Nekochan Net

Here's a dumb question, which is probably wishful thinking. But I thought I'd ask anyway because I can't find any sort of answer on Google.

Could something like this be used as a "video converter" for taking component video in and magically pushing SDI video out of it? The bottom picture (SDI outputs) is what would go into the missing blank in the top picture.

So if this wouldn't work, then the only alternative is an AJA box or a modded DVD player?

Just the box by itself I don't think so. But if you had the capture card and software from a non-SGI (something with cheaper video options) and set the input to analog component and output as SDI it should work. You might not even have to record to disk, though if you did you wouldn't get exactly real-time playback but it would be close. Without the associated hardware/software to tell the box what to do I don't think it'd work.

If it doesn't and you have to go the dedicated converter route, there are other brands besides the Aja that may be cheaper, especially if you're looking only at SD. Pinnacle (earlier Truevision) made a multi-in/out box called MADRAS that was stand alone or could be interfaced with their Targa capture cards.

Not used Mirandas converters for a couple of years, but this one will do the trick

http://www.miranda.com/product.php?i=133&l=1

That is an avid meridian breakout box.

It wont do any conversion, in fact it wont do anything at all without the meridian pci card, and media composer software

Do you think the quality would pretty much be the same as one of these? http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/miniconverters/

Ultimately I'd like to get my hands on a pre-modded DVD player. http://www.custom-ht.com/sdi/players.html

Although the versatility of the converter box would be nice too.

The miranda converters are better - at least better then the fist generation of BMD converters.

We dont have any of the newer ones, but we have some of the old BMD SDI->HDMI converters and they are god awful - they have all kinds of motion artifacting and such