Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

Using the Church Webcasting System, YouTube, etc. Including cameras and mixers.
davidscott59
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Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#1

Post by davidscott59 »

We will be upgrading to the new VidiU system soon. However, we have these Sony SDI cameras and AVDH-1 video distribution amps that only support the SDI format. I suspect that there are many of us out there that have this set up. So even though this new streaming system supports HDMI, we will never achieve very good video quality when we are using these lower end video signals. So my question and gripe here is why require the upgrade to the VidiU if it will not improve your webcast quality? The best data rate we will achieve will be 500Kbps. And video quality coming from these 1980s CCD technology Sony cameras is terrible. If the GSC wants us to use this new system then I feel they should be offering a full package solution. Meaning HDMI all the way from the input source to the end source!
The other gripe is just 6 months ago we spent time and money to upgrade our system with the "new" AVDH-1 distribution boxes at both our buildings. Now with this new system they will be just about OBS.
And yes I understand that high end PTZ cameras and video distribution/converter boxes are not cheap. But if we are going to be serious about this streaming video technology change then we need to spend the money on good equipment.

Thoughts? Solutions?
russellhltn
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#2

Post by russellhltn »

Just because the VidiU is HD-capable doesn't demand that the rest of the system must be.

They did a partial upgrade to the system in our stake center. They'll be supplying a VidiU and have just installed a AVDH-1.
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davidscott59
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#3

Post by davidscott59 »

I should clarify. Yes I know the VidiU can support SD video. We currently have a webcast solution with the "communicator" computer. It works fine, but the video quality is very poor when you compare it to what people are used to viewing today on HD systems. It is SD at 700Kbs bandwidth. So my point is spending money on upgrades is fine but at this point, for us it does not buy us much since the bottleneck is our Sony SD cameras. Which I suspect will be the case with anyone upgrading. Perhaps someone can suggest cost effective HD cameras and video distribution amps...
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#4

Post by russellhltn »

Maybe not for your situation, but for some, switching to a HD camera creates a problem with in-building video distribution.
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davidscott59
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#5

Post by davidscott59 »

@ russel, yes it does for us too. Thus my concerns and frustrations with changing to this new technology, when we have RF cabling all throughout both our buildings! and HDMI cabling is out of the question for long runs, and audio latency. Again, I'm not sure of the whole benefits of this upgrade if your only getting partial components updated, there seems very little benefit from it. The video image at the other end will still be cruddy looking SD resolution. I would like to see a whole package deal put together by the powers to be in SLC that provides the best quality for everyone. IMO if the church is going to be serious about this going forward then we need to have Pro quality solutions installed. Not Consumer products. My stake pres has asked me to find a solution. However, I would like to see this (my solution) harmonized with what SLC is planning.
russellhltn
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#6

Post by russellhltn »

I think the plan is to "future proof" the encoder. I understand there is a plan to move the meetinghouse to digital distribution, but it will be done when each meetinghouse reaches it's "referb" date. It won't be a general roll out like Internet was done.
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justincy
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#7

Post by justincy »

davidscott59 wrote:@ russel, yes it does for us too. Thus my concerns and frustrations with changing to this new technology, when we have RF cabling all throughout both our buildings! and HDMI cabling is out of the question for long runs, and audio latency. Again, I'm not sure of the whole benefits of this upgrade if your only getting partial components updated, there seems very little benefit from it. The video image at the other end will still be cruddy looking SD resolution. I would like to see a whole package deal put together by the powers to be in SLC that provides the best quality for everyone. IMO if the church is going to be serious about this going forward then we need to have Pro quality solutions installed. Not Consumer products. My stake pres has asked me to find a solution. However, I would like to see this (my solution) harmonized with what SLC is planning.
I don't know much about how buildings are wired for video, so this might not be relevant. But it seems that if your current solutions works with SD, and using HD is problematic, then you could use Open Broadcaster with a mid-grade laptop for encoding instead of the VidiU. Would that fit better into your current setup?
CalS201
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#8

Post by CalS201 »

With the recent announcement by the Presiding Bishopric that the VidiU Encoder is available FREE to all interested stakes, the transition is painless. Simply purchase the $50 "Composite to HDMI Converter" from the Church's store (or MonoPrice) and the VidiU will work with any stake's EVI-D70 composite/SD camera systems. This is a small price to pay for a a more reliable system with webcast diagnostics and the future ability to do HD.

If you want to upgrade to HD webcasting, add a camcorder for $200. To inject the camcorder's HDMI video into the bldg's composite/rf system, add HDMI Splitter($30) and HDMI to Composite Converter($50) and plug it into the camera input in the overflow area.

Finally, Teradek sells a $100 HD video mixing/webcasting program (LIVE:AIR) for the iPad that connects over wifi to one or more camcorders via their VidiU (mini) Encoders. Buying a second camcorder and VidiU lets you approach a more professional webcast with a variety of views and the ability to do pan/tilt/zoom offline. If several stakes pooled/shared their respective camcorders and VidiUs, the expense is minimized!
lajackson
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#9

Post by lajackson »

justincy wrote:I don't know much about how buildings are wired for video, so this might not be relevant. But it seems that if your current solutions works with SD, and using HD is problematic, then you could use Open Broadcaster with a mid-grade laptop for encoding instead of the VidiU. Would that fit better into your current setup?
For our last conference broadcast, we used a VidiU box and it worked well. Everything else was SD.

Part of your decision should factor in the instructions all FM Groups have received to provide the VidiU unit to the stake.
weldon
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Re: Using VidiU with older technology Sony EVI-D70

#10

Post by weldon »

I went through the same process of trying to figure out what it would take to bring HD video to our stake conference. Our stake center is limited to 2MB upload bandwidth, so we can't even get close to sending an HD stream out. Instead, I've tried to focus on getting the cleanest 480i SD signal that I can. We have one decent PTZ camera and I borrowed another. Cleaned up a bunch of cabling and now we're getting a pretty good picture. Of course it's not as sharp as 1080p, but nice clean 480i can look pretty good.
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