Anyone have anything to say about working with the Teradek Serv Pro?

[CharlesPapert]

I have two Cubes that I have had in use for several years (upgraded the model from my original one from 2015 somewhere in there). I provide them as an additional service for hair/makeup/wardrobe and the AD's. I have an Airport Extreme on my cart that provides the Wifi hop for them for longer range (this in addition to the various traditional transmitters we use to get video from the cameras and then back out to various monitors on set).

Experientially...it hasn't been great. Image freezes are common, requiring reboot. When it works it works but usually once every day or two I'll hear there are issues. Ultimately a lot of people stop using the app on set because it frustrates them. Teradek told me I should consider another router but I haven't gotten around to it.

I'm sure the amount of Wifi we have running on any of our sets has something to do with performance as well. Hard to say.

 

[Greg_E]

If you have "tons" of WIFI, then maybe a different system is something to consider. I assume you have numerous access points on numerous networks that people are using. What if you had numerous virtual LANs (vlans) for the different sections, and then these vlans are all transmitting through meshed access points? Not that hard to create with tools/hardware that is no longer stupid expensive. Ubiquity comes to mind for the access points, and a cheap managed network switch would cover the vlan part though you might be able to cover all the vlans on the access points if everything is wifi connected.

 

[markfpv]

more interestingly, the Sumo? Most of the time, I don't need wireless, except for gimbal. The cables are a PITA at times but love the side by side feed via dual SDI sources that monitor can do when shooting two cameras. Clients like it too!

Yes - when I saw the Sumo on sale I nearly bought it. But then realized I don't really need it. No one in my world is asking to see HDR on set yet. And my Panny BT-LH1850 can do split signal and run off dtap from v-bricks just dandy. It also has Vesa mounting points so I've got Matthews baby pin adapter on back for stand. This past experience has me glad most of my gimbal shots don't need to be seen by a director / client while I'm doing them. And I'm certainly a bit skeptical a monitor company (though I guess Small is now Vitec) will keep up with updating wireless transmission signals long after the sale...

I have two Cubes .....Experientially...it hasn't been great....I'm sure the amount of Wifi we have running on any of our sets has something to do with performance as well.

Thanks for piping in Charles. I was assuming "your world" of production would be better suited for wireless ..but guess I was wrong. Normally is the director's monitor hardwired - or do you use something else for it - before sending AD's, etc the additional signal? And have you found it seems to work better at certain locations than others?

If you have "tons" of WIFI, then maybe a different system is something to consider... Not that hard to create with tools/hardware that is no longer stupid expensive.

I'm not sure I follow this Greg... I'm assuming you are referring to a more "permanent" solution at a fixed site - say a studio. For those of us who may be at one industrial company this week and then a pharma / healthcare place the next, I am never, ever given any access or especially early access to their wifi. I need a wireless system that's super simple to turn on & go that's reliable. Maybe it exists? Again, when it works, the Teradek higher ends (1000 & 2000) work great - with little to no delay and great features like LUT support. But when it doesn't work... it just doesn't. And there's never time to continue trying to get the signal back.

 

[puredrifting]

Yes - when I saw the Sumo on sale I nearly bought it. But then realized I don't really need it. No one in my world is asking to see HDR on set yet. And my Panny BT-LH1850 can do split signal and run off dtap from v-bricks just dandy. It also has Vesa mounting points so I've got Matthews baby pin adapter on back for stand. This past experience has me glad most of my gimbal shots don't need to be seen by a director / client while I'm doing them. And I'm certainly a bit skeptical a monitor company (though I guess Small is now Vitec) will keep up with updating wireless transmission signals long after the sale...

For as often as I require it, it would probably be smarter for me to just rent a Sumo or Small HD production monitor. A lot of times I am shooting without clients and the times I do have them, they are often doing the interview with talent and they don't care about having a monitor, they just take a quick look on my camera monitor and go. For b-roll, occasionally they'd like to look at it but it's not often a must. I don't do more than 2-3 multicam shoots per year so that's not a huge need. Renting from lensrentals.com is fairly painless.

 

[iancresswell]

I own two Serv Pros that I bought via the RedUser group buy. I've used them on many different projects for over a year, but primarily on field shoots for a local morning show. I provide client with 3 full size ipads, and 2 iphone SE's with extended batteries. Usually 2 producers will take an ipad each, then sometimes I'll give an iphone to gaffer/dp/sound depending on what we're doing. Gaffer's sometimes like being able to see the scene easily to help make quick adjustments to the lighting, and for sound the boom op can make sure they aren't in the shot. The Serv Pros are NOT 100% reliable. I'd say they're 85-ish% reliable. I often have to close and re-open the Teradek app on the iOS devices, sometimes I have to re-assign the different cameras in the app to make things work again. And, usually once, maybe twice in a day I have to power cycle the Serv units themselves. I wish I could say they were more reliable, but, Wifi-based wireless video is always a bit of a crapshoot. When they work, which is the majority of the time, client loves them. Producers hate carrying around big heavy rigs, so they love just having an ipad or iphone to use and see the shots. Despite their lack of reliability, I've enjoyed having them and feel they were a good investment. They've come along with me a ton of shoots, and easily made back their money at least once maybe twice.

 

[puredrifting]

I own two Serv Pros that I bought via the RedUser group buy. I've used them on many different projects for over a year, but primarily on field shoots for a local morning show. I provide client with 3 full size ipads, and 2 iphone SE's with extended batteries. Usually 2 producers will take an ipad each, then sometimes I'll give an iphone to gaffer/dp/sound depending on what we're doing. Gaffer's sometimes like being able to see the scene easily to help make quick adjustments to the lighting, and for sound the boom op can make sure they aren't in the shot. The Serv Pros are NOT 100% reliable. I'd say they're 85-ish% reliable. I often have to close and re-open the Teradek app on the iOS devices, sometimes I have to re-assign the different cameras in the app to make things work again. And, usually once, maybe twice in a day I have to power cycle the Serv units themselves. I wish I could say they were more reliable, but, Wifi-based wireless video is always a bit of a crapshoot. When they work, which is the majority of the time, client loves them. Producers hate carrying around big heavy rigs, so they love just having an ipad or iphone to use and see the shots. Despite their lack of reliability, I've enjoyed having them and feel they were a good investment. They've come along with me a ton of shoots, and easily made back their money at least once maybe twice.

Thank you for the user feedback Ian, always good to hear from someone who is actually using them in production. I've talked myself out of getting one, 85% reliability is not too exciting and the more I look at the past years shoots, I only occasionally need wireless video and for those few times, probably smarter to just rent the best than to compromise with Wi-Fi monitoring. If was looking at more shoots with agency people or directors who are directing talent, I think it might be pretty cool to have. But tomorrow, two man shoot, I have a sound mixer and I will be covering a party for one of our documentary subjects to celebrate her finishing Chemo. Will set up the C200 for some quick interviews in a small, lighted setup and for the rest of it, will be on gimbal with the X-T3. Most of my shoots the past year are like this, fewer and fewer with agency people, studio people and full crews. Most of the shoots I have done in the past three months were with medium to small crews, where I am the DP, not the producer so I leave it to the producer if they want to pay for wireless monitoring or even a cabled client monitor and the answer is only once in the past six months.

 

[truelife]

I know I'm reviving an old thread, but I'm curious if anyone using the Serv Pro has tried to loop through HDMI from a monitor or external recorder? I was unable to do this shooting on an A7III and Atomos Ninja. Any thoughts?