atem mini problems with BM4K pocket camera control

Hi guys,
I have some issues with the new camera control feature...
I cannot establish the new camera control feature to any of our BM4K's from the ATEM mini.
What we did:
Upgrade atem mini to 8.2
Upgrade BM4K pocket to 6.9
followed the manual - not working
Contacted BM support, changed procedure (switched off all, then start atem, then camera) - not working
Downgraded ATEM and camera to previous version - then upgraded again - still not working...
I am controling the atem via ethernet and MAC, but I also tried out a laptop via USB (Windows) - neg
Cable I am using is ATZ HDMI v2.0b 4K Ultra HD Support (4m and 8m) – but I also changed to different cable and cable length...

Both camera and atem are working fine – there is no problem with any function – except the camera control…

Can I do some manual tweaks with the xml files? Or is there a way to force the camera to switch to studio mode?

The Pocket Camera 4/6K HDMI Camera control is only available on the ATEM Mini and the new Mini Pro. Remote record start stop is only available on the Mini and Mini Pro, so if you are not getting the upgrade to work, see below response:
Cheers

HDMI Camera control is only available on the new ATEM Mini Pro

Sorry Denny, that is incorrect.

My ATEM Mini (8.2) has full control over my BMPCC6K (6.9) including CCU, tally, "Preview" / "On Air" notifications for the operator etc.

Rolf, perhaps your HDMI cables do not support bi-directional communication. Try with a very short and high quality HDMI cable first.

Hi Udo,
the cable could be the problem, I agree. I tried several, short and long without success. However,
are there ant specs for the cable to follow? Maybe BM could give a comment here, or maybe a recommendation for a type/brand.

regards
Rolf

Camera control works well on my ATEM Mini and BMPCC4K, agree with the others, test different HDMI cables, it could solve the issue.

Hi guys, I´m facing the same issue like wolfrunner. I bought a new BM4K and new Atem mini pro ´just a few days ago. I´ve managed some times to establish a signal and to control the camera. But not really possible to reproduce it. I´m using 5 different cables. At the beginning I thought a cable length may be the issue, I was using a 5m long cable and it was not possible to get a connection. The I´ve switched to 3 m and it worked. I immediately went back to the 5 m and it was working the rest of the day. At the next day I had the same issue, but it was not possible to make it work again with the 3m cable. So I´ve tried my 20cm cable which I´m using for my videos assist device. It worked fine then - and I´ve tried immediately with the 3m and the 5 m and both was now working fine. Yesterday I went through the same experinece - failed with the 5m, then failed with the 3m - but also failed with the 20cm. And know I was not able to make it working again!!! Very very strange !!! I will try tomorrow one more time with a fresh mood. But obviously it is a bit shaky and not so much reliable.

regards,
Klaus

You need to set the corresponding HDMI inputs to "Blackmagic" in the ATEM software, otherwise camera control won't be available.

Another possible problem I discovered...

I am running ATEM Mini Pro with BMPCC4k & 6k, and have spent the last week
swapping out HDMI cables... 2.0, 2.1, 4k, 8k, high speed, super high speed, etc!!!
Blackmagic said the cables must be CEC certified to communicate with cameras
from software; understandable. So I bought CEC cert HDMI cables. Worked on first
connection, then stopped working.

Today, I did troubleshoot call with Blackmagic, and after 40 min of reloading, rebooting,
etc., we decided to disconnect all inputs except camera... BINGO! Camera control was
active. The culprit was my MacBook Pro which was plugged into one of the 4 inputs.
There appears to be some bug whereby the mac will create conflict with camera control.

Blackmagic said the possible workaround is to run a HDMI splitter from output of mac
and use the secondary split to input to ATEM. Haven't tested as of yet, but I'm ecstatic
the cameras and cam control are functioning properly.

Hope this may help someone avoid the frustration of this bug. By the way, after resolving
this issue I tested all the previously non-functioning HDMI cables, and of course, they ALL
worked just fine! You live and you learn..

The culprit was my MacBook Pro which was plugged into one of the 4 inputs.
There appears to be some bug whereby the mac will create conflict with camera control.

Blackmagic said the possible workaround is to run a HDMI splitter from output of mac
and use the secondary split to input to ATEM. Haven't tested as of yet, but I'm ecstatic
the cameras and cam control are functioning properly.

Hope this may help someone avoid the frustration of this bug. By the way, after resolving
this issue I tested all the previously non-functioning HDMI cables, and of course, they ALL
worked just fine! You live and you learn..

So...was the Macbook initially connected via a dedicated hdmi output (older Macbook) or did you use a thunderbolt 3 to hdmi adapter?

yes... I'm running 2012 MacBook Pro w/display output, using a
display to HDMI converter. Not sure if the newer MBP presents the
same problem; however, in discussing the issue with BM tech support,
they were aware of this issue in other cases. I never shared the year or
specs of MBP I was using... so, I am simply offering up my experience as
another consideration in resolving the cam control issue.

I have heard from other sources that the master computer should
NOT be used as a video input source. Don't know how true that is,
but in my case that is correct; at least for now.

I will add that other than camera control for BMPCC4k or 6k, which
is a feature that I do need, I did not find any conflict with using the
MBP as a video source.

Another possible problem I discovered...

I am running ATEM Mini Pro with BMPCC4k & 6k, and have spent the last week
swapping out HDMI cables... 2.0, 2.1, 4k, 8k, high speed, super high speed, etc!!!
Blackmagic said the cables must be CEC certified to communicate with cameras
from software; understandable. So I bought CEC cert HDMI cables. Worked on first
connection, then stopped working.

Today, I did troubleshoot call with Blackmagic, and after 40 min of reloading, rebooting,
etc., we decided to disconnect all inputs except camera... BINGO! Camera control was
active. The culprit was my MacBook Pro which was plugged into one of the 4 inputs.
There appears to be some bug whereby the mac will create conflict with camera control.

Blackmagic said the possible workaround is to run a HDMI splitter from output of mac
and use the secondary split to input to ATEM. Haven't tested as of yet, but I'm ecstatic
the cameras and cam control are functioning properly.

Hope this may help someone avoid the frustration of this bug. By the way, after resolving
this issue I tested all the previously non-functioning HDMI cables, and of course, they ALL
worked just fine! You live and you learn..

Thanks for the info!

Check the HDMI adapter you are using to connect your computer as a display output. I had the same Camera Control problems. I had my iMac connected with an old Displayport to HDMI adapter, I bought I new one (better quality) and the problem was solved!

Today, I did troubleshoot call with Blackmagic, and after 40 min of reloading, rebooting,
etc., we decided to disconnect all inputs except camera... BINGO! Camera control was
active. The culprit was my MacBook Pro which was plugged into one of the 4 inputs.
There appears to be some bug whereby the mac will create conflict with camera control.

Thank you!

I have been using my ATEM Mini Pro ISO as a webcam for meetings and I had my computer connected for easy screen sharing. Got my new pocket 6K and no tally or camera control! Disconnected my computer and rebooted the camera and it popped right up!

[Gary Adams]

Some Display Port outputs will conflict with the CEC bus. You can use an HDMI splitter on the computer output to block CEC in most cases. Stay safe.

Regards, Gary

The "solutions" given here by BM support are simple not true. Many users have confirmed that loss of camera control happens with all sorts of HDMI cable types and can occur randomly on any connection at any time. There is a underlying issue here that still needs to be addressed by blackmagic.

It is the cable. I looked up yours and it is not ARC compliant. You need a HDMI cable that supports bidirectional communication. Older HDMi cables don't.

Look at this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09279DBJ6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

With these newer cables you can also do very long runs.

How did you look up my cable when I didn't mention any brand or model? I replied to your false statement in the other thread:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=112479&p=812990#p812990

The short answer is: No, it is not the cable.

I realize this is a bit of an older post, but it helped me to get my BMPCC4K working with my ATEM Mini Extreme ISO. I got my camera two days ago and am still learning all of the features. I connected it to my ATEM and got a great picture but no camera control. I tried everything that is mentioned in this post as it applies to different cables. The solution was to unplug the HDMI connection from my Mac mini M1 (Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter) to the ATEM. I immediately got camera control. I them plugged the computer back in and it is all working fine. The take away is the camera needs to be connected and powered on before plugging in a computer's HDMI to your ATEM. My two cents on the cable issue. I have tested a 33', 50' and 100' Fiber HDMI cable with no issues. These are 8K Fiber Optic HDMI Cable, FIBBR 48Gbps High-Speed HDMI 2.1 Cable 8K@60Hz 4K@120Hz Dynamic HDR/eARC/HDCP 2.3, Ultra HD Directional HDMI Cable. In addition a regular "Cables Matter" 6' cable work fine as well
Camera/Tally control works just fine.

Another possible problem I discovered...

I am running ATEM Mini Pro with BMPCC4k & 6k, and have spent the last week
swapping out HDMI cables... 2.0, 2.1, 4k, 8k, high speed, super high speed, etc!!!
Blackmagic said the cables must be CEC certified to communicate with cameras
from software; understandable. So I bought CEC cert HDMI cables. Worked on first
connection, then stopped working.

Today, I did troubleshoot call with Blackmagic, and after 40 min of reloading, rebooting,
etc., we decided to disconnect all inputs except camera... BINGO! Camera control was
active. The culprit was my MacBook Pro which was plugged into one of the 4 inputs.
There appears to be some bug whereby the mac will create conflict with camera control.

Blackmagic said the possible workaround is to run a HDMI splitter from output of mac
and use the secondary split to input to ATEM. Haven't tested as of yet, but I'm ecstatic
the cameras and cam control are functioning properly.

Hope this may help someone avoid the frustration of this bug. By the way, after resolving
this issue I tested all the previously non-functioning HDMI cables, and of course, they ALL
worked just fine! You live and you learn..

Thank you, unclebus!

I was working of a live streaming and this happened to me.
I can confirm that Non-blackmagic devices plugged into the ATEM create conflict when plugged and disconnect the control of blackmagic devices remotely with HDMI.
The workaround is to run a HDMI splitter from non-blackmagic camera output to ATEM's input, this allows camera control and recording of blackmagic cameras from ATEM software.

Peace out and have fun!