Really! So in this day and age of digital grandiosity,you can't do what I am trying to accomplish!

Hmmmm. BUMMER! Of course I am not after HD just DV,so if that matters,then.....let's hear the suggestions.

Any others?

luces

1. No.
2:

You can get a 4 channel HD vision switcher for way less than a standard definition one used to cost. I'd be looking at units from Panasonic. The only thing is you need cameras with HD SDI outputs.

Audio can be handled through audio mixers of which there's many reasonably priced units today.

You're also going to need a recorder of some form but again there's heaps of choices available.

5. Vision is likely to be a couple of frames behind sound but there's audio delays available.


If you want an all in one solution for most of what you need to do I'd consider the Odyssey 7Q from Convergent Design.

That unit will record from 4 HD SDI inputs and provide a switched output as well as record an XML file of the edit points, very neat unit.

Bob.

Thanks for the reply farss.

So how about just using ONE camera?

Is Vegas an option for that?

luces

Vegas can record HD from one camera either via firewire or with the appropriate hardware via HD-SDI.

I see no advantage in doing this though and a major downside, risk.

Why not simply record in camera as per normal and take an output from the camera to a hardware DVD recorder.

For software solutions you could also look to products from Newtek and Black Magic Design. Both of those though use a lot of application specific hardware. When you're doing things like switching cameras and doing fades between cameras you need the right physical human interface, forget doing this with just a keyboard and mouse.

Bob.

Vegas can't allow editing the video while you're recording; it's merely a straight data transfer. After the recording is done you then load the video on to the timeline and do whatever editing you desire, which will then have to be rendered to a new output file. Even with the latest fastest hardware this is still probably going to take at least as long as the event. You'll then have to output it in some fashion, such as burn to DVD, which will also take some time.

Vegas simply is not, and was never intended as, a real time, as you record, editing solution. Not even with a single camera. You need dedicated hardware for that. There are solutions, but they're not software. Even still, i prefer the option to do all the editing in post where you'll have the opportunity to review and fix your mistakes. Mixing multiple cameras to a single output stream in real time means once it's recorded, it's done and there's no going back.

Personally, for an introductory low-ball budget setup, what i would do is offer the client the rough unedited version which can be made in near real time and handed over minutes after the event, and then offer a clean edited version to be delivered the next day. I've done this with almost every concert i've recorded, though of course those have all been audio-only recordings.

i think you're looking for a video mixer or switcher. would allow multiple video sources, real-time switching between video sources, record the output stream...

If you want to blow your budget, look into something like a Newtek Tricaster 460 ($20,000.00 + accessories).
It's a 4 camera device that will record the show as well as record each camera individually for "fixing it in post".
You'll still need an outboard audio recorder of some kind (for example, JoeCo) if you want to do the same thing with your audio but it can be done.

Mike

@rs170a

thank you for the link to the tricaster. I won't buy it, of course, but I learned some things I didn't know... one of them is that these live mixers are based on "standard" hardware and operating system, windows in this case (can't understand which version).
Other point is the video from the lan stuff, using several different protocols...

@ fp615,
the Tricaster is only one of several different devices designed to do live switching. However, to the best of my knowledge, it's the only one that lets you record individual camera inputs at the same time as recording a live show and allowing you to stream it live. The rest are strictly video and sometimes audio/video switchers.
Other manufacturers include Panasonic, For-A, Ross, Broadcast Pix and Roland, just to name a few.

Mike

Multiple cameras and the audio recorder will likely not stay in sync for very long without some kind of genlock. The most cost effective way around this is to record a reference audio track (scratch track) to the camera(s) which will facilitate post re-syncing either manually or with PluralEyes. If your experienced w/ audio recording, I'm sure you already know the issues with mic splitters, board feeds and room/audience mics.

Multiple cameras and the audio recorder will likely not stay in sync for very long without some kind of genlock.

Rick (rraud), I beg to differ. I've done several shoots with my department's Tricaster and recorded all audio on separate tracks, most recently using a mixer and a laptop running ProTools (before that it was Vegas and then another piece of audio software but the name escapes me right now). I have never had any problems syncing the audio to the video afterward. Maybe I'm lucky. All I know is that it works for me.
FYI, these shows were anywhere from 1 to 3 hr. long.

Mike

WOW! Lots of good info in this thread. Thanks again to everybody who has posted a reply!

luces

We have been considering something similar for a local theatre that is doing lots of live music and theatrical productions.

I would check out the Black Magic TV Studio ATEM as a low cost alternative to the others mentioned. You will supply your PC for the control application, but the rest of the basic hardware is in the ATEM unit.

I have been using analog SD system with DataVideo SE800 for a while now, but, I'd like to step up for HD resolution as well.
The challenge for being 'low cost', is not just buying this equipment only, but also need to consider the requirement for this 'whole system' is: Cables, Converters, Recorders.

I have similar interest too with these BMD ATEM TV or newer ATEM 4K
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/atemtelevisionstudio
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/atemproductionstudio4k

Anyone here have been using these switchers?

External Genlock is non-issue with switchers these days.
If 'rs170'a's audio stays in sync for 3 hours w/o a word clock, perhaps the audio in going through the switcher as well... , and the internal clocks are very stable.. or sync expectations are low.

The more recent the equipment, the more likely unslaved audio drift will be small, even across brands. This from the original developer of Pluraleyes. Even genlocked devices have "some" drift.

The more recent the equipment, the more likely unslaved audio drift will be small, even across brands. This from the original developer of Pluraleyes. If you looked at the new features in iZotope RX3, you'll see that they added tools to detect and correct wow & flutter and other types of speed changes. Since I have bothPluralEyes and RX3, I sent in a feature request to iZotope for them to add a feature in future releases that would let you specify a master audio file, and then use their software to make another take exactly match the speed and pitch of the master at every point in time. They definitely have the technology to do this, if there is the demand and if they have the desire to do it.

Adaptive sync to a reference file would be 'da bomb.
So would dynamic range / compression matching between takes.