Intensity Shuttle - Thunderbolt or USB 3.0? OSX & Windows?

I run an Intensity Pro in my Mac Pro, but I need to get an external device for my new Macbook Pro (both OSX and Windows 7 via boot camp). I see models with either USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, but neither lists both Mac OSX and Windows 7 for compatibility, but instead the Thunderbolt model only for OSX, and the USB 3.0 for WIndows 7.

My dilemma though is that for recording, I do so on Mac, and for streaming, I do so on Windows 7, especially because FME is a buggy mess on Mac.

Do either of these allow for both Windows 7 and Mac?? It seems ridiculous to have such a limitation, especially when both formats work in both.

No one, not even from Blackmagic?? I need to get this done soon for a charity event we need to stream.

[Sarah Jones]

Hi and thanks for posting. While we do try to see every post on the forum, we simply can't. We want to build a great community and encourage questions, but if you have an urgent question or issue please contact your local support office directly.

Officially, the Intensity Thunderbolt devices are Mac OSX compatible only, and the Intensity Shuttle USB 3.0 is Windows compatible only. We are aware that recently Apple has added USB 3.0 to its MacBook Pro Retina Display, and there are now Windows capable motherboards with Thunderbolt. However, at this time, we don't have driver support on Windows for Thunderbolt hardware nor do we have driver support on Mac for USB 3.0 hardware.

Other than just driver support, there are other factors to consider as well. Is the bandwidth of the USB 3.0 port on the MacBook sufficient to pass video through the Intensity Shuttle? Or, can the Windows partition of your MacBook fully utilize the Thunderbolt port to work with our TB hardware? We don't want to speculate, and without officially testing, certifying, and supporting these configurations we can't make a recommendation that fully works for the setup you're trying to achieve.

Please make whomever needs to know that it's NOT just the Retina Display MBP that has Thunderbolt and USB 3.0. The new wave of non-Retina Macbook Pro's also have both. Also, Boot Camp in Mountain Lion does include Thunderbolt drivers for WIndows 7, and Mountain Lion obviously supports USB 3.0

This is really a bummer that it's one or the other, especially since the Intensity Pro in my Mac Pro supports both OS. The biggest problem is streaming, as everyone on OS X still struggle to stream with FME, especially since the audio drivers for the Intensity Pro continue to be problematic with that software.

So, to record video, I do so on Mac OS X, but to stream, I'm forced to Windows 7 with X-Split and FME, especially is I want to use multiple video sources.

I LOVE my Intensity Pro, but I can't lug my Mac Pro to New Jersey for this 24 hour gaming marathon for the Extra Life charity, so I'm forced to get a device for my new Macbook Pro. I hate that I have to make this choice, especially when "standards" such as USB 3.0 and (to a lesser extent) Thunderbolt are supported in both OS'. I guess I'll have to go USB 3.0 for WIn 7 for now.

One last thing, you mention "there are other factors to consider as well. Is the bandwidth of the USB 3.0 port on the MacBook sufficient to pass video through the Intensity Shuttle?" USB 3.0 on an Intel-based motherboard and chipset should definitely meet that standard, and since Blackmagic already offers a USB 3.0 solution, that's something that I would expect should already be known by your engineers.

Thanks for your response though.

Hey PSNation
Given the issue you might want to consider other possible solutions. Is the bugginess in FMLE Mac an issue with the encoding or the streaming? Is it any better if you handle the encoding in hardware rather than using FME itself to encode? I know that Blackmagic have an H264 Pro Recorder although I don't know if it supports feeding live streaming applications. Could be worth a look though. You could take a look at a Matrox "MAX" box as they do explicitly support streaming. They've got a page on their website about direct encoding / streaming support but I'm not comfortable posting the link given this is BMD's own forum. A quick web search should find it tho.
Hope it helps
Andy

I recommended Wirecast for Mac -- we use it for both recording and streaming and it works quite well. (There's also a Wirecast for Windows that's pretty much the same if you prefer working in Windows.)

Sadly it's not free like Flash Media Live Encoder -- it's around $450. But on the plus side, you can run one license on two machines simultaneously if you want, and you can run multiple instances on one machine if you have the horsepower too.

We have the same question over here at our school.

At the moment, we webcast and record using a Multibridge Eclipse on our main desktop but are in need of a portable solution. Obviously, the new MBPro (with both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt) is an attractive option since one could theoretically use OSX, Win7 64 and some Linux distros. At the moment, we are using the (free version) Expression Encoder for HD webcasts via a Windows Media server. It works quite well and the stream can be viewed on OSX or Windows clients.

If anyone has an update on this question (MBPro using bootcamp/Win7 64 with USB 3.0 and/or Thunderbolt and the Intensity, or any other BMagic portable hardware) I would appreciate your input.

Many thanks!

C