GoPro Hero 4 Black as Live Feed Camera in QLab 3.1.12 with 150 ft cable solution

[Raechel Kula]

Here is the solution I found, hopefully it will be useful for others trying to use a GoPro Hero 4 Black in QLab Camera cues!

1) Upgrade QLab (to 3.1.12) and reboot twice then launch and close QLab.

2) Plug in the USB cable and connect the Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle USB 3.0 to the USB 3.0 port on the Mac.

3) Plug the HDMI cable into the HDMI In port on the Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle USB 3.0  

4) Set the GoPro Hero 4 Black to record 720p x 60fps (wide "s" or narrow both work)

4) Using the appropriate adapter, plug the HDMI cable into the GoPro Hero 4 Black

5) Verify the video capture by launching Blackmagic Media Express and selecting the Log and Capture tab.  (At this point the Output Format setting for the Video Output in the Blackmagic Desktop Video Utility is set to 1080p30 on the white screen.  The black initial screen may say NTSC or 720p59.94.  Ignore the black screen, but verify the setting on the white screen.)

6) Launch QLab 3.1.12 to enter the Workspace Settings and set the desired Camera Patch to Intensity Shuttle 720p59.94

While not intuitive (720p60 -> 1080p30 -> 720p59.94), these settings appear to be the only combination that works.  I've now tested changing each of them individually and they either revert automatically or nothing comes through the Camera cue in QLab.  With the update and reboots everything actually auto-detected on my system (MacBook Pro Retina 13in Late 2013; 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7; 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3; Intel Iris 1536 MB graphics;  OSX 10.10.3 Yosemite ).  

For further reference, on my system there is about a 5s lag before the video becomes smooth after the cue launches, but activating the Camera cue at 0% opacity with a 5s Post Wait before beginning a Fade up to 100% handles that problem just fine.

I have also tested it using USB and HDMI over Cat5e extenders to give me a 150 ft umbilical cabling solution that keeps everything powered and connected for moving around on stage.

If any of the experts in the group read this and notice something crazy I'm doing, please let me know.  We're taking this show to Edinburgh in August so I still have time to make modifications.

[Sean Dougall]

On this topic, I have a recent experience to share. My GoPro Hero 3+ Black, after extremely light usage (being plugged in maybe half a dozen times for testing at my desk), lost its HDMI jack. One day the connector just broke free from the PCB and was jiggling around loose inside the camera body. As far as I could tell, it had only really been held on by the surface mount pins, so it's clearly not designed to be as rugged as the rest of the camera.

On the plus side, GoPro’s support was very responsive, and they repaired the camera even though it was technically out of warranty. However, even with minimal shipping time it still took a few weeks, so I might suggest having a spare camera as part of the gear for such a setup, just in case. And if the camera is going to be handheld, definitely put some care into strain relief for the HDMI connection.

The GoPro rep I talked to said that this isn’t a common issue, but I suspect that’s mostly because very few users’ workflows involve the HDMI output at all; this seems to be considered a bit of an “off-label” usage for their cameras. That said, it’s still hard to beat the combination of quality and size for the price, so I still think the GoPro/Blackmagic combo is a great option for live camera input into QLab—but I am starting to recommend those added precautions.

--

Sean Dougall

se...@figure53.com

[Freddy Komp]

Hi all,

On Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 11:29:18 PM UTC+10, sean wrote:

One day the connector just broke free from the PCB and was jiggling around loose inside the camera body...

Yes, this happened to me as well at the time... I then straight away did the following (NB, obviously you are modding your housing/frame, but what is a bit of plastic compared to your gopro breaking?):

1. got myself a HDMI to Micro HDMI lead
2. got myself one of the sceleton housings (or, if protection is not important, just any of those black plastic frames, depending if you want to use it with extra battery pack or screen, potentially the deeper one even) - NOTE: If you are working with a housing, you need to saw it in half, so that it will be held together by the back door hinge and the latch on top, if you are only using a frame, you will be able to just unscrew the base, and bend the OPPOSITE side (not where the leads are coming out) in able to pull the gopro off its connected leads later...
3. drilled a hole in said housing/frame (or two - sometimes I like to also glue a mini USB lead in at the same time)
4. insert the GoPro, into the frame, insert the leads.
5. generously (and potentially in several steps) hot glue the lead(s) to the frame/housing, then return them onto the housing (your restraint against breaking sideways), and hot glue that whole arc very generously in - NOTE: if the whole is too big for the plug, hot glue might get onto the gopro, making it harder to pull it off once hard - I usually try and put i.e. some cinefoil or tape of sort onto the gopro first, then with a scalpel carefully cut an exact whole for the plugs, then hot glue - then said glue attaches to the tape or black wrap, not the gopro
6. voila - sturdy, reliable connection, and your gopro plugs will only ever come out straight, never pulled sideways. I have done this for a drummer wearing it on a headstrap as he was doing a big solo - makes you want to protect your baby ;)...


Cheers,

Freddy