Stepping up for reliable video in professional situations

[Pruitt]

Hola gang! I haven't been watching this group the way I used to, since Qlab has reached the point where it does what I need without issue. Whew! But now I do have a question for the folks who run video and need it to be bombproof. 

I tour with a show that uses a three screen set up, and we do a lot of gigs. 40 cities and around a hundred shows this season, mostly in large PAC halls. The show is trimmed down affair, with two people, three screens and projectors, but using house audio and lighting at each venue. The video runs to the projectors via HDMI and while it's generally solid once I get it settled, I do get occasional lost connections when an HDMI cable or the laptop gets nudged. I prevent it from happening during performances by taping down cables and not moving the computer, but I'm still aware that I'm riding the edge.. 

My question for those working at the highest levels, where failure isn't an option, is how do you ensure a secure signal, given that macbook pros have no locking connectors for video? I've worked with professional teams that bring in video switchers and servers, run SDI, etc. but I can't add that much gear to our setup. I've been looking around for some kind of lighter/minimal gear that could make those connections more robust, but I'm not having much luck. So... time to see what this very smart group has to say. 

Equipment:
Macbook Pro M2 Max
Three Optoma short throw 5k projectors

HDMI runs ranging from 20' to 60' 

Cheers!

Stephen

[Philip Perkins]

tape.

On Nov 23, 2025, at 11:30 AM, Pruitt <stephen....@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Jeff MacIntyre]

I, too, used to do a lot of live, multi-screen video work. HDMI has been the weakest link. One high profile venue's HDMI port on their projector crapped out in the middle of the show and one of their techs had to hold the cable at the right angle for the rest of the show. Good times!

After that, I switched my cable runs to SDI. Sure, the laptop is still a potential pain point, but grab a USB-C to SDI converter. As for the physical connection, I find C to be more reliable than HDMI. You still may need to convert SDI to HDMI for the projector, but use a high quality cable, tape it in place and you should be fine. For mission critical shows, I would replace HDMI cables every 3-5 shows (only the short ones). 

Many high end projectors have SDI inputs. I'd ask the venue before arriving in order to prepare. Good luck. Sounds like a dynamic show! 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/qlab/0153B586-730C-46C4-8594-A61D02FA3CC1%40linesballet.org.

[Adam Straus]

I agree with SDI. Plus, cabling is cheaper, and you can buy bulk and crimp your own connectors. 

On Nov 23, 2025, at 3:18 PM, Jeff MacIntyre <jeff...@gmail.com> wrote:



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