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AVPro Live Camera

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by AndrewRH, May 24, 2012.

  1. Cenda

    Cenda

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2010
    Posts:
    66
    Hi Andrew, your plugin is exactly what I want, but some question.

    I need capture to disk 4 video stream simultaneously with this card http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/decklinkquad/ , without any delay, it have to be with same timecode. I also need view this 4 capture in preview window in Unity, it dont have to be realtime, but captured files must be without any errors in 1080i with BlackMagic MotionJPG or any compressed video.

    Is it possible? Or I need also AV PRO MOVIE CAPTURE for this?

    PS: Future updates of your plugin are free? :)
     
  2. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi Cenda,

    Shoo, you don't ask for a lot do you? :) hehe!

    I can't guarantee that the plugin will be able to achieve perfect frame-to-frame duplication. In the current version there are certainly some frame-drops that occur from time to time. We're already working on this for the next version where we're adding some much better timecode logic and buffering for crucial applications like yours. The plugin is capable of capturing the 4 inputs into system memory. From there you'd need a plugin like AVPro Movie Capture to actually encode them into an AVI file using the BlackMagic codecs.

    You are going to need a pretty monster machine to encode 4 1080i steams though!

    And yes, future updates to the plugin are free for now.
     
  3. Cenda

    Cenda

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    Jun 3, 2010
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    Frame drop is problem, so I will wait for update. I am testing your AVPro Movie Capture now, it looks that I can capture directly from my decklink card. I dont have SDI camera for test now. So can I use only AVPro Movie Capture plugin ? From your answer I understood that I need both plugins.
     
  4. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    AVPro Movie Capture captures anything on your screen or from Unity textures, so if you can somehow get the decklink images into Unity then you should only need this plugin.

    At this time I haven't seen another way to bring DeckLink capture card data into Unity without our AVPro Live Camera plugin but please let me know if you find something.

    Thanks,
     
  5. norbykov

    norbykov

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2010
    Posts:
    23
    Hi Andrew,

    Quick question again: have you tested the plugin with network cameras? I guess that would mean network streaming capabilities, is that possible with the plugin?

    Cheers,
    Norby
     
  6. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    I'm afraid I don't think that's possible. This camera works with local DirectShow cameras... You can test it using the demo on our website, or if you can get your network camera working in Skype or another typical application then there may be a chance the drivers support it.. But for standard network streaming, no it won't work.
     
  7. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    I'm pleased to announce that version 1.6 has just been released!

    Changes in this version include:

    1) We've added a deinterlacing filter for guys with interlaced camera formats. Just check the 'deinterlace' checkbox and it just works!
    2) Unity 4.1 added support for non-power-of-2 textures. We now support this and it's a nice optimisation and makes updating textures faster!
    3) Added support for hot-swapping camera devices. You can get notifications when a camera device is unplugged or connected.
    4) Added mirror display to GUI Display component so you can easily mirror the webcam image using a checkbox in the inspector.
    5) Various other things...

    Please give feedback and keep the suggestions flowing :)

    Thanks,
     
  8. mleblanc

    mleblanc

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2013
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    Hello, I've just imported the 1.6 package in a empty project and I got this error:

    Assets/AVProLiveCamera/Editor/DemoInfoEditor.cs(12,17): error CS0246: The type or namespace name `DemoInfo' could not be found. Are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference

    And in Mono:
    AVProLiveCameraDevice.cs(72,72): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)
    AVProLiveCameraDevice.cs(34,34): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)
    AVProLiveCameraDevice.cs(60,60): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)
    AVProLiveCameraFormatConverter.cs(131,131): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)
     
  9. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi mleblanc,

    Sorry we seem to have missed out DemoInfo.cs in the 1.6 release! We will fix this today by releasing version 1.61. In the meantime you can just delete the Editor/DemoInofEditor.cs file and ignore/remove any Missing Script messages you get in the editor.
     
  10. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi!

    A new version (v1.62) of AV Pro Live Camera is out!

    This version fixes the DemoInfo script build error from the previous (1.6) release and also fixes some window dragging/resizing issues.

    Thanks,
     
  11. imtrobin

    imtrobin

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    can this work on mobile, or can you make one that does work.
     
  12. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    It won't work on mobile and we currently don't have any plans to support this. I thought Unity already supported cameras on mobile devices?
     
  13. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi StephanK,

    We've recently been able to get hold of an IDS camera for testing. We identified a bug in our software related to the IDS that caused the feed to slow down after a few minutes. We'll be releasing a new version of the plugin tomorrow and this bug should now be fixed. I'll be intersted to know if the new version works better for you. Sorry it took so long to fix this bug but without having the hardware it can sometimes be difficult.

    Thanks,
     
  14. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi Everyone!

    Another month, another update. We've just released version 1.7 of the plugin to the Asset Store.

    New in this version:
    + Improved Camera Explorer demo
    + Fixed bug affecting IDS-Imaging cameras
    + Optimised frame conversion
    + Highspeed cameras (>60fps) now supported.
    + Improved internal frame buffering
    + Added grabbing from internal frame buffer
    + Added counter for captured and displayed FPS
    + Added documentation about layers of abstraction

    As usual you can grab the demo from the website and get the real thing from the Asset Store

    Thanks for all the great feedback over the last month.
     
  15. darfnut

    darfnut

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    Jun 7, 2013
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    Howdy,

    Looking to use live input as a texture to evaluate optical flow. Do you see any issues with this?

    darf
     
  16. mleblanc

    mleblanc

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    Mar 26, 2013
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    Hello, when I import the package I always have 5 errors:

    AVProLiveCamera\Scripts\Wrapper\AVProLiveCameraDevice.cs(72,72): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)
    AVProLiveCamera\Scripts\Wrapper\AVProLiveCameraDevice.cs(34,34): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)
    AVProLiveCamera\Scripts\Wrapper\AVProLiveCameraDevice.cs(60,60): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)
    AVProLiveCamera\Scripts\Wrapper\AVProLiveCameraFormatConverter.cs(131,131): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)
    AVProLiveCamera\Scripts\Wrapper\AVProLiveCameraPixelBuffer.cs(64,64): Error CS0241: Default parameter specifiers are not permitted (CS0241) (Assembly-CSharp)

    I fix them manually but they reappear each time I update the package :)

    Another thing I modify locally is to support custom TextureWrapMode (I need repeat because I use negative U to flip the input to create a "mirror effect"). It would be great if I was able to pass it in parameter like I do right now.

    Thanks!
     
  17. yifan024

    yifan024

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    Is there a list of what video capture card supported?
    Thank you
     
  18. shanemarks

    shanemarks

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    Hi Darf,

    There should be no problems with this at all. AVPro Live Camera gives you access to the webcam stream as a texture to work with and process as you wish via the variable : AVPROLiveCamera.OutputTexture

    Regards,

    Shane Marks
    Support
    contact@renderheads.com
     
  19. shanemarks

    shanemarks

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    Hi Solo0024,

    Unfortunately we do not have a specific list as it would be far too long. That being said it should work with any Directshow compatible capture card.

    Regards,

    Shane Marks
    Support
    contact@renderheads.com
     
  20. shanemarks

    shanemarks

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    Hi Mleblanc,

    Have you updated your plugin to the latest version? I cant seem to replicate the problem on my side. Could you possibly supply some further details as to your setup. What version of unity are you using and is your mono / IDE setup in a unique configuration (e.g. a different mono subset?)


    thanks for the feature recommendation, we'll consider that for future releases!


    Regards,

    Shane
    Support
    contact@renderheads.com
     
  21. mleblanc

    mleblanc

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    I use Unity 4.1.5f1 with Mono 2.8.2. I don't understand how default parameter can work, it's a C# 4.0 feature, and Unity is using C# 2.0 Framework. There's something I don't understand :)
     
  22. shanemarks

    shanemarks

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    Hi Mlebanc,

    Mono can target the 3.5/4.0 framework. By default it should be targeting 3.5.

    Right click the Assembly-CSharp item in the mono solution and click options. Then under build change the target framework from 2.0 to 4.0

    Repeat for Assembly-Csharp-Editor.

    Please see this post for further details

    http://answers.unity3d.com/questions/176305/default-parameter-specifiers-are-not-permitted.html

    Let me know if this resolves your problem. If this not, please email me at contact@renderheads.com so we can take a closer look at the problem.

    Kind Regards,

    Shane Marks
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2013
  23. DUG0528

    DUG0528

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    Jun 11, 2013
    Posts:
    1
    Hello, AndrewRH.
    When I use this app to get TV-captured video and sound, I could see videos. But I can't hear any sound.
    Does this asset support the sound of TV-capture card? or Any plans?
    I really want to play video games on unity3D.
     
  24. yifan024

    yifan024

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    Jun 5, 2013
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    same problem here
     
  25. shanemarks

    shanemarks

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    Nov 8, 2012
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    Hi Anmolder,

    This plugin only captures webcam / video streams so unfortunately there is no support for audio capture. Should you wish to capture the audio video stream to disk, please look at our AVPro Movie Capture Plugin This will capture audio streams provided they are exposed as a windows recordable/input audio.

    Regards,

    Shane
    Renderheads Support.
     
  26. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Audio support from tv-capture cards is something we'll try to add to the next version (1.9).
     
  27. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    New version just released! Version 1.8!

    As well as fixing a number of bugs and rare performance issues, the plugin now support even more cameras! We added support for Lumenera cameras and cameras with MJPEG, RGB24, 8-bit mono and various other exotic modes and pixel formats.

    There's an updated demo on the webpage and a new version to upgrade to on the Asset Store.
    Thanks for all the great feedback and do continue to let us know how you use the plugin.
     
  28. DamirS

    DamirS

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2013
    Posts:
    19
    Hi,

    i use that Plugin - great Work on that! I want to grab (if its possible just a specific rectangle) a frame from the Live Camera Stream. Starting the CameraGrabDemo crashes always. Does anyone else experience that ?
    Assigning the Component to my scene (attached to the Gameobject with the other Live Components) also results in a crash.
    Any ideas ?

    I am using a Decklink card for input.

    yours
    Damir
     
  29. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi DamirS,

    Are you using the latest version ( 1.8 ) of the plugin?
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2013
  30. reneforestpoker

    reneforestpoker

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2013
    Posts:
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    Hi Andrew,

    Just received a call from a client for the following:

    They want people to enter there email adres and then leave a video message. The video must then be uploaded to Youtube and the user gets the link by email.
    We want to use a Decklink HD Extreme for video input. And use AVPro Live Camera to display the video.
    Within Unity we want to display stuff over the video. Countdown etc.
    Then use AVPro Movie Capture to record the video (30sec), but without the overlays. Just the input form the Decklinkcard. And get the sound from windows input (or is it possible to select the decklink).
    Then the video has to be compressed (AVPro Movie Capture?).
    After that the video has to be uploaded to Youtube.
    Our idea was to Upload the compressed video to a webserver and from there upload to Youtube and send a email to the user.

    5 Questions:
    1: The setup above would do the trick? What are the min computer specs to record 1080i50?
    2: Can I use AVPro Movie Capture to compress the video?
    3: How did you do the youtube upload in the DELL project? I would really like to keep everything within unity.
    4: Do the plugins work in Unity Free?
    5: Can I select the Decklink as an audio source?

    grt,
    Rene
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2013
  31. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi Rene,

    To answer your questions:

    1) Yes, I think your proposed idea would be fine. We have done simlar things in the past.
    2) Yes, with Movie Capture you can select whichever codec you want. In the past we have used Lagarith codec and then done the extreme h.264 compression as a post process in the background. We have also used x264 codec with 'fast' settings so that we can compress in real-time. The compression isn't as good but in generally it's a good balance between size and speed.
    3) For that project we actually had a separate tool which ran in the background looking for completed videos and uploaded them to you tube. It also handled the emailing to the user.
    4) No I don't think it does as AFAIK the free version of Unity doesn't support plugins. I think you can use the 30-day trial of the Pro version if you want to test it out.
    5) Yes, DeckLink audio can be selected and recorded to disk as a stream in the video file.

    Anything else just give us a shout.
     
  32. kylekaturn

    kylekaturn

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2013
    Posts:
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    Hi

    I'm just updated to 1.8 version from asset store.

    after update, when I run my project, console says [AVProLiveCamera] Unknown video format 'RAW_RGB24

    before update, it was fine.

    I think something is missing with 1.8 version.

    Thanks.
     
  33. reneforestpoker

    reneforestpoker

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    Tnx for your response, it answered all of our questions.
     
  34. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Thanks Kyle, you may be right! Sometimes when putting out a new release we make a mistake! We're taking a look now...
     
  35. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Version 1.82 has just been released. This version just has some bug fixes for cameras with RGB24 modes.

    Thanks,
     
  36. cjdavies

    cjdavies

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    Jun 23, 2013
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  37. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi, Thanks for reporting this issue. We weren't aware of this issue and are keen to resolve it. Internally we do try to keep track of devices based on their GUID instead of name. If you could please send me an email www.renderheads.com/contact/ then we can try some changes and send you a new build of the demo to test.

    Thanks,
     
  38. CosmicLab2

    CosmicLab2

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    Aug 3, 2013
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    Hi, I can't get AVProLiveCamera to work for me. I moved the plugin folder to the assets folder as instructed, but get the DllNotFoundException message.
    See screen shot below.

    My setup:
    AVPro Live Camera v1.82
    Unity3D Pro 4.2.2 (same prob in 4.2.1)
    Windows8
    Intensity Pro

    The demo from your site has no problems capturing the Intensity Pro.
    I've re-imported the plugin a bunch of times, restarted, etc.

    Any help appreciated. Thanks!

    $AVpro_errors1.png
     
  39. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi ModuLight,

    It's trying to load the 64-bit version of the plugin, but this isn't supported inside the editor (only in standalone builds). Unity sometimes gets confused and thinks it's running in 64-bit. Go to your Build setttings and make sure it's set to 32-bit Windows. If it is already, try to set it to another platform, lik e Web Player, click 'switch platform' and then click on the 32-bit Windows and 'switch platform' again.

    That should fix it.

    Thanks and good luck!
     
  40. CosmicLab2

    CosmicLab2

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    Awesome, fixed, thanks!
     
  41. cjdavies

    cjdavies

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    Jun 23, 2013
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    I fond a unitypackage that does what I need, which uses the CL Eye SDK to enable 2x PS Eye webcams in Unity --> http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hecomi/20130731/1375279561
     
  42. AurelWu

    AurelWu

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    Oct 11, 2013
    Posts:
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    Hi bought your package recently - so far it's working like a charm but I wonder if there is any list of supported capture cards around. Right now I am using a Intensity Shuttle but I consider getting an additional one to get more inputs. Do you have any idea if any of the following will work with your software?

    Avermedia Live Gamer HD Capture Card
    INOGENI DVI / HDMI to USB 3.0 converter
    Magewell | XI400DE-HDMI

    Best Regards
     
  43. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi AurelWu,

    We have started a list of supported hardware - it's in the PDF documentation but it's not very complete.

    The Avermedia card will definitely work as we've tested with this before.
    The Inogeni device should work as it says it's DirectShow compliant
    The Magewell is also based on DirectShow so it should work.

    We have also used BlackMagic (duo, quad, intensity pro etc) hardware and Epiphan capture hardware.

    Basically any hardware that is DirectShow compatible should work.

    I hope that helps,
     
  44. govi627

    govi627

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    Jan 30, 2013
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    Hi!

    I am trying to use a DSLR for capture, (using Canon EOS 60D) . Are non-Webcam Cameras supported? If so what needs to be done for it to be recognized by the AV Live plugin? Currently I have the usb connected to the computer, and it shows up in the Device Manager as a portable device.

    http://i.imgur.com/8jWLdnz.png

    Appreciate any help!
     
  45. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    The device needs to be DirectShow compatible. Try software like Virtualdub to see if it appears in the list of devices (capture mode in virtualdub).

    Let me know if it works :)
     
  46. govi627

    govi627

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    I did a decent amount of sleuthing on the web, and I think I reached the conclusion that Canon is not DirectShow compatible based on this

    http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8795313/directshow-and-the-canon-eos-5d-mark-ii

    I did try virtual dub, but nothing showed up during capture mode unfortunately. Is there any hope for this to work?

    Joe
     
  47. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    That is a shame Joe...

    I can think of a few possible routes:

    1) Someone needs to write a DirectShow filter that uses the Canon SDK
    2) If your camera has HDMI-out and live feed (may need modding) then you can use a capture card (like DeckLink) to stream the camera feed in like a webcam
    3) Someone needs to write a Unity plugin using the Canon SDK
     
  48. AurelWu

    AurelWu

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    I dont' think using the EOS 60D via USB - even if you write custom software for it is going to be really good, as it's only a USB 2.0 Connection which is probably too slow for a decent HD output.
    I did use DSLR's in combination with HDMI capture cards in the past. The issue is that most Camera's do not provide a clean HDMI output (without any on-screen display elements). I don't own a EOS 60D so maybe you can disable all OSD elements with the standard firmware.
    The workaround I used for a EOS 550D and 600D was to install the custom "Magic Lantern" Firmware which allows you to get a clean HDMI Feed. Be advised though that theoretically things can go wrong with Magic Lantern and brick your Camera - Although I never read about anyone have that happen with any non-beta versions of Magic Lantern.
    Edit:
    Apparently you can get a HDMI output without any OSD Elements on the EOS60D by using this little trick: "If you go into the "face-dectect AF mode" and then turn the the AF switch on your lens to MF then that white box will disapear." So no need for Magic Lantern if you shoot with manual focus and if that random internet person who commented on a Vimeo Video is telling the truth ;)
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2013
  49. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Interesting stuff! Be great if someone could confirm that :)
     
  50. EarMaster

    EarMaster

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    Mar 7, 2013
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    Has anyone tried to use the plugin with one of the Decklink Mini Cards (http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/de/products/decklink/models/)? I need to save space and therefore the ability to use low profile cards would be a great solution to save lots of space as the case of the computer would be more than half the size of a regular one…
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2013