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Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 1:20 am
by Larry Masters
I have been provided a budget to purchase a 1 M/E broadcast panel. Does anyone see a reason not to get one? Or does anyone have a better solution at a cheaper price that has all the features of the 1 /M/E?

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:21 am
by MambaFiber.com
Get the panel if you have the budget. It makes operating the switcher so much easier. It works just as well with the 2M/E switcher if you ever upgrade.

The JLCooper Proton comes in at about 1/2 the price, but it's very new and I have heard no feedback either way, or had a chance to check it out in person.

The GVG100 panel conversion is cheaper as well. It is great for straight switching, but there are a lot of compromises that come with it. The other functions always leave me scratching my head for a few minutes to get where I need to be. Can make you a deal on one if you want to go that route...

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:31 am
by Larry Masters
MambaFiber.com wrote:Get the panel if you have the budget. It makes operating the switcher so much easier. It works just as well with the 2M/E switcher if you ever upgrade.


Yes I have been given the budget for it and a few more pieces of equipment I am thinking of getting.

I wasn't sure if there are better options available so thought I would ask here to see what experiences others have had with it.

"Micro Broadcast Panel"

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 7:42 pm
by Andreas Jaeger
Hello,

I wish BM makes a "Broadcast Panel Mini" or "Micro" like BM does it on DaVinci with the long only available Davinci Resolve "Advanced Panel" and now we can get the Davinci Resolve "Mini" and "Micro" Panel for low budget.

So hear BM is it possible to make an "Micro Broadcast Panel" for lets say 995,- or 1495,- like the Davinci Resolve Micro Panel?

I'll think this could be an hot seller!

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 8:45 pm
by Tom_Bassford
The JL Cooper Proton is a great little panel. Also check out the panels from Skaarhoj - they have a great selection of controllers to suite all budgets.


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Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 8:52 pm
by Larry Masters
Tom_Bassford wrote:The JL Cooper Proton is a great little panel. Also check out the panels from Skaarhoj - they have a great selection of controllers to suite all budgets.


Tom,

Does the JL have all of the features the BMD panel would have? I have not used the broadcast panel yet, we are just putting together this system and my budget keeps getting an increase each new thing I find to add.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 8:54 pm
by Tom_Bassford
No. But it might well have all the features you need.


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Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 5:21 am
by Evan Daum
Anybody tried the eBay China special panel? It looks like they've sold a few. I wonder how they work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/blackmagic-ATEM ... SwTuJYsTRb

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 2:45 pm
by Brett Casadonte
We use the 1 M/E Broadcast panel and I would say "Don't do a broadcast without it..." unless, of course, you have the 2 M/E Panel... they make it MUCH easier to switch a show than trying to use a computer.

As for the China special... looks scary, but may be perfectly functional and just what some people need!

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 11:59 pm
by Evan Daum
"As for the China special... looks scary"

Agreed. :-) Who knows what kind of support you'd get. I'd much rather have a GVG for the same money. Baz has done excellent work.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 6:21 am
by Pavel Lavrov
As for China alternative you might want to check out http://skaarhoj.com they have nice range of controllers. Look more reliable to me...


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Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 8:44 am
by Tom_Bassford
Evan Daum wrote:
I'd much rather have a GVG for the same money. Baz has done excellent work.


I'm not a big fan of the GVG conversion. They work ok but you have a lot of remembering to do as to where different functions are. It depends on the kind of clients you have too as many people I work for wouldn't be pleased to see their show depending on a 30 year old control surface.

If you can afford a proper BMD panel then I'd get it. None of the other options are officially supported by blackmagic so any of them could stop working after a switcher firmware update.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:42 pm
by Scott Smith
If you are going the hardware control route, you might also consider getting a Behringer X-TOUCH COMPACT audio control surface (there are others that work as well). It will give you control of the faders on the ATEM's internal software-driven audio inputs. I often use only an external audio mixer, but sometimes it is nice to have a control surface for this as well. It isn't too expensive, and works pretty well.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... m/alsVwDtl

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:59 pm
by Larry Masters
Scott,

I already have the Behringer XR18 Digital Mixer and it works really well with an iPad for me. I have seen others complain that they have problems with it. Not sure if it is the way I setup it up to be connected to a WIFI system I have built into my rack system.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:09 pm
by Scott Smith
Larry,

I looked at that XR18 a few times. Will it also control the internal soft-faders in the ATEM as well as the analog audio input into the XR18? I would really love a solution that will control both the software ATEM faders as well as control analog inputs. Kind of a hybrid between the XTouch panel mentioned above and a standard analog mixer, so that I can have a single mixer to run both analog inputs as well as ATEM embedded inputs, all in one unit. Will that unit do that? (am I even being clear in communicating here?)

Or does anyone else know of a good single audio console that will be both an analog mixer as well as a Mackie control surface for the ATEM software, all in one (relatively small and not extremely high priced) unit???

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:16 pm
by Larry Masters
Scott,

I will have to check and see if this will work. I am still setting everything up and plan to have the rest of this setup built over the next 2 weeks. Still waiting for more equipment to arrive. I may be overbuilding this, will know once I am done.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:46 pm
by Daniel Binder
They have been mentioned already - the Skaarhoj controllers are great. Recently Skaarhoj upgraded the firmware for their controllers, which now allows for easy re-programming of buttons via dropdown menus on a web-interface. Check their website and look for "unisketch". Also their panels can control other blackmagic devices like hyperdecks and videohubs too.

cheers,
Daniel

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:51 pm
by Larry Masters
Daniel Binder wrote: Also their panels can control other blackmagic devices like hyperdecks and videohubs too.


Daniel,

This sound interesting. I have 5 hyperdeck minis installed and a 12x12 clean switch arriving soon. I would like 1 panel to control it all

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 6:05 pm
by Daniel Binder
Maybe check out the E201-L
http://skaarhoj.com/designs/e201-l-desktop-controller/
Make sure to watch the videos, as many of the features are not obvious (such as the 4 LCD-sceen smart buttons).
They also do custom adjustments, if you need something specific for your setup.

Cheers,
Daniel
(full disclosure: I am not affiliated with them and don't currently own one of their panels. But I had the chance to visit their lab recently and am now in the process of buying some of their gear).

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:26 pm
by Tom_Bassford
The skaarhoj stuff is super flexible (way more so than the BMD panels) if you want to build a complex macro driven workflow then Skaarhoj hardware is best.

The alternative is to get a BMD panel and run JustMacros with an Xkeys panel alongside it. (This used to be the easier to configure option but now Skaarhoj have the unisketch platform that has kind of changed)


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Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:34 pm
by Larry Masters
I watched the video and can see that it is more flexible.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 11:26 pm
by Larry Masters
Is a used ATEM 1 M/E Panel purchased in 2012 worth $3500? I have someone that offered to sell me it since they are getting the larger 2 M/E panel.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 1:21 am
by lotech
We have a 1M/E Panel and a Proton. I prefer the official panel but the Proton is neat because of its size.
That said its missing some features but they could all be added via an update.
- No setting PGM to the AUX outputs (why I have no idea). If you change it to an input you'll need software to switch back.
- No way to move input assignment locations. You can label but can't disable some buttons or move say SDI7/8 to buttons 1/2 which I find myself doing almost every gig,
- No passthrough network, so you'll need a network switch to keep you laptop talking to the switcher.
- If you loose connection to the switcher you won't know about it as it looks connected and often a hard reset is required to reconnect.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 6:43 am
by Xtreemtec
3500 dollar for a 5 year old panel is a lot.
Remember the unit is Out of warranty So if anything breaks BMD wont repair it..

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 7:35 am
by Tom_Bassford
I think any used kit that is out of warranty should cost at most 50% of the new price.



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Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:00 am
by Mike Bernstein
A new lower price control panel would be nice.

I am just wondering why the 1 M/E panel is only $4995,
while the 2M/E panel is $14,995!

Why is the 2 ME panel $10,000 more in price?

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:05 am
by Tom_Bassford
It's got lots more LCD buttons. The unit cost of these buttons is about $60 each so the raw component costs are a lot higher for the big panel.


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Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:16 am
by Scott Ryan
That China special is really interesting. Might take the plunge.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 4:08 am
by Baz
You could always go the datavideo RMC-260 in conjunction with a RMC2ATEM.

http://www.lefflerpost.com.au/rmc2atem/

You can get a complete 8 input hardware control panel for the ATEM that costs under $1000.

Baz

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:48 pm
by Xtreemtec
Mike Bernstein wrote:A new lower price control panel would be nice.

I am just wondering why the 1 M/E panel is only $4995,
while the 2M/E panel is $14,995!

I really hope they come out with a simplified panel with just 2 rows of 10 buttons. A T-Bar and maybe buttons for the KEY and DSK enable...

Now they added the buttons to the TVS HD i really wonder when this will happen.. Price range like the resolve micro panel..
I like the broadcast panel!! but at a price of 4 videomixers it is hard to justify.... :P

Maybe NAB will have the awnsers...

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:40 pm
by Thomas Beck
I have had a atem m/e1 for about 3 years. I do not have a broadcast panel. Do I miss having real buttons to push? Yes I do. Have my productions suffered by using the software panel. No they have not. It really comes down to whats important to you. My limited financial resources are better served in other areas.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:06 am
by Andreas Jaeger
Xtreemtec wrote:
Mike Bernstein wrote:A new lower price control panel would be nice.

I am just wondering why the 1 M/E panel is only $4995,
while the 2M/E panel is $14,995!

I really hope they come out with a simplified panel with just 2 rows of 10 buttons. A T-Bar and maybe buttons for the KEY and DSK enable...

Now they added the buttons to the TVS HD i really wonder when this will happen.. Price range like the resolve micro panel..
I like the broadcast panel!! but at a price of 4 videomixers it is hard to justify.... :P

Maybe NAB will have the awnsers...


Hello,

BM hear to your USERs!

A simplified panel with just 2 rows of 10 buttons. A T-Bar and maybe buttons for the KEY and DSK enable.

This would be enough for the most scenarios and 99% of our Work!
And an Seller like Hotcakes!

Regards

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 8:21 am
by Scott Ryan
I've been seriously considering the "china special" panel. I've been talking with the seller. Just in case you are considering here's some more info.

Depending on the model you purchase they load the firmware in the panel to enable or disable functions.

- The panel has 8 input buttons in 2 rows for pgm and pvw
- 4 additional dedicated buttons for inputs 9 and 10....PVW 9, PGM 9, PVW 10, PGM 10
- 4 additional dedicated buttons for media pool 1 & 2... PVM MP1, PGM MP1, PVW MP2, PGM MP2
- Panel is only set to work with the default ATEM IP of 192.168.1.243 The seller said he would be willing to change it for me if purchased, but it is not user configurable.
- If for example you buy the 6 input, keys 7-10 will not light up on boot since they are disabled
- Firmware on the panel can be updated by them if it is connected to the internet
- I asked if I bought the 8 input and wanted to purchase to enable the 2 additional buttons + keys in the future if they can remotely enable them and he said yes.
- Seems like he's willing to give a 5-10% discount if you pay via Western Union

I also just learned that in the panel I am interested in for my 1 M/E (no 4k, which would "8 ways") only 2 of the 4 upstream keys would be enabled. This is not mentioned in the auction. None of this info is very clear.

ATEM TV Studio "6 ways" (which I'm guessing means inputs) - $1599
ATEM TV Studio HD "8 ways" - $1799
ATEM Production Studio "8 ways" - $1799
ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4k "10 ways" - $2099

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 8:46 am
by Xtreemtec
:shock: :shock: WTF.. No changeable IP adres.. Paying up to $400 for enabling a few buttons.. :x

Take a look at this one. I have this one and i'm pretty satisfied.. Button mapping, Support for all atems.. IP adres can be set from the menu..
Hyperdeck control by IP
Macro support
Free software updates and self update-able.

$1800 dollars And made in the Netherlands instead of China.. ;)

Not having a T-bar but fader does not bother me.. It works fine to it this way..

Image
http://www.mix-it.tv

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 12:54 pm
by dpictMEDIA
skaarhoj has my vote. They have been big supporters of the BM product line for years. You will always get what you pay for and being a cheap dude myself has never done me well. I do everything I can to avoid "knock off" or bottom of the line products now and I can sleep well the night before every gig. At some point in the production business you have to bite the bullet and purchase real equipment. ( "Kit" for the UK members)

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:11 pm
by Tom_Bassford
Another point in Skaarhoj's favour is their commitment to open source. Many of these other 3rd party panels are built using information which would t be in the public domain without skaarhoj. Some of these other panels are in direct breach of the GPL license as they have used Skaarhoj technology without the proper credit.

Skaarhoj unisketch is currently the most powerful and easy to configure hardware interface for the ATEM, and a whole host of products beyond the Blackmagic stuff too.


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Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:21 pm
by Scott Ryan
Xtreemtec wrote::shock: :shock: WTF.. No changeable IP adres.. Paying up to $400 for enabling a few buttons.. :x

Take a look at this one. I have this one and i'm pretty satisfied.. Button mapping, Support for all atems.. IP adres can be set from the menu..
Hyperdeck control by IP
Macro support
Free software updates and self update-able.

$1800 dollars And made in the Netherlands instead of China.. ;)

Not having a T-bar but fader does not bother me.. It works fine to it this way..

[/img]http://mix-it.tv/wp-content/uploads/HB-150622-105750-e1459886928460-482x263.png[/img]
http://www.mix-it.tv

Hmm I haven't seen this one. Not a bad deal and it looks like it has all just about everything I want. Not too concerned about no t-bar. A fader works fine. I've been using a fader as a t-bar with an APC20 and the ATEM. Thanks for posting this!

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 7:23 pm
by Larry Masters
Tom_Bassford wrote:Another point in Skaarhoj's favour is their commitment to open source.


This is a plus for me too, I have been an open source developer for years, this stuff is a hobby for me :)

I am still undecided on the BMD panel or the Skaarhoj equipment.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 12:50 am
by Ian Morrish
Another option
Image
http://piengineering.com/xkeys/xk124.php
Works with free version of JustMacros or paid version (if you want more complicated macros than ATEM macros).
Could also be used from open source version of PowerShell ;-)

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 4:06 am
by Scott Ryan
Ian Morrish wrote:Another option
Image
http://piengineering.com/xkeys/xk124.php
Works with free version of JustMacros or paid version (if you want more complicated macros than ATEM macros).
Could also be used from open source version of PowerShell ;-)

This X-Keys looks awesome and I've looked into JustMacros, but first of all I use Macs on gigs. Yes I know I could virtualize or bootcamp to run JM. I don't really want to run another piece of software just to make the panel work. I want to plug it in and have it just work. So I guess I am paying for that convenience. I know you can do fancy macros with JM, but at this point I would just like to have a nice hardware controller.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 2:40 pm
by Xtreemtec
Tom_Bassford wrote:Another point in Skaarhoj's favour is their commitment to open source. Many of these other 3rd party panels are built using information which would t be in the public domain without skaarhoj. Some of these other panels are in direct breach of the GPL license as they have used Skaarhoj technology without the proper credit.

Tom this is not entirely true.. Because in fact i know the guys at Mix-It. They wrote there own libraries..
Also doubt that Baz has picked up the Skaarhoj software and made it not GPL.

Yes it would be that dead easy to just "steal" the open source lib and put it in a closed box.. But you also have less control about how it works and were to debug if something is not working or different..

But with all the control surfaces.. If BMD changes the protocol they all have to do a re-write of the code to get it compatible again.. And probabbly Skaarhoj will be first to have it done..

But nevertheless i hope BMD will pick up the pace and come up with a own control panel just PGM and PRV row. A tbar or slider. A shift to change to aux row. Auto and Cut + DSK and KEY.. More we don't need for a "simple" controller..

5 weeks to go till NAB.. ;) :D

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 3:23 pm
by Andreas Jaeger
Xtreemtec wrote:But with all the control surfaces.. If BMD changes the protocol they all have to do a re-write of the code to get it compatible again.. And probabbly Skaarhoj will be first to have it done..



Thats for me the reason for an original BM control surface.


Xtreemtec wrote:
But nevertheless i hope BMD will pick up the pace and come up with a own control panel just PGM and PRV row. A tbar or slider. A shift to change to aux row. Auto and Cut + DSK and KEY.. More we don't need for a "simple" controller..


YES ! !

Control panel just PGM and PRV row. A tbar or slider. A shift to change to aux row. Auto and Cut + DSK and KEY..

BM listen to your customer !

More we don't need for a "simple" controller..

This all for 599,- Euros ;)

regards

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 4:18 pm
by Xtreemtec
Expect it to be $999 dollars like the Davinci micro panel..

The buttons are quite expensive.. The LCd and smart keys even more.
That is why the control surfaces of BMD are so expensive as the hard buttons and lcd's do cost a lot more than just a pcb with a FPGA on it..

But it would be very attractive if BMD would come with there own Atem micro panel. :)

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 4:38 pm
by Andreas Jaeger
Xtreemtec wrote:Expect it to be $999 dollars like the Davinci micro panel..


Also $999 dollars would be fine for me.


Xtreemtec wrote:The buttons are quite expensive..


the same Buttons as on the ATEM TVS HD.
There are on a $995 dollars Piece of Hardware, and there is in the prize the pcb with a FPGA an LCD, a Row of connectors on the back....
... all for $995 dollars.

So i'll think it should cost $795 dollar


Xtreemtec wrote:But it would be very attractive if BMD would come with there own Atem micro panel. :)


YES ! !

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 10:07 pm
by Mike Bernstein
Tom_Bassford wrote:It's got lots more LCD buttons. The unit cost of these buttons is about $60 each so the raw component costs are a lot higher for the big panel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



So now that they put buttons on the the new Atem Studio HD I guess the price went down!

Also it is cheaper to buy 2 1ME controllers then 1 2ME controller!

Still should not be a $10,000 difference in the cost between the 2 control panels!

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 12:01 am
by JohnBengston
Ian Morrish wrote:Another option
Image
http://piengineering.com/xkeys/xk124.php
Works with free version of JustMacros or paid version (if you want more complicated macros than ATEM macros).
Could also be used from open source version of PowerShell ;-)


Many thanks for the plug Ian, let me partially return the favor, by encouraging technically capable BMD customers to check out your Power-shell extensions, supporting each other is very important if we want a 3rd party BMD eco-system. Ian has published all the source code and I hope BMD add his project (or at least a link in the docs) to the other C# samples they include in the ATEM software kit. Here is the direct link:

https://github.com/imorrish/atemlib

Ian Morrish wrote:if you want more complicated macros than ATEM macros


Hilarious mate! Love it! My new favorite comment of all time on the BMD Forum. BMD Macros are not macros, they are sequences and not particularly useful ones at that. You really don't need the paid for version of JM to do more useful / complex macros than those offered by the BMD system. :lol:

But back to supporting each other..... The image you've linked to there is for the PI Engineering XK124-T-Bar available for the amazing price of $749.95. Linked to here..

http://piengineering.com/xkeys/xk124.php

This is the top end XKeys panel, and can be programmed up to be more powerful than BMDs 2ME $10K+ panel. It comes with 124 basic clear buttons, but in the image shown it has a new sort of button, which is much nicer than the ones XKeys users have been using for the last few years. They have a more solid feel, and are re-profiled with a narrower top, which makes accidentally hitting 2 keys at once far more unlikely. The layout you have shown there is a layout for direct connection to vMIX, developed with PI Engineering by the vMix guys!!!!

The new buttons have a thermally printed label, and PI Engineering have invested a lot of money like well into 5 figures to buy the specialized printer to make sets of buttons - very much with this community in mind.

I think for what most people are talking about here, the XKR-32 is a much better fit.

Image
http://piengineering.com/xkeys/xkr32.php

At $199.95, we are in a different price category to all the options being discussed, and Yes, "It doesn't have T-Bar", but T-Bars, and analogue controls in general, are massively overrated. IMHO: Live Production mannually controlled mixes are primarily about "TD ego" plus a bit of "a lack of proper show planning". So for most basic users who want a simple panel they can easily mount in a rack and customize to their specific operation, there really isn't any more cost effective / functionality solution available.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 12:17 am
by JohnBengston
Scott Ryan wrote:This X-Keys looks awesome and I've looked into JustMacros, but first of all I use Macs on gigs.


So do I mate, Parallels is awesome software at stupidly low price, run a windows machine live on the Mac completely in the background and get mega-powerful tools like Ian's Powershell extensions or JustMacros and many others.

https://www.parallels.com/

Scott Ryan wrote:Yes I know I could virtualize or bootcamp to run JM.

You could and should, and since modern CPUs are designed for virtualization, unless your Mac is like 10 years old, and absolutely no offence intended, but..... "it's kinda being wasted on ya". ;)

Scott Ryan wrote:I don't really want to run another piece of software just to make the panel work.
I want to plug it in and have it just work.

That's what task scheduler is for, and in the case of JustMacros there is a watchdog application available, that will ensure if JustMacros crashed for any reason, and shut down, it would restart itself. However, really once you've got a decent and tested setup, it'll be bomb-proof stable. I've got machines that have been running for years now, having processed hundreds of millions of scripts, and I've got embedded machines on gigabyte BRIX, that boot JM and have panels operation in under 20 seconds. I assure you a Parallels VM set to always boot on Mac startup will be just as relaible if configured correctly.

Just a thought, "on the running extra software thing", what exactly do you think would be running on a micro-controller based panel???

Scott Ryan wrote:So I guess I am paying for that convenience. I know you can do fancy macros with JM, but at this point I would just like to have a nice hardware controller.

Yeap, thousands and thousands of dollars mate. But if you've got it, support the economy, that's what I say!

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 12:44 am
by JohnBengston
Xtreemtec wrote:But with all the control surfaces.. If BMD changes the protocol they all have to do a re-write of the code to get it compatible again.. And probabbly Skaarhoj will be first to have it done..


No, Xkeys solutions, whether using Ian's PowerShell extensions or JustMacros utilise the official Black Magic Design SDK / API. Only reversed engineered protocol solutions have this problem.

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 7:24 am
by Xtreemtec
A Im sorry John, i meant the stand alone hardware panels that don't rely on the BMD sdk..

Re: Broadcast Panel Yes or No?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 9:18 am
by Ian Morrish
I use a 1ME broadcast panel every week but couldn't do without the extra smarts of a scripting solution to improve the workflow in a live production (I use a rack mounted Mac Mini - running Windows which hasn't crashed in over 2 years).
Example of my XKR-32 layout which I would prefer over the broadcast panel if I could only have one or the other, because I can have a "shifted" key call a function that makes full use of the ATEM (and other) API's...
Image