Multiple HDMI/SDI inputs to a Macbook Pro

How could I connect 4/5 cameras (DSLRs or cinema cameras such as BMPCC4k) to a Macbook Pro Retina 2014 (with two Thunderbolt 2 ports + HDMI [but I think it's only HDMI out?!] ).

I'm looking for a device such as AJA Io 4k but more affordable and focused. Does the Blackmagic MultiView 4 HD do that trick?

You can use 2 Blackmagic Ultrastudio Mini Recorder (not more than 1080i60, Thunderbolt, ) or Ultrastudio HD Mini and 2 BM Intensity Shuttle USB 3 (only HDMI, no SDI).

With the same Macbook it´s working for me with 2 MiniRecorder and one Shuttle, I don´t know if the computer is fast enough for one more.

Multiview 4 only shows 4 inputs to one output, it won´t help you.

If you want more Inputs you need a BM Atem Television Studio HD (plus a preview screen plus a second computer to control it) and one Mini Recorder.

None of the Blackmagic Thunderbolt capture devices (the UltraStudio line) supports more than a single video input channel like the AJA Io 4k does.

You would need to use a DeckLink Duo 2 (with all 4 SDI connectors configured as inputs) or a DeckLink Quad 2 card inside a Thunderbolt PCI Express enclosure, to get multiple independent video inputs into a Thunderbolt laptop.

@Markus That only works like the Multiview, no? It only transitions and combines various inputs to one output?

@Dave Thanks. That's very illuminating. Do you know if it would work with Thunderbolt 2 expansion chassis? Out of curiosity, is there any way of connecting an expansion through miniDisplayport? Also, is the AJA really the only 'packaged' option? It's the proof that a 2014 Retina can indeed handle 4 inputs. How come there's no other (even if not more affordable) product?

As far as i know and have read in the forum.. People have been succesfull up to 3 maximum.. 2x TB (seems the max due too same device ID's) and 1 USB..

Also you must consider if a Mac from 2004 is even able to handle 5 HD streams and also do the processing and generate some output.. Your Mac might start to Hover and lift off like a F16...

External housing has been done before.. A recent topic.. (1 or 2 weeks ago) somebody confirmed he had good results with a external housing and a Quad card if i remember correctly.. Hit search on the forum..

Haha, certainly don't want my laptop to hover around the house.

I was actually referring to a miniDisplayport on a Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina).

Well hell, I'm surprised there's no VJ tool for multiple camera inputs via Thunderbolt 2... I imagine the Intensity shuttle but with 4 inputs or the AJA but $1000 less

I have build a Resolume media server with 2x Quadro FX3800 output cards so i have 1 GUI, 3 Outputs. And 2 decklink cards for 2 SDI inputs.

Upgrade it will get soon is new machine. 2x Decklink 8K (to have 4x 12G sdi input) with 1 or 2 Nvidia K6000 cards.. (Depending on how much budget is left over.... )

What it gives me is a media server system that is able to get realtime 4 SDI inputs up to 4K. Outputing a multiscreen setup in 4K.

With the ability to place and customise any of the 4 inputs onto my canvas of outputs trough resolume with layers and everything..

Don't see that happen with a Mac anytime soon..

You need some software, I use livestream studio runnung with windows 10. there is also a beta version for mac os since a few weeks.
With this software you can cut between the inputs and stream it, you can also send the cutted signal to your hdmi output, create inserts, pkay movies...

As mentioned before, with three inputs its working for me, I have never tried four of them.

The muliview only gives you all four inputs to one screen.

My mac is a mid 2014, no gpu.

@Xtreemtec Shoudln't you be able to do it with two DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G and the soon to be released Akitio Duo (or two Akitio Lite at the moment) via Thunderbolt 3? It's basically two 4k in & two 4k out + an HDMI in. Theoretically the new macbooks with USB-C are really good for that type of stuff. You can also connect an eGPU. You'll have two more Thunderbolt 3 ports left.

@Xtreemtec Shoudln't you be able to do it with two DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G and the soon to be released Akitio Duo (or two Akitio Lite at the moment) via Thunderbolt 3? It's basically two 4k in & two 4k out + an HDMI in.

Are you aware of the fact that only 1 input will be captured at a time??
Yes it has a SDI Port A, B and HDMI in.. But the SDI ports can be used to switch between input A or B.. Or Dual link / steroscopic.. But not 2 at once..

The only cards that are able to capture more then 1 stream at a time are the Quad, Quad2, Duo, 8K Pro if i remember correctly.. All other decklink cards only do 1 channel in (and if you have the 4K versions also 1 channel out at the same time)...

Good point! Thanks for pointing that out! How can we check if the 8k Pro accepts two channels? It doesn't say in the product page. That would be amazing since it's also cheaper than the 4k one.

Anyway, point is - USB-C rocks and an eGPU makes it more or less a reasonable to work on a bloody mac (or less unreasonable for that matter)!

Took some searching to find this back.. But NO.. 1 in - 1 out.. At least that is what they said in December... So i was wrong in the above statement that the 8K pro would do 2in 2 out..

Not a very effective card if you want to do multiple 12G inputs like i want to do..

Source
Also intresting topic.. While they seem to have changed the image on the website again back to 4 channels IN/OUT..
How many inputs on a 8K Pro?

For the 8K Pro card there might be an option to run 4x 12G to the card if they are in sync with eachother..

But this needs to be tested.. And i don't own the card yet..
Kind of the way some other brand has done this with there recording monitors..
**Trying hard to not name the brand here..

Quadlink recording.png (24.6 KiB) Viewed 4990 times

So when all sources are the same framerate and resolution.. And run in genlock with eachother.. you might be able to pull off something like this.. That doesn't help anyone that needs to capture 4 seperate 4K streams..
And likely will never be able to do this with this card due too possible missing framebuffers on each input.. Which prevents the card running unsynced feeds..

But for some people running an ISO recording from 4 Ursas that are synced up.. Or 4 outputs out of an Atem 4ME Broadcast switcher were all PGM and AUX channels run in sync..
It could be a "solution"...
This would be similair to Quad Link Square Division setup used in 12G single link..


But it might be very well not run if the 8K Pro card does a good check on Payload ID's.. As for Square Division every Square has a number ID in the payload for indentification.
While 4 seperate streams don't have that... So might or not might work..

I can and will test that if i can get my hands on a test card / demo card..

If you have ability to form 8K signal from your independent streams (in Resolve or somewhere else) then you can have it working on output. At the end quad output will give you 4 streams which later can be treated as independent 4K streams. Problem is that in this case you work on 8K frame, so this pushes resources into limits.
For input it's bit more difficult. You always have to capture quad link (so 8K) even if lets say you have only 3 streams. In this case you can put 1 stream into 2 inputs. Depending on the design it may actually work even with 3 single quadrants (last will be simply black). If I remember well this was the case for Kona 3 and 4K over quad 3G links (missing quadrant was simply black). They don't have to be in sync as you going to treat them separately anyway.
Problem is that 8K Pro card is not a typical multichannel card where you can "call" each channel independently.

But it might be very well not run if the 8K Pro card does a good check on Payload ID's.. As for Square Division every Square has a number ID in the payload for indentification.
While 4 seperate streams don't have that... So might or not might work..

It's not always the case. For example for Kona 3 you had specific order in which you physically had to connect quadrants (there was no auto identification). If you miss-connected then you had wrong image I'm not sure if SDI spec actually defines quadrants, so you can connect them as you wish, yet they will be put tougher correctly into final image.