Atem control of BMD Cameras

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

paulgolden

  • Posts: 317
  • Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2012 3:16 am
  • Location: portlandia

Atem control of BMD Cameras

PostWed Jun 09, 2021 9:59 pm

I've got the Atem Mini Pro Iso and one Ursa Mini Pro G1 and two Pocket 4K cameras. The Ursa is connected using the Bi-Directional SDI/HDMI 3G converter using HDMI and dual BNC connections. The Pockets are connected via HDMI. While I'm learning the ins and outs of this set-up, two things came to mind that if anyone can answer:

1) When I'm recording RAW to the Pockets and URSA, the Pockets get the Project Name as the file name on the camera. The URSA retains the standard reel/date/timecode file naming convention. Is this because the kind of control that the bi-direction converter exerts over the URSA is different than the HDMI connections to the Pockets, or because the URSA software is on an older rev of the camera software than the pockets. I know it probably doesn't matter in the end, but I'd like to know why they're different.

2) When I have my HDMI feeds in Multi-view, I tend to show the camera overlays so that I can see rolling time-code, audio meters and histograms. I also like seeing the buttons and t/c turn red to confirm that we're rolling. Is there any way to toggle the overlays on and off without going to each camera and manually switching them off? If the overlays are switched off, is there any way to know for sure via the Atem software that the cameras are recording internally without going to each camera and checking their talley lights?. I really wold love some sort of confidence check without burning the overlays into the footage that records on the ISO.
Offline

paulgolden

  • Posts: 317
  • Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2012 3:16 am
  • Location: portlandia

Re: Atem control of BMD Cameras

PostWed Jun 09, 2021 11:51 pm

The other odd behavior is that when creating a DaVinci Resolve project through the Atem, the two pocket cameras raw files are referenced, but the Ursa Min Pro's raw files are ignore. This becomes an issue when you're in the Cut page and want to switch to Show Camera Originals. The Pocket raw files come through fine, but the Ursa raw files are AWOL. Any ideas on how to force Resolve to recognize the Ursa raw files.
Offline

BennoZ

  • Posts: 449
  • Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:42 pm
  • Real Name: Benno Zwanenburg

Re: Atem control of BMD Cameras

PostSat Jun 12, 2021 10:23 pm

1. That’s how it is unfortunately. There are more strange things when connecting an Ursa to the mini f.i. you have to set gain to +12dB everytime you connect, and some other strange behaviours.
2. No you can’t, you have to check it in camera. Be aware, when you accidentally click on stop record on the BMPCC it stops recording. The Ursa is always recording.

By the way, do you know you can feed program out into the Bi-directional converter? In that way the camera operator has return video.
Last edited by BennoZ on Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
Offline

paulgolden

  • Posts: 317
  • Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2012 3:16 am
  • Location: portlandia

Re: Atem control of BMD Cameras

PostSun Jun 13, 2021 10:09 pm

This was a setup where there are no camera people next to the cameras while recording and I’m manning the ATEM instead. I agree that the Ursa has a program in function, but that probably wouldn’t help in this case. One way I got around the issue of the URSA not naming the files to be the ATEM project files, is to rename them after copying to the media drive but before importing them to Resolve. The ATEM created files for the Ursa camera names them Project Camera 1 01 etc. but the Ursa names this with the Reel/TOD. Once I’ve renamed them in the Finder, then Resolve will reference the Ursa files correctly in the project.
Offline

Denny Smith

  • Posts: 13131
  • Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 4:19 pm
  • Location: USA, Northern Calif.

Re: Atem control of BMD Cameras

PostMon Jun 14, 2021 12:13 am

The Ursa file naming convention is based on a traditional Clap Board going back to film days…
Cheers
Denny Smith
SHA Productions
Offline

paulgolden

  • Posts: 317
  • Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2012 3:16 am
  • Location: portlandia

Re: Atem control of BMD Cameras

PostMon Jun 14, 2021 1:36 am

That’s all fine, but the Atem’s Resolve project refers to file names that don’t exist coming out of the Ursa camera. Why are the Pocket cameras’ raw files able to reference the ATEM project name, but not the URSA’s. I realize that the URSA is now on an ancient version of the software, but is this the end of the line for Ursa software development? Does anyone know if the Ursa g2 works differently with the ATEM than the G1?
Offline

paulgolden

  • Posts: 317
  • Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2012 3:16 am
  • Location: portlandia

Re: Atem control of BMD Cameras

PostMon Jun 14, 2021 1:39 am

Denny Smith wrote:The Ursa file naming convention is based on a traditional Clap Board going back to film days…
Cheers

The Pocket camera use the same TOD naming convention when not connected to the ATEM, but the Ursa doesn’t switch when connect to the ATEM, unlike the Pockets.
Offline

Denny Smith

  • Posts: 13131
  • Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 4:19 pm
  • Location: USA, Northern Calif.

Re: Atem control of BMD Cameras

PostMon Jun 14, 2021 5:38 am

Yes, the ATEM Mini was designed to work with the Pocket cameras, where the Urs is adapted.
Cheers
Denny Smith
SHA Productions

Return to Live Production

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 67 guests