New to this group - does anyone know if VDMX plays well with Blackmagic UltraStudio 4k mini? I want to send the video out of the BM piece. Thank you for any information.
It should work fine with most BlackMagic Design devices. All depends on if your system (M1 or Intel) supports the hardware:
This is from BlackMagic’s Forums:
What’s new in Desktop Video 12.0
For Mac OS
Add support for the following products on Mac OS Big Sur:
M1 and Intel Macs:
DeckLink Duo 2
DeckLink Quad 2
DeckLink Quad HDMI Recorder
DeckLink 8K Pro
DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G
DeckLink Micro Recorder
DeckLink SDI Micro
DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K
DeckLink Mini Recorder
DeckLink Mini Recorder 4K
DeckLink SDI 4K
DeckLink Studio 4K
UltraStudio Recorder 3G
UltraStudio Monitor 3G
UltraStudio HD Mini
UltraStudio 4K Mini
UltraStudio 4K Extreme 3
Intensity Pro 4K
DeckLink 4K Pro
DeckLink 4K Extreme
UltraStudio 4K
UltraStudio 4K Extreme
Intel Macs only:
DeckLink Mini Monitor
DeckLink HD Extreme 3
DeckLink HD Extreme 3D
DeckLink SDI
DeckLink Duo
DeckLink Quad
DeckLink Studio
UltraStudio Express
UltraStudio Mini Monitor
UltraStudio Mini Recorder
Intensity Pro
Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt
2 Likes
Hello VDMX users,
Regarding the PCi Black Magic cards; does anyone know if it is possible with only 1 card (i.e. a “DeckLink Duo 2” with 4 independent SDI) to have at the same time 2 cameras in input and to output on two projectors?
My wish is to expand my system (multi camera and output) and I plan to use a PCI card in an expansion box (i.e. Sonnettech). Has anyone ever used this type of system/configuration?
If so, can you please tell me more. For example, what is your configuration or the pitfalls to avoid, etc.
Thank you for your feedback :)
I have a Sonnet expansion enclosure and have used it with a Black Magic Intensity Pro + single HDMI camera input and everything worked. I’ve also used it for SD output for old CRT / TVs. But can’t vouch for the DeckLink Duo tho.
1 Like
Thank you for your feedback 
. As I have a rush project, I took the risk to order a Sonnet + DeckLink Duo 2. I’ll share my experience in a few days 
2 Likes
Hello VDMX users,
To complete this thread, here are my latest experiments. I now have the following configuration:
MacBook Pro M1 max; OS Monterey 12.6.2; Sonnettech Echo Express SE I; Black Magic Decklink Duo 2.
It works well overall. I was able to properly stream in 4x 1080p25 camera feeds without a problem. VDMX is stable, the output frame rate is around 80 fps and I didn’t notice any performance drop (e.g. due to temperature) after 1-2 hours of use.
I am still experiencing a number of VDMX blocking. When activating/detecting cameras, VDMX tends to freeze (forced to quit and restart). In the end, I always managed to connect the cameras correctly after a few restarts. I advise to always connect the Sonnet box before launching VDMX, it helps. When I close VDMX, it is impossible to exit the program normally while the Sonnet box is connected; I have to force it to exit every time. If we disconnect the box while VDMX is running, it will also block.
I also experimented with SDI video output (via Black Magic Output module) and it works. The quality of the output via SDI is not as good for the colorimetric rendering as via the HDMI plug. For me, the module is not very practical because it is placed hierarchically in a place that I do not understand, it does not take into account the fade of the selected layer.
Best ;)
1 Like
I had a quick question about the ultrastudio 4k mini, so i recently tried to use it at a venue that had this installed for a two projector setup. My m1max was reading it and and showed up in display preferences and even in the vdmx displays preferences as well where i clicked on the output but i wasnt getting any signal from it and just displayed a black screen. It was my first time using the ultrastudio4kmini so i wasnt sure if i needed to change something through there or through my end from my computer. Any help would be greatly appreciated for future gigs.
Did you install the desktop video drivers on your machine? It lets you connect and configure the 4K Mini.
1 Like
I did not as I was told just plug into it and it would work but that wasn’t the case here unfortunately. Everything showed up as it should through my end but no output was displaying.
I may be wrong, but I had to install Desktop video to get the Ultrastudio Recorder to work. To the best of my knowledge, most BlackMagic Design devices are not plug and play.
2 Likes
I suppose this is a separate topic but the same thing happened to me with a higher end outdoor venue projector and I just couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t output anything through it, just got a blue screen the entire time. Seems like this only happens to me with higher end equipment, I feel like its something I need to change through my end in system preferences or something 
This is hard to answer without knowing the specifics of your setup.
-
How were you connected to the projector? (SDI/HDMI/VGA/DVI/NDI/HDBaseT/etc.)
-
What was your output device? (BlackMagic/Thunderbolt dongle/ other)
-
What was the native resolution of the projector. A lot of projectors have a native resolution larger than broadcast standards (e.g. 1920x1200 WUXGA). BlackMagic devices are designed for broadcast standards (e.g. 1080p30 1920x1080p29.97).
-
Mac devices may try to connect with HDCP protocols. Some older projectors (or devices that had their EDIDs cloned and blacklisted by Apple) will not handshake / connect with an HDCP signal. And depending on your Mac settings, if it requires HDCP at that moment, your mac will not display an image.
In my experience, BlackMagic devices are designed for broadcast standards and are not always the best for live performance projects. Even the newer Decimator devices are good for HDMI to SDI conversions, but if you contact decimator, they’ll tell you that only a few of their newer devices are “compatible” with computer resolutions. It’s not to say that their older devices won’t work, its just that they don’t guarantee it or offer support for those units.
2 Likes
So I was just going hdmi out from my M1max into the projector directly with no dongle or Blackmagic inbetween. The resolution was high at 2560x1440 
Your M1 Max HDMI should support 4K60p. How long was your cable from computer to projector?