Which SDI cable? at DVinfo.net

Geoffrey Chandler · April 22nd, 2016, 08:57 AM

I'm connecting Sony EX1r cameras through a Panasonic HS50 Switcher and into a Atomos Ronin recorder. I'm overwhelmed with the selection of SDI cables. Do I need to select one with "HD 3G" in the description? What is the key specification I need to look for?

The first time I bought cable, B&H recommended this one but didn't explain why or what was key.
Canare 25' L-3CFW RG59 HD-SDI

I found this on Amazon and am wondering if it would work fine.
25 foot Black BJC 3G/6G HD SDI cable, BNC to BNC

Jacques Mersereau · April 22nd, 2016, 12:00 PM

Personally I would go with the BH recommendation.

We run Canare and Belden cable and found them to be rock solid when using HDSDI.

HTH

Doug Jensen · April 22nd, 2016, 12:22 PM

Pretty much any BNC cable you can buy will do the trick.

Mike Watson · April 22nd, 2016, 12:27 PM

I buy cables from Monoprice:

BNC M/M RG59U - 25ft - Monoprice.com

They carry HDSDI fine. I don't know if they meet the spec, but they work. Mine are not mission critical, they're for monitoring.

Anthony McErlean · March 10th, 2022, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

Pretty much any BNC cable you can buy will do the trick.

Sorry for resurrecting this old thread, I'm looking for an SDI cable about 12 inc long for my NanoFlash

Will any BNC cable do the same job?

Eightwood SDI Cable BNC Male Right Angle to Male Right Angle 30cm RG179 Coax for BMCC Blackmagic BMPCC HD Video Camera Flexible CB Radio Antenna: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

The last SDI cable I bought, I got it from a DVinfo forum member.

Thanks.

Doug Jensen · March 10th, 2022, 11:38 AM

If you do a search at BH you'll find dozens of options to suit different needs. For example, you may want right-angle connectors or a slim lightweight cable.

If I was buying an 12" cable right now, this is the one I'd buy.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801

Jacques Mersereau · March 10th, 2022, 11:47 AM

LOL. Boy, already six years since I posed on this thread.

Doug is correct that short runs of regular coax won't have any problem.
It comes down to those LONG runs over 100ft-300ft that you will want something designed for the job.

For 4K over 12G, we are using Clark 7506F,
which is a rubber jacketed (love) cable that has stranded wire so it is much more flexible and layer flatter than single cord. It isn't cheap, but I have yet to have any issue with it and have sent long runs of 4K over it without any issue.

Anthony McErlean · March 10th, 2022, 12:23 PM

LOL OK thanks for that.

Paul R Johnson · March 12th, 2022, 01:54 AM

Digital communications squirts square waves down the cable. The construction of the cable and its spec sets how much the nice sharp edges of the square wave get rounded off. The higher the video quality, the closer together the square waves are and the fixed curve the cable spec introduces become, as a percentage, more of the ‘total’ data, and then at some point the receiving device give up trying to make sense of it. The short cables round off less, the long cables do it more. Longer cables also of course lower the overall level, again a problem for the receiving device trying to make sense of if the data is a 1 or a 0. Even the connectors add to the rounding off. Making the whole thing even worse are reflections coming back the other way. It’s always amazed me we ever get things to work!

Anthony McErlean · March 12th, 2022, 09:29 AM

Paul :) Thank you.

April 22nd, 2016, 08:57 AM	#1
Geoffrey Chandler Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 144	Which SDI cable? I'm connecting Sony EX1r cameras through a Panasonic HS50 Switcher and into a Atomos Ronin recorder. I'm overwhelmed with the selection of SDI cables. Do I need to select one with "HD 3G" in the description? What is the key specification I need to look for? The first time I bought cable, B&H recommended this one but didn't explain why or what was key. Canare 25' L-3CFW RG59 HD-SDI I found this on Amazon and am wondering if it would work fine. 25 foot Black BJC 3G/6G HD SDI cable, BNC to BNC __________________ Wedding Videography \| WebCasting & Live Events \| YouTube Channel

April 22nd, 2016, 12:00 PM	#2
Jacques Mersereau Trustee Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 1,334	Re: Which SDI cable? Personally I would go with the BH recommendation. We run Canare and Belden cable and found them to be rock solid when using HDSDI. HTH __________________ Jacques Mersereau University of Michigan-Video Studio Manager

April 22nd, 2016, 12:22 PM	#3
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,450	Re: Which SDI cable? Pretty much any BNC cable you can buy will do the trick. __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

April 22nd, 2016, 12:27 PM	#4
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Re: Which SDI cable? I buy cables from Monoprice: BNC M/M RG59U - 25ft - Monoprice.com They carry HDSDI fine. I don't know if they meet the spec, but they work. Mine are not mission critical, they're for monitoring.

March 10th, 2022, 11:38 AM	#6
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,450	Re: Which SDI cable? If you do a search at BH you'll find dozens of options to suit different needs. For example, you may want right-angle connectors or a slim lightweight cable. If I was buying an 12" cable right now, this is the one I'd buy. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801 __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

March 10th, 2022, 11:47 AM	#7
Jacques Mersereau Trustee Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 1,334	Re: Which SDI cable? LOL. Boy, already six years since I posed on this thread. Doug is correct that short runs of regular coax won't have any problem. It comes down to those LONG runs over 100ft-300ft that you will want something designed for the job. For 4K over 12G, we are using Clark 7506F, which is a rubber jacketed (love) cable that has stranded wire so it is much more flexible and layer flatter than single cord. It isn't cheap, but I have yet to have any issue with it and have sent long runs of 4K over it without any issue. __________________ Jacques Mersereau University of Michigan-Video Studio Manager

March 10th, 2022, 12:23 PM	#8
Anthony McErlean Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 1,082	Re: Which SDI cable? LOL OK thanks for that.

March 12th, 2022, 01:54 AM	#9
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	Re: Which SDI cable? Digital communications squirts square waves down the cable. The construction of the cable and its spec sets how much the nice sharp edges of the square wave get rounded off. The higher the video quality, the closer together the square waves are and the fixed curve the cable spec introduces become, as a percentage, more of the ‘total’ data, and then at some point the receiving device give up trying to make sense of it. The short cables round off less, the long cables do it more. Longer cables also of course lower the overall level, again a problem for the receiving device trying to make sense of if the data is a 1 or a 0. Even the connectors add to the rounding off. Making the whole thing even worse are reflections coming back the other way. It’s always amazed me we ever get things to work!

March 12th, 2022, 09:29 AM	#10
Anthony McErlean Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 1,082	Re: Which SDI cable? Paul :) Thank you.