Hello,
I am working on a project that requires us to connect an ultrasound machine to an AV io SDI via a blackmagic HDMI to SDI converter. I have tested the AV io SDI with a signal generator running 1920 X 1080 @ 60 and the system works as expected. When I connect it to the ultrasound via the HDMI to SDI converter the Av io SDI does not detect a signal. I compared the ultrasound output to the settings of my signal generator and the only difference I noticed is the ultrasound is outputting 1280 X 1024. Do you think this could cause a problem? The exact signal flow is DVI output to a DVI to HDMI adapter, then a 15 foot extron HDMI cable to the blackmagic HDMI to SDI converter. From there I have a 1’ RG-59 connected to the AV io SDI. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Tim
It’s possible it could be the converter itself that is not converting the signal to a correct signal type, or possibly a power-delivery related issue with the slightly longer signal run.
As a practical test, try using a shorter 3ft or 6ft cable in the workflow to see if it corrects the issue. If the signal is seen with a shorter cable, it could be signal degradation. I’d recommend using an active/directional HDMI cable.
If the issue persists, this would rule out the signal degradation and likely be a signal conversion/compatibility issue with the BM converter that may require testing a different make/model of signal converter.
I initially thought it could be the converter, but when I replaced the source with my signal generator everything worked as expected. Does the Av io SDI capture both 16X9 and 4X3 images? Do you think colorspace could be an issue (even though this image is grayscale)?
It should be able to capture any standard resolution between 640 X 480 up to 1920 X 1080, however AVio only supports SD, HD and 3G SDI. If by chance the BM converter is upscaling to a non-standard resolution, or converting to 6G or 12G SDI, that could certainly be a factor. Can you provide a link to the BM converter tech specs so that I can investigate further?
Here is the model I am trying to use.
Thank you for the help on this! Here is the model I am using.
Tim Frye
It looks like there should be some switches on the converter itself, and it’s possible the default might not accommodate stard SDI or 3g-SDI. Page 53 of the BM user manual provides the steps on how to set the switches correctly for SDI other than 6G or 12G
Hopefully changing the switches based on the SDI needs will converted to a recognized format standard!
