AJA FS1 Frame Synchronizer and Bi-directional Converter - HD and SD, Digital and Analog Audio, Rackmountable

Comments about AJA FS1 Frame Synchronizer and Bi-directional Converter:

Be careful what you buy this for.

While AJA says "anything in, anything out", that doesn't mean it can convert anything in to anything out. It is not a frame rate converter so it does not convert, say, 23.94 to 59.94 (at least not in 720p, it will convert 10pSF23.98 to 1080i59.94, according to the manual) or 50 to 60, or even 60 fps to 59.94 fps, according to the operators manual. It will convert 1080 to 720 or vice versa but only with the same frame rate.

So basically, this is a modern day TBC for the digtial world. It does have some proc amp control like the old TBC. But this is not a complete format converter, only a raster converter and frame sync, one frame at a time.

This unit is helpful if you need to convert 1080i/59.94 to 720p/59.94 or from analog of a given format to a digital one. But again, it will not convert if in a different frame rate, it only converts the raster.

It will lock to an external reference, which is what a frame sync is for. And it will use NTSC black burst (some other devices will only lock to tri-level for HD outputs). However, the reference must be the same rate as the input and output. And it cannot magically reproduce or interpolate frames so don't be surprised if you see a stutter or jump if the incoming source is wild and running faster or slower than the reference.

Overall, I did not find much use for this device except for one: we have a device that only puts out 1080i/59.94 and we use it to convert it to our production format of 720p/59.94. And it helps to have all three devices connected to the same reference.

Comments about AJA FS1 Frame Synchronizer and Bi-directional Converter:

Most of the videos we receive and send out are of the SD variety. Let's face it, it is still an SD world and until recordable Blu-Ray disks get down to 25 cents a piece like the standard DVD-R, and Blu-Ray players are sold at[...], the SD stuff will be around for awhile. Our studio classroom presents in HD but the control room facility is still SD. So we needed something that will allow the two to "make nice" with each other. The FS-1s are the closest thing we have found. And B&H Photo sells these units at a very reasonable price. We will probably get a couple more once the control room is converted over to HD. It has solved a number of problems for us. Nice work AJA!

Comments about AJA FS1 Frame Synchronizer and Bi-directional Converter:

While it is useful for upconverting/cross converting certain types of sd/hd, be aware that it really isn't as the descriptions read!! The product page states "anything in, anything out" - which is misleading to say the least. There is limited 23.98 cross conversion, and no standards conversion ability. There's a reason why boxes that do that cost more. Just beware before you buy it! With that said, it does a good job of all the things it can do, good simple interface, and web interface is coming along fine.

Comments about AJA FS1 Frame Synchronizer and Bi-directional Converter:

This is a great product for those with mixed HD and SD formats. It is an excelent tool for the transition to HD.