Cheap video mixing

[light-man]

Hi All,

 

Having never done anything like it before, I'm thinking of running a few cameras into a projector for a School show I've got on in a few weeks time, and just doing some basic snaps between each camera (just as you'd get on a TV show really). Cameras will be S-Video or Phono output.

 

Will a simple Kramer switcher work, such as this one? I take it the input button you press is what it snaps to when pressed?

 

Secondly, the projector will need to display a .pptx file from a computer - would I be able to use a simple VGA to Phono/S-Video lead such as this one (just off a google search!) to get the signal to the switcher or would I still ne one of the VGA to Composite converters?

http://www.ascenddistribution.com/shareimage/POTHVGASVRC1_2.jpg

 

 

Any help much appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Si.

[CharlieH]

Will a simple Kramer switcher work, such as this one? I take it the input button you press is what it snaps to when pressed?

The disadvantage of something like that (designed for CCTV more than live mixing) is it hasn't got individual outputs for each camera - meaning you can't see what the feed looks like before you switch to it. Usually you would look at a bank of monitors to see all the various video feeds, and choose the one that is most suitable at that moment. It could be tricky if you can't see the feed; but might be workable with good communications between Vision Mixer and Camera Ops http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif

[Wol]

Or try and get your hands on a bit of live mixing software and get a few video capture cards which are fairly cheap iirc and just take composite in from the camera and then would be able to output along with your powerpoint

[Pete McCrea]

Go to the local av company, and hire some 9" preview monitors and a Panasonic MX50. Wire the cameras into the monitors ( ideally 1 monitor per camera and one for the Main Mix or 'TX'), then use the loop thru on the monitors to go to the MX50. Get a scan convertor to go from Data on the PC to CV for the MX50. I'd keep the PowerPoint laptop output resolution down to 800x600 as there's no point pumping anything higher into the MX50 which is running at 720x576.

 

If your in the local area to us I'd probably do that system for £100 as its the kind of kit that sits on our shelf for 364 days of the year....

 

Oh, and it you can, get Comms to each camera and the vision mixer, then the vision mixer. An call the show and direct the cameras to the shots he wants.

[paulears]

Concur with Pete's advice. There's a modern trend to assume that the computer is automatically the best way to run sound, lights, video and everything really - when to do it you have to buy cards, special software and other gizmos. The conference people are the lead here - if computers were the best way to cut/mix the odd camera and powerpoint, they'd be doing it - but they use mixers - the MX-50 is a very elderly device now, but so good at what it does that the hire companies see little point in anything else - in fact, the old MX-10 and 20 even more ancient on ebay for silly money still do the trick.

[Bobbsy]

Make that a +2 from me.

 

Spend a few quid...and it won't be much...on a proper vision mixer with internal frame stores on the inputs.

 

It will save a lot of hair tearing to get good results.

 

FYI, that Kramer is a passive mechanical switcher so there will be a glitch in your projection every time you switch sources.

[quinch]

 

Secondly, the projector will need to display a .pptx file from a computer - would I be able to use a simple VGA to Phono/S-Video lead such as this one (just off a google search!) to get the signal to the switcher or would I still ne one of the VGA to Composite converters?

http://www.ascenddistribution.com/shareimage/POTHVGASVRC1_2.jpg

 

 

That adapter looks suspiciously like a Matrox lead and will probably only work with their cards. Best check whether your graphics card supports TV out before buying anything like that - chances are you'll still need a VGA/composite converter.

 

q.

[light-man]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I like the MX-20 (and the 50!), but don't have access to one (or any of the others) for nothing - which, as always, is the budget with this kind of thing.

 

Its a shame really, they've got a decent stock of various cameras in the media department and we got a load of S-video and BNC cabling and other video stuff after another premises closed, just not the vision mixer!

 

I think we'll abandon the idea for now. I've heard their media department are looking for some kind of vision mixing device in the future, so we may be in luck next time.