BlackMagic Design Troubleshooting
Follow these steps if you are working with a Mini Recorder, Intensity Shuttle or Intensity Extreme that is plugged in but not displaying video in an encoder.
Video not showing in Encoder. This is the most common problem you will troubleshoot.
If you are using a saved file in Wirecast, start here. If not, skip this step. If a source was added to a Wirecast file and then the file was saved, the program will show the thumbnail for the Ultrastudio Mini-Recorder, even if nothing is connected.
1) Open Desktop Video (Apple Symbol then System Preferences). Make sure the software is reading the Mini-Recorder. If it is, skip to the next step. If not, you need to troubleshoot that issue.
If Desktop Video doesn't itself see a device, refer to this article. If it does, but no video is showing, follow these steps:
Open up the Mac's System Report (Apple Menu -> About This Mac -> System Report). Select the Thunderbolt tab under Hardware. This will list the Thunderbolt ports and their statuses. If the Thunderbolt port does not see the device, it will look like this:
If there is no device connected, unplug the Thunderbolt cable and plug it back in. If there is another Thunderbolt port available, try that.
Next, try flipping around the Thunderbolt cable. Take the end plugged into the computer, and plug into the Mini-Recorder, and vice-versa.
If this still doesn't register a connection, there might be an equipment issue. Try switching in a new Thunderbolt cable. After that, try plugging the Thunderbolt cable and Mini-Recorder into another MAC, and check that computer's System Report.
If there is still no device connected on the second computer, the problem may be a bad Thunderbolt cable. If there is connection after swapping cables and checking multiple computers, the problem may be a faulty Mini-Recorder.
Note: In rare cases, the System Report will read a device, but Desktop Video won't. In that case, try updating the version of Desktop Video and restarting the computer.
2) Once you have verified that Desktop Video sees the Mini-Recorder, make sure it is selected to the right input, whether HDMI or SDI.
If it is, ask the client if they are outputting 1080p from the Camera. If so, they need to change that to 720p, 1080i or another quality. Refer to Camera guides for that process.
3) If the device is recognized in Desktop Video and the input is correctly set, the issue is likely a problem in the encoder. Some encoders, like Wirecast, tend to aggressively remember sources, and the state they're in. It can easily get stuck thinking that a source is not inputting video or audio, even if it is.
If there isn't a live event occurring, the best thing to do is restart the encoder. Make sure you are actually quitting the program, not just exiting the file (clicking the red X).
If there is a live stream you don't want to disturb, leave the streaming file open, and then Open a brand new empty file as well. try adding the Mini-Recorder into that new file. If it shows here, you should be able to close this file and head back to the one you were originally working with.
Now, delete and re-add the source. Since the program has a new "cache" of the source in which the video is running, it should load here as well.
If this doesn't work, you may need to restart the encoder.
If using Wirecast: If it doesn't work upon restarting, try clearing the Asset Manager (Media -> Show Asset Manager -> Select the Mini-Recorder -> Hit Delete -> Hit Apply) Try adding the mini-recorder as a device again.
4) If there is no video after you have restarted the encoder and Desktop Video is reading the device, follow the steps below.
If you are using a brand new Wirecast file or a different encoding software, and there is still no video, start here.
1) Open up Black Magic Media Express (Spotlight search) and click on the tab "Log and Capture"
2) If the Black Magic software is seeing a video feed, it will appear here. If not, this screen will be black as well.
Note. The video cannot display in the encoding software and Media Express at the same time. Close the encoding software before opening Media Express, and vice-versa.
3) If the video appears here but not in the encoder, then the issue is with the encoder. Restart the program, and if that doesn't work, create a new saved file, since that one may be corrupted.
If the video does not show in Media Express, then the Mini-Recorder is not recognizing video from the Camera.
Try unplugging the HDMI Cable, and plugging it back in.
If this doesn't work, see if they have a replacement HMDI cable they could try swapping in.
If not, see if they have an HMDI-compatible monitor they could run the cable directly from the camera to. If they do, that will tell us if the video is making it through the workflow.
If there is video on the monitor, then something may be wrong with the Mini-Recorder. Before reaching that conclusion, though, try restarting the computer.
If there is no video in the monitor, then the problem is either with the HDMI cable, or the camera. Try swapping in HDMI cables and see if video shows on the monitor.
If not, you need to check the camera. Ask if the HDMI port feels loose, in which case that is likely the issue.
If not, check the video settings of the camera. Like I mentioned before, 1080p feeds will not work with Black Magic devices. Change the quality if necessary. Different cameras will have different settings menus, so find a manual for the camera.
In rare cases, cameras will have the option to select an SDI output, HDMI output AND an output that includes both. If the "both" option is selected, switch it to one or the other.