How to to capture 2 hd streams with Blackmagic Intensity shuttle Thunderbolt!

Armando

it works! Yesterday I tested double HD capture with 2 hd streams with 2 Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle pro connected to the same macbook pro (look at my signature for mac tech specs). It works just fine. Boys and Girlz @ Blackmagic did a very good job. It is seamless.

Here is a step by step "how to"

1) Install the blackmagic drivers ( I tested on the latest diver version under maverick 10.9.1 (yes I know, living dangerously danger is my motto) and the 2 thunderbolt interfaces on the mac.

2) Look in System preferences in the blackmagic section. You'll see a new menu that appears on top of the blackimagic section of the system preferences. You can switch between the 2 in order to set (if you need to do so) different specific settings and processing characteristics for the 2 inputs.

3) In Isadora go to input menu / live capture settings (or command-l) as usual.

4) click on the dropdown menu of "Device" property. Now you can see all the long list of blackmagic video capture settings (like 1080i 24, 1080i 30, 1080p 60, etc etc.). But now the list is double long. It is repeated in 2 blocks because at the right of each setting I can see 1 in the first block and 2 in the second block. Choose the right codec for you camera.

5) choose channel for the input stream in the Channel Select /enable section of the window. A "Video" window appears. In the compression pane of the window, choose the Blackmagic RGB 10 bit codec. Isadora is not choosing it by default like it choses for other firewire video digitizers like Canopus ADVC 55 and ADVC 100

5) without leaving the "Video" window, check the Source pane before validating, because there is where you tell if you are going to capture PAL or NTSC. CAREFUL! Do that (choose here if you capture pal or ntsc) every time you launch Isadora because each time you start Isadora, preferences in this window pane go back to NTSC!!!!! So, if you are a pal person you need to check this every time you launch izzy with Intensity shuttle thunderbolt (at the moment).

6) Repeat step 4 and 5 for the second video input channel.

7) Click on start capture button in the Isadora "Live Capture Settings" window.

And voila! 2 HD streams into Isadora with 25 rock solid FPS in PAL

About CPU impact. On my mac (see my signature for tech specs) I see on the simplest patch (video in watcher and projector) the a simple internal Isight capture with preview window "costs" 122%. With 2 HD streams it "costs" only 135 %. (sorry I didn't check cycles. But... what the hell I'll soon and check with triple DH capture using an extra Blackmagic mini recorder.

fredvaillant

Hi Armando,

Do you think it's possible with the usb3 version ? Or one usb3 and one Thunderbolt ?

Thank's.

Aolis

Fantastic. Thank you for this information!

I am slated to be testing basically this same setup on Monday with the addition of a TripleHead Digital SE out of the HDMI to see if I can get a 3 out 2 in system working off a MacBook Pro Retina.

-Alex

Aolis

Would love to know myself if the USB3 version will work concurrently with the thunderbolt versions.

Armando

Hello Fred and Aolis.

I didn't test usb and thunderbolt together. I only tested the thunderbolt versions of the Minirecorder and the intensity shuttle. So I cannot be sure. But I'm 99% sure that it works because the 2 devices appeared as device one and device 2 in the system preference blackmagic pane and in into Izzy's capture settings as 2 cameras. So, again, I didn't see it but working usb AND thunderbolt together but there is no reason it shouldn't work too.

fredvaillant

Thank's for that.

I'l give feedbacks when I'll get it.

Armando

@ Fredvailland. Unfortunately "no mixed marriages". I posted this elsewhere in the forum but I have some answers. USB and THUNDERBOLT intensity shuttle DON'T work together because even if you install the 2 different drivers only one is read by the system and the one is read is determined by which kind of device you plug first. If you plug thunderbolt the usb is not seen as usb device and viceversa. 2 thunderbolt (even one intensity and one minirecorder) are ok and read as 2 devices both from the Blackmagic system preferences and Isadora). Same thing for USB.

check my fast tutorial

[Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQKysR2leHM)