Flickering Cameras on ATEM

Running into a Analog to SDI mini converter, then into the ATEM.

The cameras were just fine in an analog switcher environment, worked fine on a monitor.

Went to upgrade to an ATEM today, and all inputs have flickering images and sometimes go completely black on the ATEM.

What is the issue?

*edit*

If I physically touch the mini converter then the signals clear up and are perfect.
So is this a grounding issue? How do you fix this? I have 13 devices that are plugged in on this wall.

Ok Seems to be the Mini Converters Analog to SDI. If I so much as touch them, they start flipping out and dropping the signal!

I would expect this from maybe 1 of the boxes, but not all 4 at the same time!

[Tony Rivera]

It sounds like it could be a problem with the analog connections. We would need some more details of your setup to give you a suggestion for a fix.

Now I'm trying to run the cameras through the mini converter analog to sdi, then through a SmartVideo 12x12 and still getting the flickering issue.

Any ideas?

We've noticed this issue lately as well, but out cameras output via HD-SDI and are genlocked (so no analog converters at all). Thinking it has something to do with the latest firmware for the ATEM, because it didn't do it in the past.

[Tony Rivera]

For the flickering question: What is the source? component(SD or HD), composite or S-Video?

If you send the signal to the SmartVideo 12x12, our guess is you see the flicker on the LCD correct?

We also need to know what your video source is.

I am having a flickering issue myself. I have an ATEM 1 ME Production Studio 4K.

My first input can be HDMI or SDI and the rest are SDI. I am running a MacBook Pro into the first Input via HDMI and then after that cameras with SDI out put. Camera one Starts flickering, then two and then so on. Then without touching a thing the flickering quits and returns randomly later or not at all.

I have no where to even begin to start troubleshooting. Everything is rock solid and working fine then out of no where the flickering begins and leaves randomly.

I do not know which version firmware I have but I have not done an update since I bought mixer about a year ago.

Any Ideas where to start troubleshooting this problem?

[Tony Rivera]

The first step I'd suggest is updating the firmware on the switcher. I'm assuming you've tried connecting all those sources to a monitor and weren't getting any flicker correct?

Yes that was the first step. My first thought was bad cable. So I checked it out.

I have been told that if I update the switchers firmware that the MacBook will no longer show up in the HDMI port with out a re-clock device inline between the mixer and the MacBook... Is this true?

Another tech said maybe the MacBook coming through input one, could possibly be causing the problem because I am not using a re-clock device and the first input sets the clock for the rest of the inputs. My particular MacBook is set to output at 1080I so maybe I have one that actually adapts to the 59.94 setting of mixer. BTW I am connecting the Mac direct through the single HDMI input on the mixer.

I will check into updating the firmware if that's your suggestion after reading this and giving me some solid knowledgeable answers. Everyone thinks they know... I need someone who does.

[Tony Rivera]

All the devices connected to the switcher are required to have the same format in order to be recognized by the device. There has been some leniency in the past with HDMI connections to the switcher that are fairly close to each other (60 compared to 59.94). Devices that can scale the source exactly to the same format as is set on the switcher would be the most ideal.

On the note of updating/rolling back versions of firmware, you can do this at will and know that this shouldn't affect the use of the switcher as long as the software on the control surface (broadcast panel/computer) match what the switcher is on. If you need to roll back because you are still not having any success with connections, make sure to uninstall the software from the computer before installing a new/previous version of the application you've downloaded from our support page.

With my case tells me that you could put hd-sdi repeater between the converter and the switcher.
As I had replaced my old 1ME with 1ME 4K, there were flickering just like you.
In my case, there was flickering when I use 50 meters of SDI cables. I solved this issue with the repeaters. I don't understand why 1ME 4K occurs this problem which was not happening at all with the old 1ME.

OK after many trial and error solutions I think I have found the issue with my ATEM 1 ME 4K. Heat! Once the switcher has been on for a while the flickering comes up from no where and there is no rhyme or reason to it. Last week by chance I took a fan and placed it blowing directly into my video rack and low and behold the flickering went away. I think there is something that is heating up in the switcher and causing the problem.

After talking with another tech who has the same mixer he told me he was having the same problems and had been chasing cable length and type also.

He tried the fan in the rack and his flickering has gone away.

Some component in that series of mixer just doesn't like the heat. Maybe BMD can figure out which one and remove the culprit from the mixer.

Let me know what you think.

The flicker on ATEM will give me a heart attack someday. All is going fine at a live event, vision checked sound test... MC is about to come to stage and the monitor suddenly flickers.
When I experienced this the first time, I sent the board to BM and bought a new one the same day. I used the new board 3 times and experienced the same problem there as well but fewer times.

I'm thinking it could be the following problems:
1) Heat ( as I have installed the hyper deck right next to it)
2) Mobile phone interferance
3) Walki Talkies

Whatever it is, God I pray we have a solution!

Did this ever get sorted out??? I have the same problem. Wifi, Macs, flashing to black - stable then flashing - unpredictable. Two-ways, wifi, anything will upset it.? What is the answer??

We probably are going to have to install those customized lids with the huge fans on them, and then wrap the switcher in tinfoil and all our problems will go away.

I had the same problem with the flickering cameras on the ATEM with the BM Micro converters (HDMI to SDI) The problem with my set-up was the WiFi frequency of the Apple Airport Extreme that I use in the ATEM case for the local network. Adjusting the frequency also solved the problem with the flickering camera.

all those problems and nothing about a BMD solution?

funny, I just happened to read the FCC notice on the back of my fiber converter. "this device must accept any interference received, including harmful interference that may cause undesired operation."

[Gary Adams]

If flickering behavior is caused by outside radio interference, possibly some ferrite cores on specific cables connected to the equipment may help. That is usually how the interference is getting in.

Regards, Gary

Our Atem 2ME Production Studio also has this flicker issue. We sorted it out by using shorter cable runs (used to be 130m for 1.5G, reduced to 110m) or by using fiber. I also used to run a Teradek VidiU besides the switcher with WiFi enabled. When we moved it away for about 2m the flicker was gone or at least much less pronounced.
Our trusty old 1ME (the passive cooled first Atem) does not show this flicker, furthermore it seems to be much more tolerant on long cable runs. I‘ve read somewhere, that all the 4K versions suffer much stronger from interference.