ATEM TV Studio: Successful HDMI cables?

[Doug Fish]

Frustrated again. Received and tested the Belden Series 1 30′ cable, and the ATEM TVS won’t take a signal from it at all. Gives a fine picture to my monitor, though.

Wrote an e-mail to Blackmagic support, I guess I’ll see what they say.

[Jarod Breshears]

I did a production this week with 2 50′ foot cables and a 100′ cable and they carried signal with the help of $20 HDMI In-Line Extenders (Auvio-the company who made them) I purchased from Radio Shack. The set-up was the longer cable from the camera to the In-line Extender and a 3′ Cable to the ATEM. It worked wonderfully. I should note, that the 100′ cable I purchsed has an additional signal booster built into the cable as well so that might have helped the 100′ signal, but the 50’s were stand alone cables.

100′ Cable from KanexPro with built in Signal Booster
2 50′ Cables from Xtreme with Ethernet 1.4
3 Auvio HDMI In-Line Extenders

I hope this helps! It worked great for me.

[Kip Draper]

Yes I was referring to cam menu: I’m at 24MXP, 60i, 1080i, HDMI control is off. You might reset the cam to factory default then mimic these settings.

Confirm the BMI Pro still works w/ other cam & current Mac. Confirm HFS100 HDMI port works through other means like HDMI to TV playback. Test component from cam @ 1080i to BMI Pro component inputs. Try Wirecast(1080i 59.94 deinterlaced) & FME (1080i 59.94 29.97fps deinterlaced) to see if you can get a live picture.

I picked up the tiny but fullHD X-100 for $169/free ship on a newegg sale. I’m not recommending it necessarily, but brand-name fullHD for under $170 is a super cheap HDMI backup cam for me that I can also tripod close to the stage floor & not feel any pain when it’s inevitably kicked over.

[Doug Fish]

Jarod, I have attempted to use an HDMI extender from monoprice (picked it up for insurance) with the same result–no picture. Are you using the ATEM 1/ME, or the TVS?

Seems Blackmagic set the bar for the HDMI handshake awful high with the ATEM TVS to avoid issues.

I wish there was some way to see what was happening when the ATEM is negotiating a connection, to tell me what it doesn’t like about my cable.

I don’t want to convert to SDI or perform any other conversion for two reasons: (1) I don’t want to introduce delay, and (2) This camera will be wall-mounted, and adding a converter box will clutter up the install.

If I’m sticking with HDMI, then, the only option I have left is to send the Belden cable back and try the Atlona cable at 30′.

It just amazes me that I have 3 rinky-dink 30 ga. mini-HDMI cables, 6 ft., 10 ft., and 15 ft., and they all latch on and deliver a perfect signal. Yet, I take these big snake HDMI cables that are 30 ft. long and 24 ga. and hook them up, but get nothing (to the ATEM TVS at least–other inputs, like on my HDTV, are fine with them).

Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’re only delivering a 1080i signal here–doable for any standard-speed HDMI cable–so I can only conclude that the ATEM TVS is checking for specs in the cable during the handshake process that exceed the requirements of the product itself. Or can any of our resident Blackmagic guys tell us what is making the ATEM TVS fail to receive a signal at longer distances than 15 feet (for me, at least)? I’ve already purchased 2 cables at 30′ that do not work, and I’d like to make my next purchase with more knowledge and less trial and error (or error and error, as I’ve experienced thus far).

[Jarod Breshears]

Doug,

I called the guys at Blackmagic before I tried the successful setup that I had and the only thing they told me is that they view HDMI as a consumer connection and if your cable doesn’t meet the spec they set, then the TVS will not show a signal. And yes, it’s the TVS I am using. The In-Line Extenders I am using are powered to boost the signal. Maybe that is the combination, I am not sure. What I know is that I was able with the three extenders I used, I ran 2-50′ and 1 100′ cable.

[Doug Fish]

Jarod, I decided to take your advice and try the Auvio In-Line Extender. Ran to Radio Shack and grabbed it just minutes before closing.

Unfortunately, still no success. Both 30′ cables, the monoprice 24 ga. and the Belden Series 1, failed to deliver a signal even when connected to the Auvio In-Line Extender, both with my camcorder and my laptop. Again, the unit works fine with my 6′, 10′ and 15′ mini-HDMI to HDMI cables, but nothing seems to work past that.

I have heard that some people are getting a signal at longer distances from Atlona cables (25′ and 50′), Xtreme cables (50 ft. with extender) and even Link Depot Cables (25′), which is why I keep trying to make this work. I’ve got good quality cables, but can’t get a signal even with an extender. What gives?

I can’t keep throwing my money and time at this. If there’s some magic ingredient in an HDMI cable that the ATEM TVS is looking for, Blackmagic needs to tell us what it is.

[Jarod Breshears]

I have the same frustrations with Blackmagic. I wish they would communicate more about what they are looking for in specs.

[Dominik Twardowski]

I have tested my cables first with atem 1.
My long cables working ok (max 15 meters).
I used sony V1 for tests and dell notebook with hdmi.

And when my new ATEM TVS arrived
I make test again on TVS and long cables NOT!!! working.

I used 1.4 hdmi AWG 24 spec. 10 meters and 15 meters.

Yes in meters I am form Poland 🙂

Something wrong with TVS?

[Kip Draper]

And if you tested same cables on a different ATEM 1 M/E, I bet you would have differing results as well. This was obvious when I was testing w/ 5 different Intensity Pro cards. Same inconsistent results w/ AverMedia HDMI cards and about 20 different 1.4 HDMI, ~$3/meter cabling of varying lengths, thickness, & manuf. (they’re all made in China).

I threw up my hands and threw money at it when it became obvious that the 1 M/E itself was not the answer to my HDMI woes. I’m not ready to throw the SDI cash yet, but ~$6/meter cabling(read entire thread) finally produced sufficient consistency & reliability on my 1 M/E.

Would like to hear others’ results and I will eventually test the Atlona flat cables on multiple Intensity/Aver cards, but it will not be soon. I’ve concluded that HDMI, just like its Firewire predecessor, works most of the time on a good day under normal circumstances.

[Doug Fish]

Not much in the way of helpful information from Blackmagic in response to my e-mail–basically said don’t use HDMI over 15 feet, and use their converters for longer distances.

As Kip said, the results just don’t seem to make sense. I can daisy chain a 15′ 30 ga. mini-HDMI to HDMI cable with a 6′ cable (passive extender in between) and get a signal. But a 12′ 24 ga. cable with a mini-HDMI adapter gives no signal.

Kip, I just ordered a 30′ Atlona flat cable, I’ll see what happens.