The Tricaster Mini and the HDMI studio

HDMI is still a hot potato

Tricaster Mini has HDMI inputs for four HD cameras. Now, if you’re putting the Mini into a very small studio where the cameras are fixed, and where the cables won’t be tugged or walked on you’ve got no worries. You can just plug in Panasonic AC90a or AC8 camcorders or HE2 heads and start producing your video.

But we strongly recommend against using HDMI-based cameras unless they’re fixed in place or the cables could be stood on. Plus, if the HDMI cable length goes beyond around 5m, you could be asking for trouble with signal drop out. (We’ve even seen problems at 4m).

HDMI was designed to connect AV equipment: Blu-ray players to a TV, media players to a projector. HDMI is great for environments where the cable is just plugged in and left. Sadly, a tug on the HDMI cable could pull it out of the socket; twisting the cable back and forth may weaken the port and can damage the pins. That’s one reason why, in the AV world, technicians convert HDMI to HDBaseT (using long runs of Cat5/6 cabling) or use DVI which can 
be screwed securely into the device.

The Solution

Using affordable SDI cameras (Panasonic AC160a, GH4 with YAGHE interface, Blackmagic’s Cinema Camera and Studio Camera HD, or Datavideo’s PTC-120 PTZ camera) is far better.

Using HD-SDI has numerous advantages:

• Up-to 100m cable length
• Secure connectors at each end
• Timecode support
• Cheaper (per metre)
• Reliable, professional build, suitable for indoor and outdoor use

But how do you integrate SDI cameras into an HDMI switcher? Easy – with low-cost mini converters.

The Neat Solution

However, four mini-converters need four power supplies. And each needs to be managed and maintained on – or under – the desktop. Datavideo has a great alternative: the RMK-2 is a really neat solution. It mounts up-to 8 DAC converters and feeds them all via a single power connection. We think it’s what the Tricaster Mini needs.

The Camera Workflow

4 SDI Cameras – 4 x 100m SDI cables – RMK-2 with 4 DAC-8P SDI to HDMI converters – Tricaster Mini