Live Video Feed for Theatrical Event: Cabling advice needed

[Tom Sefton]

Every time we have used live video and needed to have a moving camera we have used a wireless HD-SDI transmitter.

This one to be precise:

https://www.tnpbroadcast.co.uk/prox-xwhdu01-xwhdu01-wireless-transmission-system-distance-hdsdi-p-5460.html

You could hire one – we purchased one late last year and it has been worth the money.

[Daniel Horitz]

Thanks Tom. Unfortunately this is a relatively small scale production and we have nearly used up the budget already.

I may look in to hiring a transmitter like this, but if we can get by with cables we will.

I have now found that the laptop we will use does have Firewire 800 input so I can buy a cable which will directly connect camera to laptop:

https://www.lindy.co.uk/20m-premium-firewire-800-cable-4-pin-male-to-9-pin-bilingual-male/30792.html

Has anyone else worked in this way with such long cables?

[Chuck Pullen]

I have used even longer firewire cables, that distance shouldn’t be a problem. What will be a problem however is keeping the cable plugged in, considering firewire cables don’t exactly make the most positive connection. An extreme solution would be to epoxy the hell out of the connector to the camera/computer, but another option maybe a strain relief or something like that.

Chuck

[Bill Davis]

I agree that Firewire or USB are both pretty fragile at the connector for this.

Most camcorders have a simple composite out via RCA. You could adapt that to BNC cable – which is robust and cheap and works great in long runs – but the challenge is going to be getting both a composite input on the laptop while simultaneously outputting to your display via VGA.

Why not just run the video feed directly into the projector and eliminate the laptop and digital conversion stages all together?.

FWIW.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Tom Sefton]

If the camera does have an HD-SDI output, then Kramer and Blackmagic do some pretty smart HD-SDI to DVI converters – this might offer better quality and a more robust cable and connection than firewire?

[Daniel Horitz]

Thanks everyone.

I am going to stick with the firewire as we need the image to be initially black before seemingly ‘spluttering to life’ with some noise and distortion, for which I am going to use Modul8 VJ software to add fx to the live feed. Hence why the feed needs to run through the laptop and not directly to the projector.

I was thinking of creating some strain relief by doubling the cable back and taping it to the camera then tying it to my diving suit somehow.

Rehearsals should be interesting.

[Chuck Pullen]

You know I was at a computer store the other day and bought these “bungee cords” attached to plastic loops. I picked them up for the same general purpose as you need them, I would see if you can find something like that, mini carabineer clips, or even another favorite of mine “Bongo Ties”. Any should make a sufficient strain relief.

Chuck

[Daniel Horitz]

Cheers Chuck.

Do you mean bungee cords like this?

How do you use this in this context?

Apologies if I’m being stupid now!

Dan

[Chuck Pullen]

I was using the term “bungee” loosely. Here is more like what I was speaking of.

https://www.hometech.com/hts/products/wiring/wire_mgmt/cable_ties/bt-cr01.html?key=A31

or even these

https://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM2791845702P?sid=IDx20101019x00001b&srccode=cii_18492716&cpncode=22-125866563-2

It just depends on your outfit, and what you can hook in to.

Again I know the epoxy sounds extreme, but there is an article I read recently about the guys that shoot “The Deadliest Catch” and they talk about how they prep their cameras for shooting out on deck.

Chuck

[Daniel Horitz]

Gotcha. I’m looking to get a dry diving suit with cables coming out of it so should be able to bongo the camera cables to those ones too.

Thanks for all your help peoples.

Dan