Blackmagic Design Decklink Quad 2
The Blackmagic Design DeckLink Quad 2 is a professional multi-channel PCI Express capture and playback card designed for broadcast, live production, playout, ingest and custom video systems that need to handle multiple independent SDI feeds from a single workstation.
The key advantage of the DeckLink Quad 2 is its eight independent 3G-SDI mini DIN connections. Each connection can be individually configured for capture or playback, effectively providing the flexibility of multiple professional video I/O channels on a single PCIe card. The card supports SD and HD video formats up to 1080p60.
This flexibility makes the DeckLink Quad 2 particularly useful for multi-channel applications. Depending on your software and system configuration, the eight connections can be assigned in different combinations of capture and playback channels rather than forcing the entire card to operate in one direction.
For example, a broadcast system could use multiple channels for simultaneous ingest while other channels handle playback. It can also form the video I/O foundation of media servers, multi-screen systems, broadcast automation, graphics systems and custom production applications.
Each channel operates independently and supports embedded audio, while the card also provides a reference input for Tri-Sync or Black Burst. This allows the DeckLink Quad 2 to integrate into synchronised professional broadcast environments rather than functioning as a simple computer capture device.
The card also supports professional processing features including colour-space conversion, SD-to-HD up conversion, HD-to-SD down conversion and HD cross conversion. This provides additional flexibility when integrating different SD and HD formats into a production workflow.
For broadcasters, production companies and system integrators that need a large number of professional SDI channels in one workstation, the DeckLink Quad 2 provides an efficient way to consolidate multi-channel capture and playback onto a single PCI Express card.