Accelerate Your Mac! - Aurora Design Fuse Video Capture Card Review

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Aurora Design Fuse^tm Video Capture Card
Review date: 6/13/98

Configuring the Fuse

Intro | Installation | Configuration | Performance | Specifications | Summary

Video Configuration:

Video Source Options:
After reading the online documentation file on configuring the Fuse in Premiere I was capturing video within minutes.
This panel is where you set the types of Digitizer (Aurora Fuse), input type (composite or S-Video) and format (NTSC/PAL/SECAM) as well. S-Video separates the luminance and chrominance signals which reduces signal noise and improves image clarity.S-Video is the better choice for digitizing video if your camera or tape deck has this output option.
Finally, select the video filter - either VCR or TV/Laserdisc. Incorrect settings here will result in a loss of sync in the captured image/preview window.

Video Source Selection Panel

Preview Window Options:
Next choose the Preview settings option, which determines the preview window size in relation to the captured video size. Full, half and quarter sizes are options and you can also select to turn off previews during captures which can help in systems with slower CPUs and graphics cards.
With the ATI VR card in the PowerTower Pro, I found that previews during captures were best turned off.

Preview Window Options Panel

Image Options:
Most users probably won't need to adjust anything in the Image Panel, but there are slider bars to allow corrections/adjustments to Hue, Saturation, Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness for color images, and B/W levels for black and white image adjustment.
Image Options Panel

Compression Options:
The Compression Panel allows you to select the amount of compression used during video capture. Here are the options:

Compressor: Set to Aurora Design
Depth: Fixed at Color (not adjustable)
Quality Slider: (Aurora suggests using the Limit Date Rate instead)
Frames per Second: Options are Best (preferred), 30fps, 29.97, 24, 15 fps
Limit Data Rate: Set to slightly under the rate your HD can sustain
Since Aurora's CODEC does not perform frame-differencing, the Key Frame option will always be dimmed when the Compressor is set to Aurora Design.
Compressions Options Panel

Fuse Control Strip:
The Fuse control strip configures the playback image size and allows enabling computer and external video preview options.
The control strip also features variable preview sizes, which also affects movie playback from the finder when movies are saved in the Aurora's MJPEG (Motion-JPEG) CODEC which uses the Fuse for movie playback.
Be sure to save any movies to be distributed for normal computer applications in another Quicktime supported Codec (Indeo, Cinepak, Video, etc.).

Fuse Control Strip

Make sure you set the Audio source in Premiere to the Mac built-in audio (or a PCI audio card) to allow capturing audio with your video. The Fuse relies on the Mac for audio input so this source must be connected and working properly to allow audio capture.
The next page covers capture performance and image quality.

Index of Aurora Design Fuse^tm Video Capture Card Review
Intro | Installation | Configuration | Performance | Specifications | Summary
- or -
Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM

Copyright © 1998.

No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written permission. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies.
Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.


Aurora Design Fuse^tm Video Capture Card Review date: 6/13/98
Configuring the Fuse
Intro \| Installation \| Configuration \| Performance \| Specifications \| Summary
Video Configuration:
Video Source Options: After reading the online documentation file on configuring the Fuse in Premiere I was capturing video within minutes. This panel is where you set the types of Digitizer (Aurora Fuse), input type (composite or S-Video) and format (NTSC/PAL/SECAM) as well. S-Video separates the luminance and chrominance signals which reduces signal noise and improves image clarity.S-Video is the better choice for digitizing video if your camera or tape deck has this output option. Finally, select the video filter - either VCR or TV/Laserdisc. Incorrect settings here will result in a loss of sync in the captured image/preview window.	Video Source Selection Panel

Preview Window Options: Next choose the Preview settings option, which determines the preview window size in relation to the captured video size. Full, half and quarter sizes are options and you can also select to turn off previews during captures which can help in systems with slower CPUs and graphics cards. With the ATI VR card in the PowerTower Pro, I found that previews during captures were best turned off.	Preview Window Options Panel

Image Options: Most users probably won't need to adjust anything in the Image Panel, but there are slider bars to allow corrections/adjustments to Hue, Saturation, Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness for color images, and B/W levels for black and white image adjustment.	Image Options Panel

Compression Options: The Compression Panel allows you to select the amount of compression used during video capture. Here are the options: Compressor: Set to Aurora Design Depth: Fixed at Color (not adjustable) Quality Slider: (Aurora suggests using the Limit Date Rate instead) Frames per Second: Options are Best (preferred), 30fps, 29.97, 24, 15 fps Limit Data Rate: Set to slightly under the rate your HD can sustain Since Aurora's CODEC does not perform frame-differencing, the Key Frame option will always be dimmed when the Compressor is set to Aurora Design.	Compressions Options Panel

Fuse Control Strip: The Fuse control strip configures the playback image size and allows enabling computer and external video preview options. The control strip also features variable preview sizes, which also affects movie playback from the finder when movies are saved in the Aurora's MJPEG (Motion-JPEG) CODEC which uses the Fuse for movie playback. Be sure to save any movies to be distributed for normal computer applications in another Quicktime supported Codec (Indeo, Cinepak, Video, etc.).	Fuse Control Strip
Make sure you set the Audio source in Premiere to the Mac built-in audio (or a PCI audio card) to allow capturing audio with your video. The Fuse relies on the Mac for audio input so this source must be connected and working properly to allow audio capture. The next page covers capture performance and image quality.

Index of Aurora Design Fuse^tm Video Capture Card Review Intro \| Installation \| Configuration \| Performance \| Specifications \| Summary - or - Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM
Copyright © 1998. No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written permission. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies. Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.