AJA ROI Review

August 19, 2013, 08:27 AM

https://www.aotg.com/aja-roi-review/

AJA ROI Review By Gordon Burkell
At NAB 2013 AJA announced their ROI Mini-Converter, which they emphatically stated does not stand for “Return on Investment” but “Region of Interest”. When they announced it, I was very interested in it since as a documentary editor I’ve had to pull clips from YouTube or Vimeo while the producers attempt to track down the creator of the original content to secure higher quality source video. The ROI scales video from your computer screen via DVI or HDMI to SDI including material pulled from the net, which, hopefully, will lessen the producer’s questions and comments on image quality. I’ve used screen-capturing software in the past but the ROI gives a hardware solution that really packs a punch. The Tech So, what’s under the hood? Convert DVI/HDMI inputs to HD/SD-SDI User-adjustable “region of interest” for personalized screen extraction 4:3/16:9 conversion modes supported Setup via PC/Mac using USB port and supplied USB cable (AJA MiniConfig software application supplied on CD) Frame-rate conversion Automatic configuration to input video raster and frame rate SDI output configurable to most common SD and HD formats (1080i59.84 max) Genlock with reference input Audio input via 3.5mm-2channel analog input or 8-channel HDMI embedded Embedded SDI audio out (up to 8 channels) Uses universal input +5V power supply AJA model DWP-U-R1 (included) Video: Output format select Aspect Ratio convert 4:3 to 16:9: Sidebar, 14:9, Full 16:9 or 16:10 to 4:3: Letterbox, Full 16:10 to 16:9: Letterbox, Full Region of Interest: On/Off Size/Position (scroll bars, buttons, or numerical entry) Audio: Input Select: Analog (2-channel), HDMI (8-channel) Mute Audio out Input Data Range Control: 1-255 (default – 8-bit nomenclature) 16-235 Analog Audio: A single 3.5 mm analog audio connector accepts two channels of analog audio which can be embedded into the SDI output as determined by the default configuration or audio configuration selections using AJA MiniConfig. USB Port: Accepts USB mini connector DVI/HDMI Output: This is a pass-through output for use on a second computer monitor for using Screen Picker. Connections are the same as described for DVI/HDMI input above. SDI Video Output: Standard BNC connector for coaxial SDI monitor connection. Reference Video Input: The Reference BNC accepts an Output timing reference signal. The reference can be SD Blackburst or HD tri-level sync. Permissible reference video inputs include: ○ 525 Color Black ○ 625 Color Black ○ 1080i Tri-level Sync ○ 720p Tri-level Sync (Note this list is from their hardware documentation) The Feel Overall, the ROI has a great interactive feel to it. The only problem I had was fixed with a simple upgrade of the MiniConfig software downloaded from http://www.aja.com/en/products/mini-converters/roi/#support. Other than that this tool runs smoothly. Once everything's plugged in it will immediately be recognized and you can hit the ground running. If you’ve used any AJA tool you’ll immediately understand the MiniConfig interface. In this case we have five tabs: Input Region of Interest, Output, Audio, Update, and Info. For those who have used Screenflick, you will find even more control under the Input Region of Interest tab, similar to what you are used to with Screenflick. Under this tab is where you can select a region on your screen through three selections or “Modes” (as they call it). They are: Auto, Variable, and Fixed Aspect Ratio. The Auto mode detects the DVI/HDMI signal at input, the variable mode allows the post specialist to alter the selection, and the fixed mode gives specific aspect ratios. You can use the X/Y coordinates under this tab to determine where the region will appear. I can hear all the software users already, “BUT what about allowing me to just drag the section I want?” well, that option is available under the variable selection. Using the Screen Picker button you can drag a light green box to highlight the desired area. Now I don’t want this to become a tutorial, since that would be better demoed in a video rather than a written blog post. This is a great tool, it does have elements that could be enhanced, but most of these are petty and will get updated in software updates. What’s amazing is how much they got right on this product right out of the gate. The Application As I mentioned before, as a doc editor, I’ve had producers and directors ask me to grab protest footage from YouTube and Vimeo or a speech given at a live event from Ustream. We utilize this as a placeholder until we can get the rights locked down. AJA’s ROI raises the quality of the clips we can pull directly from the Internet, and allows end users to pull high quality images from the web for use in shows, news broadcasts and endless other areas of entertainment. Summary A great addition to the AJA family of breakout boxes, if you are currently using the software based screen capture tools and want to upgrade your quality this is your solution!

At NAB 2013 AJA announced their ROI Mini-Converter, which they emphatically stated does not stand for “Return on Investment” but “Region of Interest”. When they announced it, I was very interested in it since as a documentary editor...