Blackmagic Intensity Pro showing black screen instead of footage

M

MDew

Member
I just bought a Blackmagic Intensity Pro PCI capture card and installed in my Windows 7 PC. I installed the latest drivers (v9.5) from Blackmagic, powered up and hooked up my camera (Canon XHA1) via the component cables. No matter which video program I try (Adobe Flash Media Encoder 3.2, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, Wirecast 4.0.1, VidBlaster) all it shows is a black screen. They detect that the card is there & I have the option to select it, but it's just black.

I've checked to make sure the video output settings on the camera match the program settings and that the settings in the Blackmagic Design Control Panel match the inputs I am using. I also tried another camera (Canon Vixia HF10) with the HDMI port, with the same results.

After double- & triple-checking the connections and settings, & rebooting multiple times, I took the card out and installed in my Mac Pro and tried the exact same thing with Wirecast & Final Cut Pro and got the exact same result. Blackmagic support has still not got back to me. Is there anything else I can try or am I cursed?


Computer Stats:
HP H8-1110, Win 7 64-bit
Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz, 64 bit Quad-Core Processor
8GB DDR3 Memory
1TB Internal Hard Drive
Nvidia GeForce GT 520 1GB DDR3 Graphics Card
 
After more experimentation and based off some suggestions by Blackmagic, I have some results to share. Since I couldn't get much help and had troubles finding info elsewhere, I'll share everything I've found out so far.

First off, it is vitally important that the BlackMagic Control Panel BMCP) settings and Media Express (ME) settings and whatever other programs you use match up perfectly. To get to the control panel settings in Windows 7, go to Control Panel->Hardware & Sound->BlackMagic Design Control Panel. The latest version of Media Express can be downloaded from Blackmagic's site and once installed, go to Programs->BlackMagic Design->BlackMagic Media Express. Once in Media Express, make sure the "Log & Capture" tab is selected in the preview window. To access the program's settings, go to Edit-> Preferences.

During this process, occasionally when trying to load Media Express it would give me an error along the lines of "no Blackmagic hardware currently installed." At that point it helps to make sure you only have ONE device plugged in at a time. Unplugging, replugging and trying again helps. Although sometimes seemingly it occurs for no rhyme or reason. It seems like every step of this process has been fraught with trouble & has been a constant headache to figure out!

Canon XHA1 plugged in via component cables
compatible in 24F/30F/60i shooting modes
If shooting in HD:
*on camera, set "Comp. Out" to "1080i/480i" (menu->Signal setup->Comp Out).
*BMCP/ME settings MUST be set to “1080i 59.94.”
*If using Wirecast, under "Add Shot" go to "Show Sources Settings" and change to "1080i 59.94"

If shooting in SD:
*on camera, set "Comp. Out" to "480i".
*BMCP/ME settings MUST be set to “NTSC" or "NTSC 23.98” In Media Express, check “Use Anamorphic SD 16:9” in Preferences.
*Similarly, if using Wirecast make sure you go in the sources settings and change to the appropriate one.

Canon Vixia HF10 plugged in via HDMI
compatible in PF24/PF30/60i shooting modes
*Media Express MUST be set to "1080i 59.94"

I also tried plugging in my Nikon D5100 using HDMI and cannot get it to show up using any combination of settings. During the testing process, I also tried hooking up my DVD player & laserdisc player using composite/component/S-Video & HDMI. They all worked except HDMI, which the BM support guy informed me was due to copyright protection.
 
Last edited:
MDew, thanks so much for posting this. Your research helped me solve the problem I had with Blackmagic Intensity Extreme and the Panasonic HMC40.
 
Has anybody else had any luck with this? I just bought a BlackMagic Design Intensity Extreme and I'm trying to get it to work via HDMI with a Panasonic AG-HMC40 like phillyb091. The system is a top-of-the-line 2011 15" MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.7.4.

So far, I'm only getting a black screen on Log & Capture tests in Media Express. The setting I've started with is 720p, 60 frames/second. :huh:
 
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