Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd. has released a public beta version of its DeckLink v4.2 software, which adds major enhancements to HDTV capabilities for the DeckLink line of video I/O cards.
The new version of the software features real-time HDTV to Standard Definition (SD) downconversion. Blackmagic also bills it as the world’s first HDTV real-time effects on an HD QuickTime video card. The HDTV-to-SD downconversion is compatible on all DeckLink SD models, which can now playback HDTV video out to NTSC or PAL SD video in real-time.
The downconversion capability resizes the HD image down to SD, maintains correct field order and translates correctly. Video color space is correctly translated, and unlike external converters, there are no AV sync issues since the downconversion happens internally, according to Blackmagic. The downconversion works in both 8 and 10-bit video.
The US$1,995 DeckLink HD also gains new features with this release. 3-way color correction has been added, and it’s now possible to manage image control effects in real time at full HDTV resolution.
DeckLink v4.2 is available as a public beta version that’s free to download for all DeckLink customers running Mac OS X. Visit the Web site for more details.
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