How to Choose Video Converters and Scalers for Live 4K and HD Production

Scaling and Converting in the Video Switcher

As I hinted earlier, some video switchers have internal scalers and can support a wide variety of video inputs. But don’t assume that because a video switcher has VGA, HDMI, and HD-SDI inputs with scalers on each input that a VGA signal will look anywhere as nice as an HDMI signal from the same device. The quality of VGA-to-HDMI or HD-SDI signal conversion varies widely, and I’ve found that I don’t like many internal scalers, and prefer to use external VGA converter/scalers (Figure 4, below).

Figure 4. Barco’s ImagePro-II “all-in-one signal processor” provides scaling and conversion from multiple source formats and signals to SDI.

Just be careful, as many of these converters don’t support a wide and common range of input and output signals. Bottom line: Do your research.

With all the hassles and potential incompatibilities that come when working with computer signals, I carry several makes and models of signal converters, and usually two out of three can get the job done. Unfortunately, the same models don’t work for every application, so allowing for backup equipment, proper testing time, and a backup plan is critical. This computer signal hassle has also led me to increasingly run the computer slides on a second system if there aren’t too many and they don’t have transitions. I can either do this from a laptop I know to be compatible with my video switcher, or from the media pool on my video switcher after I export the slides as images.