Once this is done, I'll report back, and we should have an easy set of rules as to how to safely use the Cleanswitches as frame synchronisers. Testing will have to establish this, and BMD engineering emailed me this morning with a recommended configuration to try out. Also, all the other genlockable BMD gear we have is capable of accepting PAL 50i analogue black reference, so it would be reasonable to expect the Cleanswitch to do the same.

Everything else in our system references to PAL 50i analogue black reference, though the truck runs 1080i50 normally. However, it is general practice for HD equipment to genlock to reference sources that are of the same frame rate as that of the signal being handled. Yes John, testing out all possible genlocking modes is something that will be done. Has anyone else experienced anything like this with the Cleanswitches? Have I missed something?Īpart from this question, it's a wonderful little box with lots of great uses, which are of much help to us in the work we do. It would be interesting to learn what the 'rule book' for genlocking the 12x12 Cleanswitch actually is. Perhaps there is something intentional going on, where in the event of the 12x12 not sensing an acceptable reference input, it reverts automatically to referencing itself to input 1, so as to at least enable clean switching (as long as input 1 remains stable, itself). To my way of thinking, the 12x12's output timing should ALWAYS IGNORE the timing of its inputs altogether, and lock only to its genlock reference source input, otherwise an unstable input 1 source would destabilize all outputs of the 12x12 at once, with a devastating outcome for any production being run through it. (I suspect this arrangement causes some vertical phase delay of the 12x12 outputs compared to the other genlocked sources in our system, as ATEM PGM out is probably not phased too closely to the system reference.) We did a couple of international sports OBs this way and got away with it, with no observed issues. So to use it as a 'box of synchronisers', we have to feed ATEM program SDI output into the 12x12 input 1, to provide a synch reference. I was surprised to find that our 12x12 appears to effectively genlock its outputs to follow the synch of its first (SDI) input and NOT that of the reference input provided (PAL analog black, in our case), which appears to have no genlocking effect, whether or not it's plugged into the 12x12.

I've tried using our 12x12 Cleanswitch as 'a box of frame synchronisers', so we can present its outputs as genlocked sources to our main router and ATEM switcher.

Smart videohub cleanswitch 12x12