Blackmagic Duplicator 4K offline usage?

Is it possible to use the Blackmagic Duplicator 4K to replicate after the live event is over? For example, if we get requests for more SD cards when the event is complete, can the duplicator copy the stream over to the new SD cards?

No, unfortunately this isn't possible, at least not with the current firmware. It seems like the hardware was really designed to write a single video stream to multiple cards, so it's not clear if a read from one card, write to the other cards mode is possible. But if the hardware is capable, perhaps this feature could be added in a firmware update.

This is not the first time this request has come up, so clearly there is at least some interest in it:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=46983&p=295085#p274596

Dave,

Thanks for the update. Do you know if there's a minimum speed SD card that will reliably record on the duplicator 4k? Will Class 10 suffice?

The video bitrate that the Duplicator 4K records at varies based upon the:

• video resolution and frame rate
• codec (H.264 or H.265)
• bitrate quality setting (low, medium, high)

There is a complete list of the record bitrate for the various different combinations starting on page 14 of the Duplicator 4K manual: http://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/D ... Manual.pdf

Class 10 SD cards have a minimum guaranteed write speed of 10 MB/s (which is 80 Mb/s). If using the H.265 codec, the maximum record bitrate is 50 Mb/s, so Class 10 cards should be sufficient regardless of the video input resolution and quality settings.

If using the H.264 codec, however, some of the record bitrates for higher resolutions (2160p) and quality settings can exceed 80 Mb/s. So in that case you might need something faster than a Class 10 SD card (a U3 or V30 card, for example).

For HD resolutions (1080p and below) the maximum bitrate is 50 Mb/s (even when using H.264), so Class 10 SD cards should be sufficient for HD recording regardless of settings.

Dave,

Your bitrate info is much appreciated! We plan on using H.264 and currently broadcast 720p (soon 1080p) so class 10 should be more than sufficient. Our services typically are between 90-130 minutes. We've got an ATEM M/E 1 so there's no need for us to stop/start recordings for a single card. Given this use case, should we end up with a single .mp4 file on the card that a non-technical person can play? What file system is on the card? exFat?

Also, has anyone used JustMacros with the Duplicator 4k?