTV capture card to feature both SDI and analog connections combined with full HD and SD compatibility, and released at a retail price that's the same as current SD-only products.
DeckLink HD Extreme is also fully compatible with SD video, and switches between HD and SD instantly, so is the ideal solution for customers who still work exclusively in SD, but are concerned about the transition to HD.
DeckLink HD Extreme is a fantastic solution that has all the features most users need, all in the one card. DeckLink HD Extreme will connect to any video equipment in both HD or SD, as well as SDI and analog. Examples include Betacam SP, Digital Betacam, D1, Consumer HDV Cameras, HD set top boxes, HDCAM, HD-D5, HDCAM-SR 4:2:2, Telecines, CRT monitors, LCD televisions and many more.
“DeckLink HD Extreme is the most exciting product we have released since the original DeckLink card. We continue to maintain the highest quality development with DeckLink HD Extreme featuring the same high end 10 bit SDI as well as incredible 14 bit analog video, even though the cost is extremely low,” remarked Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “Because DeckLink HD Extreme costs the same as standard definition products, our customers automatically get HD support even if they don’t need it yet. That's really exciting, because customers who want to upgrade to PCI Express get HDTV at no extra cost.”
Blackmagic Design is the first company to offer 10 bit SD/HD-SDI combined with the incredible quality of 14 bit digital to analog conversion at this low price point. The DeckLink HD Extreme card features a dozen independently regulated power supplies integrated into the card to eliminate interference from the computer’s power supply getting into delicate analog video and audio. DeckLink HD Extreme also features incredibly wide band filtering for eliminating noise and SDI jitter, so even as computer clock speeds increase in the future. That helps customers future-proof their investment as they upgrade their computers in the future.
DeckLink HD Extreme features a huge selection of video and audio connections for connecting to any equipment a high-end post-production or broadcast customer would need:
  • 4:2:2 HD/SD-SDI input
  • 2 x HD/SD-SDI outputs that can switch to fill and key output for graphics.
  • 12 bit Analog Component Y, R-Y, B-Y input, that switches to composite NTSC/PAL, or S-Video formats.
  • 14 bit Analog Component Y, R-Y, B-Y output, that switches to composite NTSC/PAL, or S-Video formats.
  • SDI in and out support 12 channel audio in HD, and 8 channel audio in SD modes.
  • 2 channels of balanced XLR analog Pro audio inputs
  • 2 channels of balanced XLR analog Pro audio outputs
  • 2 channel of AES/EBU digital audio inputs
  • 2 channel of AES/EBU digital audio output
  • RS-422 remote control connection for controlling broadcast decks
  • Genlock/Tri-Sync reference input for locking card to large systems
  • PCI Express 4 lane connection for extreme performance on Mac OS X, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP x64 and Windows Server 2003 x64 systems.
Included with every DeckLink HD Extreme is the world famous Blackmagic Design drivers that include full software support for Apple Final Cut Pro HD, Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0, Apple Shake, Adobe Photoshop with custom plugins, Adobe After Effects, Discreet Combustion and many more.
Availability and Price
DeckLink HD Extreme retails at only US$995, and it's available immediately. DeckLink HD Extreme is software upgradable, so new video formats and features can be added by free software updates from the Blackmagic Design website located at www.blackmagic-design.com/support/software/