Whoa - $349 BlackMagic HDMI & HD-SDI recorder!

B

Barry_Green

Moderator
Check it out: while the nanoFlash records MPEG-2 off HDMI and costs almost $3,000, BlackMagic is releasing an h.264 recorder, that records from both HDMI and HD-SDI, for almost 1/10th the price! Not only that, but it also captures component analog video, so if you had an HDV or HVX camera that don't have digital HDMI or HD-SDI outputs, you can still use an external recorder!

http://blackmagic-design.com/products/h264prorecorder/

Man, reading the specs, this thing is crazy... 12-bit input, records at 4:2:2, supports 1080i, 720p, 1080p, in 25/30/50/60 modes, also stores 24PsF, and records at 12-bit(!) Even supports 3G HDSDI!

This thing looks seriously too good to be true. Only thing I can't find is any definition of the bandwidth/file size of the recorded files. All it says is that it supports many scalable h.264 formats, so it can record directly to a small file for uploading to the web, or in an iPod or iPhone-compatible file format, or "full resolution HDTV".

Here's the brochure:
http://blackmagic-design.com/downloads/brochures/H264Encoding.pdf

It says it captures video files for "the iPod, the iPad, the web and more". So maybe it's dumbed down? But if it captures 12-bit 4:2:2 at "full resolution HDTV", why would it be dumbed down?

Okay, last thing -- I can't see where it has any recording media in it. So perhaps it's not a standalone recorder, but needs to be hooked up to a computer via USB? If that's the case, it's not nearly as interesting, but still pretty darn cool for $349.

Available in July.
 
Yeah... as I read it, it's not a "recorder" so much as an interface.... and at least one clear bottleneck is the USB2 connection... maybe something interesting combined with a $250 netbook?
 
Last edited:
Doesn't it just do real time conversion from various inputs through USB2 to h.264?

Nice, but limited as I read it.
 
I think I was deceived by the name, "Pro Recorder", as it doesn't appear upon further inspection to be a recorder at all. Instead, it does appear to be an interface for a computer, sort of like a portable USB-based BlackMagic Intensity card. Which is still pretty cool; how many of us wanted an Intensity in a laptop? Well, here it is...

So the more I look at it, I think it's a hardware h.264 encoder device that passes its output through USB 2. Which is no big deal, it shouldn't be a bottleneck, USB is theoretically capable of 480 megabits, which is theoretically capable of streaming HDCAM-SR. Of course, in reality that wouldn't ever happen, but for h.264 data rates it should be extremely more than adequate. You can match broadcast HDTV with about 9 megabits of h.264...

So, yeah -- you'd need some sort of netbook or something to make it a complete system. Even so, you're talking about something that could potentially seriously outperform the Nano for 1/5th the price, including analog and both digital HD standards, so ... still interesting, but not quite as much as it was initially!
 
Installation:
"Connect unit to the computer’s USB 2.0 port, install Blackmagic H.264 Pro Recorder software and run Media Express."

this great though. hope somebody buys and tries this out.

would be nice if it interfaces with the record button of a camera
 
Last edited:
so basically, with the addition of say a laptop or netbook, one could record live, and use the laptop as a monitor?

alternately i suppose a component splitter could be used (i have an XH A1 with only one HD output; component) so i could use a proper focusing monitor. if that is the case, i believe ill be one of the first to bite. that would significantly cut down my rig complexity and costs, by probably $1,000 or so. connected to something akin to a Viliv 7" mini-PC (think netbook but without the awkward keyboard), that would make acquisition and monitoring painless and more cost effective. that is, mostly for a B-cam setup, not the main/monitoring rig. H.264
 
Last edited:
When I first looked at this, I thought i read that there was some latency, though I cant find that now. Must be old age. Latency on the monitoring would be the deal breaker for me.

Grant
 
Agreed. But in the case of the AF100 (my application) or similar, where there is also HDMI, this is not an issue. I would use it to record, not monitor. They announced this at NAB and said it was to be available in July. I now see on their web page, it says it will be available this month. Now I understand why I haven't seen any reviews.

I sent a note to them asking if we can borrow one for a review.
 
If there were zero latency and I could use a laptop to monitor and or record, that would be simply awesome. The descriptions for video output are a little thin, but if it would stream to an iPad, well that would change everything!!! FWIW, iPad software is available for use as a telepromter adding one more useful function for the videographer.

Grant
 
I got a response from a rep., he said that they hope to have it available by end of 1st quarter.
 
any new updates on this?? Pleaseeeeeee......need to decide to get the iPad or a Tablet PC instead of an expensive External Monitor and this would really solve my problem...

P.s. I have contacted their rep. but no response so far...
 
I posted this in a different location, so forgive the duplication.

Toshiba is getting ready to announce a iPad type and sized product that has HDMI input. This could be interesting.

Grant
 
kicap said:
any new updates on this?? Pleaseeeeeee......need to decide to get the iPad or a Tablet PC instead of an expensive External Monitor and this would really solve my problem...

P.s. I have contacted their rep. but no response so far...
Click to expand...

I contacted them directly with no response. Clearly this item is vaporware. With an announcement at NAB of availability last July; a current web page states it is available this month; a contact with a representative (from Saddler, thank you) saying hope to have available by the end of the 1st quarter; this item has major issues. Forget about it until someone has it in their hands and reviews it for us.
 
Last edited:
klcap, that's SD only. It also doesn't have pass-through (which I need for my specific application).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top