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Minimum Laptop requirements for 720p?
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Hello all!
New here. I do the broadcasting at my church using 2 HD cameras ---HDMI---> Blackmagic ATEM HD ---SDI--> BM Decklink Mini 4k
What I want is a mobile solution for when we go out. I was thinking of getting the BM Shuttle USB 3.0 for a mobile solution.
I'm looking at a laptop with an i5 - 2.6ghz (3.3ghz turbo), Intel HD graphics 4000, 8gb RAM (I can easily upgrade) and 128GB SDD.
Would this be sufficient for streaming 720p? Or will it not be strong enough?
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Hi and welcome to the vMix forum An i5 laptop might be sufficient enough if it had an nVidia GTX graphic card. vMix uses extensively the GPU (more than the CPU unless there is no GPU). I invite you to check the recommended harware page on vMix website http://www.vmix.com/prod...ce-systems.aspx#sapphireaswell as the supported hardware page http://www.vmix.com/soft.../supported-hardware.aspxBesides you can also browse this forum which contains tons of very useful information regarding systems and other users use cases and experiences. My personal advice: - try to find an i7 with a GTX (even second-hand with a good cleanup) - keep away from BMD Shuttle USB 3.0, look at Magewell or Aja USB3 dongles. Guillaume
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If you get a newer laptop with Thunderbolt 3, the BM Mini Recorder is a nice option for capturing HDMI through the TB port.
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Echoing Guillaume...
+1 i7 laptop with Nvidia graphics card. You can get an ASUS referb on Amazon for $1200ish.
-1 BMD Intensity Shuttle / USB 3.0 has been a problem child. Steer clear.
+1 Magewell USB 3.0 HDMI or SDI dongle
+1 Anything Thunderbolt!
- Tom
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Thank you all for the advice on the BM Shuttle USB 3.0.
I originally thought about doing the BM Mini Recorder using Thunderbolt and buying a 2.5ghz i5 Macbook Pro. Used. Trying to keep this all under $600.
But the Macbook Pros Ive seen are using the Intel Graphics. Whether the 4000 or the Intel Iris.
But I would like to NOT be tied to Thunderbolt and Apple products. I know Windows laptops are now coming out with Thunderbolt too, but USB-would just be fantastic if possible. Im not much of a Mac/Apple fan.
Anyway...
If I WERE to go with the mini recorder via thunderbolt + used/cheap Macbook Pros...would the i5 lines work? Or would the integrated graphics kill me too?
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@ mmmorlandotv
I think a lot depends on exactly what you intend to throw at it...
A Single Camera production with minimal special effects and/or additional Inputs streaming from an i5 laptop with integrated graphics is certainly possible and do-able, but anything more elaborate or complex could be pushing such a rig beyond its abilities.
The important things to keep in mind when specking out a system to run vMix is that tasks like Streaming, Recording and using NDI Inputs rely heavily on CPU encoding power, whereas tasks within vMix like processing Camera Inputs and graphic elements with special effects (Overlays and Multiviews etc.) rely heavily on the GPU.
In either case, the more you throw at it the more POWER you are going to need for things to run smoothly.
(another thing to keep in mind is that vMix is Windows based and would need to be run with BootCamp on a MacBook Pro)
Hope that helps some.
Ice
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IceStream wrote:@ mmmorlandotv
I think a lot depends on exactly what you intend to throw at it...
A Single Camera production with minimal special effects and/or additional Inputs streaming from an i5 laptop with integrated graphics is certainly possible and do-able, but anything more elaborate or complex could be pushing such a rig beyond its abilities.
The important things to keep in mind when specking out a system to run vMix is that tasks like Streaming, Recording and using NDI Inputs rely heavily on CPU encoding power, whereas tasks within vMix like processing Camera Inputs and graphic elements with special effects (Overlays and Multiviews etc.) rely heavily on the GPU.
In either case, the more you throw at it the more POWER you are going to need for things to run smoothly.
(another thing to keep in mind is that vMix is Windows based and would need to be run with BootCamp on a MacBook Pro)
Hope that helps some.
Ice Well at church right now, we are doing 2 cameras. Then go from HDMI > Cat5 > HDMI into BM ATEM. ATEM goes from SDI to SDI to the BM card on my PC. We dont do anything super elaborate. We switch between 2 cameras, add some tiles and thats all really. We SOMETIMES record. Which I guess should be taking into consideration. Ugh..Im thinking this wont be possible. Im guessing Im gonna have to buy or build a small for factor PC instead dedicated for traveling. I just wanted to avoid lugging around monitor and keyboards, cables, etc etc.
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@ mmmorlandotv
Therein lies the dilemma for most of us, POWER vs Convenience vs fiscal responsibility.
Before you get too discouraged though, are you able to do any kind of TESTING with resources you may already have at your disposal?
With vMix's 60 day trial you could easily experiment with an available i5 (W7,8 or 10) a web cam and/or one of your Cams with a USB Dongle (which is likely to be a useful investment anyways) and establish where you have to go from there to get the results you need. You may be pleasantly surprised with what can actually be accomplished with minimum specs. The nice thing about vMix is that you can grow with it and acquire more tools and/or POWER as you are able, it doesn't have to be all at once. Of course, if you know exactly what you need, you are best to get there from the start.
Keep us all posted as to your progress.
Ice
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IceStream wrote:@ mmmorlandotv
Therein lies the dilemma for most of us, POWER vs Convenience vs fiscal responsibility.
Before you get too discouraged though, are you able to do any kind of TESTING with resources you may already have at your disposal?
With vMix's 60 day trial you could easily experiment with an available i5 (W7,8 or 10) a web cam and/or one of your Cams with a USB Dongle (which is likely to be a useful investment anyways) and establish where you have to go from there to get the results you need. You may be pleasantly surprised with what can actually be accomplished with minimum specs. The nice thing about vMix is that you can grow with it and acquire more tools and/or POWER as you are able, it doesn't have to be all at once. Of course, if you know exactly what you need, you are best to get there from the start.
Keep us all posted as to your progress.
Ice Unfortunately not. I was hoping to acquire a used Macbook with the minimum (i5 2.5ghz, Intel Graphics 3000/4000, SSD, 8GB RAM) and be able to stream. I mean, right now Im using an i3-2100 lol. I have a dedicate graphics card but its nothing special. I forgot what model. 750ti? Something like that. I mix 2 cameras using the external BM switcher. And I can stream 720p and record DVD quality at the same time. This basically takes my CPU to 95%. Doing just streaming Im like at 40-50% I believe. For my application, we go to different church services every month and theyre in a different location each time. I just want to be able to have something more portable. Macbook (or PC equivalent preferred) + BM Mini Recorder. Just for streaming. I can live without having to create DVDs afterwards. I dont want to drop the money on a used Macbook and then find out its Not going to happen....ugh. I guess I could try and resell back lol. Ive been out of the Mac/Apple world for a while. Does running bootcamp + Windows on Mac hurt performance?
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I guess another option could be an iMac or PC equivalent All in Ones?
Not as compact but better than PC + Monitor + everything else. Basically eliminates the PC box and I'm only carrying out a Monitor + KB/Mouse...
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Thats actually pretty sweet. Pricing makes its unattainable at the moment though. I guess I'm going to just have to wait, save up. That idea is great. Im impressed. Extra cables still but, pretty neat. Thanks for the info
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So in researching this...I found these lenovos... http://shop.lenovo.com/u...ntre/m-series-tiny/m700/They might not be AS tiny or as POWERFUL as the NUCs (Skull whatever), but I think it would do the job. Opinions? Again, right now I'm running 2 HD cams, streaming 720p, using an old i3-2100. I think I can keep everything around $600-$700 if I go for one of those Lenovos, strip it down as much as possible and add my own SSD, RAM, etc. Then buy a Magwell SDI - USB3.0. Thoughts?
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I really think you absolutely need a GTX based computer (which these Lenovos are not).
If you look for laptops with an i5 CPU and a GTX 960, you should be able to find something for about $600/700. I know cheap MSI models (my daughter has one) that can do the job for vMix with 2 cams.
Guillaume
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DWAM wrote:I really think you absolutely need a GTX based computer (which these Lenovos are not).
If you look for laptops with an i5 CPU and a GTX 960, you should be able to find something for about $600/700. I know cheap MSI models (my daughter has one) that can do the job for vMix with 2 cams.
Guillaume Thanks for the input. Any reason for GTX over Quadro? Or non-GTX graphics? Im gonna remove the graphics card on my desktop and see how well it does. Also, does it really matter how many cameras are being used if I'm using a switcher? The input is just 1. The multi-camera mixing is done pre-capture card.
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Both GTX and Quadro should run fine but a Quadro is much more expensive. vMix is optimized for GTX. Martin talked about the Quadro in last vMix Fun Time video: http://www.vmix.com/live/If you're using the Atem with the laptop, then you're right, it makes no difference. But using USB3 is more CPU intensive than PCI-e capture cards.
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mmmorlandotv wrote:
I'm looking at a laptop with an i5 - 2.6ghz (3.3ghz turbo), Intel HD graphics 4000, 8gb RAM (I can easily upgrade) and 128GB SDD.
This basically describes my Lenovo X1 Carbon laptop. It's the 2nd generation, so from January 2013. It handles 720p without much issue. However, it will stream, or feed a hangout, or save to a file...but only one of those things. Also, local screen capture is burdensome on the GPU.
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mjgraves wrote:mmmorlandotv wrote:
I'm looking at a laptop with an i5 - 2.6ghz (3.3ghz turbo), Intel HD graphics 4000, 8gb RAM (I can easily upgrade) and 128GB SDD.
This basically describes my Lenovo X1 Carbon laptop. It's the 2nd generation, so from January 2013. It handles 720p without much issue. However, it will stream, or feed a hangout, or save to a file...but only one of those things. Also, local screen capture is burdensome on the GPU. Thank you for that info. So you have integrated intel graphics? Other than streaming, I dont plan on doing much else. There are some cases where I record DVD quality at the same time to produce DVDs right after a church event, but then I have to have a DVD duplicator as well and I might as well just bring my entire setup then.
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DWAM wrote:Both GTX and Quadro should run fine but a Quadro is much more expensive. vMix is optimized for GTX. Martin talked about the Quadro in last vMix Fun Time video: http://www.vmix.com/live/If you're using the Atem with the laptop, then you're right, it makes no difference. But using USB3 is more CPU intensive than PCI-e capture cards. How does something like this sound? https://www.amazon.com/H...15-6-3520M/dp/B008ABL2DAi7 3.0ghz Intel HD 4000 Radeon 7570M 1GB Dedicated GPU 8GB RAM I can add a nice SSD. Already seems comparable if not better than my i3-2100 desktop lol. I can find it for $300. Add the SDI-USB3.0 capture device for another $300 and I'm right at $600 for mobile applications.
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