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RTap Your Mac Potential To Thunderbolt With AJA’s T-Tap

Posted by Brad Spinsby on June 6, 2012

Shooting the highest resolution is optimal in most situations, but often you are limited by what your editing system can output. AJA has made a device called that T-Tap that can output from any Thunderbolt activated Mac via HDMI or SDI to up to 2K resolution. Thunderbolt is a technology developed as a joint venture between Apple and Intel that allows for bidirectional transfer speeds of up to 10gb/second bidirectionally. Additionally the T-Tap has HDMI and HD-SDI ports that will send out signals simultaneously so you can output to a professional device via the SDI port and a consumer device with the HDMI at the same time. The T-Tap is a device smaller than a cell phone that you can plug into your Thunderbolt port, so if you are editing onsite with your Mac laptop but need to output at full resolution the T-Tap can make that happen. AJA’s T-Tap will also allow output full 10 bit or 8 bit 4:2:2 resolutions from 525i at 29.97 all the way up to 2K 1080PsF 24 or 25. It also outputs up to 8 channels of embedded 24 bit audio for those looking for 5.1 or 7.1 sound.

The T-Tap will run for under $250 and is a perfect device for those Mac users who love their Thunderbolt but need professional outputs from their computer. This device is great for outputting from your Mac to a professional monitor or projector through the SDI port or just a consumer monitor through HDMI. If 3-D is your thing, you can output a 3-D signal from the Mac using the T-Tap to a 3-D monitor which allows you to view the footage in 3-D instead of fields. Imagine being able to use the T-Tap to send a 10 bit 2K signal to a professional projector and screening your project without the need for a high-end professional system. To make this happen all you would need is your Mac computer, a little Thunderbolt, the AJA T-Tap, and big, high-resolution dreams. What’s the point of shooting in the best resolution if you can’t take advantage of viewing the image? T-Tap makes it possible to see the full scope of your work utilizing just your Mac laptop.

Interesting in T-Tapping the potential of your Mac Laptop? Let us know any potential application you think you would use with T-Tap.