Use Blackmagic Design DeckLink SDI PCI Express Capture Card to capture 3 inputs? at DVinfo.net

Tony Nguyen · July 22nd, 2010, 06:24 PM

Hello Community!

I'm not sure where to post this but this thread is close enough.

Question is, does anyone know if I can use a Blackmagic Design DeckLink SDI PCI Express Capture Card to capture 3 inputs at the same time? I'm asking because we are doing a live concert at my church with multiple cameras and a video mixer over coax lines. On top of that... output live to multiple screens and projectors. The cameras will be HD but the video mixer won't be. Soooo.... I was thinking about using Avtakes' CutFour SD software with a capture card with at least 3 inputs to salvage whatever quality I can get and mix from the computer.

My last year set-up was camera, to coax cables, to video mixer, and split the outputs to live projection and a DVD Recorder.... yes... DVD RECORDER. We lost a few moments because the DVD had to burn and finalize before I can pop in a new one... not to mention the quality that came out...

If anyone got any experiences with this... please HELP! Much appreciated. Oh yea.... budget is $1000 this year..... I'm asking for more.

Shaun Roemich · July 22nd, 2010, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Nguyen

We lost a few moments because the DVD had to burn and finalize before I can pop in a new one...

Slightly off topic but all DVD Recorders I've used will allow you to remove the unfinalized disc and reinsert and finalize later AS LONG AS you use the same recorder (or possibly just the same brand and/or model).

Tony Nguyen · July 23rd, 2010, 08:28 AM

Yup. Absolutely correct! Thanks for the tip Shaun. We were afraid of doing that though. It was already a high risk of corruption recording the whole thing on DVD. We decided last year to let it finalize to minimize any errors.

Tony Nguyen · September 9th, 2010, 04:10 PM

Update on what I did. I rented the Newtek Tricaster Broadcast system. It was EXACTLY what I needed. Ran smoooth like butter. Thanks for reading.

Jack Zhang · September 9th, 2010, 10:17 PM

FYI, that is what TWiT.TV uses.

Be aware that it's software driving the video hardware, and that software could crash and the whole show can tank just like that. Make sure you don't go over the top in effects, DDR playback, etc. and just use the Tricaster to switch and not to record or playback.

July 22nd, 2010, 06:24 PM	#1
Tony Nguyen Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 107	Use Blackmagic Design DeckLink SDI PCI Express Capture Card to capture 3 inputs? Hello Community! I'm not sure where to post this but this thread is close enough. Question is, does anyone know if I can use a Blackmagic Design DeckLink SDI PCI Express Capture Card to capture 3 inputs at the same time? I'm asking because we are doing a live concert at my church with multiple cameras and a video mixer over coax lines. On top of that... output live to multiple screens and projectors. The cameras will be HD but the video mixer won't be. Soooo.... I was thinking about using Avtakes' CutFour SD software with a capture card with at least 3 inputs to salvage whatever quality I can get and mix from the computer. My last year set-up was camera, to coax cables, to video mixer, and split the outputs to live projection and a DVD Recorder.... yes... DVD RECORDER. We lost a few moments because the DVD had to burn and finalize before I can pop in a new one... not to mention the quality that came out... If anyone got any experiences with this... please HELP! Much appreciated. Oh yea.... budget is $1000 this year..... I'm asking for more.

July 23rd, 2010, 08:28 AM	#3
Tony Nguyen Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 107	Yup. Absolutely correct! Thanks for the tip Shaun. We were afraid of doing that though. It was already a high risk of corruption recording the whole thing on DVD. We decided last year to let it finalize to minimize any errors.

September 9th, 2010, 04:10 PM	#4
Tony Nguyen Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 107	Update on what I did. I rented the Newtek Tricaster Broadcast system. It was EXACTLY what I needed. Ran smoooth like butter. Thanks for reading.

September 9th, 2010, 10:17 PM	#5
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	FYI, that is what TWiT.TV uses. Be aware that it's software driving the video hardware, and that software could crash and the whole show can tank just like that. Make sure you don't go over the top in effects, DDR playback, etc. and just use the Tricaster to switch and not to record or playback.