Black magic H.264 Pro Recorder

[JakobR]

I have tried to read about Black Magics new SDI/Analog to USB gadget.

What i have understood so far si that the converter needs the software and is only for recording.

The wirecast community is discussing the possibilities to use the API (wich I´m not sure exists as of yet) to use it as a high quality grabber.

Anyone done some more investigating?

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

JAKOB

[Mike]

I know it does not record in real time (2-3 seconds delay) but that's not a huge problem I guess as long as you do not stop it too quickly. There is no DirectShow driver. And someone reported it only worked if he removed his DeckLink SDI card. So all in all your typical BlackMagic product? Sounds great, but may not completely satisfy :)

[Johan Lundberg]

I have one and have been testing it quite alot lately. First tests did not impress me at all, showing alot of compression artifacts, and it felt unstable. With latest firmware and Media Express version though, it's been rock solid and given me very good results, with most tests done in HD. I guess it now works as it should have worked initially!

I don't know if it can be used as you describe but my guess is not.

[Sinc747]

Anyone have any experience with the Black Magic H.264 Pro Recorder?

Looks promising for laptop users wanting HD cam input using USB 2.0 ports.

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

[Merged from separate thread]

[zenvideo]

Anyone have any experiecne with the Black Magic H.264 Pro Recorder?

Looks promising for laptop users wanting HD cam input using USB 2.0 ports.

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

I've not used one myself but I have sold them. AFAIK they produce decent quality H264-encoded files for archiving, web uploading, etc. They work with Blackmagic's Media Express software, but I don't think they work with any other software.

[Johan Lundberg]

Anyone have any experience with the Black Magic H.264 Pro Recorder?

As mentioned above, I think it works good as a recorder, being easy to use and giving very nice quality. I'm not really a fan of the Media Express software though. It's always been a bit unstable for me regardless of platform or BM hardware. It works fine most of the time but I've seen it crash a couple of times when quickly starting and stopping recordings.

Looks promising for laptop users wanting HD cam input using USB 2.0 ports.


Please be aware that this device will not make the attached source appear as a USB capture device in Windows, and therefor not in Vidblaster either. In other words, it will not show up as a USB Camera in Vidblaster or any other software.
This is simply a hardware H.264 recorder which means that it encodes the incoming signal to a h.264 file which is then written to disk on your computer through the USB port using the Media Express software.

[Rafal Oramus]

Please be aware that this device will not make the attached source appear as a USB capture device in Windows, and therefor not in Vidblaster either. In other words, it will not show up as a USB Camera in Vidblaster or any other software.
I guess Tom's post was inspired by latest Livestream newsletter
http://cdn.livestream.com/email/newsletternew/images/laptopencoding.jpg
http://store.livestream.com/collections/hq-laptop-encoding
Looks like they found solution to use BM H.264 Pro Recorder as live source for Livestream's Procaster.

[Johan Lundberg]

I guess Tom's post was inspired by latest Livestream newsletter
http://cdn.livestream.com/email/newsletternew/images/laptopencoding.jpg
http://store.livestream.com/collections/hq-laptop-encoding
Looks like they found solution to use BM H.264 Pro Recorder as live source for Livestream's Procaster.

Interesting find!

I need to read up on this but it sounds like the Livestream Producer can use the hardware encoded h.264 directly as a video stream and put it live on livestream. Great idea and a simple solution especially for laptops, for easy high quality broadcasting from one camera, or for that matter any production made on a hardware switcher.

Since the video stream from the h.264 encoder is already encoded (compressed) it will not be the optimal choice for Vidblaster use though. If support for this was added it would require Vidblaster to first decode the h.264 stream in order to use it, meaning both some quality loss and likely added CPU usage. The BM Decklink/Intensity/Shuttle would in most situations be a better choice for Vidblaster use, since it's signal stays uncompressed all the way to Vidblaster. I say in most situations as not all hardware setups can use those capture devices, for instance a laptop without USB 3. The hardware encoded H.264 stream from the BM encoder also would put alot less stress on the system buses, but as mentioned instead would require decoding...

I will search for more information and see if I can get to test this with livestream, as this indeed is interesting news.

[Rafal Oramus]

Since the video stream from the h.264 encoder is already encoded (compressed) it will not be the optimal choice for Vidblaster use though. (...) Of course, but RTMP In module also grabs h.264 encoded stream. For users that accept such quality it could be good solution.

I wonder, if Procaster made special driver for this recorder or maybe BlackMagic provided it.

I need to read up on this but it sounds like the Livestream Producer can use the hardware encoded h.264 directly as a video stream and put it live on livestream. Great idea and a simple solution especially for laptops, for easy high quality broadcasting from one camera, or for that matter any production made on a hardware switcher.

I must admit, when I first read this newsletter, I thought about this device as great solution for streaming VidBlasters production from second PC (laptop) to reduce the load on main PC.

[Johan Lundberg]

It's true that the RTSP/RTMP in module already does this, and it might be a useful solution for some. I think the biggest show stopper for me in such a case would probably be the delay the encoder introduces. As Mike mentioned above it's a couple of seconds, which really is alot when used for anything else than distribution.

Personally I see a good use for it as a nice little "end of line" recorder and if possible, streaming device.

[Sinc747]

Rafal is correct. I saw the Livestream newsletter announcing live streaming with this device and a photo of the device next to a laptop. It's an interesting solution especially if it will allow for HD through US 2.0 as it purports to do.