Resolume Forum

As the subject says, would love help with multiple camera input into laptop. I've had a search online but can't seem to get a clear "do it this way" answer.

Recently swapped from mac to PC. I have a Predator 15 PC (i7) laptop running Resolume Arena 6.

I am wanting to set up a multiple camera input, 4 x cameras (at this stage will most likely be go pros).

I only want 1 output, and I want to slice/map the 4 cameras within one raster - (i.e. show all 4 cameras at the same time, I don't want to use the laptop as a switcher). That part is easy...
BUT what is the best way to input 4 separate camera feeds into the laptop? I don't even need 1080, smaller resolution is fine.

I've looked into blackmagic and AJA, but being a noob with PC laptops, I need further help. Can I just instal a blackmagic capture card on to this PC? Do I need a desktop to do that?

I have some budget but not a massive amount of money to get this done, so economical is what I'm after. Wanting advice from someone who has done something similar, Thanks so much in advance!

You’re looking at external options. Although big there’s no room in the laptop for a capture card.

What connections does the laptop model you’ve got have?

You may wish to consider a single external capture card running at HD, and a quad multi-viewer upstream of that to pre combine your camera feeds.

You can then split up the signal in Resolume using crops.

Thanks for the reply! I have seen your suggested solution in my research and considered it - would I be looking for something like the blackmagic multiviewer?

The only problem with this is outlaying money for something that wouldn't be transferable across
projects if I want to use multi cam input again (but at full HD). I wouldn't use a multi viewer much in
everyday projects except for this one specific project.

Have you bought the laptop already? Or just researching? You’d really be better off with a desktop machine for this purpose.

Blackmagic multi viewer, or a Decimator model, that’s the sort of thing I was meaning. I assumed your cameras are SDI but that may have been a big assumption!

I don’t know how your mileage will go with four USB or Thunderbolt (has your laptop got thunderbolt?) external cards, I feel you may have a bad time!

Also, if it’s just for a one off event then you should probably consider hiring! Lots of people will have multi-viewers in stock at reasonable prices.

Empyfree wrote: ↑Mon Sep 03, 2018 07:32 Have you bought the laptop already? Or just researching? You’d really be better off with a desktop machine for this purpose.

Blackmagic multi viewer, or a Decimator model, that’s the sort of thing I was meaning. I assumed your cameras are SDI but that may have been a big assumption!

I don’t know how your mileage will go with four USB or Thunderbolt (has your laptop got thunderbolt?) external cards, I feel you may have a bad time!

Yes I already have the laptop and use it at shows. Was a long term MacBook pro user but changed recently as am exploring all Virtual Reality has to offer and mac has dropped the ball on that one.
It's a tour, so a few dates but one "project" as it were. I did think about hiring something.
I've done this sort of thing before the old school way - i.e. 5 broadcast cameras through a studio desk and then pip'd & mapped onto one screen, but that was a much bigger budget.

So to confirm, the blackmagic multi view outputs the quad split as one image?

It's weird because I messaged Resolume on fb about this, and they said "yah entirely possible, easy even"
but then other people have said impossible.

Still not sure what inputs your laptop has? Let us know and we can make some more specific suggestions.

If you've got thunderbolt you might be able to use an external PCIE enclosure with a Blackmagic multi input card in it.

If you're stuck with USB3 your options become a bit more limited.

And yes, the Multi-viewers spit out a combined quad view which you can use.

How about a thunderbolt 3 enclosure with a DeckLink Duo 2, if you can go SDI?
Looks like you also have 4 USB3 ports on the machine, there are a lot of USB3 capture cards you could use.