Cheapest camcorders with HD-SDI out for music event space, any thoughts?

[Bob Slenker]

Sounds like you may need some prosumer-grade HD cams with HDMI-out and use a $250 HDMI>SDI mini-converter on the output of each cam. Then, running HD-SDI cabling to the switcher.
I too am in the market for the cheapest HD cams I can find with HD-SDI out as I anticipate my university’s athletics dept wanting to upgrade to HD soon. It seems $3000 is about the bottom in terms of price. I really like my Panasonic HPX170 cams that I have in our campus TV Studio. Got those for about $3300 each. Not sure our athletics dept wants to spend that much though.

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi Carl,

IMAG is IMage MAGnification, in other words sending the video to large projection screens, but I didn’t get that from your post. You’re just live mixing right?

The new Canon XA25 will be shipping mid-June at around $2700 and I think is the least-expensive new camera with HD-SDI output.

I’m currently working with a client at a concert venue that is using baluns and CAT5 and there is definitely a latency issue, video is several frames late getting to the mixer.

Baluns are used in pairs – one at the camera converts to Cat 5, and back to video at the other end. My customer is using Component (Red, Green, Blue) baluns. No such thing as a video mixer with CAT5 inputs.

HD-SDI is a good solution up to 100m, or more if you put a repeater in line to restore the signal.

Thanks

Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

[Mark Suszko]

But doesn’t an SDI repeater also add some latency?

[Carl Werdine]

Hi Jeff,

yes it is simply for making a live mix of concerts held at the venue. The way it is done now is by having three consumer grade HD-cameras and taking their composite out to an old Sony mixer. The idea was to upgrade at some point to a switcher like the Blackmagic Atem series using HDMI. HDMI cable length becomes an issue then. Not in all cases, but in enough for it to become bothersome. I also dislike using HDMI as the connectors are not secure and will break easily, specially as the cameras will not always be handled by experienced users. 100 m for SDI is more than enough for our purposes. Good to know about the CAT5 latency issue, as we have enough latency issues as it is with the preview monitors we use so the operators can keep an eye on the mix (they are too close to the stage for ASL communication to be useful).

Thanks!

[Chris Gardiner]

I agree with Jeff. The XA25 is fantastic in low light as well. I use XA10s to film bands all the time.

https://YouTube.com/thepurplegar

As soon as the xa25 hits my local store, I’ll be buying one.

[Carl Werdine]

Hi Naveen,

I have made no major progress to be honest. In the case of the music venue, it has been a very tough year, so there is little finance to invest. If there will be an investment I think we will probably go for a Blackmagic ATEM Switch and then use the HDMI out from the cameras. Either we build the switch into the stage so we win cable length (the switch can be controlled with a PC over Cat5) or maybe we build a repeater in the stage.

The last option I have seen done at a newly build recording/rehearsal studio for bands in London. Funnily enough it was one of my colleagues who came up with that set-up, without him knowing I had envisioned the same set-up for our main gig.

In another case where we still use older cameras we use the firewire from the cameras going into two PCI cards with two inputs each and a software switcher called BoinXTV.
Here the idea is also to at some point go the HD switch route, but also here we lack the funds as we would have to upgrade 3 cameras to HD ones.

So yeah, I think in your case you are on the right way. Provided no consumer/prosumer camera with SDI is released any time soon, which seems likely.

I did use CAT5 the other day to span a very long distance to feed a beamer, and there was no delay, but I haven’t tried this with HD yet.

Good luck!

[Larry Aronson]

Although not under $2,000 — here is one option that is just under $$2,300:

https://bestpricephoto.com/h/product_info.php/canon-xa25-professional-hd-camcorder-p-21535?zmap=21535&zmac=2&zmas=1&zmam=80512835&csv=pg&osCsid=1f296be49df0e49936ab0aa06253cda0

Am thinking of these cameras for myself!

Larry A.

[Steve Armourae]

I realise this thread was started a while ago. But as there are fast advances in the industry, there is now the Blackmagic Studio Camera

Steve Armourae – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2100778/resume?ref_=nm_ov_res

[Joshua Martinez]

Steve,

I am currently in this predicament as well: The Canon XA25 or the Blackmagic Design Studio HD Camera. The only caveat i see with the Design Studio HD camera is the fact that you have buy a lens. So what you think is a cheap camera turns out to be quiet expensive once you start to add the extra things you need.

This setup is going to be for my church so what do you think? I am leaning more towards the XA25 because of course it has the SDI output and does not require an extra lens.

[Gary Crabtree]

I read with great interest about the HD-SDI converter from my HDMI port on my camera. Will it work with my Sony FS100? I’ve got a job next week so I either have to order the converter or order the Sony EX1. Before I suggest the converter to the client I’d like to know if anyone has tried it and what were the results? Before I try to save the client or maybe me, $500 bucks on the EX1 week rental will a $50 converter really work?
Does anyone know anything about the Paneling PL-S009 Mini HDMI to SDI Converter adapter with Embedded Audio? It is one that can be shipped overnight.
It is a three camera, live performance shoot with two other EX1. Will the three cameras edit together? Especially with a converter?