Thread: Tutorial: Broadcasting with Black Magic Intensity Pro HDMI

One of the main plus' about the Black Magic is that you can run HDMI in and out meaning you don't need an expensive hdmi splitter and there is no reduction of quality. There is already a tutorial on how to broadcast using component HERE,

First off, make sure you have the latest drivers by visiting the Black Magic Website

Then go to control panel, black magic control Panel



Now here is where my tutorial differs from the component one. Instead of selecting processing to reduce the image size, you leave it off as seen in the image.

Now download and Install vhmulticam Studios (the creator is releasing a new program soon and has removed vhmulticam from his website so i uploaded it with the transition pack)

You will not be using VHSCRCAP, but a secondary program that comes with it, VH Multi Camera Studio.



Click view and change resolution to 1280x720 then frame rate to 29.97
click file and add camera, choose Decklink Video Capture and then stretch it to fit the screen
If you also want to add a webcam like i do to the cast, just click add camera and choose what you want, you can add images etc.


I use FMLE 3.0 since 2.5 didn't like my sound card, but both cast the video just fine.



i use main profile h.264 level 3.1 and key frame frequency 3 seconds

here you can change the output size etc, i choose to reduce it to 960x540, which is unnoticeable in normal screen, since the window itself is only 580x360 and it reduced the bitrate from about 1200 to 800 which is a lot better if you want the most amount of people to be able to watch.

Now here comes the tricky part, you realize that fme is unable to access the audio from the hdmi cable, what do you do? if you have a ps3, plus in your composite cable and use a rca to 3.5mm adapter to convert the red white stereo channels to you computer's mic in. You can put a mixer in here which could change the type of adapter you need.

If you have a 360, its a little more complicated. Luckily, when I bought my elite some 3 years ago, Microsoft actually cared about its customers and included hdmi cable and analog audio adapter. You will need this analog audio adapter to capture the audio the same way for the ps3, just plug rca cables into it and your good.




Now if you tried to buy this cable from a store or from xbox.com, they will charge you a ridiculous price for an hdmi cable that you can get online for $2
Xbox.com | Accessories - Xbox 360 HDMI Cable
They want $50

Ebay on the other hand...
xbox 360 audio adapter, great deals on Video Games, New on eBay!

MUCH Cheaper, usually $9 with free shipping

Now just set your FME to use your mic in and your good to go.

If you need any help, you can contact me here, on hotbloodedgaming.com and at my cast, justin.tv/msgtgunny

*update
I have recently changed my settings. I came to realize that a full 720p cast at 1500 bitrate looked much worse in the normal window than a 360p cast at 1100, so i have switched to 640x360, which happens to be the size of jtv's view window.
I also recommend if you cast with an sd card, set it to 480x360 at the same bitrate which will reduce pixelation and actually make the cast look better as long as you don't inspect fullscreen mode too closely

Hey Gunny, when I try to use your settings above, my screen blurrs when moving around. Have you used any different settings lately?

My input in FME looks clean, but the Output looks pixelated when there's heavy movement (while running).

Any thoughts?

I can't for the life of me get these settings to work for me at all as far as FME/Multicam goes. I've finally figured out that I can get video to show up if I change the input to Anamorphic instead of the Off setting that was proposed (thanks imoogle). Otherwise, no dice. No matter what, if I leave the input/output on Off with everything else set that way, I get nothing. I even figured out how to get sound by using my analog adapter for my xbox into my mic, but HDMI just doesn't want to work like it should. I'd kill for blurry output at this point after days and days of no luck with this HD thing.

well, fme 3 only shows the card directly IF you set it to anamorphic like in the component tutorial, i do not have to do this

@ Swift, I've noticed a few things to cause excessive blur ...

1:
Make sure your frame-rate is set to 30 across the board. As in FME, BMIP, and Multi-Cam.
Some games will run fine at 60fps, but for the most part, 60 leaves FME trying to play catch-up, thus bluring the frames.
Also if one thing is set at 30fps [say multi-cam] and another is set at 60 [FME], that can give FME mixed signals,
which in turn can take longer to encode, thus also giving you frame drops and/or pixelation.

2:
The higher the resolution, the higher your bitrate should be set.
I thought I heard that you run at about 500kbps, if so, you might want to push this up a bit.
Higher Bitrate = less and smaller "blury squares".
But as said, the higher your res, the higher you should push the bitrate.

3:
Sometimes the BMIP bitrate likes to jump all over the place.
I've had mine jump during 'casts from 2300 down to 900 for example.
Jumping like that will cause blur and pixelation.
It seems to happen more often when using an HDMI input.
No solution, it jut happens at random. Re-starts can help.


If you know all this, have tried all this already, my bad, but thats what I got. I'll see what else I can dig up, but I've been spending so much time with this card, I feel like we're dating sometimes. So, by all means feel free to hit me up and crunch some ideas.

Hello peoples! Wondering if you can help me. I got a Blackmagic Pro, but have a Old arse 360 without an HDMI. Is it possible to do with a HDMI Less xbox? I tried doing this.... using the breakout cable and plugging the xbox component to the BMIP IN, and then using a component out cord from the BMIP to the HDTV and that didn't work. I also tried to using the breakout cable and plugging the xbox component to the BMIP IN, and then using a HDMI cord to from the BMIP to the HDTV HDMI IN and that didn't work either.

So I wanted to know if it's even possible to do with without a xbox that has HDMI. thanks everyone I don't know who else to ask other then here, and a lot of you are very knowledgeable. Thanks for your time!

make sure you are using firmware 3.4 not the one that came with the install disc and not the latest one online (3.5.1)

Thanks for your help. I've seen your posts about this in earlier threads MSgtGunny, about downgrading to 3.4. Can you tell me why this is? Is there something buggy about 3.5.1 or something?

Also, actually on my install disc is says 3.3.2 version. you suggest going to 3.4 still?

Thanks again for feedback and your help.

the latest 3.5.1 breaks compatibility with vh multicam, i highly doubt it was on purpose. the reason they delayed 3.5 in the first place was a compatibility problem and so i believe that since vh multicam isn't a supported software, they didn't check it.
MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
^^^ 3.4

Oh i see now, well again thanks for all the feedback and help. I was going to ask you were 3.4 was that you upload but found it, but appreciate you posting it on this thread again for me. I've been using a different webcam program other than vh multicam, for years now but it looks a lot less resource hungry hungry hippos on ur pc.

Props to your tips thread as well Gunny!

no problem, thats what i'm here for...

So, I recently had problems with this set up for some reason. The screen would be black on the recording and not show! What a drag! Anyways, after calling a rep at Blackmagic they revealed to me that there is a glitch in the software. Very strange! Turns out for Vista and Windows 7, you may have to set your Blackmagic to run at 59.97 HD mode in the control panel. Pretty weird but I accepted it. If you have this trouble too, then your answer lies in there! Oh and for future reference, the guy told me that Blackmagic will soon put up a gamer section on the site after increased phonecalls which will help clarify everything in the future.

lol, a few of those phone calls were mine :p

I call them just to see what they're wearing. :/

MSgtGunny,

I just wanted to thank you for the tutorial and the older driver. I have been trying to get the BMIP working for this entire week and I was about to give up. I even bought an AverTV HD DVR to see if I would have better luck with that. I finally came back to trying the BMIP after the AverTV HD DVR just wasn't working how I wanted. I followed your tutorial and it finally worked with my Xbox 360. The key was the 3.4 driver (and that PS3 outputs video with HDCP even when playing a game... WTF?).

Anyway thanks a lot for your guide.

Originally Posted by xcrustwadx

MSgtGunny,

I just wanted to thank you for the tutorial and the older driver. I have been trying to get the BMIP working for this entire week and I was about to give up. I even bought an AverTV HD DVR to see if I would have better luck with that. I finally came back to trying the BMIP after the AverTV HD DVR just wasn't working how I wanted. I followed your tutorial and it finally worked with my Xbox 360. The key was the 3.4 driver (and that PS3 outputs video with HDCP even when playing a game... WTF?).

Anyway thanks a lot for your guide.

no problem dude thats exactly why i made the tutorial

I shall buy this card within a week or 2 :O !! Gunny get ready if i need support , i kid i kid, but willl ask you questions if i run into trouble

Aww yeah Johnny!

I recently bought BMI Pro. I have it running, works great. Streams, records.. everything. Only the problem I have is, unless the BMI Window is on top, it wont record or stream. Like, if Im IMing someone, or looking at a webpage and the BMI screen isn't on top, the feed from the card stops. The second I click back on the BMI window and put it on top, it works again. A friend said I need a 2 port HDMI Amplified splitter. I got one, still having the same issue.
So Im running an HDMI cable into the Splitter IN, have 2 HDMI cables coming from the Splitter OUT. One to 360, one to BMI Card IN. Im unsure of wht the problem is.. or if I even need the splitter. Any ideas? Thanks..

PC Specs if need.
Intel i7 CPU@2.80GHz
8GB DDR3 Memory
1TB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
ATI Radeon HD5770 graphics card 1GB

don't use the blackmagic program to record, download vh multicam studio.

it comes with a program called vh capture. use that to capture the blackmagic video.

Hey guys!
just a note on the Intensity Pro...
I finaly got mine and plan on resume casting very soon (yay!) and i was having some issues when i first installed it...
I poped into the computer and i set everything up correctly (also bumped through this thread on google ) and i was having an issue of a black screen and nothing showing up on either the computer or on the TV...
After a very frustrating and horribly spent long weekend i was eventually informed that many people were having the same issue...
The problem is that once the 3.5 drivers are installed it wouldnt let the computer communicate with the card properly, therefore showing black screens. This most likely doesnt happen to everyone but i downgraded my drivers back to 3.4 and it works fine now!
quite exciting!
now im curious about one thing... do you guys split the signal from your consoles and take one to the TV and the other to the card to avoid delay between the two or do you just use the output on the card and let it filter through creating the possible delay? has anyone tested this delay?

"You can put a mixer in here which could change the type of adapter you need."

How do you do this?

I enabled the mixer option on my Windows Vista box, however I’m not able to capture the sound I got to be missing something somewhere.

Hoping you can help.

I got the rca to 3.5 adaptor plugged into the mic input on my on board (motherboard) mic in.
Enabled the mixer and looked to change the adaptor however I guess I’m just missing it. Could you help to provided some steps on how to get this working?

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide.

-Nas

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Hey guys!
just a note on the Intensity Pro...
I finaly got mine and plan on resume casting very soon (yay!) and i was having some issues when i first installed it...
I poped into the computer and i set everything up correctly (also bumped through this thread on google ) and i was having an issue of a black screen and nothing showing up on either the computer or on the TV...
After a very frustrating and horribly spent long weekend i was eventually informed that many people were having the same issue...
The problem is that once the 3.5 drivers are installed it wouldnt let the computer communicate with the card properly, therefore showing black screens. This most likely doesnt happen to everyone but i downgraded my drivers back to 3.4 and it works fine now!
quite exciting!
now im curious about one thing... do you guys split the signal from your consoles and take one to the TV and the other to the card to avoid delay between the two or do you just use the output on the card and let it filter through creating the possible delay? has anyone tested this delay?

i have detected no noticeable delay using both component in/out hdmi in/out and component in/hdmi out (the last one would be the one for the largest potential delay). The blackmagic does these conversions using purely hardware so the normal delay isn't really involved. If your wondering wtf i'm talking about, look at the difference between audio repeater and a hardware mixer. The mixer creates no delay, but the software creates a delay.

Originally Posted by XxNaSDaQxX

"You can put a mixer in here which could change the type of adapter you need."

How do you do this?

I enabled the mixer option on my Windows Vista box, however I’m not able to capture the sound I got to be missing something somewhere.

Hoping you can help.

I got the rca to 3.5 adaptor plugged into the mic input on my on board (motherboard) mic in.
Enabled the mixer and looked to change the adaptor however I guess I’m just missing it. Could you help to provided some steps on how to get this working?

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide.

-Nas

by mixer i meant hardware mixer. im not sure what mixer option you are talking about, possibly stereo mix. if you could post a few screenshots of what you are trying to to etc that might help, and please do so in a separate topic in the help/advice forum

yep i currently have my mixer receiving audio from my TV, so any sound coming out of the TV will be collected by my mixer and outputted to my stereo speakers and also to the input on my sound card. i also have my computer going into my mixer into the second channel so i can also capture PC sounds on the side... I will soon be looping the video output of my computer right back into the intensity pro. This will also enable me to cast some PC gaming or anything PC for that matter!
Also you mentioned there is no noticeable delay, I was kinda skeptical about that when i found out i need some capture software on on my computer so that i would get the output to my TV. But then again i messed around with both the image that goes to my TV and the one within the capture software and it is a huge noticeable delay between the both, making me believe that it is basically just flipping a switch to activate the output on the card to the TV... Is there a way to maintain the output constantly on? reguardless of the capture software on or off, maybe even be possible to shut off the computer and it still do a direct split?

by no delay, i mean what you see on YOUR tv, not the program, and you don't use the blackmagic media express to capture because if you click off the window, it stops capturing, if you use vh multicam, it keeps it capturing. As to having it split while the computer is off, no, but if you use component and split it before the cap card so you don't use it to split it you don't have to have the computer on, but if your capturing using hmdi, you have no choice, you must have the computer on and a program accessing the card correctly.

I need help with this. I can't seem to get this thing outputting to my TV or on the VHMulti-cam thing or Flash Encoder. It seems some like conflict with those two programs and media express. I need help as this tutorial doesn't even mention media express.

it doesn't mention media express because you can't have it open when vh multicam is open, only 1 program can access the card at a time so if media express has control, vh multicam can't

Okay then what exact order should I open these programs in? I can't get any video showing on my TV or in these programs using this guide. And should I turn my 360 on before or after opening the programs?