the black level used for the digital bit stream is the same for both japanese and north american video equipment. this means that when you capture dv video over the 1394 interface on matrox rt.x10, the video is captured at the correct black level. when you play back the captured clips on your ntsc monitor, however, you may find that the video appears too bright or colors appear to be washed out. this is because the default setup level for the analog output of matrox rt.x10 is 7.5 ire, whereas your dv camera's analog output uses the japanese setup level of 0 ire.
to change the setup level of your analog ntsc video on matrox rt.x10:
1 choose project ] project settings ] general.
2 click the advanced settings button.
3 under analog setup (ntsc) on the general page, select one of the following setup levels. this affects both the analog video input and output.
0 ire (dv-compliant) applies a setup level of 0 ire. you should select this option only when working with a commercial dv-1394 device that uses the japanese analog ntsc setup of 0 ire. for example, if the video appears too bright when you play back dv clips on your ntsc monitor, you can change the setup to 0 ire to output your dv clips at the correct brightness.
7.5 ire applies the standard ntsc setup level of 7.5 ire.
if your dv-1394 device has a different ntsc setup level for input and output, you can switch the setup level as needed before capturing clips or exporting to tape. if you're not sure which setup level your dv-1394 device uses for input and output, check with your device's manufacturer.
4 click ok to return to the project settings dialog box. your new setup level will take effect only after you restart your computer.