Waiting for the Blackmagic Hyperdeck ... other HD-SDI alternatives?

[Mike Watson]

This is for a studio installation. I want a simple, "press record" style device that will record something final cut pro can edit easily. Budget is, of course, a concern.

I saw the hyperdeck at NAB, and loved it. The studio is built, and the one piece we're waiting for is the recording aspect. I can probably stall until early July. If pressed, I can probably stall until late July. My concern is that a few dozen of these things will ship in late July, and mine won't ship until August, and then it won't work straight out of the box, and the client will kill me long before then.

Is there anything else in this pricerange (<$1000) that will record HD-SDI that is not vaporware? The Atmos product (at $1500) is as close as I can come, but it's not even out yet.

Other suggestions?

[Simon Wood]

Assuming you are recording in a studio, and you have an editing computer in place; couldn't you just capture HD/SDI directly to your computer?

Something like a Matrox MX02 ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/650531-REG/Matrox_MXO2LE_N_D_MXO2_LE_Desktop.html ) is around the $1000 mark, and there are other options from Blackmagic and AJA.

Its not a simple 'press record' option, but in a studio environment you will have a lot more control. HD/SDI recorders are expensive (at least until the Hyperdeck comes out, but that device is yet to be proven, and then you're dealing with uncompressed footage which is going to be a headache one way or the other unless you have the right hardware in place).

[Mike Watson]

The computer that will be doing my editing in post is the computer that will be doing my graphics during live production -- so I can't roll a record on that computer. I actually have an Ultrastudio SDI on order for this computer to get video in/out. (More vaporware. Great).

So... any other options?

[Simon Wood]

Originally Posted by Mike Watson

The computer that will be doing my editing in post is the computer that will be doing my graphics during live production -- so I can't roll a record on that computer

So... any other options?

But you wont be able to use the Hyperdeck during live productions, so its unlikely you would be using that and the graphics at the same time? Unless I missed something.

Anyway, realistically your (non vaporware) options are as follows:

- Flash XDR
- Nanoflash
- Ki Pro
- Ki Pro Mini
- Gemini (yet to be released)
- Ninja (HDMI only)
- Sidekick (released yet?)
- Samurai (still to be released)
- Sound Devices PIX 220/40 (released yet?)
- Cinemartin (still to be released)
- Hyperdrive (still to be released)

Those are all above your asking price, except for the Hyperdrive which is yet to be released.

[Mike Watson]

But you wont be able to use the Hyperdeck during live productions, so its unlikely you would be using that and the graphics at the same time? Unless I missed something.

I hope to use the Hyperdeck during live productions to record, and use the graphics computer (aka the editing computer) to output lower thirds, fullscreens, etc, during live production.

I will check out your list of options, but I think my only option is "sit and wait" to get what I want at a reasonable price.

[Sander Vreuls]

How about a second, reasonably priced computer with a Decklink card to capture? If you put the two computers in a network or with a shared storage you can immediatly edit from your edit/graphics computer.

[Mike Watson]

How reasonably priced? Would a standard PC laptop do it?

[Sander Vreuls]

For the inbuilt Decklink cards you'd need a fullsized PC or mac, I'm unsure about the specs needed, I don't have a blackmagic card near.