Indy feature christmas tree

[CharlesPapert]

On the Connex SDI thing...for my Phonemitter product I went a cheaper route with the receiver, using all stock bits off Amazon, no machining or printing required. Receiver and BM converter are dual-locked to a cheese plate with gold mount on back and baby receiver for mounting on a stand. phonemitter rxblack master.jpeg

Which "metal box" did you get for the transmitter, was it the Camera Motion Research one? I had a couple of housings made for HDMI applications and wanted to go a different route than theirs, instead of a bigger flatter footprint I went smaller but chunkier.

connexrehousecomplete.jpg

I have so many Connex sets at this point, I've sort of lost track. Something like 5 transmitters and 14 receivers!

[morgan_moore]

My metal box is homebuild by me and the chap who left me after being poached by Boeing.

Hdmi in to HDMI splitter powered by 14.4 to 5v buck converter, to hdmi ribbon which feeds animom and regular hdmi out for make operator monitor.
bpu battery plate and Dtap input.

all in a milled down metal box design to be robust and light on a steadi/gimbal.

female arca means it is ready to move between devices.

[rob norton]

The best thing to do with HDMI is to bury the HDMI port and connector inside a housing that converts it to SDI. Sam I think you've seen my old Connex rehouses I had made years ago--they are fairly bulletproof.

Do you not like using HDMI with the rx/off camera monitors for the same reasons you don't like using it with the tx i.e. SDI is the superior connection for what you're doing?

If you convert the tx to SDI do you have to also convert the rx to SDI or is it possible for the tx to be HDMI while the rx is SDI?

I just saw the CMR accent line. Re transmitters, the on/off and lemo switches are nice but it's a shame there's no SDI modification. I agree that your smaller/slightly deeper footprint is more in line with keeping the tx feel tiny.

My bare bones CMR kit leaves the HDMI at a right angle, which is one of the reasons why I mounted it at the front of the top handle - to let the HDMI cable require fewer changes in direction.

[Run&Gun]

For sure. You can take your arri and feed into some show that has some workflow from a decade ago or hook into some virtual stage from next year.

My minimal arri experience is that it works as one would expect.

Everything is supported in all frame rates and modes.


With arri there is no 'the monitor goes off if you are in S+Q but comes back on if you move to 3.9k'

Yeah, it's just an output option, not it's only format, so that it can work in a multitude of workflows/monitoring situations. You can change the SDI outputs from 1.5G all the way up to 12G and there are multiple permutations of each of those. It even has looks and CLOG 4 monitoring options that are optimized for wireless video.

I just thought it was ironic as Charles had just mentioned PsF, which we can thank Sony and the technical limitations of the day for (late 90's/early 00's). And like other workarounds for limitations and to make things work with existing standards and equipment (like fractional frame rates were), we may be stuck with PsF for far too long, as well.

[CharlesPapert]

Do you not like using HDMI with the rx/off camera monitors for the same reasons you don't like using it with the tx i.e. SDI is the superior connection for what you're doing?

If you convert the tx to SDI do you have to also convert the rx to SDI or is it possible for the tx to be HDMI while the rx is SDI?

SDI is just better in all directions--stronger, more reliable, more resistant to taking a bump and it locks. It's been an industry standard for decades for a reason!

I mix and match the conversions depending on which configuration I'm using. The signal going into and out of the Connex is always HDMI one way or another, regardless of what conversions occur surrounding it. In the case of the Phonemitter, it's Lightning port out of the phone into the Apple AV adaptor which puts out HDMI, then into the transmitter. On the receiver side, converted to SDI as seen in the pic on previous thread just to dovetail with typical signal flow, but it's easy enough to unplug the HDMI from the converter and run that direct into a consumer TV if desired.

I just saw the CMR accent line. Re transmitters, the on/off and lemo switches are nice but it's a shame there's no SDI modification. I agree that your smaller/slightly deeper footprint is more in line with keeping the tx feel tiny.

My bare bones CMR kit leaves the HDMI at a right angle, which is one of the reasons why I mounted it at the front of the top handle - to let the HDMI cable require fewer changes in direction.

The CMR folks did a decent job with their kits and parts, I use a bunch of it and we have kept in communication throughout. They do have (or used to) a conversion kit that does something similar to my Phonemitter receiver--Blackmagic converter mounted atop the Connex units with an inline voltage stepdown cable for the converter, using their proprietary batteries.

The Connex is discontinued at this point, new units are floating around here and there but not for long. It was surely part of the plan when they were swallowed up by Vivendum. Teradek was never happy about that product line.

[rob norton]

I'm definitely team SDI! Just checking if perhaps you considered HDMI off camera monitoring less risky than being on camera but that makes sense that you want the more sensible connection wherever possible.

I haven't added any SDI hardware yet but will be looking into it soon. So for your printed modifications to the TXs, you've got partial cage (box) SDI mode, then fully enclosed HDMI mode. Did you design the housings or was it a mediablackout project (I thought it was yours, but the sticker threw me off)? I saw their website (rencher industries?) - they've got some cool stuff.

And yes, the poor connex line are going to be collector's items.. I'm at 1 transmitter and 3 receivers (1 fusion, 2 mini) but the stakes are high if anything goes down!

[Run&Gun]

It just blows my mind that HDMI made it into so many professional pieces of equipment. It’s absolute garbage for professional use. I can count on one hand, over the last 25 years, the number of BNC cables that I’ve had go bad, while I’ve had numerous HDMI cables at home that died, that were only ever touched when they were initially hooked up.

[CharlesPapert]

I'm definitely team SDI! Just checking if perhaps you considered HDMI off camera monitoring less risky than being on camera but that makes sense that you want the more sensible connection wherever possible.

Well as one can imagine, the more out of the way the HDMI cable is, the less the chance of it going down. I have some on the back of monitors that have been in place for years without problems. But I do treat them as expendables, especially if they are exposed and vulnerable. Honestly the biggest fear with them is that a solid blow to the side of the housing can result in the port itself getting damaged. It happened to one of my Shoguns.

The original 3D printed housings were my design, I took them to Media Blackout for manufacture. Rencher and I had quite a disagreement about who owned the design after that. Fortunately I never ended up making any more runs after two for myself so it was a moot point. The transmitter incorporates a tiny ribbon cable HDMI assembly, I've had to replace those a few times as they can be easily crimped and it is a tricky procedure, there's not much maneuvering room inside that housing.

image_131916.jpg

[Grug]

That's one seriously anxiety-inducing rig Sam!

What you need in your life is a touch of my OCD. Here's the wirelessly-triggered external recording setup I've come up with. To allow for easy playback at video village and/or on the director's monitor:

And that was the first build of it, the current version has moved the handheld monitor's battery INSIDE the cage. So the whole setup is super tidy, and can be safely laid flat on whatever surface.

[morgan_moore]

Well - I have fs7 and c200 cameras with SDI

Its just the production had chosen to shoot fx9 and a7s

Im sure the as7 image is excellent.. but in terms of being a production tool is was total w..ank

my hdmi animon like charles si good when place well.. eg no on the back of a handheld camera.

[morgan_moore]

I guess the 'answer' is..

Is there a magic box that can take maybe four feeds in, mix those feeds, and send out to maybe 8 monitors and ideally any phone with the correct ip/url/app


---
splitting splitters is dumb

[morgan_moore]

a quick gooogle https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg3428/1080p-hdmi-extender-splitter-120m/dp/AV29104?mckv=s_dc|pcrid|605262956593|kword||match| |plid||slid||product|AV29104|pgrid|138313685015|pt aid|pla-2024024192586|&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-SHOPPING-9262013734-138313685015-AV29104&s_kwcid=AL!5616!3!605262956593!!!network}! 2024024192586!&gclid=CjwKCAjw38SoBhB6EiwA8EQVLoC_s bCScvNitWK2qnKhDdHs6eV1KQcZ7yOc_ibZfEAlwidCvXjerho CnSsQAvD_BwE

[CharlesPapert]

I guess the 'answer' is..

Is there a magic box that can take maybe four feeds in, mix those feeds, and send out to maybe 8 monitors and ideally any phone with the correct ip/url/app

What does "mix those feeds" mean? A four-up display, i.e. a quad split? I will once again point you towards the Decimator DMON-Quad (and if your receiver for one unit is HDMI, just add an HDMI to SDI converter). Transmission is always going to be a separate box--I don't know of any transmitters that also manage multiple input feeds muxed down to a quad feed-- there are so many options on that end now, I don't know where to start. Maybe look at the Accsoon units that transmit to dedicated receivers as well as phones.

8 monitors is a LOT! Would you ever really need that many?

[morgan_moore]

Yep mixe those feeds.. or not as required.

In this film B played in 50% of shots, A in 90% of shots, B only 10% of shots

one could see that having

A fullscreen,
B fullscreen
or
A and B
would be useful

in a manner that could be switched by non camera folk

==

Once you have the output(s) that could be going to ..
long lead
short lead
air hop

==

ill read up on the decimator !

[morgan_moore]

8 monitors is a LOT! Would you ever really need that many?

Ive go no idea. I mean it is 2023 now and the era of sceen, its baffling that everyone cant log in on thier phone.

-director handheld
-scripty
-makeup and costum
-grown ups
-focus puller (cant have delay )
-dop (who is not an operator)

on my first film

sound had picture in thier rack/cart the mixer would radio the boom ops about headroom

so that is 7