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HDMI to fiber optic converter

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 6:55 pm
by megan.denison
I teach film and TV production at a high school, and we have been running a live, 3-camera feed with instant replay for all of our home basketball, volleyball, and football games for seven years now. We have been using BlackMagic SDI to Fiber Optic converters to send our camera feed to our control booth, then converting back to SDI from fiber to feed into our TriCaster 850. However, our converter boxes are starting to die after seven years of hard use, and so are many of our cameras. We have been using the Sony NXCam line and don't plan to switch cameras. The new NXCams have a BNC port on the back that does not output SDI--it outputs a component signal, so we are looking at changing over to using an HDMI feed out of the cameras. We also have a Paralinx wireless transmitter/receiver set that we'd like to make better use of that sends and receives via HDMI.

All of that background out of the way, I am looking to replace our SDI to Fiber Optic converters with HDMI to Fiber Optic converters, but I can't seem to find such a thing without buying an HDMI to SDI converter, then another set of SDI to Fiber. I want to eliminate as many points of failure as possible, so if there is a single reasonably priced converter that will send my HDMI signal to fiber, I would appreciate the help.

Re: HDMI to fiber optic converter

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:29 pm
by Jacob Abramson
AJA makes them as mini converters. Their products are rock solid.

Re: HDMI to fiber optic converter

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:34 pm
by megan.denison
Thank you! Will there be any issue with the AJA converters not wanting to communicate with the BlackMagic fiber to SDI boxes that we will still need to use for feed in to our TriCaster?

Jacob Abramson wrote:AJA makes them as mini converters. Their products are rock solid.

Re: HDMI to fiber optic converter

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:34 pm
by Jacob Abramson
For the fiber, you'll most likely need to have matched manufacturers at both ends (AJA to AJA, BMD to BMD). I would check with AJA to verify that you can do HDMI at one end and SDI at the other.

Re: HDMI to fiber optic converter

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:09 pm
by Dave Del Vecchio
There are SMPTE standards for sending video over fiber, which means that any products that conform to those standards should be compatible (both the AJA and Blackmagic fiber converters are SMPTE-compatible). There are of course different resolutions, frame rates, etc. that can be sent. So if you are sending a 1080p50/60 signal (3G SDI) at the source end you would need fiber converters at both ends that can handle that resolution and frame rate.

There's some more on compatibility between different brands of fiber converters here:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2590

Blackmagic does make a few fiber converters that accept HDMI inputs including the Teranex Mini HDMI to Optical and the ATEM Camera Converter. Both of these are slightly larger in size (and a bit heavier) than the Blackmagic SDI to Optical converters, which may be a consideration depending on your intended usage.

Re: HDMI to fiber optic converter

PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 12:07 am
by Jacob Abramson
Dave Del Vecchio wrote:There are SMPTE standards for sending video over fiber, which means that any products that conform to those standards should be compatible (both the AJA and Blackmagic fiber converters are SMPTE-compatible). There are of course different resolutions, frame rates, etc. that can be sent. So if you are sending a 1080p50/60 signal (3G SDI) at the source end you would need fiber converters at both ends that can handle that resolution and frame rate.


Something to add, fiber optics equipment run on different frequency bands which may not line up manufacturer to manufacturer.

Re: HDMI to fiber optic converter

PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 7:21 am
by Xtreemtec
Why not go for the Atem Camera converters?

With a studio converter on the other side.. You would have HDMI and SDI inputs on the camera side..
And on the studio converter have SDI output for the Tricaster.

Also you will have Talkback intercom. (Tally won't work or you would need a 3th party Tally inserter based on a 3G-SDi Arduino shield with GPIO to insert the Tally from the tricaster..

And you can still reuse your fiber you already have..

What i'm wondering about is why are the SDI 2 Fiber failing? I have seen the inside hardware of those.. There is a good chipset inside.. Not FPGA based at all.. So they don't run hot.. But oke the fiber connection is not that sturdy.. For caring hands it is no problem.. But in a school enviroment it could be tricky..

The Atem Camera converter can be very sturdy if you have the right adapter for it.. This one covers the fiber connection to prevent breaking the fiber lc connection..
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Re: HDMI to fiber optic converter

PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 11:33 am
by videokadr
This is a my first solution of box for BM camera converter. This box with BM camera converter mounted between the tripod and the camera


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This is a my second solution of box for BM camera converter with Vlock


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I am used very chiped conectores wih double lc

As someone wants to buy this boxex I can made and sell