You'll be shocked to hear I spent far too much time this week again working with the broadcast setup. Interestingly (and frustratingly) I got on a tech support call with a chap named Dmitri at BlackMagic Design who, after complementing me on building a recording studio that would normally require six people to operate (hah, that explains a lot), broke it to me that my inclusion of an HDMI splitter is the root of my problems. HDMI doesn't like being split… it's fine for showing off a DVD player on 30 TVs at Best Buy, but not for a broadcast scenario. The HDMI "handshake" doesn't like it, and fails to connect — or disconnects — on a setup like mine. The proper solution, Dmitri explained, is to go from HDMI to SDI, then use SDI splitters (which you can go large on), and finally convert SDI back to Thunderbolt to connect to the computer.
One of the challenges I've had since day one is trying to operate this off my relatively new Mac mini, but not so new that it has more than on Thunderbolt port. I truly should have a Mac Pro in there, with six Thunderbolt ports, which would make this a LOT easier, but obviously a lot more expensive, too. Fortunately I now have a plan to work around that, and even if down the road I want to expand this and do buy a Mac Pro, nothing I have now will be obsolete.
Anyway… the adventure continues.
Beauty After Breast Cancer interview
The studio did get put to good use for an interview about the Beauty After Breast Cancer project. It was a long-form Q&A that will get distributed in pieces, and once they start showing up online I'll be sure to share them here. I participated only in a few questions, then stepped out while Katelyn, the principal on the project, took the rest.
Katelyn smiling for the camera!
A new DIY Photographer video
It's been two weeks, so that means it's time for another DIY Photographer video on lynda.com! This is the first of the second batch that I was down there shooting a month or so ago, and these were shot in a whole different environment — in the lynda.com construction workshop! It was so fun shooting in there, and I love how these turned out. This first one is simple, fun and a little bit silly.
Remember, these are free only until the next one is released, two weeks from now. If you miss any you can always sign up for a seven day free trial and watch the whole course, and hopefully keep your subscription and enjoy everything lynda.com has to offer!
Calm before the storm
The majority of the past week however was spent preparing for the next two weeks. I have two simultaneous video projects to complete by the end of the month (neither of which I can tell you what they are yet, shhh!), so there will be a lot of running around. I'm going to San Francisco Monday and Tuesday to shoot, back in the studio Wednesday and Thursday to shoot some more and get editing started, then Friday morning I head to Creve Coeur, Missouri for a series of mini Panasonic LUMIX workshops at Creve Coeur Camera Friday evening and all day Saturday. Believe it or not I'll fly back home Saturday night! If you're in the area, you can sign up here.