NO REAL-TIME EXTERNAL VIDEO AJA iO LD and LA with FCP- Blackmagic INTENSITY

I've searched the forums and users groups and can't figure this out. I would appreciate your input. My system was fine for a year, then suddenly, I got no external video on my broadcast monitor from an AJA iO LD (SDI) hardware output box. Switched to a back-up LA (Analog YUV) - same result - BLACK on the monitor - no real-time video playback except on the computer's LCD. Audio is playing fine from the AJA boxes externally to a mixer and I can hear the sound from the Sequence Timeline. I tried all the fixes posted on this and other sites, but to no avail.

Please note:

For a test, I created a simple 10-second sequence with color bars for one second, then a CUT to white text on black screen, then back to bars, alternating every 1-second.

1. Same AJA boxes and connections with Adobe After Effects (CS3) or Adobe Premiere Pro will play back this color bar and text back-and-forth test timeline in real-time - no problem!


2. FCP is ver 6.05, but I un-installed and went back to 6.0, then stepped-up to 6.4. Still have the same no external video problem. I have un-installed and re-installed twice. Also re-installed QuickTime 7.5. Note that 6.05 was working fine. (MacPro, Tiger 10.4.11, 12gigs RAM). Since FCPro/FCStudio does not come with an un-installer, I found one on a user group site and used it to (hopefully) cleanly un-install FCP files before re-installing.


3. Pull-down menu: VIEW > External Video > is set to ALL FRAMES. Refresh A/V devices flashes AJA, so it's talking to the box. Here's an interesting one - under VIEW > External Video > selected SHOW CURRENT (Frame). The AJA box then outputs the ONE frame (field) that the SEQUENCE playhead is stopped on, so they are talking to each other. BACK TO ALL FRAMES - Clicked play, and that one frame stays put (frozen) while the computer LCDs plays the video. Audio is output in real-time to the mixer, so it is the only thing working fine: there is external audio output only - no real time video output. The problems still exists.


4. Tried trashing preferences, and re-installing AJA LD and LA drivers. Same problem.


5. Checked that Sequence frame rate (29.97 NTSC) is identical to other settings, and even tried Easy SetUp DV, then activating AJA box in AUDIO/VIDEO Pull-down menu (the fact that it shows-up means the Mac and FCP is seeing the AJA box and its drivers).

As stated in #3 above, one frame can be output (VIEW>External Video>Show Current), but no real-time video. Closed FCP and launched After Effects and Premiere Pro separately, and they play real-time perfectly, both on AJA io LA (analog) and LD (digital-SDI). Same boxes, same firewire port, all connections the same.


6. Mirror on Desktop is checked; and FIT TO WINDOW is selected.


7. I did have Blackmagic INTENSITY PRO (HDMI HD card) installed in the MacPro. When I needed HD monitoring, I would un-install the AJA iO LA/LD drivers, install the Blackmagic drivers, and all would be fine in 720p/1080i. When done with HD, I would un-install the Blackmagic drivers, then re-install the AJA iO drivers, re-booting before launching FCP.

This worked fine for over a year with no problems in external video monitoring and output.

I have completely un-installed the Intensity Pro drivers and removed the card - but the AJA iO LA and LD still do not output real-time video (only audio works) in FCP. After Effects and Premiere Pro output fine!

Any clues, my colleagues?

MacPro Intel Quad Mac OS X (10.4.11) 12gigs RAM

OK...first off, VIEW>EXTERNAL should be set to ALL FRAMES...always. Second, VIEW>VIDEO PLAYBACK...this needs to match the footage you have and the card you are using. For example, I have DVCPRO HD 720p60 footage, I set the Video Playback to AJA Kona 3 DVCPRO HD 720p 59.94 8-bit. Then I can watch that footage to my hearts content. If I then start using HDV footage at 1080i60...that view option will no longer work. You need to switch the VIEW to a setting that matching the footage you are NOW using.


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Hi Shane. Thank you for your valuable time.

I should have been clearer in my post. VIEW > EXTERNAL is ALWAYS set to ALL FRAMES, with the same problem - only BLACK on video.

I used the "SHOW CURRENT" option in that sub-menu as a TEST to see if the box was talking to FCP at all when ALL FRAMES failed to work. Being that it showed the current frame, it told me that the present frame the playhead was parked on was being spit out to the AJA box and displayed on the external monitor. I then switch back to ALL FRAMES, but the box is stuck on the frozen picture.

Next, yes, the playback matches the footage, which is what I meant to say in my original post.

The only thing I left out of my post was that RECEIPTS for QuickTime was also trashed when I saw that tip on Apple's web site. Then QuickTime was re-installed from scratch. Still, same problem.

Thanks again - if you think of anything else ...

Did you make sure you don't have any Firewire drives hooked up? AJA IO does not play friendly when there are other FW drives on the same computer - I had a similar problem with my AJA IO LD. Once I unplugged the FW 800 external, everything worked fine.

Thanks qeditor. I did have FW (G-Tech) drives connected, but it turns out that after talking with AJA's excellent support team, a re-boot of the firmware (using the paperclip method in the back of the iOs) took care of this problem. Sorry for the delay in posting this - had a deadline for a 1-hour network special.