Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini Recorder

So I bought this on Amazon in 2015, I really never used it. I bought for a specific job and didn't need it I didn't have the time to learn it - until now June 2020. My company had a huge live streaming show to make. We had up to 40 different phones from all over the world feeding into a switching truck. My boss asked me to get a device that we can capture the live feed that was going to YouTube. The truck gave me a feed with all the graphics just like the stream. Previously I downloaded the latest Desktop Studio (11.5.1) and installed it. Blackmagic uses this software for many of its capture devices. I was using an older Mac Pro "the trashcan" it was great for this because it has the Thunderbolt 2 connections which are the same as the Mini Recorder. Install the software before you hook up the Mini Recorder so when you connect it can find it. When you plug in the T-Bolt cable you will see a little light on the box. That is the power indicator. I had to give the Mac permission to install as the Sys settings were set semi tight. The drive I was using for capture is a small 2 - 2.5" SSD drive enclosure that has a hardware RAID. I opened the utility and change the setting from HDMI to SDI as that was my feed. I left that window open just to always confirm it hadn't changed. Connected the box, added the SDI cable, and the drive.There is a simple piece of software in the install that you can use, Blackmagic Media Express, this will allow you to do a capture of the feed. In BM Media Express preferences, pick the Capture Video format you want, and the destination disk the files go to. That is about it, I had a couple of days to practice because the tech team did rehearsals. It is tricky in this program to name the files but I finally found the answer buried in BM support forum. The name is a combination of the Description, Reel all the things below name. You hit the little plus sign to the right of these choices and it populates the name. You can't just type the name, I kept it simple. It was frustrating and took me a while to find the answer. You are welcome. There isn't much documentation on this software. But it works really well, it did for me. Our 2 day program was divided into 6 events 3 a day. So I just made sure I hit capture before the show started and then stopped it by hitting capture again to stop it recording. Practice with it so you know it works before showtime.One annoying thing is you cannot monitor the audio while recording (if somebody can do this - post it please). But I did so many tests that I knew the embedded audio was there on the recording. Make sure to check your Mac audio input System Preferences to make sure the BM box is selected. I wasn't fed timecode but if I was it was supposed to be in the feed as well.So the 2 day show was streamed live and I found out after the first event my recordings were the source of the posted videos. Our editor took the files and trimmed stuff they didn't need and prepped them for YouTube upload. So these event recordings have been watched by over 100K of people. It worked really well.Only other thing is after I got familiar with the capture utility, I started using the box with - BM Davinci Resolve 16. It is more complicated than the included app, but that is what I used. I like the naming workflow better. The picture looked the same after I dialed in Resolve, but Resolve has way too many settings for someone starting out.Oh yes one of the captures was over 2.5 hours long and the Mini Recorder never overheated. Not super simple but it worked really well.

Llego en tiempo y forma en óptimas condiciones

This device means I can connect my broadcast camera to my Macbook, so we can go live on Zoom and Facetime Live. It's plug and play. Picture quality is great. Works straight away. Had to get the cable and the USB C adapter for it, If anything with all the bits, it was quite pricey.

I bought this so I could use my HD camcorder for Facebook live. It works as advertised. If you're using a Mac, just make sure you go into Settings > Security & Privacy, and "Allow" BlackMagic after installing the software but before launching it. I didn't do that at first, and it was their customer support that told me about that. They answered within a couple of hours of my inquiry...and on a Sunday! Great product, great service.

Superb for good quality capturing of old videos professional masters