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Interface the ATEM Camera Converter to an RTS System
I am thinking of using the ATEM Camera Converter for one or two cameras in my live productions. The only hitch (Besides not having Genlock) that I am seeing, is using this with my existing RTS wired intercom system, any thoughts on what the interface would be, and if it would work? I have just read that it is possible to purchase tactical fiber bundled with copper audio, but that really defeats the purpose of going fiber.
Chuck
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23 Replies
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RTS and ClearCom send power down the line. This won’t work with a fibre link – you ain’t gonna power an RTS beltpack with a fibre connection – converter or not.
Bob Zelin
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The ATEM Camera Converter has a built-in intercom system, so an RTS (or Clearcom, et.al.) are not needed at the camera end(s).
However, if you want to interconnect the ATEM system to the rest of the production team, you need the kind of interface Mr. Pullen is asking about.
The ATEM system appears to use a digital stream like AES3 (or SPDIF?) for each direction of the intercom system (judging by the recommended interconnection diagrams.) However, it doesn’t seem terribly likely that it is a conventional/compatible AES or SPDIF data format since it is only one channel (and perhaps lower bit-rate as well since it is only intercom and not program audio).
It would appear that a digital-to-analog conversion for the outgoing audio and analog-to-digital conversion for incoming audio would be required. Unless somebody reverse-engineers the intercom digital data stream, it seems to me that it would be easiest to simply use an additional Camera Converter and interface the headset signals into a corresponding RTS (or Clearcom) unit. Of course, that would mean dedicating an ATEM Camera Converter and an intercom station to the task of interconnection.
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I think the way I stated my question has overcomplicated the issue. The converter has built in headphone/microphone jacks for comm. I was thinking about using the audio coupling “Dry Channel” on the RTS PS15 and with the proper ¼” to a 3.5 “Y” cable I might be able to interface the two systems? Just wondering if anyone has made a similar dry connection to an RTS system, and how well it works?
Thanks,
Chuck Pullen
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I’m not sure what “converter” you are talking about?
It appears that the “audio coupling” connector on the RTS PS-15 is a simple connection to the intercom bus. If you want to just run the intercom audio one way, “simplex” (from RTS to ATEM or from ATEM to RTS) then you can use a basic cable, with appropriate attenuation and isolation, of course.But if you want two-way (duplex) communication between RTS and ATEM, it appears that you will need to use an RTS intercom station to properly handle the two-way audio.
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That’s the essence of my question Mr. Crowley. The PS15 manual reads :
“The AUDIO COUPLING jack may also be used to input a
signal into the system. Use at least a 2.2 kilohm resistor in
series with the signal source to prevent loading of the RTS
Systems intercom line. Use an audio isolation transformer
to prevent ground loops.”So in theory it could work with the proper attenuation/isolation as you mentioned.
There is also this interface device from Eartec:
https://eartec.com/SLTalk%20Interface/sltinterface.html
Which could serve the same purpose.
Chuck
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What you are actually doing here is interfacing a two-wire intercom (the RTS) to a four-wire system (the Blackmagic). The difference is this: a two-wire system has bi-directional audio, like a phone line; in a four-wire system one pair sends audio out while the second pair receives incoming audio.
The “textbook” solution, if you are using an RTS system, would be to use their SSA-324 system interface. The connection would be like this:
1) Plug the RTS party line XLR feed into the SSA’s 2-wire I/O jack;
2) Connect the headphone out from the Blackmagic interface to the SSA’s 4-wire in;
3) Connect the SSA’s 4-wire out through an attenuator pad to the Blackmagic interface’s mic in (the attenuator drops the SSA’s line level down to mic level).
The SSA has two sections (A and B), so you can use this to separately tie to two Blackmagic converters.
Regards,
Jeff Hartman
Engineering Project Manager
Newport Television, Northeast -
I’ve had this thought. Basically what you really need is a 2-wire to 4-wire interface. They can get pricy, but there are some units out there that you can ‘hack’ something together. If you can get the resistance right, in theory you could just have a beltpack / userstation above the camera converter base station and simply wire the headphone out / mic in between the beltpack and Camera Converter base station.
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There’s a couple ways you can go about this. One way has already been explained. The other is more of a a-la-carte method, but works with both the BM camera converter and other fiber converters.
It’s built around this: https://www.studio-tech.com/product_m5132.html . This is a drop-in module (no exterior case) that is a POWERED 4 to 2-wire converter. It can power up to x3 RTS beltpacks and it works great!
There’s also a box from Telecast that is a solely RTS over fiber solution: https://www.telecast-fiber.com/TR6442i-CommLink . Also works great! And is far easier obviously.
To Use with the BM Camera Converter with the Studio Tech interface: You only get 1 channel of RTS because the BM has only one intercom channel. You can add a second channel by adding parts of the next method. The next method also works with standard fiber to SDI converters.
You can accomplish this buy utilizing throwdown SDI to analog audio embedders and de-embedders.
(2) strands of fiber. (If you have a Tac-4, then you’re double covered)
(2) BM Optical to SDI Converters. (Bi-directional)
(2) BM SDI to Analog Audio De-Embedders.
(2) BM Analog Audio to SDI Embedders.
(2) Studio Tech 5132’sCamera side:
Camera HD/SD-SDI -> Audio Embedder -> SDI to Optical Out.
Studio Tech 4-wire Ch-1 Out to Audio Embedder Ch-3 In. 4-wire Ch-2 Out to Audio Embedder Ch-4 In. Camera SDI embedded audio passes on Ch 1 and 2. (dip-switches on the embedder)
Optical In to SDI -> Audio De-Embedder.
Audio De-Embedder Ch-3 Out to Studio Tech 4-wire Ch-1 In. Audio De-Embedder Ch-4 Out to Studio Tech 4-wire Ch-2 In. (You can use channels 1 and 2 on the return path if desired.For the truck side, just reverse the signal flow using the opposite setup.
However… For the price of putting all of this together… You might as well just purchase the: https://www.telecast-fiber.com/TR6442i-CommLink
Mark D. Walleman
Relay House Inc. -
Yes, the manual explicitly states that you can feed audio (such as program audio, for example) INTO the “audio coupling” port. An examination of the schematic diagram (which I was referring to) shows that the “audio coupling” is essentially a hard-wired tap directly into the intercom bus, which makes it a full-duplex port.
Although not explained in the manual, you could also use that port to feed audio (one-way) from the RTS system to the ATEM system. But you cannot use that port to accomplish DUPLEX (two-way) communication.
As others have explained, you are trying to interface a 4-wire (ATEM = separate send and receive signals) system to a 2-wire (RTS/Clearcom = combined send/receive signals) system. Several ways of doing that have been described. The most straightforward way is to use the RTS SSA-324 Analog System-to-System Adapter with an ATEM Camera Converter box.
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I found this thread very entertaining. Do you know why people want to buy the ATEM Camera Converter? – BECAUSE IT DOESNT COST A LOT OF MONEY. So you are offering wonderful solutions to this issue (I have a perfectly working older wired RTS system, and I don’t want to keep spending all that money, so we are looking at the ATEM Camera Converter), and you guys are offering solutions from Telecast and Studio-Tech that cost a fortune.
So the real answer is NO, there is no way to quickly, and cheaply get your RTS system to work with the ATEM Camera Converter. Because as Mark just posted in his last paragraph, if function was the only concern here, you would just buy the Telecast Commlink, and be done with it.
I just did another ATEM switcher install for a big company, and spec’ed out a ClearCom intercom (wired) for their small studio, and they almost passed out when they saw the prices for the base station, beltpacks, and IFB’s that they needed. Blackmagic is changing the perspective of how much things cost – and when you put in something – like a full featured intercom system – people are ready to pass out. Who knows, maybe Blackmagic will buy Telex in 2013, and we will have an 8 station intercom, compatible with the ATEM Camera converter for $1500 bucks.
Bob Zelin
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