This upcoming mini-series will focus on proper color monitoring with minimal cost. It will mainly be demonstrated in DaVinci Resolve (in short: DR) on MacOS, but most of the steps for calibration are just the same under Windows or Linux. The first part, though, deals with the difficulties some user are experiencing with driver software for Blackmagic’s I/O devices and their compatibility with M-series Macs.

Hardware

An important part of the business model run by Blackmagic Design (in short: BM) from Australia is giving away very capable software for free, or for a really decent price in the Studio version, and making money with hardware. While they are now also manufacturing a whole ecosphere of cameras and live recording gear, one mainstay always were I/O devices that circumvent the potential issues from the operating system interfering with color management. These devices are made to connect directly to the editing and grading software and should show the image as it is, without any unknown alterations.

While some users rely on direct output from the GPU (at least on a Mac), using a proper interface is still the sure approach. Unfortunately, not all older devices by BM are compatible with those quite capable machines with Apple’s own silicon, the M-series. It’s not really easy to find out which ones are not compatible by consulting their website, since the current “Read more” link is only listing all devices that work with Intel-based Macs and Apple Silicon alike. But if you are trying to save money by looking for something second-hand, they don’t list the older devices that will work only with Intel Macs.

Among the DeckLink series, which would need a Mac Pro or an external enclosure anyway, these are the Mini Monitor, the HD Extreme 3 and 3D, and also the DeckLink SDI, Duo, Quad and Studio models. The older Intensity Pro is also limited to Intel Macs, as are all the external Thunderbolt 2 devices: the UltraStudio Express, Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt, Mini Monitor (the Recorder too). If you own an Intel Mac, these can still be a solution for small money, even if they are limited to HD. You will need older drivers, though, since the current Desktop Video version 14.5 needs Sonoma (macOS 14) or Sequoia (15).

BM is offering all older software on their support site. So you can still use e.g. an Intel iMac 2017 (non-Pro), which is limited to Ventura, with version 12.9. After all, DR 19 is still officially supported under Ventura. They should all work under Windows 10 or 11, but for the Thunderbolt (in short: TB) devices you’ll need the right port, of course. On a Mac, those machines we would still consider usable for DR 19 usually have a TB 3 port, but those older devices have TB 2. Don’t get the wrong adapter: those very cheap ones that may look right are just connecting to Mini DisplayPort. You’ll need the expensive original by Apple, if you don’t find the cheaper AKiTiO T3T second-hand.

Of course, you may say that it’s easier to buy one of the new, compatible UltraStudio devices, if you don’t have one of the older interfaces and some cables lying around. But there’s no 4K/UHD version of those small, less expensive interfaces in a self-contained form. The UltraStudio 4K Mini (see header) carries a hefty price tag, if all you need is output to a screen. We don’t expect many users to buy the expensive Mac Pro just for its card slots, when the equally capable Mac Studio is not much more than half the price. But for all those with a recent Mac, there’s an alternative: while you can’t use an eGPU with Apple silicon, PCIe cards for I/O, like the DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K, will work in a ThunderBolt enclosure.

Software

On a PC you’ll need to install Desktop Video as an admin, and you should uninstall any older versions first. The latter is also advisable on a Mac, but the tight security measures by Apple can make things a bit more tricky. Watch carefully any message that is popping up while installing, even if you usually tend to click all that boring stuff away. Check if none of them is hidden by other windows or a second screen. With any version of 14 before 14.5, you should see two messages, as below. Make sure to follow the advice!

With these settings under Sequoia (aka MacOS 15.3.1), we had no problems seeing the video output from DR (19.1.3), Premiere Pro (25.1), After Effects (25 beta), Final Cut Pro X (11.0.1) and even Sony Catalyst Browse (2024.1.1), but we didn’t try Avid yet. Of course, you will still be looking at a screen that is unknown to the whole system, so that screen has to be calibrated. See our next post!

The post Color Monitoring for Cheapskates?Part 1 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.

Samesame… but different

At first glance, the Rugged SSD Pro 5 can’t deny its lineage. The form factor is the classic Neil Poulton design that Lacie has used over the last twenty years. Beveled edges and a rubbery surface not only give the device a distinct look, but also added surface adhesion – more on that later. However, if you are used to the larger 2,5” form factor, the drive is now turned 90°, with the Thunderbolt 5/USB-C Port added on the broad side.

Also, like the previous model, LaCie has sadly ditched the lifeboat-like orange color. But instead of the last generations full black, this model comes with a dark blue enclosure. But not only the color has changed – the Rugged SSD Pro 5 comes with a IP68-certification for water resistance. LaCie claims that this will protect the drive not only from your everyday splash of coffee, but it is supposed to last up to thirty minutes in a depth of up to 1,5 meters – and no, we didn’t verify that ourselves.

Neither did we actually check if it would actually survive being driven over by a car with up to two tons in weight – we are confident that some courageous Youtuber will pick up the mantle on these tests.

The numbers

Rather, we focused in on the speed. The Rugged SSD Pro 5 comes in 2 TB and 4 TB. In ideal conditions, LaCie claims this drive achieves speeds of 6.700 MBit/s for reading and 5.300 MBit/s for writing. As both models come with 50 GBs of cache, it can maintain this write speed for quite some time before dropping to a still very acceptable 1.800 MBit/s on the 4 TB version and 1.400 MBit/s on the 2 TB version. And with the cache being this big, this should really only come into play when working with very large RAW- or ProRES-files. 

So we did our own test on a MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro, one of the few computers on the market with Thunderbolt 5 currently built in. There is the Razer Blade 18 and the Schenker Key 17 Pro out there in the Windows Worlds, but at the time of testing we didn’t have access to either of these machines. So for this this test, Mac it is.

As the Rugged is designed for outdoor use, we thought it made sense to test it on a mobile computer and not the Mac Mini, the only non-mobile computer out there with Thunderbolt 5. And as we are talking VFX and video here, we resorted to the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. Achieving a solid 3.800 MBit/s on Read and a whopping 5.030 MBit/s on Write. Also noticeable: There was no noticeable difference between running the MacBook Pro connected to a power outlet or on battery.

Power Issues

So much speed comes at a price: While the SSD is small, it is definitely hungry. As it has no external power supply – as it is meant for mobile use – it draws all of its power from the Thunderbolt 5 connection. So you always want to use the supplied Thunderbolt 5 cable. And with a length of just 0.3 meters that might force you into some compromises.

For example, when we connected the drive to a iMac Pro, we had to build a rather weird contraption just to not have the drive dangling in mid-air. But even if you use the cable, there are some caveats in regards to backwards compatibility: On a M1 Mac Studio with Thunderbolt 4 the drive was recognized, but the OS asked us to disconnect other peripherals so it would be able to supply sufficient power to the drive. On the previously mentioned iMac Pro, we needed to upgrade to MacOS Sequoia for the drive to be even recognized. After that, it worked like a charm.

And when quickly connecting to the USB-C Port of a small windows PC, the SSD did not even show up. And while current generation iDevices come with a USB-C port, don’t expect the Rugged to show up on an iPhone – not enough power. On a iPad with USB-C however, it SHOULD show up, though we did not test that ourselves. Also, it should be noted that there is only one Thunderbolt 5 port on the device – so if you plan on daisy-chaining, consider the Rugged to be at the end of that chain.

However, once you overcome these little inconveniences, you still have got a really fast drive, only limited by the bandwidth of your Thunderbolt Port.

The rugged takes a trip

But let’s keep in mind what the Rugged series has been designed for from the beginning: Mobililty. So we took that literal, got that MacBook Pro and our Rugged SSD Pro 5 on the next train and started editing in Resolve, as you do. It should be clear from the test data above that editing feels snappy, no matter what format or resolution you throw at that thing. So let’s talk about ergonomics. The choice to put the port on the broad side of the device actually makes a lot of sense. That way, we were able to put it on the left side of the MacBook Pro, in front of the Keyboard. So it is really not in the way when working on the touch pad and suddenly that 30 centimeters of cable are more than enough to connect to your mobile workstation without trapping your own feet in the process.

During that commute, the device became warm, but never hot. With the whole device being encapsulated to provide IP68 water resistance, there is no effective way to dissipate heat, so we will have to see if other devices like the announced OWC Envoy with Thunderbolt 5 can perform better due to a metal enclosure.

However, be careful with what you wish for… The biggest advantage of the Rugged series for mobile users has always been that it is, well, Rugged. The rubber enclosure gives you unparalleled surface adhesion. If you angle your knees, if the train goes into a curve, if somebody bumps into you – a rugged hard drive will likely stay in place rather than follow Newtons laws.

Prices

The Rugged SSD Pro 5 retails at US $ 399.-/€ 429.-  for the 2 TB version and US $ 599.-/€ 689.- for the 4 TB version. This comes with a limited five year warranty and a free month of Adobe Creative Cloud thrown in for good measure. In addition to that, LaCie is so confident in its durability claims that it gives you a free Rescue Date Recovery Service should you suffer data loss inside your warranty. Is that expensive? Yes and no.

Thunderbolt devices are always at a premium, when the latest standard launches, but compare it to upgrading your shiny new MacBook Pros internal SSD to let’s say 4 TB instead of the base configurations 1 TB. That’s going to set you back US $ 1.000.- / € 1.150.- for just 3 TB more instead of the 4 TB the large version of the Rugged SSD Pro 5 offers. And yes, that internal SSD will still be faster due to being connected by PCIE 4.0, but in fairness, Thunderbolt 5 is pretty close.

External Scratchings

Also, we would make the argument that having a external scratch disk has a lot of advantages over using your internal storage for that kind of throughput. Because , you can extend whatever workstation you are working on, and that drive will only be used for Scratch Activies, not for anything else, any software might be looking for. So you get all the Scratching speed.

An, let’s be honest, those files in media production quickly add up, and since the technical term of a 99% filled internal drive with the OS is “unusable”, having all of that data on n external drive makes a lot of sense in day-to-day productions.

Conclusions

So should you buy it? If you want to utilize Thunderbolt 5 right now (February 2025), the Rugged SSD Pro 5 is a great choice. If we take a look at the competition out there, the announced OWC Envoy and the Sabrent Thunderbolt 5 SSD are roughly the same price, all with breathtaking speed. What sets the Rugged SSD Pro 5 apart is the water resistance and the overall durability. This is what really sets it apart and if those factors are important to you, then this should be a no-brainer.

If you are working with a fixed or semi-portable setup and want a fast external scratch disk? In that case we still can highly recommend the Rugged SSD Pro 5. But if you are looking for a solution that has more redundancy for storing project data for longer periods, then it might be worth holding out a little bit more. The OWC Thunderblade X12 has been announced for March, giving you RAID redundancy and a external power supply and the option for far bigger storage.

Other solutions will surely follow very soon if that is what you are looking for. Meanwhile the Rugged SSD Pro 5 holds up to what it promises. A very fast, mobile and durable external scratch disk. If you currently don’t own a Thunderbolt 5-compatibile computer, it might still make sense to invest in the Rugged SSD Pro 5 to future-proof your investment – but be sure to double check that it really works with your current hardware and OS-version. Also be aware that the previous generation with Thunderbolt 3 is still available if you don’t plan to use Thunderbolt 5.

Pro & Contra

Pro: Extremely durable and water resistant
Pro: Big 50 GB Cache
Pro: Very fast read and write speeds
Pro: Proven design with great surface adhesion

Contra: Expensive
Contra: Limited Backwards Compatibility

The post Speed in a small package: LaCie Rugged SSD Pro 5 Review first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Christoph Zapletal.

Sources which don’t need additional hardware are the built-in cameras of the iPad or the Mac. Plus, since until now CineMon only runs under MacOS Sequoia, you will immediately see your iPhone if it’s nearby. Then there are recent hybrid cameras like the Sony A7IV, which deliver a video stream via USB-C, albeit usually limited to HD and fixed frame rates. Other hybrid cameras have similar features. We got HD in 25 fps for PAL from the A7IV or 30 when set to NTSC, independent of the frame rate in the camera. But there’s a catch: you can’t record at the same time, and camera profiles like log don’t work. Obviously, such cameras don’t have the computing power to do it all at the same time.

Computer Load

Thunderbolt Interfaces

For any other sources than streaming cameras you need an interface, because simple adapter cables from USB-C to HDMI are for screens only, not for input. One of the best for a decent price is the small, but sturdy UltraStudio Recorder 3G by Blackmagic Design. It offers both SDI and HDMI inputs, and can transfer uncompressed signals up to 4:2:2 in 10 bit at 60 fps, or even RGB 4:4:4 in 12 bit at frame rates up to 30 fps. But it’ll only work with the laptop via Thunderbolt and up to 2K resolution (from SDI input). Yes, there are iPads with Thunderbolt too, but until now there’s no software support by Blackmagic.

Using an iPad

Apple’s iPads are quite popular with professional videographers for their great image quality. Some even tend to give them to important clients to make sure that they see the intended picture. They can’t be calibrated, but the reference mode in recent models is getting quite close to Rec. 709 or HDR Rec. 2020. Unfortunately, third-party developers may still need to do some more work on HDR, which is visually stunning on the tablets too. For an iPad with USB-C you’ll have to look at one of the numerous solutions primarily aiming at game capture, if you don’t want to invest in an AJA U-TAP device, which cost over 600 € each for only one kind of input. 

There are very cheap devices for HDMI sources starting at 12 €, all the way up to brand products like Elgato for well over 100€, the latter claiming UHD processing up to 30p. You can even find a no-name (they don’t even care to invent one) with SDI for about 55€. This one will need an active adapter from USB-3.0 A to USB-C, aka OTG, but you can also use a hub. For about 150 € (plus taxes) you can get the AVMatrix UC2018, which offers both SD and HDMI input and claims to transfer YUY2. It weighs over 200 grams, though. We didn’t have this device for testing.

And then, there’s a Chinese brand called Acasis, which earned itself a decent reputation with NVMe enclosures, RAIDs and hubs combined with some storage. This company is also making capture devices, which are not easily found in Europe. Albeit on Ebay they have their own shop: acasis-official-store. We tested the small HD33 model for only 25 €, and the more recent VC-003 for around 35 €. Please note that all of these devices are shipping from China, so you’ll need to pay VAT on import. 

Both models offer the same connections, looping their HDMI input through to an output for other monitors or recorders, and they have an USB-C connector on the other side. So, they need no separate power supply or adapters, other than devices with USB-3.0 type A. Three tiny blue LEDs inform you of the presence of a signal. They are light and small enough to tape them to an iPad with some Velcro and connect with a short U-shaped USB-C cable. We tested both of these devices. BTW, all devices deliver color bars when there is no input signal.

The main questions are: how much do you need to pay for quality, and how bad are cheap solutions? It’s hard to find any solid reviews for the purpose at hand, since most tests on the internet are aimed at gamers. But CineMon is supposed to be a measuring device, so your adapters better be precise or the whole arrangement would be pretty useless. We tested with a DSC chart, white balance fixed on grey, and both a Sony A7IV and a Blackmagic UMP 4.6K with log signals.

Right from the start, our cheap capture devices for HDMI had difficulties getting the frame rate right. Both HDMI versions could only handle up to 30 fps, independent of our feed in 30, 50 or 60 fps. But they were advertised as 60p, which obviously just means you can feed that, not that you’ll get it through. Our SDI model, OTOH, showed everything as 60p, regardless of the input frame rate. It even has an active HDMI output, but a video monitor didn’t synchronise to that, while computer monitors did and also detected 60p.

The standard used for USB is called UVC (USB Video Class), and UAC for the audio counterpart. Initially mainly developed for webcams, it now includes quality levels up to uncompressed YUV 4:2:2 (aka YUY2). Many adapters are not constructed for lossless transfer, they use compression and may also degrade the signal substantially. The meagre Chinese manuals (if any) don’t tell much about such detail, but usually this is M-JPEG (Motion JPEG) compression, an outdated and quite inefficient method with pretty bad color sampling at 4:2:0 (aka NV12).  

Signal Quality

Such compression shows clearly in CineMon. The scopes look coarse already when being fed Rec. 709 from a camera with an internal display LUT or recording straight Rec. 709. But things get worse when feeding a log signal, in particular a very flat one like Sony SLog3. CineMon is offering options to add an input LUT and a display LUT separately, and you can even choose if it’s added before or after the scopes. Weaknesses in signal transfer will get exaggerated by the LUT conversion to Rec. 709. While the image still looks acceptable with a display LUT, the scopes tell a different story. If a device can only process the signal in compressed 4:2:0, both waveform and vectorscope are very discontinuous, the display of a color chart in the vectorscope is so coarse that you can hardly read the information, even at maximum trace intensity. 

But recently the developer has added the functionality to control the settings for the hardware devices from CineMon, which we have not yet found in competing software. If set to YUY2, you’ll also see deviations in luminance, contrast and color fidelity clearly, but you may add a correction LUT to the incoming signal.

The cheapest device tested needs an active adapter. We used one that is extremely small, but still offers an USB-C socket on the side, so you can input power or connect external storage. This device was a surprise at first view, since it actually seemed to let us switch to 422. But this didn’t work reliably, and it normally fell back to 5 fps when trying. Latency with NV12 is around 3 frames, but we can’t recommend it, since color in particular is off in the yellow/green region, even influencing skin tone.

The HD33 by Acasis seems to have the same chip inside. It can also be switched to YUY2, but then resorts to 5 fps only. Waveform is not too far off, colors are slightly too satured, but at least hues are close. The Macrosilicon VC-003 finally can handle 25, 30, or 60 fps in YUY2 pretty well out of the Sony A7IV. This camera is actually sending NTSC frequencies as 29.97 or 59.94, and 24p as 23.98. The interface doesn’t use the latter, you’ll get a picture, but only at one of the other frame rates. Latency is just a tad over 1 frame for 25 or 30 fps.

The SDI model is looping out an HDMI signal that doesn’t sync properly on video monitors, though it does on computers. While color bars generated by both HDMI devices are exactly at 100% targets, the ones from this model are between, higher than 75%, but under 100. The device outputs only 30 or 60p with latency of 4 frames. It can’t be switched to YUY2, so the signal is very coarse und vectors hardly readable. The picture is lighter, more contrasty and overly saturated for some colors.

What’s Missing?

Until now, playback of video files is limited to H.264, H.265, and ProRes, while Windows users may miss DNxHD/HR support. You can already control playback with the space bar, hopefully the developer will support JKL and single frame by arrow keys too. While many apps for the iPad may be somehow running on laptops with Apple silicon too, operation of CineMon has been well adapted for such use, so we have no doubt there’s more to come. NDI is already planned as an alternative to capture devices, as are video recording and more scopes.

Competition?

We have already reviewed Nobe OmniScope, which is very deep in its functionality, but primarily aiming at post-production. It is priced at up to 400 US$ for the Pro version and covers all kinds of video quality controls. OmniScope is complex and needs solid knowledge of video technology and nomenclature. It works even on older Macs and PCs too, but not on an iPad. This is the only other software we have tested extensively.

Video Assist by Auron Studios is iPad only and is aiming at similar use cases as CineMon.The price is 180,- € or 150 US$, depending on your App Store. It does video recording (which is planned for CineMon too) and recording can be triggered automatically when the camera is recording. Since trigger signals via HDMI don’t come across USB-C capture, it is analysing the status information of most high-end cameras to start recording. This changes the use case, though, since all recordings will contain status information too. Instead of a clean feed, you are going to record dailies with all the information burnt in.

CamX by Touchbits is free and has quite a few positive reviews. It is limited to HD and can record, including corrections to the image. HDMI Monitor – Orion by Lux Optics is from the makers of the highly respected photo app Halide. There are no reviews yet, neither for UVC Capture – HDMI Monitor by Kenneth Kao, which claims to support the reference mode and recording up to 4K.

Recommendations

For professional use, a base model Mac mini M4 with a ViewSonic VP16-OLED will cost less than one thousand US$ (some more in Europe). Together with an UltraStudio Recorder 3G and CineMon it is a viable solution for monitoring on set. For semi-professional use with any camera that offers an output by HDMI, an iPad with USB-C can be a very useful solution. 

Even a cheap capture device can suffice for PAL, if you find one with the right electronics inside. The mid-level Acasis VC-003 is decent, even for log sources, but also small and light enough for an iPad. These avoid additional adapters and work really well with CineMon if you add your own correction LUT, which we’ll explain in our next article. Given the short lifespan of models from Chinese production, you may need to test a few samples with your specific camera, though. 

The post Hardware for CineMon (et. al.) first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.