Blackmagic announces new DeckLink Studio 2 card

It is the first low-cost 10-bit switchable SD and HD card capable of facilitating editing with SDI, HDMI, component, S-Video, composite capture and playback, with four channels of balanced audio.

Blackmagic Design is showing these days at IBC'09 a new model of capture card, the DeckLink Studio, designed to replace standard definition cards, increasing analog connectivity as well as SDI/HD-SDI and HDMI connections. DeckLink Studio 2 thus replaces the current DeckLink Studio model by adding 10 bit HDMI at a price of around 545 euros.

DeckLink Studio offers independent SDI, HDMI, analog component, S-Video and composite connection, so all types of external video equipment can stay connected without rewiring. DeckLink Studio also includes SDI and HDMI connections for switching between SD and HD, as well as a single SD output that always outputs via converter even when working with HD sources. In this way, this card also becomes a converter at a very low price. The downconverter signal can be configured in 16:9, 16:9 anamorphic or 4:3 format, in any high definition video format as well as in capture and playback modes. When working with HD video formats, S-Video and composite video output via converter is always available, regardless of the video standard used.

DeckLink Studio is intended for creative professionals who have many generations of broadcast equipment, including high audio connectivity for when clients need to use older systems such as Betacam SP. DeckLink Studio 2 includes four balanced channels of analog audio, as well as two AES/EBU channels of digital audio. For digital audio, output channels 3 and 4 can be switched to AES/EBU for channels 3 and 4, and 5 and 6, providing six digital audio channels in total. An ideal solution for monitoring 5.1 or jobs with multiple language tracks.