Blackmagic Ultrascope software with Teranex 2D

To date, I've been using Tektronix hardware Waveform and Vector scopes in my video tape capture setup, but I'm trying to minimise the amount of hardware in the system and save power, too! Also, the Waveform monitor is a bit unreliable and needs pensioning off.

I'd like to use the Ultrascope software on a dedicated screen in my Teranex 2D-based capture/edit suite, and as I quite like to display the full set of 6 scopes when capturing tape-based video or when editing in FCPX I thought it would be handy to run the software alongside Blackmagic Media Express while capturing (in order to make TBC and procamp adjustments in real time). However, the Blackmagic hardware won't allow me to run both Media Express and Ultrascope at the same time.

The alternative is to use a standalone computer - in my case my Thunderbolt-equipped Mac Book Pro - running Ultrascope, but I really don't want to have to dedicate a computer for what is often a very lengthy batch capture job (the next one lined up is 320 hours of Beta-SP material!). Aside from that, I don't have enough Thunderbolt ports - one on the main "capture" Mac, one on the Teranex and two on the Multidock SSD unit through which the Teranex Thunderbolt is looped.

Any ideas? Perhaps Blackmagic should consider building Ultrascope into Media Express?

I noticed on the Support section that there was an update for Ultrascope that - among other things - adds the capability for it to be run simultaneously with Media Express. Considering that to be ideal I of course updated the software. I also updated my Teranex 2D software at the same time.

The Ultrascope application won't open at all now.

This is becoming all too familiar with Blackmagic products and I'm getting a little bit fed up. In fact, I'm getting a big bit fed up.

Hi Collin,
I am a relatively new user of the Teranex 2D and I was excited about the option of having a scope monitor on the MacBook Pro I'm capturing to. Here are the specs on the laptop:

OSX 10.11.6 (El Capitan)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)
2.7 GHz Intel Core i7
8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB

I have the latest Desktop Video software (10.8.4) Teranex driver (5.0.1) and Ultrascope software (1.8.3) installed. I can capture video with Blackmagic Media Express, though it drops frames like crazy, but that's another issue.

I am able to launch the Ultrascope software and the Teranex responds by displaying the video signal on my external monitor, but I cannot get any of the scopes or video preview window to show any signal. I have the Thunderbolt cable plugged in, but I cannot seem to find a way to change the input for Ultrascope. My video preview window just shows a screen that says "No Input".

Could you send me the last known software versions that were working for you? I'm wondering if it broke at some point like you mentioned.

Thanks,
Luke

Hi Luke

You're experiencing the same problem as I am. Personally, I think that the Teranex products should have scopes built in and accessible directly in Media Express. It's just crazy that the only current Blackmagic solution is to install additional hardware to display on a secondary monitor which then needs a computer to run to run the Ultrascope software. I did think of buying a Pocket Ultrascope, giving it a SDI feed from the Teranex and then giving it a permanent display, but unfortunately it requires another Mac just to run and display the software and that's just silly!

As you say, Blackmagic's recent Teranex firmware update claimed to allow simultaneous operation of Media Express and Utrascope on the same Mac but - like you - all I get is the standard "No input" message. It's crazy.

Because of persistent Blackmagic-induced problems, my main video capture workstation is running MacOS Yosemite and Desktop Video 10.5.4. I realise that this might be part of the problem, but if I update the Mac to Sierra and install the very latest Desktop Video driver package, I can't then capture reliably in Media Express.

The proverbial "Rock and Hard Place" comes to mind!!