Timothy Dolan Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 A while back I asked a question about what would be a good downconverter to use for a RED Epic and got fantastic advice. After saving some money I am able to finally buy one. The problem that I am having is powering the downconverter through my Master Series Sled. I have been looking into the AJA HA5, Decimator 2, and the BlackMagic Design Decimator. Reviews on each one tell me to go to the other so I am running in circles. Also I do not know what connectors and voltage I should be using to power the downconverters to my sled. Is there a way to have them power from the camera as an alternative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Osvaldo Silvera SOC Posted April 30, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 On the Decimator 2 and Im sure the AJa, you can have cables made to power them from the 4 pin Hirose on your sled, or from a P Tap on the camera, or that same 4 pin Hirose cable can power the Decimator 2 off the back of most Sony and Panasonic broadcast cameras as they all have the 4 pin Hirose connector. But I'd get one of those 4 pin hirose cables and one with a P Tap, that way your pretty much covered. Good luck. PS, Decimator2 is a fine product, but buy two of them, because if one goes down, your looking at a month + to get it back. Or better yet, save the 490 each ($980), and buy yourself an HD monitor, maybe something like a marshall M70LCD 3Ghigh brightness for $1000, and have Terry West install an HD/SDI cable and connector from the top stage of your master to the bottom, and that way your now HD and never have to worry about a downconverter again....just a thought.. PS, The Marshall M70LCD 3G is just OK in bright sunlight, but it will do for more jobs until you buy a Cinetronic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evrim KAYA Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 PS, Decimator2 is a fine product, but buy two of them, because if one goes down, your looking at a month + to get it back. Hello Osvaldo, Could you further explain the turnaround time in Decimator2? After mine stopped working last week I contacted US/Europe distributor of Decimator design (Symbiosis.eu) and they agreed to send me a new one this week(they would have send it last week but they were out of stock). My unit was still under the 36 months warranty so perhaps you’re talking about repair turnaround time after the warranty expires? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Osvaldo Silvera SOC Posted April 30, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 Hi there Evrim, This was my experience with the Decimator 2 when it went down. Purchased it new from Alan Gordon 5/18/2010 20 months later on Jan 20th, 2012 it stopped working while on a job. Charles Papert recommended TECADS,Inc. I contacted them, and after a few emails I shipped them the unit and they received it on the 26th of January. They were awaiting parts from the manufacturer......... on March 1st, they informed me they were sending my Unit along with other ones awaiting repairs back to the factory since they were not receiving enough repair parts for the units they had awaiting them.. On March 22nd I was invoiced $115, and the unit was returned to me. This was my experience. In the meantime waiting for the repair to be done, I rented a Decimator 1 several times from a Video assist operator near me who was kind enough to rent it to me at $100 for every 3 days of use. Not too bad I thought, since I was only gonna have to rent it once or twice because my unit would be back in a couple of weeks according to their emails to me, ......I rented the Decimator from him on 5 separate occasions over the next 2 months. So the long and short of it is... be prepared, you never know. I now carry one Decimator 2 and 2 HD/SDI monitors, and both sleds are now HD, so I rarely use the unit. Main reason for using it now is to convert HD/SDI to HDMI and plug the Paralinx to it to transmit when using a Sony or Panasonic Broadcast camera on a job. Ozzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evrim KAYA Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 Thanks for the clarification Ozzie, I think that they changed their repair process for the under warranty units. The distributor told me that they are not repairing but just sending the new ones from now on. I just got a mail from the distributor today. He said the new stocks didn't arrive this week and I should expect my replacement next week. Which, repair or replacement, makes 3 week down-time in my case. So you might be right about the turnaround time :) fortunately I have a friend with a spare unit so I don’t have to pay for rental. I also have a HD monitor but my wireless video system is still SD. I thought I should ride out this HD transmitter wars before investing. One thing I didn't understand was you being charged $115. 20 months old decimator was still under warranty, wasn't-it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Osvaldo Silvera SOC Posted May 1, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted May 1, 2013 I'm not sure, They knew exactly when I bought it, so I would hope they would have mentioned something. Maybe it wasn't 36 months back in 2010 when I bought it. I don't know. Good thing the days of needing a downconverter are fast becoming a thing of the past..... How did I even deal with Black and White Video taps on eyepieces is beyond me! I love technology! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant Swanstrom Posted May 1, 2013 Report Share Posted May 1, 2013 (edited) I downconvert and run black and white on my Hd monitor.... Why? I get the level from my ultra 2 and the director never looks over my shoulder. Though I do always send an HD signal to the directors monitor. Hah. This will probably change if I can get a HD digital level, but I don't think that will happen until I shell out 6200 for the cinetronic 2 + level. I will stick with my boland for now. Edited May 1, 2013 by Bryant Swanstrom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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