<p>For amateur events, SDI may be overkill compared to using simple Component.  The key for long runs is to separate the various components so that they don't degrade.  There is a similar question <a href="https://video.stackexchange.com/questions/7218/how-to-connect-a-camera-to-a-computer-100ft-away/7220#7220">here</a> about long distance runs. </p>

<p>As for HDMI to SDI, there should be no quality loss compared to HDMI as both are digital formats supporting full uncompressed HD streams.  The quality of the converter may make a difference, but there is no technical reason that you couldn't have a flawless conversion between formats.  Both support both YCbCr 4:2:2 and 4:4:4, so the color spaces should be compatible either way.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T21:46:05.857Z
At this point, the distance isn't a huge factor in what is really killing it. The 5-foot cable still doesn't provide the quality that myself or my clients are looking for, so an upgrade in connection is really required.
Luke Shaheen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T21:51:00.593Z
@John - I get that the A/V output (ie, composite) is insufficient quality.  That isn't a big surprise as it is standard definition and a USB2.0 video capture device is going to be lacking as well.  Component is able to carry an HD feed and may very well be able to be broken out with a simple cable from your HDMI as the analog signal on HDMI is the same as the analog signal on DVI which is the same as the analog signal on VGA.  It's a form of component signal and will go long distance well without needing the expense of SDI.  SDI is generally a high end system for much more expensive setups.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T21:55:52.943Z
The `HS-900k` only has RCA and HDMI mini out. Are you recommending then that I try HDMI mini -> DVI -> RCA -> USB2.0 video capture device, before I splurge on SDI?
Luke Shaheen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T22:01:19.660Z
Err, strike that.  HDMI lacks the analog support.  You would still need an adapter.  HDMI to component adapters should be cheaper though and a component input would be cheaper for a computer.  It should still get much higher quality than composite out.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T22:05:30.040Z
Err, have you tried the Component output on the A/V output or only the composite?  Apparently the A/V output supports both component and composite on that camera.  Either way, you will need to replace your EasyCap as it is a very poor capture device that only supports SD component in.  I generally like a lot of the capture gear that Matrox makes as far as good prices for good quality go.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T22:08:08.927Z
Only the composite (yellow, just so we are on the same page). Like you've suggested, I really think my biggest signal loss is the USB 2.0 adapter and the composite cord. So if I went HDMI->component into a Component PCI card on the computer, it would certainly be a better signal. However, I'd still have to fork out $200 a piece for multiple `Blackmagic Intensity`s, the only component-in PCI card I can think of, one for each camera. Am I really saving much money over the SDI at that point?
Luke Shaheen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T23:45:41.677Z
You would want to use the A/V component output cable rather than HDMI.  I was wrong about there being an analog option in HDMI.  You'd need a converter to use HDMI to Component, but not to go Component out of the A/V port.  The savings over SDI is going to be that you don't need a converter from component to SDI or HDMI to SDI.  It does seem that Black Magic has driven down the price on SDI though.  The last time I seriously priced out a setup like what you are doing was about 2 years ago.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-05T14:42:37.850Z
Thank you for all the information, I'll take a deeper look into savings/quality with component connections. I can't mark this as the answer though, since the question is `HD-SDI adapter vs native SDI`.
Luke Shaheen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-05T17:27:20.187Z
@John - updated the answer to answer the direct question as well as offering an indirect solution to the underlying problem trying to be addressed.  I have a bad habit of trying to answer the underlying question if there is a better alternative to the actual reason the question is being asked, but it is still a useful direct question as well.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-15T20:32:11.680Z
You don't want to use a USB capture device if you want quality.  For quality capture of uncompressed HD video you will need a specialty card comparable to Black magic Declink or Intensity Pro
pojo-guy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-15T20:51:15.690Z
@pojo-guy - Newer USB specs (3+) have sufficient bandwidth for uncompressed HD.  The most recent version with Thunderbolt 3 even allows for working with uncompressed 4K.  100% agree for USB 2 devices though.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T21:44:27.767Z
2013-03-05T17:26:49.313Z
2017-04-12T07:32:19.270Z
AJ Henderson
<p>I currently run live streams of amateur sporting events, mainly inside. Currently I am using several <code>Panasonic HS-900k</code>s connected to a PC desktop via RCA cables and several <code>Easycap DC60+</code>s (USB 2.0). As you can imagine, the quality from the Panasonic's gets degraded very quickly. Some of the RCA cables are carrying video over 100ft from source to destination.</p>

<p>I am looking to upgrade the connections to SDI via the <code>Blackmagic Decklink</code> products. That said, I will need cameras that support SDI output, or purchase an HDMI-SDI adapter (~$300). </p>

<p>My budget is approx. $3000 for a single camera, and since I'll only be outputting the stream at 720p max for the foreseeable future (don't want to overburden end-users bandwidth), I really don't need a fancier camera then that.</p>

<p><strong>Obviously there is a big price difference between a new camera and a HDMI-SDI adapter. Is there a big quality difference, or does HDMI-SDI not really lose much quality?</strong> Will it provide the same signal as a new camera such as a <code>Panasonic AG-HPX170 P2HD</code> that provides native SDI-output? I am not looking to output audio from these cameras, just video.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-04T21:45:08.890Z
possible duplicate of [How to connect a camera to a computer 100ft away?](http://avp.stackexchange.com/questions/7218/how-to-connect-a-camera-to-a-computer-100ft-away)
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-05T21:53:40.633Z
@AJHenderson This question is asking about quality loss in an HDMI-SDI adapter.  It does have some similar elements, but since it already has a satisfactory answer and was not answered directly by any of the answers of the other question, I think it should stay.
Friend Of George
<live><conversion><streaming><hdmi><sdi>
Native SDI-output vs HDMI-SDI adapter for live stream
Luke Shaheen
# Native SDI-output vs HDMI-SDI adapter for live stream

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-03-04)

I currently run live streams of amateur sporting events, mainly inside. Currently I am using several `Panasonic HS-900k`s connected to a PC desktop via RCA cables and several `Easycap DC60+`s (USB 2.0). As you can imagine, the quality from the Panasonic's gets degraded very quickly. Some of the RCA cables are carrying video over 100ft from source to destination.

I am looking to upgrade the connections to SDI via the `Blackmagic Decklink` products. That said, I will need cameras that support SDI output, or purchase an HDMI-SDI adapter (~$300).

My budget is approx. $3000 for a single camera, and since I'll only be outputting the stream at 720p max for the foreseeable future (don't want to overburden end-users bandwidth), I really don't need a fancier camera then that.

**Obviously there is a big price difference between a new camera and a HDMI-SDI adapter. Is there a big quality difference, or does HDMI-SDI not really lose much quality?** Will it provide the same signal as a new camera such as a `Panasonic AG-HPX170 P2HD` that provides native SDI-output? I am not looking to output audio from these cameras, just video.

**Tags:** live, conversion, streaming, hdmi, sdi

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: possible duplicate of [How to connect a camera to a computer 100ft away?](http://avp.stackexchange.com/questions/7218/how-to-connect-a-camera-to-a-computer-100ft-away)  
> **username_2**: @AJHenderson This question is asking about quality loss in an HDMI-SDI adapter.  It does have some similar elements, but since it already has a satisfactory answer and was not answered directly by any of the answers of the other question, I think it should stay.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-03-04. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

For amateur events, SDI may be overkill compared to using simple Component. The key for long runs is to separate the various components so that they don't degrade. There is a similar question [here](https://video.stackexchange.com/questions/7218/how-to-connect-a-camera-to-a-computer-100ft-away/7220#7220) about long distance runs.

As for HDMI to SDI, there should be no quality loss compared to HDMI as both are digital formats supporting full uncompressed HD streams. The quality of the converter may make a difference, but there is no technical reason that you couldn't have a flawless conversion between formats. Both support both YCbCr 4:2:2 and 4:4:4, so the color spaces should be compatible either way.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: At this point, the distance isn't a huge factor in what is really killing it. The 5-foot cable still doesn't provide the quality that myself or my clients are looking for, so an upgrade in connection is really required.  
> **username_1**: @John - I get that the A/V output (ie, composite) is insufficient quality.  That isn't a big surprise as it is standard definition and a USB2.0 video capture device is going to be lacking as well.  Component is able to carry an HD feed and may very well be able to be broken out with a simple cable from your HDMI as the analog signal on HDMI is the same as the analog signal on DVI which is the same as the analog signal on VGA.  It's a form of component signal and will go long distance well without needing the expense of SDI.  SDI is generally a high end system for much more expensive setups.  
> **username_0**: The `HS-900k` only has RCA and HDMI mini out. Are you recommending then that I try HDMI mini -> DVI -> RCA -> USB2.0 video capture device, before I splurge on SDI?  
> **username_1**: Err, strike that.  HDMI lacks the analog support.  You would still need an adapter.  HDMI to component adapters should be cheaper though and a component input would be cheaper for a computer.  It should still get much higher quality than composite out.  
> **username_1**: Err, have you tried the Component output on the A/V output or only the composite?  Apparently the A/V output supports both component and composite on that camera.  Either way, you will need to replace your EasyCap as it is a very poor capture device that only supports SD component in.  I generally like a lot of the capture gear that Matrox makes as far as good prices for good quality go.  
> **username_0**: Only the composite (yellow, just so we are on the same page). Like you've suggested, I really think my biggest signal loss is the USB 2.0 adapter and the composite cord. So if I went HDMI->component into a Component PCI card on the computer, it would certainly be a better signal. However, I'd still have to fork out $200 a piece for multiple `Blackmagic Intensity`s, the only component-in PCI card I can think of, one for each camera. Am I really saving much money over the SDI at that point?  
> **username_1**: You would want to use the A/V component output cable rather than HDMI.  I was wrong about there being an analog option in HDMI.  You'd need a converter to use HDMI to Component, but not to go Component out of the A/V port.  The savings over SDI is going to be that you don't need a converter from component to SDI or HDMI to SDI.  It does seem that Black Magic has driven down the price on SDI though.  The last time I seriously priced out a setup like what you are doing was about 2 years ago.  
> **username_0**: Thank you for all the information, I'll take a deeper look into savings/quality with component connections. I can't mark this as the answer though, since the question is `HD-SDI adapter vs native SDI`.  
> **username_1**: @John - updated the answer to answer the direct question as well as offering an indirect solution to the underlying problem trying to be addressed.  I have a bad habit of trying to answer the underlying question if there is a better alternative to the actual reason the question is being asked, but it is still a useful direct question as well.  
> **username_3**: You don't want to use a USB capture device if you want quality.  For quality capture of uncompressed HD video you will need a specialty card comparable to Black magic Declink or Intensity Pro  
> **username_1**: @username_3 - Newer USB specs (3+) have sufficient bandwidth for uncompressed HD.  The most recent version with Thunderbolt 3 even allows for working with uncompressed 4K.  100% agree for USB 2 devices though.  

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