New triple output to avoid older Tripleheads

Michel

Unfortunately the Zotac Dual HDMI is not available anymore and will not be in future.

This would look like a good alternative but only for thunderbolt 3. And the thunderbolt 3 connection is the USB-C port of the new MacBooks :-(
https://www.startech.com/AV/Converters/Video/thunderbolt-3-dual-hdmi-adapter~TB32HD2

Best Michel

fredvaillant

@Michel

My problem is to find a setup in the next weeks because the project will be from june to end of august. I was waiting for new MBP with Thunderbolt 3 but they are in late. The theater has no video material at all and doesn't want to rent.

So I hit my head to create the best setup for two 1080p inputs and three 800p outputs with the actual material at the lowest price.

I think to buy an iMac with 4 GO on the video card, I have a BM ultrastudio minirec so with only one Thunderbolt 2 left, I hesitate.

Do I "buy" a usb 3 BM intensity shuttle and a MatroxTH2GO DP with a minidisplay/display adaptor or another BM ultrastudio minirec and this usb3 triple output ? Matrox product use also the existing GPU from the computer and I don't think that the in-name 2GO means an intern memory of 2 GO.

In the graphic cards C or M series it's clearly written on the Matrox website but not on their graphic expansions modules.

And Mac Pro is so expensive !

By the way this company has also this product but it's still for 2 outputs :

https://www.startech.com/fr/en/Cards-Adapters/Laptop-docking-stations/thunderbolt-2-laptop-dock~TB2DOCK4K2DP

Thanks for your attention.

Fred

fredvaillant

Or a PC but I'll be a newborn...

Fred

Maybe you can look at it differently, what do the all the outputs do, do they need frame sync all together, do they all need processing power. It may be easier to borrow a low end computer (even an old PC with 2 outputs) if it is just playing videos and remote it via OSC.

It could also sometimes work (depending on your setup) to run a single powerful good quality HD beamer to cover the three 800p screens and use mapping to fix geometry if the screens are not on the same plane. Although it is nice to do everything on one machine, a mac laptop is not the best choice.

In this case a powerful PC could do the job, you can even go for one of the easier hackintosh builds with multiple gfx cards. I just did a costing for a hackintosh for a project this morning and could put together a very powerful machine (i7 skylake, 250g SSD, 32gb ram, 4g nvidia video card, with 4x USB3 and thunderbolt) for about 1300 euros add another 220 for a second GFX card and you get 8 outputs if needed and 8gig of GFX memory....I am sadly typing this on an overpriced retina laptop.

fredvaillant

@Fred

My set is very special and I project inside in rear projection. I can't use a single projector because of distance and shade of the structure.

I just went on a Tony... Hackintosh site to have another feedback too.

I need to mix 2 live input HD streams together plus some movies and sometime my image is split on the 3 outputs and sometime it's different sources...

I also searched around Thunderbolt 2 PCIe boxes to put inside a BM deckling quad (2) but when I add prices after prices, cables and SDI converters I stop breezing.

Armando

Ciao @fredvaillant tu vas bien?

listen I did a big project in Rio last summer I used display port TripleH2GO (2, actually, on the last laptop so I had 6 hd outputs) and I tried 2 BM intensity shuttle both usb. It worked perfectly. And I also tried a thunderbolt intensity shuttle along with a usb model. Just one precaution : i tried almost one year ago and I wasn't able to use 2 thunderbolt BM intensity shuttle as hd video input. But as inputs one thunderbolt and one usb worked perfectly. Also 2 usb worked perfectly. I would finally recommend the TripleH2go and your bm recorder (which is thunderbolt on the second thunderbolt port of your MBP) and anothet BM intensity shuttle usb. What do the collective wisdom thinks?

fredvaillant

Bom Dia @Armando,

I listen carefully your advises. It"s true I'm not a computer man, I'm better in creation and set installation so I spent already many days to be in touch with actual material and I'm not happy with what I found. I'll order this material but it will not be mine, not my money so I can't do a mistake.

By the way, as I wrote in another post, after several trys, I've been able on Mavericks to use 2 BM ultrastudio minirec (and I have them).

I need to decide between the easy way appleshop or spend more time to build an Hackintosh boat, put a capitan on and start my sea crossing.

keftaparty

Hi Fred,

Can you specify what kind of signal you want to capture ?

One solution could be :

one box like this :

http://www.macway.com/fr/product/29300/thunder-2-pcie-box-chassis-dextension-thunderbolt-2-pour-cartes-pcie.html

with inside a Blackmagic decklink duo card.

note that the decklink duo is limited to 1080p30/1080i60, you can not capture 1080p60 with this card.

The box has thunderbolt in/out, so I think you can still connect a projector to the thunderbolt out.

Mehdi

fredvaillant

Hi Mehdi,

I turned around this product and it's written on akitio website compatibility : Graphic card of any kind are not supported ! but they say OK for BM decklinck studio...

I didn't find the OWC Mercury Helios 2 in France, the cheapest I only found was the SONNET Echo Express SII which is much expensive on Macway then on sonnet website but with the Blackmagic card

I need to think for a single project because as I said I will not keep this material later. I'll catch two 720p inputs (and I still bought a BM ultrastudio minirec for rehearsals) and output three 720p over 3 hdmi 30 m (or vga premium).

@Fred

Is it too much to ask you more about your Hackintosh choices ? You selected Skylake, I read there were some problems before 10.11.4, is it solved ? It's brand new and harder to find what works around... Did you find a mother board with Thunderbolt 2 ? Or are they on the graphic card ?

Thank's all for your advices.

Fred

keftaparty

Hi Fred,

A BM decklink is not a graphic card, it's a video capture card maybe hard to get, but you have to accept it. They are right with their specs, and you should be fine with this setup.

I am on a project that will involve this exact setup on next monday.

We have a macbook pro with a decklink duo, and 2 projectors.

I will give you a feedback on this.

I can't advice on Hackintosh, never did this, I prefer windows to OsX personnaly...

fredvaillant

Thanks, I'm waiting for this next useful feedback.

It's funny, you prefer Windows and use a MacBook Pro, I prefer OsX by habits and search around PC.

It's strange that on Sonnet or OWC, BM decklinks are compatible and not on Akitio. It it this Thunder 2 PCIe you'll use ?

Have a good project, busy man.

keftaparty

Hi Fred,

Akitio's website says it's compatible with decklinks for what I see.

I'm working on a project involving a macbookpro, but that's not my part of the job here...

have a nice day too !

Fred

@[fredvaillant](http://troikatronix.com/troikatronixforum/profile/227/fredvaillant)

It was based around this motherbaord GIGABYTE GA-Z170MX, here is a starter to get it going

https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/3s2knz/el_capitan_on_gaz170mx_g5_i56500_igpu/

Also nvidia GFX cards GTX970-but the model with 256 bit not 128 bit memory - you should be able to get two of these running nicely.

32 gig of ram, pic whatever you want, ADATA SSD Premier Pro SP920

This case -Aerocool Dead Silence Cube Black Edition

and Intel® Core i7-6700, 3,4 GHz CPU

There are some tricky steps to get it going as a hackintosh but it is doable, anyway it is a pretty good machine.

I also added all the extra fans I could (super silent ones) in the case.

fredvaillant

Thanks for that, I'll study this architecture.

Fred .

keftaparty

Hi Fred, the akitio enclosure works with a blackmagic decklink duo. It works for simultaneous capture in Isadora. Mehdi

fredvaillant

Thanks Mehdi, I chose the Hackintosh solution. I'll receive composants next monday... I'll try maybe akitio for my own MBP...

fredvaillant

@Mehdi,

Still happy with Akitio ?

The person in charge of the Hackintosh solution didn't attempt to make it work perfectly... I lost 2 months for that and I need to find and receive my configuration in 2 weeks.

I still hesitate between classic old Mac Pro or MBP or iMac with Thuderbolt/PCI extern BM Decklink duo 2.

Did you try to use the thunderbolt chain of akitio ?

keftaparty

Hi Fred,

Yes, we used the aktio and it worked fine.

Best

Mehdi