Macbook Pro HDMI to SDI problems

[Bob Zelin]

It won’t work. The HDMI to SDI converter is not a scan converter and the output is not 59.94, it’s 60 from the MacBook Pro. The Panasonic switcher won’t lock up to 60. I had the exact same problem. It’s not going to work.

It’s funny that if you had the MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE Blackmagic ATEM switcher, you could have simply used an DVI to HDMI cable, and it would have locked up your MacBook Pro. BUT NOOOOO – you had to get the more expensive AW-HS50N.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=aw-hs50N&N=0&InitialSearch=yes
for $3549,
as opposed to the ATEM Television Studio –
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=ATEM+Television+Studio&N=0&InitialSearch=yes
for $945.

So guess what, you now have to bo out any buy this –
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=matrox+cnvdvi%2Fn&N=0&InitialSearch=yes
for $995, and this will convert your Mac Book Pro DVI output to
HD-SDI for your Panasonic switcher.

Next time – think Blackmagic all the way.

Bob Zelin
ps –
and yes, even if you had the more expensive
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=panasonic+av-hs410&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

you would have still had the same problem, unless you wound up
getting the Panasonic DVI option input card.

Bob

[Curt Banter]

And just like that I got a $2000 education. 🙂

Bob, thanks for the info. That is super helpful. I have been making versions of this work in a lot of systems over the years, but I’m thinking between the switchers or scalers I had in the mix it was doing the work of moving that signal from 60hz to 59.94. This time I got bit.

We did look at going with the ATEM switcher on this build, but with the addition of a surface it was more money. Of course I hadn’t fully figured in the scan conversion price.

Again thanks for the info.

Curt

[Bob Zelin]

surface – use a laptop as your “surface”.

Bob Zelin

[Sam Francis]

Thanks Bob, awesome info. Just wondering about one thing. We’re thinking about getting the ATEM TVS at my church to switch between a live video feed and ProPresenter out of an iMac. Are you saying that we wouldn’t need a scan converter for the iMac if we used the ATEM TVS? Just a Mini-Displayport to HDMI adapter would work, and it would “lock up” the signal to the right resolution and frame rate? Would it be a specific resolution and frame rate or would it match the other cameras coming in?

Thanks

Sam

[Curt Banter]

Well, I can’t answer for the TVS unit, but we did that in our shop with the ATEM 1 and it worked pretty well. But, keep in mind that everything has to be in the same resolution. So, you can’t mix 720 cameras with a 1080 computer. The switch can work with one standard at a time and everything has to match it. But, if it’s all at the same size, the switch will handle the refresh differences.

Curt

[Sam Francis]

Okay thanks a lot Curt. So then how can you know what resolution your computer will output? I mean the iMac’s screen is 2560 x 1440, but it can output to different resolutions. Would it possibly just match the resolutions of the cameras already plugged into the TVS?

I’m just trying to avoid having to drop another $1000 on a Matrox Convert DVI if I can haha.

Thanks

Sam

[Shimon Hirschhorn]

There is more than one way to skin a cat. You can also use the Lynx CHD-1812

CHD-1812

This has a HDMI to SDI conversion and frame sync in one unit.

[Christopher Savo]

Hi All,

I am having issues very similar to the entire discussion above and wanted to get a little clarification/ask for some advice on what I need to get in order to correctly output a new iMac through SDI.

Here is a little info on my setup:
Switcher: Grass Valley Indigo with the HD-8 Acapella Upgrade (Basically its just the Indigo controlling the Acapella routers 8 HD SDI inputs).
Computer: iMac 13,2 – Late 2012 ( https://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i7-3.4-27-inch-aluminum-late-2012-specs.html )

I first bought and tried the Blackmagic HDMI to SDI mini converter ( https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/miniconverters/ ) only to then after the fact find out that it couldn’t be used with computers or DVD Players due to copyright (so the Blackmagic tech told me). He told me to get the DVI extender ( https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/dviextender ) as it would work to output the computer correctly to SDI. With the DVI Extender I had to unplug and re-plug in the input cable EVERYTIME in order to get the signal to show up.

I am on the phone now with Blackmagic and they are sending me another DVI extender to make sure it’s not an issue with this unit, but I honestly don’t have high hopes for it.

I have seen the Matrox Unit that is recommended ( https://www.fullcompass.com/product/400199.html ) here also recommended other places. I am wondering if a the Kramer VP 482 will work to do the same thing and if anyone has any experience with this unit ( https://www.fullcompass.com/product/449648.html ). It’s only a little less than the Matrox Unit in price, but it uses HDMI (which is the signal format I am using so 1 less adapter would be good) and when your working for a Non Profit that doesn’t like to spend money every penny counts.

Thanks in advance for your help/advice!

Chris Savo

[Korkie Bullard]

Chris,
I am having a problem connecting and computer to my Tricaster 460 via the Blackmagic HDMI to SDI mini converter. The tech told you that they can’t be connected to a computer? The one I talked to said it should be no problem, but I don’t want to wait on hold for another hour just to get a different answer every time. What should I use to connect my computer to my tricaster? I have both a mac and a pc.

Korkie

[Christopher Savo]

Hey Korkie,

Sorry for my delayed response. I am very bad about checking my Personal e-mail at times. If you are uisng the Blackmagic mini converter that I linked above I can guarantee you that NO MATTER what a tech from Blackmagic tells you it will not work reliably with a computer. I was only successfully able to get the mini converter to work for about 5 minutes when I first bought it and I was told that was a fluke because possibly at that point my computer was not sending out a copyrighted signal.

If you were to ask me I would recommend going away from Blackmagic completely for this conversion. Since I last posted I have returned the Blackmagic DVI Extender and successfully setup my system using the Matrox unit that was recommended by others above. It really is a great unit with many features and things none of the Blackmagic or Kramer products had and I especially love the fact that it is has options for either Stand Alone or computer control (In this case I guess you really do get what you pay for). I do have some other Blackmagic converters in my system working great, just not one to convert a computer signal.

Hope this response helps!

Chris