These seem to range from $25-$250+. I’ve been looking at Ambery’s $25 pair of HDMI > Component and Component > HDMI. Is the bottleneck on quality the HDMI version, color depth (if noted), and the bandwidth (the Mhz/Gbps figure)?
I didn’t know you wrote them, but I’ve been referencing them heavily. Much appreciated!
Seems like Player > Laptop, Laptop > Recorder, or Player > Recorder are the options. Is it possible to do some kind of laptop > laptop system, where you’re outputting and inputting from the laptop?
Since Component <> HDMI options seem limited, would the biggest upgrade in quality be using SDI? For repeated processing, the whole chain would have to be the same quality in order to not get bottlenecked. In that scenario, it seems like Two BMD recorders with SDI > Analog and Analog > SDI converter boxes are the easiest solution.
Thanks for the pointers. Lot to work out still. A composite 480i setup is a piece of cake, but the lure of 1080 component is strong.
While it doesn’t sound like my particular setup will be a good solution for you, I will say that I personally find computer playback, from VJ software where I can easily make various manipulations (sometimes just minimal ones like slightly different scaling/cropping), and standalone capture to be the most convenient workflow.
The gotcha on that Ambery scaler has always been that it outputs 480 progressive rather than interlaced, so it’s a no-go with Visual Cortex. But if I am not mistaken Chromagnon’s TBC should handle 480p (and more) just fine, so that should be a viable option with it (if the quality is okay; a bit wary of that thing since it appears to be the same one available even cheaper via Ebay/Amazon, though general feedback here on items which Ambery stocks seems to be positive).
I’ve been doing a deep dive into this. It seems like the Blackmagic Ultrastudio HD Mini + 1 converter is a good option, but it uses TB3. There’s the Decklink Duo 2 that does SDI in/out, which would require two converters and is PCIe.
It looks like the best potential option is the BM Intensity Pro 4k. It’s also PCIe card, but it has component (RGBLR) ins and outs. It says it supports 1080i60, And there’s one report on the FB LZX group of successfully using it for I/O playback/capture. Unless I’m missing something, that seems like a really strong option. I’ve found some negative reviews around online but most of those people seem to be using it for different use cases (HDMI, UHD workflows).
Edit: it appears there’s a previous version of this card, the Blackmagic Intensity Pro. Very affordable second hand, but I’m not sure how it works with current OSes, current firmwares, and specific motherboards. Also can’t tell if it does simultaneous i/o or just thru monitoring.
Yea we actually are looking to upgrade to a BlackMagic Design ATEM mini pro. It has 4 hdmi inputs, can record straight to an external hard drive via usb c, with the ability to stream to any platform without having to run it into your computer but if you still want to run it into your computer for recording/streaming you can use the usb c as a video capture, you just won’t be able record from the usb c but instead to your computer. Super powerful tool for anyone that is streaming or recording with multiple inputs
I love this av & HDMI capture box with superb 5" screen. the Internal battery and speakers are rubbish but the captured sound is good and it can be powered with a 5v power-bank.
It is possible to connect another screen on av or HDMI while recording but I did not try this.
it froze a couple of times when I received it but with the right parameters it works like a charm .
I thought I was clever, buying an Intensity Shuttle for USB 3.0. “Ooh, this is one of those cool devices they don’t make anymore, and it will work without upgrading my computer.” How wrong I was. It seems to capture video fine, but audio is hopelessly distorted, both input and output.
I had no idea about the massive compatibility issues. Now I guess I need to cram another PCI card into my PC. But the whole point of getting the external box was to avoid that. GRRR.
In one of the many extremely long Blackmagic forum posts, someone mentioned using a powered USB hub. Anyone here ever tried that? It sounds plausible, the Shuttle is trying to draw more current than the motherboard can reliably supply. I have a very solid power supply in the PC, but I can’t control the motherboard specs.
You can avoid adding a PCI card to a computer by using one of the disk-recording devices. I use a Hyperdeck Shuttle, which is discontinued, but there are many alternatives. I prefer using a computer for playback, but there are devices for that too. I have one of the LZX players.
However, definitely try a powered hub first.
As with anything this complex, the options can be summarised as “Fast, cheap, reliable; pick any two.”
Just created an account to ask - how are you getting along with the DIGITNOW capture box since your post? I happened upon this device and there’s very little info in the video synth world - mainly just wondering about stability, as there seems to be a lot of reviews mentioning that it crashes a lot.
Does anyone have any insight into or option regarding the AJA IO HD?
Anything to look out for? I’ve got an opportunity to pick one up for 200€.
Tied to Firewire800 but will also function as a convert anything to anything standalone device. I’d like to use it to record my noodling and hardware convert to ProRes.
200,- is probably a good price for this, looks expensive! (I see new prices at 3000,- dollar)
featurewise it is pretty great, right?
reviews are also good. I’d say, go for it!
I use the AJA IO XT which is the same but Thunderbolt version. Rock solid. I use it to send the output of Premiere into my LZX system. Does a great job downscaling 1080 to 525i in real time.
BMD ultrastudio HD mini is a super solid option if you have a computer that supports thunderbolt 3. Average price between 300-400 but captures are super clean. HDMI and SDI conversion and output as well are real nice.
I’m very much holding off on going Thunderbolt as my entire studio is running on Firewire800; all drives, audio interfaces, etc.
The UltraStudio does sound nice though.
This may change during 2022, yet I’d probably keep using the same MacIntrash for conversion to ProRes.
