HD Webcast Production: Choosing Video Scalers and Converters
In this ongoing Streaming Media Producer series on webcast video production, Shawn Lam covers the video format converters he uses in his own HD webcast workflows, and one new converter that just might be the video converter, scaler, and distribution amplifier to rule them all.
One Converter, Scaler, and Distribution Amplifier to Rule Them All?
Is there one device that can do it all--convert, scale, and distribution-amplify--for under $1,000? When I started writing this article I didn’t think there was, and I certainly hadn’t seen any at NAB 2013. But as I was doing my research I came across a new device that promises to do it all: the $995 Roland VC-1-SC. The SC is part of a new VC-1 line of converters that Roland launched at NAB 2013, although the SC model wasn’t announced until June at InfoComm, which is why it is news to me, and likely to many of you.
A quick look at the inputs and outputs in the context of the needs I have presented in this article will help you understand why I am so excited about this one converter that does it all. I have not yet reviewed any of the VC-1 converters, although they are on my review wish-list--watch this space for a future review of the VC-1-SC.
The Roland VC-1-SC (Figure 7, below) has VGA, HDMI, HD-SDI, and even legacy composite video inputs and outputs to HDMI or HD-SDI. As a video converter the VC-1-SC has more available video inputs that most converters, but its real value comes when you consider it also can scale and act as a distribution amplifier.
Figure 7. The Roland VC-1-SC. Click the image to see it at full size.
If you are given a VGA signal from a presentation switcher or laptop, you can convert and scale to an HDMI and/or HD-SDI output for your video switcher. Sending a feed back to the projector if needed is one workflow where you would need an additional converter, as there is no VGA pass-through, so you will either have to use a VGA DA or HDMI- or HD-SDI-to-VGA downconverter if you need to send a VGA signal for projection. This assumes the projector cannot accept an HDMI or DVI input, which is becoming more of a rare occurrence--but is still one potential workflow limitation I felt I should mention.
Beyond the VGA-to-HDMI or HD-SDI conversion you can also use the VC-1-SC as a scaler if the VGA, HDMI, or HD-SDI signal you’re working with is not one that your video switcher can input. I get this all the time with my Blackmagic Design ATEM switchers as they lack scalers and require all inputs to be the same supported resolution.
Finally, if I need a distribution amplifier, any of my inputs can be output as two HD-SDI outputs, although the real power of the VC-1-SC is that all outputs are live. This means I can use both the HDMI and two HD-SDI outputs on a VGA or HDMI input, although because one of the two HD-SDI connections is bi-directional, you are limited to a single HD-SDI output if you use the HD-SDI input.
So you might want to hang on to your legacy format converters, scalers, and distribution amplifiers, because there will be workflows for which you just need more of something, or multiple different resolutions. But for most video switching workflows, the Roland VC-1-SC just might be one video converter, scaler, and distribution amplifier to rule them all.
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