ATEM 2 M/E Sync issues

Questions about ATEM Switchers, Camera Converter and everything live!
  • Author
  • Message
Offline
User avatar

Michael Beck

  • Posts: 123
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:07 am
  • Location: Jackson, TN

ATEM 2 M/E Sync issues

PostWed Aug 22, 2012 4:58 am

First off. thank you for this forum! its nice to have an official forum to communicate with BlackMagic!

Ok, on to my issue. We have a 2 M/E switcher, and a Black Magic Sync generator. When we use the switcher synced, it works fine for a while. But at some point, some (or all sometimes) of the inputs shift a few pixels to the right, goes kind of false color and has vertical lines through the image. This never happens when we are running un-synced. We want to run with sync because we want to lower the latency (for better lip sync at our live events.)

Our setup normally includes the following:

1 Panasonic AG-HPX370
2 Panasonic AW-HE120's
1 Sony BRCZ700
1 Mac Pro HDMI (sometimes using BlackMagic's HDMI-SDI box)

2 M/E ATEM Switcher
1 M/E ATEM Control Surface

We have had this problem on many firmware versions, and were current the last time it happened (last month).

I have attached an example of it happening on one of the inputs. I used two outputs from the same camera as a test, but it happens when I have multiple cameras as well.

Well I would have, but the forum is telling me that I can't attach a .mp4 So I have uploaded it to Vimeo.
Offline

Darren Lew

Blackmagic Design

  • Posts: 36
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:22 am

Re: ATEM 2 M/E Sync issues

PostWed Aug 22, 2012 6:56 am

Hi.
mbeck wrote:First off. thank you for this forum! its nice to have an official forum to communicate with BlackMagic!

Ok, on to my issue. We have a 2 M/E switcher, and a Black Magic Sync generator. When we use the switcher synced, it works fine for a while. But at some point, some (or all sometimes) of the inputs shift a few pixels to the right, goes kind of false color and has vertical lines through the image. This never happens when we are running un-synced. We want to run with sync because we want to lower the latency (for better lip sync at our live events.)

Our setup normally includes the following:

1 Panasonic AG-HPX370
2 Panasonic AW-HE120's
1 Sony BRCZ700
1 Mac Pro HDMI (sometimes using BlackMagic's HDMI-SDI box)

2 M/E ATEM Switcher
1 M/E ATEM Control Surface

We have had this problem on many firmware versions, and were current the last time it happened (last month).

I have attached an example of it happening on one of the inputs. I used two outputs from the same camera as a test, but it happens when I have multiple cameras as well.

Well I would have, but the forum is telling me that I can't attach a .mp4 So I have uploaded it to Vimeo.


Wow. Not really sure what is causing that. I have honestly not seen anything like your video before. So a quick question. You have checked that you have sync running from the SPG to all your cameras and that those cables are all of good quality? Let me know your answers and if necessary we can look into this deeper. Good luck!

Darren.
Offline
User avatar

Tom_Bassford

  • Posts: 1665
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:12 am
  • Location: Europe / UK

Re: ATEM 2 M/E Sync issues

PostWed Aug 22, 2012 8:48 am

This is a known bug that has been seen by more than one person.

http://atemuser.com/forums/atem-vision- ... ome-issues

current best solution is to bodge it with an SPG which can take external genlock, feed the SPG with the ATEM composite output and leave the ATEM genlock unconnected. This works, and provides low / consistent latency without causing the ATEM to suffer the sync issue.

cheers
Tom
http://www.atemuser.com
if it was easy it wouldn't be called engineering
Offline

Dave Glennie

  • Posts: 93
  • Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:25 pm
  • Location: Scotland, UK

Re: ATEM 2 M/E Sync issues

PostTue Aug 28, 2012 6:21 pm

Hi Guys,

Yeh- I have this problem too!!

Our current set-up is:

Sony HDW-750P x 6 into camera converters, fiber to studio converter, videohub then into ATEM 2M/E- basically a complete BMD chain (replays from aux's into Hyperdecks and back in to ATEM).

Great set-up, but if any of our cameras have a 'glitch' of any sort- even a battery change, I get the picture on that channel shifting about 20% left- sometimes the colour phase flips 180 degrees. I can usually correct in by switching to another source on the videohub, and back again before the director notices! BUT, 3 weeks ago I did this on a live TX for BBC Scotland, and every other source flipped 180 degrees except the one I changed. VERY embarrasing- I had to frantically change sources to re-lock the chroma!

We have everything timed from Trilogy Mentor SPG- last weekend I decided to let it all time from the ATEM, but I still had a glitch on my camera 3.

I'll try the trick with genlocking the SPG and see what happens- anyone else got any ideas.....BMD- any thoughts or cures??

Cheers
Dave
Hi-sat Broadcast
DSNG HD uplink trucks x 2, PDW-700 XDCam HD x 2, PMW500, HDW-750 x 5,
Way too much BMD stuff to list!!
Offline
User avatar

Michael Beck

  • Posts: 123
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:07 am
  • Location: Jackson, TN

Re: ATEM 2 M/E Sync issues

PostTue Aug 28, 2012 6:44 pm

Darren Lew wrote:Wow. Not really sure what is causing that. I have honestly not seen anything like your video before. So a quick question. You have checked that you have sync running from the SPG to all your cameras and that those cables are all of good quality? Let me know your answers and if necessary we can look into this deeper. Good luck!

Darren.


In the test I showed the video of, I was using two high quality HD-SDI BNC cables (one for signal and one for sync) that were less than 25ft long.
------------
-Michael Beck

Return to Live Production

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 49 guests