Black Magic Switching products

[cpettey]

Several of our team at church :Pastor also" went to INFOCOMM here in Orlando and saw the video switching products from Black Magic. Our MXPRODV4 is on its last leg and looking for a solution.

Is anyone using their proct for video switching between camera's and presentation software.

Thank you

[bladeaudio]

Many of them aren't available until August, so you probably won't get much actual first hand usage by anyone yet. They look great, and a game changing price point and BM is a reputable company.

[Brad Weber]

Originally Posted by bladeaudio

Many of them aren't available until August, so you probably won't get much actual first hand usage by anyone yet. They look great, and a game changing price point and BM is a reputable company.

I was looking at it for a potential application and the price point may be 'game changing' with the software user interface, however I was a bit shocked at how much the physical control surface affected the cost. If you are looking at the combination of electronics and control surface rather than just the electronics with computer control then in many cases there seem to be other potential cost competitive options.

Also the usual warning that while a number of production switchers are available with HDMI and/or DVI inputs, including the ATEM products, I don't believe that any of those address HDCP so they are not compatible with the HDMI/DVI/DisplayPort outputs of Blu-Ray players and some computers.

I'd also like to hear from people with relevant insight as I have heard some rumors regarding BlackMagic providing little or no support, including parts, for legacy Echolab products. That worries me a bit in terms of whether it also represents the support that may be provided if/when they move on to the next generation of products or the next new technology.

[tdangelo]

I would preface any comments with, “I have never seen or touched this product and therefore do not have any authority regarding the comment and concern voiced below …”

I’ve heard that Black Magic does not have a native solution for basic functions such as tally without having the end-user go to a third party device.

[Paris MkVI]

There's a post from another user on the forums seeking support for a pre-BlackMagic buyout Echolab unit. He mentioned BlackMagic informed him they are not providing legacy support to pre-buyout Echolab gear.

Word is ATEM was actually an Echolab development product that transferred to BlackMagic, who finished developing it.

Question is, besides what Tom mentioned above, do these ATEM units scale everything down to 480p for internal processing before scaling back up? So many units do that sort of thing. That keeps me looking at presentation switchers like the (costly) Analog Way units, and offerings from other companies.

I want something that only scales up to the final screen rez, not bring everything down to a lowest-common denominator and the re-rezzes again.

And I want at least one M/E buss.

And I want excellent keying options.

I want, I want. I'm on fire, put me out. Me, me, ME! ;~)

[bladeaudio]

I’ve heard that Black Magic does not have a native solution for basic functions such as tally without having the end-user go to a third party device.

BMD has an external tally interface for $500 with 8 contact closures as part of the ATEM line.

[tdangelo]

Originally Posted by bladeaudio

BMD has an external tally interface for $500 with 8 contact closures as part of the ATEM line.

According to the BMD website this is a new product which is supposed to start shipping this month (I don't know if they have started or not).

The box connects to the switcher mainframe via ethernet and provides contact closures. I am not aware of any other professional switcher which does not offer contact closures directly on the mainframe.

Don't get me wrong .. I am not poo-pooing the ATEM and would love nothing more than to see it become the Red camera of switchers ... however to do that it needs to provide all the functionality of its competitors.

[Brad Weber]

Originally Posted by Paris MkVI

Question is, besides what Tom mentioned above, do these ATEM units scale everything down to 480p for internal processing before scaling back up? So many units do that sort of thing. That keeps me looking at presentation switchers like the (costly) Analog Way units, and offerings from other companies.

I want something that only scales up to the final screen rez, not bring everything down to a lowest-common denominator and the re-rezzes again.

Great point. I've also found that the HDMI/DVI inputs and outputs on many production style switchers are quite limited in the resolutions and scan rates they support. It appears that the ATEM HDMI inputs and outputs are only compatible with standard 'video' resolutions and scan rates of 720x480@59.94Hz, 720x576@50Hz, 1280x720@50/59.94Hz and 1920x1080@50Hz/59.94 Hz. A 1280x800, 1366x768 or similar source or display, even 800x600 or 1024x768 in the case of the ATEM, can be problematic with such devices and may require additional scaling. In comparison, presentation style switchers tend to accept a much wider variety of computer resolutions and scan rates. Different tools for different applications.