BM Express with HD Studio Pro

I am trying to use a MBP laptop to playout through the HD Studio Pro. I am connected via Thunderbolt, and I can log material already on the HD Studio, so I know I have connectivity.

Is it possible to play clips *not* recorded by the HD Studio (i.e., imported into BM Express from a hard drive) through the TB cable and out the SDI ports of the HD Studio? The clips are 1920 x 1080 ProRes 422.

If this is possible (and the manual hints that it is), what switch or button am I missing?

Thanks.

I believe the Thunderbolt port on the HyperDeck Studio Pro can only be used for video capture, not for video playout.

That said, I think the HyperDeck Studio Pro is capable of playing video clips recorded on another device, assuming they are in a supported format (e.g. ProRes), resolution, frame rate, etc. (basically in a format that is equivalent to what the HyperDeck Studio itself might record). But you will need to load the clips onto an SSD and insert it into one of the SSD slots on the front of the HyperDeck Studio in order to play them.

If you're looking for a more general purpose playout solution that lets you play video clips from a computer out over a Thunderbolt port, you might want to check out one of the UltraStudio devices.

You are correct the TB connection is for capturing to the computer

1 x Thunderbolt™ port for capture of video and audio.

Thanks for you responses. This is in the operating manual for the HD Studio Pro in the section on Blackmagic Media Express (P.53):

Playing back single and multiple clips
To play back a single clip, double-click the clip in the media list. Alternatively, select the clip in the media list and press the space bar on your keyboard or the play button in the transport controls.

To play back multiple clips, select the clips in the media list and then press the space bar on your keyboard or the play button in the transport controls.

Your video will play back in the video preview pane of Media Express and on all the video outputs of your Blackmagic Design video hardware. During playback, the audio channels being monitored can be switched on or off via the track enable/disable buttons.

So it says that I should see the output of the ME software on "all the video outputs of your Blackmagic Design video hardware". Why does it say this if the T-bolt is for capture only? Just trying to understand this.

The HD Studio Pro isn't a video output device in that sense otherwise it would be in the 'Capture and playback' section of the website. It is only designed for capturing in via Media Express. If you want output you need to buy a proper I/O device which is what they are referring to in the manual

Okay, got it, thanks. The description in the manual could be written more clearly.