SDI input into Windows 10 Laptop

[Mike Watson]

We have a small video switcher and an audio mixer so that we can do multi-cam livestreaming. Pretty slick setup. We have done a small number of these things but I anticipate more to come in the new year.

We take the SDI out of the switcher, run it into a Blackmagic Mini Recorder, Thunderbolt it into a MacBook Air, run it through OBS, and then Facebook Live.

The MacBook Air, while it works (720p, 30fps) with plenty of headroom, seems underpowered. Because of that (and for Reasons(tm), namely that it's tax season and we need the writeoff, and we need a Windows PC around for other video projects), I went to Costco and bought a beefy i7 Windows 10 laptop.

I assumed getting an SDI signal into a Windows 10 computer was a simple thing. Apparently I assumed wrong.

Is anyone successfully doing this? Any tips?

[Craig Seeman]

Would would this be a difficult thing?
If your Windows computer includes Thunderbolt (some better ones do) you'd use the same MiniRecorder.
If, per chance, you overlooked getting a Windows computer with a Thunderbolt port you'd have to get an SDI to USB3 device such as one from Magewell
Magewell - USB Capture SDI Gen 2
Which is about twice the price of the MiniRecorder but it works quite well
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801

[Craig Seeman]

Just in case you thought a Windows Laptop with Thunderbolt ports was a rarity, B&H lists 49 of them under Gaming.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/gaming-notebooks/ci/24610/N/3670569600/BI/2855/KBID/3801
and 164 of them under Mobile Workstation.Click on Thunderbolt option
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/mobile-workstations/ci/24895/N/3929443900/BI/2855/KBID/3801

Unfortunately the search links don't work in this forum so you'll have to use the above.

[Andrew Smith]

Even if you get the flood of data from an SDI link in to your computer, you still have to have the CPU deal with processing through it in real time. I'm thinking that you would be far better off having an external dedicated physical encoder device (such as the Matrox Monarch and others) to handle this for you.

Andrew

[Donald McPherson]

I hate to state the obvious. But have you tried a Google search? SDI to USB. Quickly came up with this. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackmagic-.../dp/B005N2Q3WO

[Mike Watson]

Yes, of course I Google'd it. I came up with a few USB / SDI interfaces. They all looked sketchy. Have you used one, or did you just come in to suggest I use Google?

[David Barnett]

Mike,

I've been considering setting up a Wirecast streaming, and was sent the below from the sales staff regarding recommended capture cards, some HDMI, some SDI and internal & external (obvi for a laptop you'd likely go external).



Recommended Capture Cards:

Single Input HDMI or SDI External Capture Cards

* Blackmagic UltraStudio MiniRecorder (Thunderbolt, $140): http://bhpho.to/1rWPOdK
* Magewell XI100DUSB-HDMI (USB3, $300): http://bhpho.to/1st1e9U

Single Input Composite External Capture Cards

* Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle for Thunderbolt ($227 -- do NOT get the USB version, as that model has known reliability issues): https://bhpho.to/2ntgfIO
* Magewell USB Capture DVI Plus ($419): http://amzn.to/2m1OOXC
* Epiphan DVI2USB ($700): https://bhpho.to/2m267YC

Internal Capture Cards (can be installed in a Desktop PC's available PCI slot)

* Blackmagic Decklink MiniRecorder (1 HDMI or 1 SDI in, $137): http://bhpho.to/2cNQ0YR
* Blackmagic Decklink Duo 2 (4 SDI, $495) : http://bhpho.to/1W195Y7
* Magewell Pro Capture Quad HDMI (4 HDMI, $899): http://bhpho.to/1st12rd
* Magewell Pro Capture Quad SDI (4 SDI, $899): http://bhpho.to/1VVoaKl

Build-Your-Own Multi-Input External

* Sonnet Echo Express SE I Thunderbolt PCIe Card Expansion System (Enclosure, $300): bhpho.to/1RQWL5P
+
* Blackmagic Decklink Duo 2 (4 SDI, $495) : http://bhpho.to/1W195Y7
+
* Blackmagic Design Micro Converter HDMI to SDI (if needed, $85): http://bhpho.to/2fDFgxI

Multi-Input External

* AJA Io4K video capture device (4 SDI to Thunderbolt, $1,995): http://bhpho.to/1T56rjE
+
* Blackmagic Design Micro Converter HDMI to SDI (if needed, $85): http://bhpho.to/2fDFgxI

[David Barnett]

In searching 'Magewell SDI to USB3' your best bet could be this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home/BI/2855/KBID/3801

Looks similar to the HDMI version above.

[Steven Digges]

Mike,

A couple years ago I did something similar. I upgraded my PC laptop to a very high end HP Z Book with Thunderbolt. I got a BMD Intensity Shuttle to go HDMI in, to Thunderbolt out, to the PC. What a frustrating mistake. I am not writing to hate on BMD (I do hate on them). I know BMD has their fans and I have often wondered if they are primarily Mac users? I suspect you may not have the same level of success with BMD products/software on your new PC as you have had on Macs.

My experience was horrible, I am a halfway descent technician. Sometimes I troubleshoot things to death. I wasted countless hours trying to get the product and software to work properly. In the end the POS product now sits on a shelf pissing me off every time I see it. The software was a joke. It not only did not work as advertised it was buggy. The integrated plugins messed up my Premier so the BMD software HAD to be uninstalled permanently. The only thing I ever got to see the video signal was the BMD software and only for a couple of resolutions. It did not convert or process as promised.

My limited experience is that BMD and PC are a bad mix. YMMV.

Kind Regards,

Steve

[Charlie Steiner]

what steve said.

Magewell things are great. they just work. all you need is a USB 3.0 port (for each camera).