第一眼:BirdDog FLEX NDI转换器

Today, I have an exclusive for 流媒体: a first look the new BirdDog Flex 4K NDI converter.

图1(下面) 展示Flex 4K. As you can see, the unit is tiny, and it’s very light because it’s plastic. It has two little fans in it and ports all the way around. 盒子里面, 你还有一个电源适配器和各种插头, 世界各地网点的版本. 一切都准备好了.

图1. 鸟狗Flex 4K NDI转换器

计数、冷却和连接

The lines on top of the unit are not really heat fins or a heat sink because this is a plastic enclosure. BirdDog emphasizes that they really managed the thermals on this. I have had one running for three days and it’s barely lukewarm. There are a couple of small fans on one side and an air vent on the other side to keep it nice and cool.

You’ll see screw holes on either end of the Flex for an optional mount with a 1/4-20 thread on the bottom. 你可以把坐骑装在魔臂上或任何地方. I added a small cold-shoe mount on so I can attach it on top of a camcorder. 山(下面的图2)售价约为20美元.

图2. BirdDog Flex相机支架

最上面的环是你的计数. Positioning it on top of the camera in the holder ensures that your entire crew can see it.

On the rear panel visible in 图1 you have your Ether网 which is PoE+. If you don't have power over ether网, the unit also has a DC input. 有一个直流输出，支持15瓦输出. 然后是HDMI输入. 这些Flex单元都没有循环.

还有一个Flex OUT (下面的图3)，它有HDMI输出. 它没有直流输出. That one's going to be available late July or August. Each of the Flex units has the same list price: $399.

图3. 鸟狗伸缩

完整的NDI为399美元

Flex (下面的图4)功能RS232, 1/8“或3.5mm电话输出. BirdDog says they will have adapter cables available so that you can use this input with various PTZ cameras. 我用的是NDI|HX PTZ相机, but if your pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera is RS232-based, BirdDog Flex为您提供完整的NDI，只需399美元. Your PTZ camera might also have NDI available as an optional purchase. For Panasonic cameras, it costs $299 to purchase the NDI|HX license. 对于PTZOptics来说，购买NDI|HX的价格为599美元. So you could purchase the lightweight version of NDI for $600, or you could purchase full NDI for $400 with the BirdDog Flex IN.

图4. BirdDog Flex上的RS232

Flex是完全NDI的. There's big difference between full NDI 4K and NDI-HX. 全NDI时延更低，带宽更高.

That said, you need to make sure your 网work is ready to handle the throughput. 例如, 如果你在千兆以太网上有五个PTZ摄像机, 你想把它们都做成4K, 你不能在千兆网络上播放5个4K视频. 每个摄像头将需要接近300Mbps的速度.

如果你想做4K, you’ll need to count your bits when you’re making your purchase, or just set all your cameras to HD and make them 100Mbps each. I'll show you how to do that when we go through the menu system.

审稿

旁边的RS-232端口是一个1/8”耳机插孔, PTZ摄像机不需要的, 但如果你把Flex安装在相机上, that headphone jack with BirdDog hardware will serve as your comms. Plug in a BirdDog headset and you’ll have microphone and headphones. You're able to communicate through BirdDog 审稿 when you buy any BirdDog device because it comes with 审稿 Lite and NDI Central Lite.

BirdDog includes the lite versions of these apps with the Flex. The pro versions of the software are available for an optional purchase. BirdDog says they plan to make Audinate Dante available for AV-over-IP on these devices as well for an additional $69. That way you can use the "audio in" to put Dante on an NDI 网work, and take Dante off the NDI 网work through BirdDog’s little converter boxes.