BNC to Firewire to laptop for streaming to LiveStream?

[Micky Hulse]

Hi,

I hope this is the right forum for my question. Sorry in advance if I posted to the wrong forum.

Here's my situation:

I work for a newspaper and we occasionally run into situations where we have to grab a live tv feed from the local television stations via BNC connection.

Currently, our only equipment is a Canon XHA1; we take the BNC to RCA, and then plug the RCA into the XHA1, and then record to tape.

Here's my question:

What equipment would your recommend if we wanted to ditch the XHA1 and go directly to laptop via FireWire?

We would love to bring a BNC to FireWire convertor that plugs into the laptop and can used for LiveStream streaming and/or recording directly to the computer using Adobe OnLocation.

Does such a device exist? If so, what equipment would you recommend?

Thanks so much for your help!

Cheers,
Micky

[Chris Medico]

Why not run the firewire on the camera directly to the computer??

[Micky Hulse]

Hi Chris! Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it. :)

Originally Posted by Chris Medico

Why not run the firewire on the camera directly to the computer??

Oh, sorry if I was not clear.

The BNC gets converted to RCA which gets plugged into my XHA1. From there, I would go firewire to my laptop... I have not actually tested this, but I am sure it would work.

I guess I was looking for a way to cut the bulky/heavy XHA1 out of the loop... When I am out on these types of assignments, the less equipment I have to haul around the better.

I think this would be a nice setup:

BNC

to

"analog to digital video convertor" (which would hopefully be smaller and lighter than my XHA1)

to

firewire into laptop

The above setup would allow me to ditch the XHA1 "midddleman".

Sounds like maybe the XHA1 is my best option?

Hmm, now I am almost wondering if a tape deck would be a good buy? Do tape decks allow one to record and do they have a firewire out that could be recognized as a video device by OnLocation and/or Livestream software?

Sorry if silly questions. :(

Thanks!
Micky

[Chris Medico]

Ah.. Sorry. I read it wrong.

You can use a number of video input devices. Most will be USB though. If you must use firewire you can pick up a used nNovia deck like this one on ebay:

nNovia QuickCapture QC A2D2 video recorder DataVideo | eBay

They aren't cheap but do a good job. Much smaller than the camera.

I have several that I use as digital recorders and as A/D converters for analog video.

They were bought by DataVideo and were rebranded as a DN-XX recorders. The DN-50 mentioned in the ebay listing above was for the version with the removable hard drive.

[Hart Boyd]

Originally Posted by Micky Hulse

Hi,

I hope this is the right forum for my question. Sorry in advance if I posted to the wrong forum.

Here's my situation:

I work for a newspaper and we occasionally run into situations where we have to grab a live tv feed from the local television stations via BNC connection.

Currently, our only equipment is a Canon XHA1; we take the BNC to RCA, and then plug the RCA into the XHA1, and then record to tape.

Here's my question:

What equipment would your recommend if we wanted to ditch the XHA1 and go directly to laptop via FireWire?

We would love to bring a BNC to FireWire convertor that plugs into the laptop and can used for LiveStream streaming and/or recording directly to the computer using Adobe OnLocation.

Does such a device exist? If so, what equipment would you recommend?

Thanks so much for your help!

Cheers,
Micky

They do exist and can convert just about anything. I have personal experience with some of Grass Valley converters but there are lots of other companies that make them also.

Converters and IP Distribution | Grass Valley

We have had very good luck with their ADVC1000 model for our webcasts as we also needed a solution to capture audio/video to our laptop via firewire also. You just need to pick the right one based upon your input signal you are given. In our case we needed to capture an SDI feed.

ADVC1000 | Grass Valley

[Chris Medico]

Yep, this one will do analog to DV via firewire and costs less than a nNovia recorder too:

ADVC55 | Grass Valley

[Micky Hulse]

You folks rock! Thanks so much for the tips.

ADVC55: "unit does not require a power supply when used with a 6-pin FireWire (IEEE 1394a) cable."

Now, that's a huge plus.

I found ADVC55 and ADVC1000 on Amazon... The 55 model is definitely more in my/our price range.

Unfortunately, because we only do this occasionally (once or twice a year), I am not sure what the common input signal is... Do I need to worry about this with the 55 model? It looks like the 55 has RCA and SVIDEO inputs... I am guessing I could just convert BNC to RCA (using the cables I already have) and then plugin into the 55 with my firewire to my laptop.

Chris/Hart, have you used the 55? Do you know if it will work with OnLocation and/or be recognized by LiveStream's software for streaming live?

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the pro tips. :)

Cheers,
Micky

[Chris Medico]

I have not used that one.

I've used some of the more consumer oriented USB devices and they have worked OK but not great. I currently use the nNovia DVR decks since I already have them. Otherwise I would consider that box.

[Micky Hulse]

Ah, I see. Thanks for the help Chris (and Hart)! I really appreciate it. ;)

I actually started a thread on the Livestream Forum to see if anyone has used the ADVC55. I will post back here if I learn anything new.

I will also let ya'll know if it works with OnLocation (I assume it will, considering the specs list Premiere Pro as a supported app).

Much appreciated.

Cheers,
Micky

[Hart Boyd]

I have not used the 55 but the ADVC1000 that I have shows up as a DirectShow device and Windows Media Encoder can see it along with OnLocation.

You can get some RCA to BNC adapters and you will be set for video. You have not said anything about audio but I would also get some RCA to XLR adapter so you can take a feed in from a sound board.

[Micky Hulse]

Originally Posted by Hart Boyd

I have not used the 55 but the ADVC1000 that I have shows up as a DirectShow device and Windows Media Encoder can see it along with OnLocation.

Very nice! That's (great) news to my ears. :)

I can only imagine how much better the 1000 is compared to the 55, but unfortunately the price tag is a bit steep. :(

Still though, it looks like the 55 will be perfect for our needs. :)

Originally Posted by Hart Boyd

You can get some RCA to BNC adapters and you will be set for video. You have not said anything about audio but I would also get some RCA to XLR adapter so you can take a feed in from a sound board.

Doh, good point!

I totally spaced on the audio. I will be sure to pick up an RCA to XLR adapter. Thanks so much for pointing that out. :)

I am still waiting to hear back from someone at Livestream... But, to be truthfully honest, I am considering researching how to stream video to our own servers (i.e. cut out the Livestream middle man).

Anyway, if I hear anything from LS, I will post back here.

Thanks Hart & Chris! You guys rock!

Have a great weekend.

Cheers,
Micky

[Hart Boyd]

You only need the ADVC1000 if your video source is SDI. If you have a composite signal I think the 55 will serve you well. We stream to our own servers internal to our company so if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

[Micky Hulse]

Originally Posted by Hart Boyd

You only need the ADVC1000 if your video source is SDI. If you have a composite signal I think the 55 will serve you well. We stream to our own servers internal to our company so if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Thanks for tips and offer of help Hart! I really appreciate it.

I am not sure when I will have time to experiment with streaming on top of my normal job duties... I guess that's one of the nice things about Livestream, i.e. you don't have to do much technical work. On the other hand, I am not a fan of the random bumper videos and/or the price tag for the "pro", sans-ads, account.

Well, I may be back with more questions. :)

Have a good Monday!

Cheers,
Micky

[Micky Hulse]

Originally Posted by Micky Hulse

Anyway, if I hear anything from LS, I will post back here.

Interesting news from the LiveStream tech support:

I don't believe we have tested with this specific device. We have however done extensive testing with the 110 and 1000 models though.

110 product page:

ADVC110 | Grass Valley

The price is not much more than the 55. I can only assume it is a bit better than the 55? Fortunately, they are both powered by Firewire (a huge plus in my book).

Thanks!
Micky

[Hart Boyd]

Make sure that your laptop has a 6-pin firewire as most have a 4-pin and that will not supply power to the device.