Blackmagic OpenGear Converter SDI to Audio

Includes everything you need to de-embed 4 channels of analog audio or 8 channels of AES/EBU digital audio from any SDI video connection. Now you can easily access the audio in any SDI video connection for output to audio equipment such as audio mixers, analog broadcast decks, audio monitors and more!

The new Blackmagic OpenGear Converters give you a great range of conversion, all packed with the latest video technologies at an affordable price! OpenGear is the television industry’s open standard for rack based conversion and processing. Get the freedom and cost savings of an open standard combined with centralized network control and monitoring using the OpenGear DashBoard software on Windows™, Mac OS X™ and Linux™!

Auto Switching SD and HD

Blackmagic OpenGear Converters instantly switch between all SD and HD video formats the instant the video input changes. A huge range of standards are supported including NTSC, PAL, 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 1080PsF/23.98, 1080PsF/24, 720p/59.94, 720p/50 and new formats can be added via USB.

8 Great Models

Choose from analog, HDMI, audio, optical fiber, and sync generator models! There’s a single card model for each type of video conversion. All models have 3 Gb/s SDI technology that auto switches between SD, HD and 3 Gb/s HD-SDI formats. All AES/EBU audio inputs feature sample rate converters, and all audio connections can be switched between analog and AES/EBU audio!

Open Architecture Converters!

Blackmagic OpenGear Converters are fully compatible with the OpenGear standard. OpenGear is an open standard for rack mount converters and processing for television broadcasters. Blackmagic OpenGear Converters are compatible with 20-card models of the 2 RU (rack unit) OpenGear frames. Many manufacturers develop OpenGear cards and frames that can be mixed and matched. OpenGear cards are hot swappable and can be controlled by java based DashBoard network control and monitoring software on Windows™, Mac OS X™ and Linux™.

Redundant SDI Input

Blackmagic OpenGear Converter models SDI to Analog and SDI to Audio, feature a unique redundant SDI input for mission critical or live broadcast tasks. Simply connect a redundant cable to the second input and if the main SDI input is lost, Blackmagic OpenGear Converters will automatically switch over in an instant. A loop-through SDI output is also provided for connecting to other devices. You can also loop to other Blackmagic OpenGear Converters when de-embedding more audio channels.

Built in AES/EBU or Analog Audio

Blackmagic OpenGear Converters feature 24 bit analog and 24 bit digital audio. You can select either analog or AES/EBU digital audio via mini switches, or remotely via the DashBoard network control software. Blackmagic OpenGear Converters will then switch to use either analog or AES/EBU digital audio. Blackmagic OpenGear Converters support the standard 2 ch and 4 ch audio rear modules, so they can be used with other brand OpenGear products.

High Quality

Blackmagic OpenGear Converters are built to the highest quality standards with low SDI jitter. You get the longest SDI cable lengths combined with ultra low noise analog video and audio for a true broadcast quality solution.

Hardware Down Converter

If you have older standard definition analog equipment in your facility then you’ll know how hard it is when modern SDI equipment unexpectedly changes between SD and HD. Blackmagic OpenGear Converter SDI to Analog includes an incredible quality HD down converter that automatically adapts to the input video format and outputs standard definition video in letterbox, anamorphic 16:9 or center cut 4:3.

Easy to Use

Blackmagic OpenGear Converters are similar, so they’re easy to understand. With advanced 3 Gb/s SDI technology, every card is fully compatible with all your SD and HD equipment, plus you can update new formats via USB. Blackmagic OpenGear Converters can be set up via mini switches, DashBoard, or via USB using Blackmagic Design’s Converter Utility. That’s three completely different ways to configure, so you’re never stuck in a critical live situation.

New 3 Gb/s SDI Technology

With the latest 3 Gb/s SDI technology built into Blackmagic OpenGear Converters, you know you’re getting the latest technology. New standards can be uploaded via the USB port. 3 Gb/s SDI is also fully compatible with all your SD and HD equipment.

OpenGear Converters will keep up with you when quality really counts. With full digital 3 Gb/s SDI and broadcast quality design, you get better noise immunity with great conversion quality.

Flexibility for High End Production

The SDI video standard was designed for total flexibility. All equipment connects together using simple coax BNC cables and the connection can be more than 100 meters or 300 feet apart. SDI doesn't use compression so you can record video to any kind of broadcast or high end consumer deck completely independently of the tape format. Modern equipment such as OpenGear Converters allow for video rate switching between standard definition 270 Mb/s, high definition 1.485 Gb/s or high definition 3 Gb/s video rates, so newer HDTV equipment can be integrated into existing systems.

Unlike DV, which is only 4:1:1 color sampling with only 1 red and 1 blue video sample per 4 luma samples, SDI is normally 4:2:2 with twice the color resolution. Traditionally SDI equipment has been expensive, however Blackmagic Design has changed the industry and finally made SDI affordable for everyone. Now SDI is the production format of the choice for high end, corporate, on-location and live broadcast video worldwide.

Compatibility when it Counts

SDI has the compatibility to connect every kind of video equipment together, from all tape format decks, monitoring and distribution. No matter what the tape format, there will be a model with SDI connections. This means you don’t have to worry about tape formats and non linear editing file formats standards, with SDI it all connects together seamlessly. SDI has absolutely no latency, so unlike FireWire you get instant response on NLE timelines. SDI also allows direct monitoring, as all good video monitors have SDI input options or use analog converters such as Multibridge and HDLink for LCD monitoring. For audio perfectionists, SDI has a massive multi-channel audio capability with video capture cards such as DeckLink using up to 12 channels for HD audio capture.

That’s great for 5.1 surround sound work. And like the video, all audio is digital so there is no generation loss of any kind combined with perfect AV sync. There are thousands of SDI based products on the market ranging from million dollar telecine film scanners down to low cost analog converters for a few hundred dollars, and they're all fully compatible with each other.

SDI to Audio — $495