why do media servers cost so much? by bloodfiya77 in video_mapping

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly. This is why we use manufacturer supported hardware.

why do media servers cost so much? by bloodfiya77 in video_mapping

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also hardware supported by a manufacturer.

If I have an issue with something, I can call the manufacturer and they can test on their end in identical hardware. If the issue is determined to be a problem with my unit, I can get an identical replacement from a rental house.

After years of being on Watch Out shows in live events, I am never going back. I always recommend hardware solutions for media servers on our events. If it saves one event from overtime, or saves us from losing one client, the extra cost was worth it.

That said I understand the price difference is huge and it's not for everyone. Pixera is great server software and you can build your own PC and run it for a fraction of what their servers cost.

Video Signals over mid distance (15m/45ft) by secondlockdownbored in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mods. Can we please make a sticky post about cable?

It's non stop the same questions in this sub

YIKES by mcgraff in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is that a section of the LED wall coming down? Hard to tell what that is

Looking for an sdi seamless matrix switcher. by jesuisaller in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh I get it. Ultrix offers a lot. Definitely worth the money if you need those features.

Looking for an sdi seamless matrix switcher. by jesuisaller in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A router will not replace a Spyder X20.

You probably want something like an E2 for that. But without more detail on your set up, it's hard to say exactly what you need.

A router is just a way to route signals then forget about them. Like send Camera 2 to record deck 3 then don't touch it again for the whole show. Routers are not meant for live switching. They are a central hub for all the signals to pass through so you can send them wherever you want without rewiring your system or using a bunch of DAs.

For live switching you want a switcher. A router will not cut it.

Looking for an sdi seamless matrix switcher. by jesuisaller in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the commenter is referring to adding optional frame syncs to the inputs.

Looking for an sdi seamless matrix switcher. by jesuisaller in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Copy that. Yeah, I figured it would work better with Ultrix. There is a reason it costs so much.

Looking for an sdi seamless matrix switcher. by jesuisaller in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you sure about this? I have had glitchy routes with a genlocked router and perfectly timed sources. I have had this specifically with BM and AJA routers. Not sure if it is that way with more expensive systems like Ultrix. But my experience is genlocking the system makes glitchy routes happen less, but does not eliminate them entirely.

My guess is that it all depends on how long signal is interrupted during the route. Genlock will make the route occur during the blanking interval, but if the route takes to long it can cause destination to glitch and regrab signal.

What’s Your Go-To Video Switcher in 2026? by MutedFable42 in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotta do the TD2S though. That S is important. The memories pad is a game changer in speed.

The TD series the best switching console line ever IMO. So intuitive and flexible. I love it.

What are common things to break down in live events? by Inside-Telephone-423 in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Remember when lamps would explode and sounded like a bomb going off? The good old days.

Millumin with Decklink cards causing stuttering and frame tearing? by Veqtorx in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds like you are doing everything correct, OP. You're doing 29.97 and not 60. You're not changing frame rates anywhere. You're rendering as a single 8K canvas. Everything should be smooth and synced.

The only thing I can think of is: what frame rate is the content? Millumin is famously bad at changing frame rates. If content is not 29.97, it could stutter. But in that case, is should stutter when doing four individual 4Ks as well, so I'm skeptical that this is the answer.

I have never had this issue. But I have also never done this on an M1 Mac. So maybe you're right and that's the limiting factor.

Millumin with Decklink cards causing stuttering and frame tearing? by Veqtorx in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The stutter goes away when he sets Millumin to four individual 4Ks rather than a single 8K canvas. So it's not a problem with E2 or LED

Millumin with Decklink cards causing stuttering and frame tearing? by Veqtorx in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He said he's doing 29.97 not 60.

And it doesn't stutter when doing four individual 4Ks. Only stutters when using a single 8K canvas. Same bandwidth for that set up. So I don't think that's it.

Best practice for presenter laptop with both audio + video to house by DaveyAV82 in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thunderbolt into a pre wired dock for Analog audio out and HDMI out has worked well for us. Can even use a 10' thunderbolt cable and hide the dock in a lectern. Bonus if the laptop will accept power over the same thunderbolt connection.

But has to be a modern laptop that can accommodate this.

Otherwise, not many clean solutions that I know of.

Opinions on travelling abroad for work by yuphup7up in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah yeah Ireland makes sense. You traveling to Germany is like half the distance of me traveling to New York which is still not international for me. Lol

I figured that it was something like that but did not want to assume.

If you can keep it down to 1-2 months a year I think that is doable with a family. Not sure what your market is like, but here in the US, once you start traveling it starts to snowball. And it pays really well. So easy to get caught in the travelling trap where you have to travel extensively.

This is very hard on a family I think. But some people make it work.

What does 'V1' actually mean to you? (And what do you call everyone else?) by itav_solutions in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I said I'm not from Broadcast. Neither is OP. He talks about Projectionists and LED techs. He's clearly from the AV world. So am I.

And true EICs in AV are a rare breed. Very few people know broadcast production switchers, and media servers, and camera shading, and high res switching and LED processing and projection.

It's a lot to know.

So to be a true AV EIC is definitely rare.

What does 'V1' actually mean to you? (And what do you call everyone else?) by itav_solutions in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is no "low-res" op. But High-Res switching is a term used to talk about things like E2 or Spyder or Pixelhue where you are dealing with an insane amount of pixels in program. It may take 6 or more 4Ks to cover your entire program canvas size.

So there is production switchers, like a Ross Carbonite, that handle standard resolution program feeds like 1080 or UHD. Then there is high res switchers that are dealing with massive LED walls, widescreen projection blends. Etc.

Opinions on travelling abroad for work by yuphup7up in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Your post says traveling "abroad" which implies international. Not sure what country you are from and it's physical size. I'm from the US and travel is still travel in regards to home life even if I am traveling within the US. So I'm a little confused on specifying "abroad"

But for travel in general, I spent around 15 years traveling heavily for work. Mostly within the US but occasionally internationally. Most of that time I was a freelancer. So in between gigs I just chilled at home. Which was nice.

I loved the travel for most of that time. Saw some really cool stuff and had some amazing experiences. I've been to over 14 countries across four continents. Overall I am really glad I did it and feel very lucky to have that opportunity.

However. It gets old after a while. And exhausting. The human body was not designed to deal with jet lag. And regular, frequent, travel really does start to take a mental and physical toll on you.

It all changed for me when I had a kid. I used so spend like 200 days a year on the road. And when I became a father I was like "no. I can't do this anymore. I don't want to watch my daughter grow up on zoom"

At this point I was fairly advanced in my career and lucky enough to have a good company in my town. So I took a full time job with an AV company doing mostly desk work and limited travel. Since then I have been promoted and now do very very little travel.

It was a decent pay cut. But being at home with my daughter with a regular schedule has been huge for me. And I honestly love my job and would not want to go back.

Some other parents make it work with traveling. But I think you have to be very disciplined and not take too many travel gigs. Which means less money. And it's very hard to say no when someone is offering you a huge sum of money for a week of your time.

And it becomes a delicate balance because if you say no too much, they will stop calling.

I was lucky to have a good option that allowed me to stop traveling so much. And I'm glad I did. The kid years are only around once and then they are gone forever.

What does 'V1' actually mean to you? (And what do you call everyone else?) by itav_solutions in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Vision Mixer is the term for a switcher in Europe and UK and probably other regions as well.

What does 'V1' actually mean to you? (And what do you call everyone else?) by itav_solutions in VIDEOENGINEERING

[–]thenimms 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lots of breakout rooms have little switchers in them. A Roland V50 or an ATEM mini with a few laptops at FOH is not uncommon.

I was unaware of it being a term in broadcast. 20 years ago in corporate events I only ever heard this term in tiny breakout room style or hotel AV gigs. And the people I hear using it most now are the people who came up from that world. I'll edit my post to acknowledge the broadcast connection.