Whether it’s HD-SDI, 3Gb/s or 2K video, we’ve all probably wished for at least one flavor of such exotic video in our studios. And as the DTV evolution has rolled out, many of us have gotten our wish. However, as with a lot of wishes, some of us have had to face the reality of “what do I do with it once it’s here?”

After such an ultra-high-quality product arrives, we have to route it, manage it, store it and distribute it. And, of course, these days many capital projects are trimmed to the bone. While broadcasters may be tripping over analog monitors and other such gear in storage areas, most of us are a bit understocked when it comes to equipment that can handle high-definition video and surround AES audio signals.

Until recently, monitoring HD video and embedded surround sound has not been simple or inexpensive. Blackmagic Design is changing the marketplace by offering such innovations as the HDLink Optical Fiber. While the standard HDLink gear allows high-quality monitoring of HD video signals via LCD monitors, the HDLink Optical Fiber extends such capabilities by allowing distribution over optical fiber.

The Blackmagic Design folks arranged for me to try out one of their new HDLink Optical Fiber units. When I told them that I didn’t have a lot of installed fiber technology, they sent along one of their Optical Fiber Mini Converters and a length of fiber for tying everything together.

Features
The HDLink Optical Fiber measures approximately 9" x 3" x 1" and is contained in a metal case. The unit’s connections are all arranged on one side of the enclosure, and it’s powered via an external 12V DC adapter. I/Os include monitoring for embedded audio, a DVI-D or HDMI connection, an SDI input and output, optical fiber in and out, a USB connection and the 12V DC input. (When using DVI-D, there’s no audio present on the DVI connector. However, the use of HDMI can provide audio via the DVI connector.)

HDLink Optical Fiber is a full-bandwidth device with both 3Gb/s SDI and optical fiber inputs. These accommodate 4:2:2, 4:4:4 and 2K standards. The supported HD formats include 1080 lines at 24p, 25p, 30p, 48i, 50i and 60i, and 720 lines at 50p and 60p. HDMI supports video and audio at 1080p/24, 1080i/50, 1080i/59.94, 720p/59.94/50 and NTSC/PAL. The unit also supports 2K 2048x1556 video for a 30-inch DVI display. Color support is 4:2:2 10-bit YUV, 4:4:4 10-bit RGB and 2K 10-bit RGB.

Blackmagic recommends a resolution of 2560x1600 when working in 2K and 1920x1200 when running 1080 HD formats. For 720 HD applications, a resolution of 1280x800 is suggested, with frame rates running between 48 and 75 Hz.

The video input automatically detects either an SDI or optical fiber input, and both are always active. Built-in 3D lookup tables ensure accurate colorimetry, and the included utility software for Windows and Mac OS X allows real-time color adjustments.

The Min Converter Optical Fiber is a smaller sibling to the HDLink, with basic connectivity that allows bidirectional conversion between SD/HD-SDI and optical fiber (LC). Format specifications are similar to the HDLink, including SD/HD, 2K and 3Gb/s varieties.

In Use
Both the HDLink Optical Fiber and the Mini Converter Optical Fiber arrived in a single shipping box. The individual boxes inside were much smaller by comparison. It’s been said that packaging is everything. After opening and unpacking the HDLink Optical Fiber container, I found the main unit and an external inline power supply. However, the IEC AC power cord for the supply was not provided. Fortunately, I have a drawer full of those things for just such occasions. After unboxing the Mini Converter Optical Fiber, I noticed that it uses a smaller external power supply that was complete.

To get things started, I connected the fiber between the HDLink Optical Fiber and the Mini Converter Optical Fiber and provided a SMPTE 292 signal from a Grass Valley LDK 4000 camera to the input of the Mini Converter. I next added an Evertz 2430 DAC-HD (for conversion to VGA) to the SDI output of the HDLink Optical Fiber. The Evertz unit drove an OptiQuest VGA monitor. Then it was time to apply power to everything. (It should be noted that although the Blackmagic units have external power supplies, there’s little worry about the power plug falling out, as it attaches very securely.)
Almost immediately I observed a crisp, clean HD image on the monitor. This proved that both units were indeed working properly.

For my next test, I needed an HD-SDI source that contained embedded audio. This was not a problem, as we’re an NBC affiliate. I connected an HD output from our affiliate distribution amplifier to the input of the Mini Converter. To monitor audio from the HDLink Optical Fiber, I connected the RCA connector outputs to a Symetrix A-220 stereo audio amplifier connected to some Sony bookshelf speakers. As soon as I made the last connection, I had channels one and two coming in loud and clear. NBC happened to be running a stereo commercial and I found the dialogue. When regular network programming resumed in 5.1 surround, all I heard on channels one and two was a hint of ambient sound (left and right front surround). Relocating one of the RCA connectors to channel 3 solved the problem, as I found “normal” dialogue there.

Finally, for the HDMI test (bypassing the Evertz), I attached a Viewsonic VX2025wm monitor and connected the HDMI cable between the monitor and the HDLink Optical Fiber. A beautiful picture with NBC HD content appeared on the screen.

Summary
Initially I figured that this review would have me on some sort of learning curve, but I received a pleasant surprise. No matter where I connected signals to the BMD boxes, something came out of every spigot. No homework was required and there was nothing to set up (other than the lookup tables, should you choose to do so). I should also note that even after several days of continuous operation, the power adapter and HDLink Optical Fiber were barely warm.

It would be nice if the HDLink Optical Fiber could down-mix the six surround audio channels to provide a stereo output, but this is a very minor shortcoming as this thing is already as handy as a shirt pocket. The biggest problem I had during my test period was keeping it in one place. We’re in the process of updating our downstream line for HD with embedded audio, and someone was always running off with the Blackmagic unit to check audio or video. When you get one, you’ll need to keep an eye on it, as it could easily grow legs.