Configure Blackmagic Capture Cards
Last updated
Last updated
Important Note: These steps only apply if you have purchased and are unboxing your own Blackmagic Capture Cards. These steps have been completed for you in servers purchased directly from Userful.
If you have purchased a server from Userful, please go directly to the Blackmagic Capture Source.
Before beginning, your cards should be unboxed and installed inside an active Userful server.
A new-out-of-box card will more that likely require a firmware update in order to function with the driver.
Log in to a Linux Desktop Source to check for Blackmagic firmware updates.
From the top menu, click on Applications -> Sound and Video -> Blackmagic Firmware Updater. Follow the prompts to update the firmware if needed. If no update is required, it will indicate that all devices are up to date.
Once complete, the system will need to be shut down and powered back on again for the updates to take effect.
Some models of Blackmagic Decklink card require renumeration of the PCI bus after a firmware update. This is why the system must be shut down and turned back on.
Keeping to the Linux Desktop Source we created earlier, we need to set correct I/O options on the cards.
This time, we use the Applications -> Sound and Video-> Blackmagic Desktop Video Setup application.
The process differs depending on the card.
Configuration for the Mini Recorder 4K is simple and reflects the one-or-other nature of the card - you can use the SDI or HDMI ports for capture, but not both at the same time.
Under the Video tab, select the SDI or HDMI port, depending on which you intend to use and click Save.
By default, the Duo2 is configured with alternating input and output ports (hence the name Duo - 2 inputs, 2 outputs), which we must change in order to fully utilize all 4 ports (ignoring the 5th reference in) as input.
Click Decklink Duo (1). Under the Video tab, go down to Connector Mapping and change the Connector value for the port. It will say "SDI 1 & SDI 2", as below. Change this to SDI 1, and click Save.
The process is similar for the remaining ports:
Decklink Duo (2) - Change to SDI 3
Decklink Duo (3) - Change to SDI 2
Decklink Duo (4) - Change to SDI 4
Repeat this process if you have more than one card.
Like the Duo2, the Quad2 is configured by default with alternating input and output ports (hence the name Quad - 4 inputs, 4 outputs) which can be changed to allow us to fully utilize all 8 ports (ignoring the 9th reference in) as input.
Click Decklink Quad (1). Under the Video tab, go down to Connector Mapping and change the Connector value for the port. It will say "SDI 1 & SDI 2", as below. Change this to SDI 1, and click Save.
The process is similar for the remaining ports:
Decklink Duo (2) - Change to SDI 3
Decklink Duo (3) - Change to SDI 5
Decklink Duo (4) - Change to SDI 7
Ports 5,6,7, and 8 should already be at the correct settings, but it is a good idea to check anyway:
Decklink Quad (5) - to SDI 2
Decklink Quad (6) - to SDI 4
Decklink Quad (7) - to SDI 6
Decklink Quad (8) - to SDI 8
Repeat this process if you have more than one card.
This animation shows the entire process of configuring a server with a pair of new, out-of-the-box Duo2 capture cards installed, from the Linux Desktop source.
Because HDMI connections are much more common than SDI, Userful ships and recommends Blackmagic HDMI to SDI Micro Converters as an accompaniment to the Duo2 and Quad2 cards. Like the cards, they need to be updated out-of-the-box before they will work with Userful.
This procedure requires you to have a Windows or Mac PC with administrative user rights (install and run programs) to complete. You will also need a cable with USB-C at one end that you can connect to your computer (older models of Micro Converter use Micro-USB).
Download and install the Blackmagic Converters software from this website, and run the software.
Connecting the first converter to your PC with a USB cable should produce an immediate result. If there are any firmware updates available for the converter, the software will inform you immediately, and you should apply the update. If there is no popup, the device is running the latest firmware and can be used immediately.
You are now ready to move on to configuring Blackmagic Capture Sources!
Userful On-Premise servers equipped with SDI capture cards (Duo 2 or Quad 2) can easily be configured for failover by using the second output port on the HDMI-to-SDI converter.
Userful On-Premise servers with HDMI capture cards will need to be fed from an HDMI splitter. These are recommended.
