Please post your recommendations and reviews of capture and recording devices, along with notes on setup that may be helpful to other users.
At LZX Industries we love the Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle. While some devices may be quicker to set up and configure, you can’t find a better quality analog recording interface for the same price:
I found out the hard way that these Intensity Shuttles (at least the usb3 model) are very picky about the USB chipset you’re using.
After some research, I found this card https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ITJ7X9K/ based on a NEC chipset. It seems to work quite well for capture in Windows 10 with Adobe Premiere for standard capture.
Originally, I bought this to use for live VJ purposes but I can’t get the shuttle to work very reliably with my late 2016 Macbook Pro (at least with VDMX/Resolume). I get frame drops whenever I try to do basic operations like using the menubar. I plan on doing some additional testing with other hardware manufacturers in the near future (I’ll add to this thread when I manage to get around to it).
That’s definitely something worth mentioning here: avoid the USB version of the shuttle unless you can confirm your chipset. We have the Thunderbolt2 models and use them with a desktop PC and Thinkpad laptops. They are trouble free but sometimes we have to to reset the format settings after plugging them in.
I’ll just add here that’s I use the TB2 Intensity Shuttle as a way of outputting full color video into my LZX System. This is using a Current MacBookPro (TB3,Touchbar variety). I’ve used it without issue with FCP7, Resolve and Premiere to output video.
So it is fine with a TB3 to TB2 adaptor between it.
And they run hot!
For the Vidiot, I’ve had good luck with Vidiot -> Gana AV2HDMI -> Magewell HDMI Plus -> Resolume. I already had the Magewell to work with streaming with my G85. For quick recording, I also use Elgato, but it only seems to work with the Elgato recording app. I want to try Blackmagic, but the reviews lately seem mixed on them.
I’m REALLY happy with the Blackmagic Intensity Pro 4k PCI-E card. $199
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/intensitypro4k
On Win10 & can use their utility or Premiere to capture. Of note, it allows recording & sending video out at the same time (full duplex or something) so it’s possible to be sending clips to LZX for processing & recording the LZX output at the same time from the same puter. Admittedly I haven’t messed with that much, noticed it lagged some and haven’t gotten around to toying with settings to see if that can be diminished. I rarely hit record (bad habit) so it fell low in the priority queue.
Can upscale real-time while recording too, again I never do that but works A-OK far as I could tell.
I’ve had mixed results with BlackMagic devices (frame dropout and increased latency when using with VJ apps like Resolume and VDMX).
Magewell USB DVI Capture Plus - It hits the sweet spot for me since it comes with a breakout cable that can capture all of the following: DVI, HDMI (1080p60), VGA, CVBS, Component. I’ve been using it with Resolume 6 on a Windows 10 laptop (I notice about a frame of latency and it runs silky smooth 90% of the time).
(Side note) Ambery S-Video to Component is great for converting CVBS & S-Video to Component.
We’re currently using the Atomos Connect Convert Scale Analog-to-SDI/HDMI to merge Visual Cortex component output with 3.5mm stereo audio data from an H6 audio recorder line out, delivered over HDMI cable to an Atomos Ninja Inferno for recording to SSD.
The Atomos uses dip switches, although it can also be connected to a computer as well. We’ve used it straight out of the box with dip-switch settings only.
Some preliminary results: https://youtu.be/eTViN2wljvU
Just got my BM thunderbolt shuttle connected. Running a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. They do run hot! I am still trying to get my audio captured, I am new to this. Update. Got the audio capture to work.
I get my BM thunderbolt to capture video and audio, to my MacBook Pro, and it looks good in Media Express, but when I go to export it I loose definition in the edges. Not sure what I am doing wrong. Can anyone advise?
For composite and s-video signals, at Tremendm Labs we prefer the Elgato Video Capture. We use it every week on our stream!
For HDMI signals we use the Elgato Cam Link, which we also use live weekly, but hope to phase it out soon with the Roland V4-EX.
There is a new video up on the LZX YouTube that offers lots of good tips for capturing video.
I am looking for a stand alone capture system for svhs. I tried the HDMI output (from Panasonic DVD/HDD) but due to HDCP, the Ninja Flame could not accept. How does Atomos converter handle HDCP (starting from s-video)?
I started out with an Intensity Shuttle TB2 with a MacBook Pro 2013, but it started to have capture dropouts very frequently after a year or so.
Currently I am using an Atomos Ninja 2, it’s been great as both a monitor and capture device. Highly recommended and cheap to acquire now as they are out of date tech in the Atomos lineup.
How’s the Atomos Connect Convert been working for you? I’m trying to make up my mind on which analogue to SDI converter to get.
I have no experience with Atmos devices, so I’m also interested.
However, I’ve had consistantly good results using a BLM Analog to SDI Mini Converter for the last 5 years. I mainly use it for capturing/monitoring the component output from a VC, but I’ve also used it for composite video. I’ve yet to capture any S-Video, but I could do that too if I had an S-Video breakout cable. I use a number of other BLM Mini Converters, too.
I’ve also had good results with the BLM HDMI to SDI Micro Converter. I really like the small size and that it can be powered from a standard USB power source. I use a 5-port PSU to run a number of small converters, video players etc.
Continued from a Chromagnon thread:
What type of workflows should I consider to run a single video through Chromagnon multiple times successively? The goal is to take a dry video, pass it through Chromagnon for luma (or chroma/shape, order isn’t important), record the wet video, send that wet video back through for chroma, then shape, and then end with it digitized. I’m trying to think of an elegant way to do this.
I’m agnostic on standalone vs. computer based, but I only have USB 3.0 and I’ve heard the BMD Intensity Shuttle can be persnickety. It’d be cool to end with digital files of each pass for editing together. And since Chromagnon can do 1080i, component would be neat.
Has anyone used a workflow like this? I’m trying to figure out what the options are. Laptop HDMI > HDMI to component > Chromagnon > component to HDMI/SDI > standalone recorder? Media player and a standalone? My ideas seem either too slow/finicky, or push the cost high.
Lots of different ways to do this, of course. The cheapest method I can think of is to use an Andor media player as the source and record with your laptop. That way you can put the recorded videos onto a USB drive and quickly move them over to the Andor for playback. To get Andor into Chromagnon, you could use a cheap HDMI to component video box. To capture video from Chromagnon you could use a component to HDMI box, then go into an HDMI to USB adapter and record in OBS (or VLC or preferred recording software). There are definitely higher quality (and more expensive) ways to do this.
I’m recording to component → extron 300a → hyperdeck shuttle 2 (SSD) then playing back via AndOr
rinse and repeat as many times as you want.
I’m also recording and playing back via two VHS decks
it offers a lot of flexibility.
Eventually I’ll get it set up where I can also playback from the hyperdeck shuttle 2 when not using it to record but that isn’t really how I’m working right now.
you can see this technique all over this video of mine
Here are a couple other things I wrote that will be helpful.