3 cameras live switching problem

B

BillBoss

Member
Hopefully some here can help me with a problem I have. I'm going to be shooting a live performance using 3 video cameras and I want to know if their was a program that would let me monitor all 3 camera's plus switch live and have it go to the projection screens at the venue in real time. I have found some WEB casting that would be perfect if it had a live out option which none of them do. If anyone could steer me in the right direction that would be great. Also if anyone has a suggestion on a good caption card so I can get all the cameras into the computer would be great.

Thanks
 
You are asking about a vision mixer. There are a few but in my experience most of them are expensive and unreliable. Is there a specific reason that you want a software solution? I would recommend a hardware switcher over software. Also on the capture card questions most of the time your caption card will be chosen based off what works best with your software. Are you taking about HD or SD?
 
david335 said:
in my experience most of them are expensive and unreliable.
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Unreliable? Newer ones aren't. My church uses a Sony Anycast. It quite expensive but it's pretty reliable and has only needed repair once.

The biggest hurdle to doing something like this in software is getting all the feeds into the computer at once. You'd need special or duplicate hardware and quite a bit of processing power behind it as well. Why not use something like this Edirol V-4 Four Channel Video Mixer?
 
I was thinking the software route because of a cheaper price and the ability I guess to the grow system if needed. Im also working with SD. Thanks
 
The Sony Anycast is NOT a "software solution" it is an integrated hardware solution that is driven by embedded, proprietary firmware. The Newtek "Tricaster" is closer to being a "software solution", but it is still an extremely closely integrated system of hardware and software. People who try to use the underlying MS Windows XP computer in a Tricaster for anything else often seem to regret it.
 
The edirol looks interesting but it seems you can only monitor 1 input at a time which isn't the best thing when I have multiple camera's and im taking the best shot at any given time and I don't like the idea of having to shuffle thru them.
 
A workaround for that is to just buy some used 9" (or so) broadcast monitors with video loopthrough and route the camera signals to the monitors first and then to the Edirol (or whatever video mixer you wind up with, although I do like the Edirol myself, so much that I bought one for my company to replace a Panasonic WJ-MX50 that died).

The Edirol V-4 has no HD upside, although some of their rigs do, but for the money, if you don't see HD in your near future, it's hard to beat.
 
Yes when I said software I meant a solution in which you take an off-the-shelf pc or mac add capture cards and insert a disk. I would classify Tricasters, the Anycast station, and most of those purpose built software switchers with dedicated hardware as hardware switchers. Bill I recommend that you look at the Datavideo SE-500 It has a built-in multiviewer that will allow you to see all 4 of your inputs at the same time. Also it is a simple switcher that works pretty well and is cheap. There is also a kit that comes with monitors and is in a suitcase if you need a simple portable solution. If you need HD then you are looking at a lot more money but it is still possible.
 
the Panasonic AV-HS400 has a built in multiviewer and sells for about 10k. most of our installs using the AV-HS400 use a nice consumer 1080P LCD or Plasma for the display. This is a very popular, cost effective switcher for the money.

We just got in a Datavideo HS-2000 that's also in the 10k range that has the monitors built in to a portable unit.
 
Let me know what the HS-2000 is like. I was looking at that switcher but I haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet.
 
Terry Nixon said:
the Panasonic AV-HS400 has a built in multiviewer and sells for about 10k. most of our installs using the AV-HS400 use a nice consumer 1080P LCD or Plasma for the display. This is a very popular, cost effective switcher for the money.

We just got in a Datavideo HS-2000 that's also in the 10k range that has the monitors built in to a portable unit.
Click to expand...

How do you use a consumer lcd or plasma with this switcher? Are you converting HD-SDI output to a HDMI or using another method.
 
Check out the hmx 100 from Panasonic. It's about 5k and has all you ever want to switch... 4 HD/SD-SDI, 2 HDMI or CVBS and DVI-inputs. Output with multiview to DVI and SDI and program outputs via DVI or SDI...
 
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