New Switcher for Film Festivals

First let me say hello to you all! I've been lurking on this website for a while and have gotten some great info from it.

However, I have been doing some research and wanted some other opinions out there so here goes.

I'm looking at getting a new video switcher for my venue, or come up with a good alternative to make my current system work, but we mainly handle simple presentations and film festivals. The latter being the one I'm more focused on at the moment.

Currently, I have the Panasonic AG-HMX100 3D, which is a great switcher, but it's biggest drawback is no HDCP. This is especially a problem since most of the times, I have film makers bring me Blu-Ray. If I want to use the switcher I basically have to downgrade to composite, which I know I can get HD from, but I lose my multi-view monitor. Even with doing this method, I still have some issues.

So, I was thinking about just getting a solid switcher, that also supports HDCP, so I was thinking something from Barco. I wanted to hear from the film guys out there what they use though, as entering into the cinema side of things is relatively new for me.

Thanks all

What do you need I/O wise? Format/resolution? Do you require the audio functionality that your current switcher has?

For a good multi-purpose switcher, I like the Barco PDS line of switchers. It'll take just about any input and any output, and is HDCP-compliant. Plus - you can disable HDCP on specific inputs, for macs for instance. No audio functionality, however.

kevlar557 said:

What do you need I/O wise? Format/resolution? Do you require the audio functionality that your current switcher has?

For a good multi-purpose switcher, I like the Barco PDS line of switchers. It'll take just about any input and any output, and is HDCP-compliant. Plus - you can disable HDCP on specific inputs, for macs for instance. No audio functionality, however.

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I primarily use HDMI/DVI inputs, but sometimes VGA. The output format that I'd like to have on a regular basis is 16:9 1080p/i, which is why I was looking at the 902s as I have also worked with them a great deal. They only have two drawback in my mind, one being no multi-view, and the second is no audio control. That's not something that's a requirement, but it's nice to have since there's not a snake run down to the booth from the PJ booth.

The things I like about the 902 are of course the HDCP, as well as up to 2k output. I have a 15k Christie with up to 2k resolution, so that's why I'm strongly considering doing away with the Panasonic mixer for good.

The Eikos2 from Analog Way might be another one to look at - has a quazi-multiviewer, audio mixing/switching, and all the I/O you could ever want. Plus all of the features of the PDS line.

kevlar557 said:

The Eikos2 from Analog Way might be another one to look at - has a quazi-multiviewer, audio mixing/switching, and all the I/O you could ever want. Plus all of the features of the PDS line.

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Are you referring to the eks500? I haven't used it too much, but it looks amazing... except it's about 20 grand. I understand that you're getting a TON of functionality, but that's a little too steep for my budget. Is seems like the 902 might be the way to go, especially with a price tag around 5,000.

Look up HDFury, it's a small box that strips HDCP from any signal. Technically speaking, this is illegal, however I can tell you that many professional and college stadiums, arenas, broadcast studios, etc. all use these boxes because they work (there's a few other brands as well that do the same thing, some officially, some unofficially). HDCP regulations have never actually been enforced since they were created.

AlexDonkle said:

Look up HDFury, it's a small box that strips HDCP from any signal. Technically speaking, this is illegal, however I can tell you that many professional and college stadiums, arenas, broadcast studios, etc. all use these boxes because they work (there's a few other brands as well that do the same thing, some officially, some unofficially). HDCP regulations have never actually been enforced since they were created.

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I have looked them up and even used their Dr. HDMIs, which only handles the EDID not the HDCP, however, I have heard success with the HD Fury. I have two major issues with using the HD Fury, the first is that it basically converts the video signal to an analog signal, which is how the HDCP is "stripped" out. While you can still achieve HD, it's not digital. The second issue is what you touched on about its legality. Since my venue is under a college and thus a state institution, I'm hesitant to do it. On a smaller note, I end up working closely with the film makers often and I feel that they may get upset about such a system.

That all being said, in some instances, I suggest the HDFury 3 to people. It works, but legally, it is in a gray area.

So I've narrowed it down to two switchers that I think would be good

The first is the Barco PDS 902-3G
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1001323-REG/barco_r9004694_pds_series_pds_902_3g.html


I've used it a lot and it's a really solid switcher, plus it's got most of the bells and whistles that you'd want in a switcher. It has two drawbacks in my mind though, the first is that it's quite expensive(~7,300 ). The lower models don't have preview outs, so they're worthless to me. The second drawback for me is that there isn't any easy and quick audio controls built in.

The second is the Roland V-40HD
http://www.markertek.com/product/rol-v-40hd/roland-v-40hd-4-channel-hdmi-multi-format-video-switcher-video-mixer

I like this mixer because it has everything I'm looking for, especially HDCP, plus a multiview out. On top of that, it's about 4,000. However, still no real audio support.