Blackmagic Studio Converter Instructions
- June 9, 2024
- Blackmagic
Table of Contents
Blackmagic Studio Converter
Blackmagic Studio Converter provides a fast, simplified SMPTE fiber style setup with Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro. This means you can use one single Ethernet cable to power the studio camera and supply all video and audio feeds, including talkback, tally and camera control.
Getting Started with Blackmagic Studio Converter
To get started, all you need to do is connect Blackmagic Studio Converter to
power, connect to a Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro via Ethernet and then
connect to an ATEM switcher.
Plugging in Power
Plug a standard IEC power cable into the power connector on your Blackmagic
Studio Converter’s rear panel.
Connect power to your Blackmagic Studio Converter via a standard IEC power
cable
Connecting your Camera
Connect one end of a standard CAT 6 network cable to the ‘camera’ Ethernet
port on the rear panel of your Blackmagic Studio Converter and the other end
to the Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro. In general, a CAT 6 cable will work
fine, however, for longer cable runs we recommend a well shielded CAT 6A S/FTP
cable.
The Ethernet connector locks securely to each unit ensuring that the cable is
not accidentally disconnected during broadcast.
With the Blackmagic Studio Camera power switch set to the ‘on’ position,
Blackmagic Studio Converter will detect the camera and power the unit
instantly. Establishing video will take approximately 20-30 seconds. When
video is confirmed, the image will appear with a ‘standby’ indicator to let
you know the studio camera is standing by and ready to go to air.
When power and video is connected, the PoE indicator will illuminate green,
followed soon after by the video image and ‘standby’ indicator
The studio camera image will now appear on your Blackmagic Studio Converter’s
LCD. You can see the video format your camera is set to and the audio meters
will display the strength of the audio signal.
Connecting to an ATEM Switcher
The next step is to connect your Blackmagic Studio Converter to an ATEM
switcher.
-
Connect a BNC cable from one of your Blackmagic Studio Converter’s ‘camera out’ SDI connectors to one of the ATEM switcher’s SDI inputs.
Both camera outputs are exactly the same so it doesn’t matter which one you use.
Two are provided in case you want to send the camera signal to other video equipment, for example ISO recording on a HyperDeck.
Plug one of Blackmagic Studio Converter’s camera SDI outputs into any of the ATEM switcher’s SDI inputs -
Connect a BNC cable from your ATEM switcher’s program return output to the ‘return 1’ BNC input on the studio converter’s rear panel.
Plug return sources into the ‘return’ inputs -
If you require any other return feeds to be sent to your camera such as a teleprompter feed, an ISO feed from another camera, graphics or any other signal then plug this feed into ‘return 2’.
You don’t need to plug in audio cables as audio is embedded in the SDI video signal.
TIP SDI based ATEM switchers have many SDI outputs, however, if you need more you can run the program return feed from the switcher through an optional Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G or a Smart Videohub.
Checking the Return Feeds
Press the return 1 and return 2 buttons to monitor the return feeds. Press the
‘cam’ button to monitor the camera image.
Press the camera, return 1 and return 2 buttons to check the camera signal and
return feeds
Confirming Program Return on Blackmagic Studio Camera
Press and hold the program button on the Blackmagic Studio Camera. You should
now see the video that is connected to Blackmagic Studio Converter’s return 1
input displayed on the studio camera’s viewfinder. Release the program button
to return to the live camera image.
Setting the ATEM Camera ID on Blackmagic Studio Camera
The ATEM camera ID is a setting in your camera’s menu settings that determines
which SDI input your studio camera is connected to on the ATEM switcher. When
the camera ID corresponds to the switcher’s input number, your camera will
detect tally data for that input and the tally light will work correctly on
your camera.
For more information on changing the ATEM camera ID, refer to the ‘menu
settings’ section.
Change the ATEM camera ID using your studio camera’s ‘setup’ settings
Checking the Return 2 Feed
Blackmagic Studio Camera will output the return 2 source via its HDMI
connector. For example, you could connect a teleprompter feed, a scorecard, or
a pre-keyed video feed that is being fed up from the Blackmagic Studio
Converter. This can be used for presenters, or crew to view on set on a large
screen TV.
Checking Talkback
When using an ATEM switcher with built in talkback, the talkback audio is
embedded in channels 15 and 16 of the SDI signal and carried over the Ethernet
cable to your camera.
With headsets connected to the camera and the ATEM switcher, check that the
camera operator can communicate with the switcher operator.
That’s all there is to getting started and you are now ready to start your
live production!
The next section of the manual will describe the additional connectors and how
to use the front panel.
Connectors
This section contains information on each of Blackmagic Studio Converter’s front and rear panel connectors.
Front Panel
Headphones
Plug a set of headphones into the audio jack to monitor audio via headphones.
USB
Plug your Blackmagic Studio Converter into a computer via the USB port to
update the internal software. Pull back the rubber dust cap to access the USB
port.
Rear Panel
Talkback
If you need to plug in a third party analog talkback system, you can connect
via the ‘talkback’ RJ-45 connector on the rear panel. Use the menu settings to
change the talkback source setting between embedded SDI and analog talkback.
Control
This connector is not enabled in this software release.
Reference and Timecode
The reference and timecode connectors let you plug in timecode and reference
from external sources, or send external timecode and reference to other video
equipment.
Traditional broadcast equipment often uses analog timecode and reference
signals for syncing all the devices. While Blackmagic Studio Cameras and
Blackmagic Studio Converter use reference and timecode embedded in the signal
coming from the ATEM switcher, you can also use a more traditional analog
signal for referencing your camera or for inserting timecode.
This also means that if you are not connecting to a switcher at all and are
operating in a multicam environment where you may not have a switcher
connected to the ‘Ret 1’ SDI input, you can still sync all your cameras and
make sure their timecode matches.
Looping Timecode and Reference
The reference out and timecode out connectors provide an analog loop through
so if you have multiple Blackmagic Studio Converters in a rack together you
can just run a single analog reference or timecode signal into the first unit
and then loop through to each subsequent converter to make sure they are all
synced to the same analog reference or timecode source.
Using the Front Panel
When using Blackmagic Studio Converter, any information you need to know is displayed on the unit itself via the built in LCD. Information displayed includes the image for the studio camera, return 1 or return 2, audio meters, Ethernet connection status, current power source, video format and timecode, plus on air status and camera name.
Displays the audio levels of the selected source.
Camera and Return Buttons
When you select a source, its image is displayed on the LCD and the levels for
embedded audio will be shown on the audio meters.
Speaker Button
Check the camera audio or any audio embedded in each return feed using the
built in speaker or by plugging in headphones. To listen, press and hold the
speaker button and rotate the settings dial to adjust the volume. A volume
indicator will appear on the LCD home screen. Release the button to mute the
speaker.
Double press the speaker button to keep the speaker enabled. Press again to
disable.
TIP If you are using multiple studio converters in a multi camera setup, the
speaker button is a helpful way to quickly confirm the audio from each camera.
Call Button
Holding down the ‘call’ button will flash the tally light on the studio
camera. This lets you seek the camera operators’ attention, or to let your
operators know you are about to go live.
Menu Settings
All the settings for your Blackmagic Studio Converter are available in the LCD menu. To change a setting:
-
Press the ‘menu’ button to open the settings menu.
-
Rotate the settings dial to select the desired menu page and press the ‘set’ button to confirm.
-
Rotate the settings dial to select the settings you want to change and press ‘set’ to confirm the change.
Your new settings are now applied. Press the ‘menu’ button to step back through the menu and return to the home screen.
The next section of the manual describes each setting.
Monitor
Clean Feed – On/Off
Setting clean feed to ‘on’ will remove the status text from the monitor output
so only the source image is visible, for example the camera image or return
feeds. For more information on the monitor output, refer to the ‘using the
monitor output’ section later in this manual.
Audio
Audio Meters
To change the meter type, open the audio meters setting and select your
preferred audio meter display from the options. You can select between PPM and
VU meters.
Headphone and Speaker Level
In addition to holding the speaker button down on the front panel and rotating
the settings knob, you can also adjust the speaker and headphones volume via
the headphone and speaker level setting. The default level is 50%.
Program Audio
Set the program audio to SDI or analog.
SDI – Uses the program audio from the SDI return feed plugged into the
return 1 BNC connector.
Analog – Uses analog audio connected to the DE-9 serial connector. For
example, you could take an analog feed off a sound desk or a version of the
audio with a different language commentary mixed on top of the program audio.
Talkback Source
Set the talkback source to SDI or analog.
SDI – Uses the talkback embedded in the SDI program return feed plugged
into the return 1 BNC connector. Select this setting when connected to an ATEM
switcher with talkback embedded in the video feed.
Analog – Uses analog talkback audio connected to the ‘talkback’ RJ-45
connector. The analog setting is what you will want to use if you are
integrating a third party talkback system, for example ClearCom, RTS or
Reidel.
Setup
Name
Displays the name of your Blackmagic Studio Converter.
Language
Blackmagic Studio Converter supports multiple languages, including English,
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Italian,
Portuguese, Turkish, Ukrainian and Polish. To select the language, open the
setup menu and scroll down using the settings knob. Press ‘set’ to confirm.
Once selected you will automatically return to the setup menu.
Software
Displays the current software version for your Blackmagic Studio Converter.
Front Panel
Set your Blackmagic Studio Converter’s front panel to ‘light’ mode for a
brightly illuminated LCD. Use ‘dark’ mode for dimly lit environments where a
bright LCD may be distracting, for example multiple studio converter units
mounted in a rack in a production facility.
Ethernet Power
Allows you to switch Ethernet power to your studio camera on or off. As the
quality of Ethernet cables can vary over long cable runs, setting Ethernet
power to ‘off’ and powering your camera locally can increase performance over
longer distances. The default setting is ‘on’.
Tally Settings
Source
Select SDI for embedded tally from an ATEM switcher, or ‘analog’ for third
party tally systems connected via the DE-9 serial connector.
Analog Tally Type
Set the analog type to contact closure or voltage depending on the third party
tally system connected via the DE-9 serial connector.
Timecode Settings
Input
There are three timecode input options available.
Auto – When set to ‘auto’ the camera will automatically lock to the
external timecode signal being sent via the return 1 SDI input. If an analog
timecode signal is also connected to Blackmagic Studio Converters timecode
input BNC, it will over override the timecode signal sent via the return 1 SDI
input.
Analog – Select analog to manually use analog timecode input.
SDI – Select SDI to manually use return 1 SDI input for your timecode
source.
Reset
Factory Reset
‘Factory reset’ restores your Blackmagic Studio Converter to its factory
default settings.
Press ‘set’ and confirm the setting when prompted.
Using the Monitor Output
The monitor output is a fast way to visually check the camera image, plus return 1 and 2, with overlays displaying important information such as the Ethernet connection type, video format and frame rate, camera timecode, input source, on air status, PoE status, camera name and audio levels.
Below is a description of the information displayed.
Connection – Displays the current Ethernet connection type.
Format – Displays the video format of the current source you are viewing.
Reference Icon – Appears when an analog external reference signal is
connected.
Timecode – Camera timecode.
Status – Displays when the camera has been switched to the program or
preview output on an ATEM switcher.
Source – Displays the current source you are viewing, for example camera,
return 1 or return 2.
Camera Power – Displays 12 V when the camera is powered locally, or PoE
when powered over Ethernet.
Name – Displays the ATEM Camera ID of the connected camera.
Audio Meters – Displays the audio meters relevant to the source you are
viewing.
Adapter Cables for Talkback and Tally
Talkback Pin Connections
The ‘talkback’ connector on the back panel of Blackmagic Studio Converter is
for routing engineering talkback and production talkback. You can make an
adapter cable with an RJ45 connector using this pinout diagram.
| Eng TX+ | Eng TX- | Prod TX+ | Prod RX+ | Prod RX- | Prod TX- | Eng RX+ | Eng RX- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
RJ45 pinout for ‘talkback’ connector on the back panel of Blackmagic Studio Converter.
DB-9 Tally / Audio in connector pinout diagram
The DB-9 tally connector lets you connect to third party tally systems. A pin out diagram is provided below if you need to build a custom cable.
| External view | Pin | Signal |
|---|
Tally / Audio in connector| 1| PGM Audio in Ch 1 +
2| PGM Audio in Ch 1 –
3| PGM Audio in Ch 2 +
4| PGM Audio in Ch 2 –
5| PGM Audio GND
6| Green tally on/off
7| Green tally ground
8| Red tally on/off
9| Red tally ground
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