dosxuk

There's an option in the atem software main menu to save the startup state, which is a good way of making sure it starts in a known state.

*duplicate*

I know a couple of places with cable traps that go completely unused because they don't go to the right places, one has it end about half a foot from the edge of stage in the walkway for the front row. Utterly useless. On the other hand, I'm constantly surprised by the number of venues which do have regular touring events in which don't have any, be that hook, duct or shelved, route from stage to FOH and expect the temporary cable ramp (carpet chucked down) / nails in the door frame techniques. That and not having fire sealable holes through useful walls where appropriate. Even brand new, purpose built buildings are missing these.

Sounds like you need a power switch rather than a DMX switch.

The SDI Distribution won't accept the analogue input. You need an analogue distribution amp, plenty available for not many pennies these days.

The CDD5s are quite big, but the A40s might be worth looking at.

DMX has no error-correction or reliability-of-signal features. It should never be used for safety-critical controls, flying objects above small children would be a clear example of this. While there are products out there that use extra "safety channels" (where an extra channel needs to be a specific value in order to allow the main channel to be used) and such to try and improve the safety, this wouldn't work with a switchpack driving and off the shelf hoist.

Have you considered doing a "serious face on" video about this subject. I know more people will come across the information on YouTube than here, and if even a handful of the idiots actually pay attention it can only be a good thing. I've had numerous arguments with mobile DJs over the years about lasers, and they all seem to be under the impression that they wouldn't be able to buy it they were dangerous, and that all the rules about laser exposure (some of them have actually heard of them) are only for the big stuff like you see on TV. They simply don't believe they're putting people at risk.

Now up on Thomann for €2999 /(~£2500) - https://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_wing.htm

Possibly, but seeing the cascade of an HDMI signal being distributed by successive DA's and comparing it with the instant changes in a similarly built VGA system... A proper HDMI distribution amp will have delays measured in numbers of samples, which is completely imperceptible. If you're using stuff with multiple frame delays, then you're simply using the wrong kit for the task. As much as I dislike HDMI and it's multitude of pitfalls, latency in the signal chain isn't one of those reasons.

Wireless - all of the "affordable" systems use the same licence free bandwidth. It's impossible to guarantee these systems will work under all circumstances. The Teradek systems I have to use fail immediately if you get a news van turn up using a proper Gigawave/Link system on nearby (licenced) frequencies. They're fairly robust against other normal stage frequency use, but there's no guarantees. Those more expensive Gigawave/Link/Cobham type systems mostly don't take HDMI, but do have enough power (and their own frequencies) to cut through most of the other noise. If you need a professional video link, and you're not using it every day, you'll be better off hiring from one of the broadcast facility companies, who can supply you with the correct kit for the specific job, and all the paperwork to do it legally.

They appear to the computer as a generic USB HID device, and all the commands have been reverse engineered, so if it's your thing you can develop your own software and get them to interface with anything. I've got a couple of them for doing various things, including my own software for controlling graphics in CasparCG. Keep an eye out for black Friday / prime day deals on Amazon as they're normally significantly discounted.

When coming direct from a Sky box, you may start to come across HDCP issues.

Sysex is a type of midi message, and while you can send midi over Ethernet, you can also send a whole load more protocols. And once those protocols get clever, with two way handshaking, or detailed knowledge of the internal design of the console, you're not going to be able to recreate that by sending a few packets to a specific address. Reverse engineering the protocol through packet sniffing could turn into a major job in it's own right.

Have a look at the specs of the converters you're interested in, as they can vary, and there's no definitive answer. The Blackmagic Design micro converters for example - https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products/microconverters/techspecs/W-CONU-03 - support the following HDMI resolutions: 525i29.97 NTSC, 625i25 PAL 720p50, 720p59.94, 720p60 1080p23.98, 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p29.97, 1080p30, 1080p50, 1080p59.94, 1080p60 1080i50, 1080i59.94, 1080i60 Other converters, such as the Decimator Design MDHX, accept a wider range of HDMI inputs, but come at a greater cost. The Decimator's are pretty much the standard converter I see (not including my 4) being used to take feeds from laptops. One other potential hiccup is that SDI does not support HDCP, so you will have issues connecting equipment that tries to force using it. Very few HDMI-SDI converters will output SDI for an encrypted HDMI signal. Basically SDI is great for sending video, but it's not always plug-&-play (like anything 'proper' video). If you're used to forcing laptops to output a certain resolution you'll be fine.

Just beware that SDI only supports broadcast resolutions, not the full range of weird and wonderful computer resolutions that are supported by HDMI.

I'll be impressed if you manage to get any signal at all after that. There's no guarantee either that the shields on the three SMA's are commoned together either. You'll also be reducing your signal strength dramatically by extending the aerials in the first place, so then to go through a general purpose connector is not going to be much help. I certainly wouldn't want to trust my entire ability to mix to such a setup. If you're wanting a quicker, more robust connector than SMA, designed to carry RF signals, you can get adaptors to BNC.

There's quite a few OSC libraries, in various languages, around, as well as plenty of examples for interacting with the Behringer digital mixers - which you can use to get an idea of how it works.

CMYK over HDMI? Are you sure you don't mean YUV / YCbCr?

Could you not get away with using some temporary fixing materials* to test with rather than drilling the box? Personally I think the cables need to come out the bottom for it to hang "right". I think if they're coming out sideways, there would be a tendency for the box to rotate off your belt. *gaffer

Are the collapses becoming more frequent, or is our awareness of them growing? Ten years ago a stage collapse in Canada would probably have only made to the BBC News pages the following day (if at all). Tonight it was on the home page ticker in breaking news red.

Initial reports on the BBC News website that one person has died at a stage collapse before a Radiohead concert in Toronto.