7D HDMI to HD-SDI Converter to Nano at DVinfo.net

John Richard · April 20th, 2010, 08:22 AM

Still trying to bypass the Canon 7D in cam compression and get to the wonderful Nano options.

Has anyone tried taking the HDMI out of the 7D and going into an HDMI to HD-SDI converter to then input to the Nano (or XDR for that matter)?

The HDMI output from the 7D is supposedly not a full 1080 ... so I was wondering if the HD-SDI converter would up-convert the wierd 7D signal to something that the Nano would work with.

Bruce Schultz · April 20th, 2010, 02:16 PM

This has been discussed on other 7D boards ad nauseum - suffice to say NO it isn't possible without a firmware fix from Canon and that ain't happening any time soon.

In a nutshell, the HDMI output is cluttered with on screen data which would be recorded by the Nano Flash and render all footage useless.

Rafael Amador · April 21st, 2010, 12:56 AM

Is not possible and I don't think will ever be.
Manufactures are not interesting in merging the SLR and Video markets.
They've already saw the demand of big captors for video and they have started to address this demand.
Sure that Canon will release something similar to the PANASONIC af-100 or the SONY-35mm.
Is not a matter of HDMI or SDI, is about the future of the industry.
rafael

Max Petin · April 22nd, 2010, 02:30 PM

Why should this be impossible? Screen data is not there from the beginning, it is an added layer to the picture. If someone hacks the software, he might disable this layer function. I think the 7d is powerful enough to suprise us with miracles once it has been hacked :)

Charles Papert · April 22nd, 2010, 05:36 PM

It's not just removing the data (which is as little as the record light and the focus box), it's about the limited output on the monitor. The camera's processor is being taxed mightily to do what its doing now, and generating a real-time full 1080 output is not a "free" process, so it is dubious whether the camera is capable of it. We'll have to see.

HDMI to HD-SDI conversion doesn't affect the image quality or perform any magic bullets. It's simply a more robust and reliable way to monitor the image. If you were to pass the same signal into the Nano via HDMI and then via SDI converter into the SDI port on the Nano, the two clips should be all but identical.

Bruce Schultz · April 22nd, 2010, 09:45 PM

OK, in almost direct contradiction to my earlier post I must confess that there is ONE way to output without the on screen data mess.

If you don't record on the 7D itself, you won't get a red dot in the upper right corner. If you turn on the face detection circuit you will not get the center white focus box, so now you can (theoretically) external record the images without graphic goo. The problem at this point is that the output is not a true 1920x1080 signal (I've read a few times what the actual dimensions are but can't recall them exactly right now) so it's unknown to me as I haven't tried to record a non-standard image size to a Nano Flash what would happen at this point.

Oh, one last thing, if any human body appears in your picture the face recognition red box appears over their faces to spoil the whole scenario yet again. Will work for shots of the Grand Canyon or other pure nature shots though.

Everyone is waiting for the gurus at Magic Lantern to firmware fix this, and waiting and waiting . . .

Rafael Amador · April 23rd, 2010, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max Petin

Why should this be impossible? Screen data is not there from the beginning, it is an added layer to the picture. If someone hacks the software, he might disable this layer function. I think the 7d is powerful enough to suprise us with miracles once it has been hacked :)

Sorry, I haven't say the word "impossible".
Probably is as easy as a Firmware update.
But they don't gonna release such update.
The manufactures don't gonna let you record a full quality signal out of the HDMI, because they also make professional video cameras; and they prefer you to expend 7K than 3K.
As you can see Canon have been very careful to protect the HDMI out.
rafael

Mark Job · April 23rd, 2010, 02:01 PM

Hi DSLR to Video Shooters:
Yup, I always find it nauseating to see a company like Canon (And I like Canon products) deliberately engineer a block to deliberately degrade the video signal of their DSLR's video output, so they can force you to go buy more products.! It's 11th century thinking all over again ! The higher the castle wall, the greater the invitation for someone to attack it. Something designed by a French military engineer called a *Tribuchet* took care of that limitation. The sooner some hacker does an end run around this limitation the better :-)

John Richard · April 24th, 2010, 09:11 AM

I have read somewhere that the limitation on the HDMI signal out has something to do with some countries' VAT (Value Added Tax). If the HDMI was full 1080 it would require a very high VAT monetary price rather than a Canon desire.

Not knowing the specifics I could certainly be wrong though.

And the genius at Magic Lattern appears to be a single individual working on firmware improvements appears to be a marvelous guy working on it as a hobby. I also remember reading somewhere that Canon even gave it's blessing to his firmware because it makes no permanent modification to the 5DMII. Magic Lantern's firmware must reload each time the camera is turned on and thus Canon approved.

I truly wished Magic Lantern would provide a firmware for more friendly video use of the 7D. There is a method of donation to his work.

April 20th, 2010, 08:22 AM	#1
John Richard Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Incline Village, Nevada Posts: 604	7D HDMI to HD-SDI Converter to Nano Still trying to bypass the Canon 7D in cam compression and get to the wonderful Nano options. Has anyone tried taking the HDMI out of the 7D and going into an HDMI to HD-SDI converter to then input to the Nano (or XDR for that matter)? The HDMI output from the 7D is supposedly not a full 1080 ... so I was wondering if the HD-SDI converter would up-convert the wierd 7D signal to something that the Nano would work with.

April 22nd, 2010, 05:36 PM	#5
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	It's not just removing the data (which is as little as the record light and the focus box), it's about the limited output on the monitor. The camera's processor is being taxed mightily to do what its doing now, and generating a real-time full 1080 output is not a "free" process, so it is dubious whether the camera is capable of it. We'll have to see. HDMI to HD-SDI conversion doesn't affect the image quality or perform any magic bullets. It's simply a more robust and reliable way to monitor the image. If you were to pass the same signal into the Nano via HDMI and then via SDI converter into the SDI port on the Nano, the two clips should be all but identical. __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

April 23rd, 2010, 02:01 PM	#8
Mark Job Trustee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Posts: 1,138	Power to the People ! Hi DSLR to Video Shooters: Yup, I always find it nauseating to see a company like Canon (And I like Canon products) deliberately engineer a block to deliberately degrade the video signal of their DSLR's video output, so they can force you to go buy more products.! It's 11th century thinking all over again ! The higher the castle wall, the greater the invitation for someone to attack it. Something designed by a French military engineer called a Tribuchet took care of that limitation. The sooner some hacker does an end run around this limitation the better :-)

April 20th, 2010, 02:16 PM	#2
Bruce Schultz Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Malibu, CA Posts: 480	This has been discussed on other 7D boards ad nauseum - suffice to say NO it isn't possible without a firmware fix from Canon and that ain't happening any time soon. In a nutshell, the HDMI output is cluttered with on screen data which would be recorded by the Nano Flash and render all footage useless.

April 21st, 2010, 12:56 AM	#3
Rafael Amador Major Player Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Vientiane (Lao PDR) Posts: 349	Is not possible and I don't think will ever be. Manufactures are not interesting in merging the SLR and Video markets. They've already saw the demand of big captors for video and they have started to address this demand. Sure that Canon will release something similar to the PANASONIC af-100 or the SONY-35mm. Is not a matter of HDMI or SDI, is about the future of the industry. rafael

April 22nd, 2010, 02:30 PM	#4
Max Petin New Boot Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Namsos Norway Posts: 7	Why should this be impossible? Screen data is not there from the beginning, it is an added layer to the picture. If someone hacks the software, he might disable this layer function. I think the 7d is powerful enough to suprise us with miracles once it has been hacked :)

April 22nd, 2010, 09:45 PM	#6
Bruce Schultz Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Malibu, CA Posts: 480	OK, in almost direct contradiction to my earlier post I must confess that there is ONE way to output without the on screen data mess. If you don't record on the 7D itself, you won't get a red dot in the upper right corner. If you turn on the face detection circuit you will not get the center white focus box, so now you can (theoretically) external record the images without graphic goo. The problem at this point is that the output is not a true 1920x1080 signal (I've read a few times what the actual dimensions are but can't recall them exactly right now) so it's unknown to me as I haven't tried to record a non-standard image size to a Nano Flash what would happen at this point. Oh, one last thing, if any human body appears in your picture the face recognition red box appears over their faces to spoil the whole scenario yet again. Will work for shots of the Grand Canyon or other pure nature shots though. Everyone is waiting for the gurus at Magic Lantern to firmware fix this, and waiting and waiting . . .

April 24th, 2010, 09:11 AM	#9
John Richard Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Incline Village, Nevada Posts: 604	I have read somewhere that the limitation on the HDMI signal out has something to do with some countries' VAT (Value Added Tax). If the HDMI was full 1080 it would require a very high VAT monetary price rather than a Canon desire. Not knowing the specifics I could certainly be wrong though. And the genius at Magic Lattern appears to be a single individual working on firmware improvements appears to be a marvelous guy working on it as a hobby. I also remember reading somewhere that Canon even gave it's blessing to his firmware because it makes no permanent modification to the 5DMII. Magic Lantern's firmware must reload each time the camera is turned on and thus Canon approved. I truly wished Magic Lantern would provide a firmware for more friendly video use of the 7D. There is a method of donation to his work.