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jlarson  
#1 Posted : Monday, June 7, 2021 5:57:43 PM(UTC)
jlarson

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Thailand
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Due to the pandemic still in full force in Thailand, I've been working on doing streaming for my tiny church and non-profit. Naturally I started with OBS, but after one headache after another gave vMix a try and am now in the trial period and loving it, thinking/hoping maybe we will qualify for one of the free church licenses. However the no-free-lunch reality reared its ugly head when I discovered that apparently many cheap generic HDMI->USB dongles, (I suppose all made in the same Chinese factory) that work just fine with OBS, drop frames like crazy in vMix at the input stage.

There is a thread here that addresses this problem inconclusively. I looked at the supported hardware page, and while I didn't check every item, I couldn't find much anything under USD2-300 per input. A search of these forums didn't turn anything up, so I thought I would pose a fresh question here that might help some other folks in the process:

What are some lowest-cost methods that folks have found to successfully bring video into vMix for 720p streaming? Ideally under USD50/input, or at least not over $100.

Such as:

  • Specific cheap dongles/cards that have worked for you
  • Settings in vMix (decoders?) and/or Windows drivers(?)
  • Workarounds such as using OBS or other utility (VLC?) to capture from USB and output NDI
  • Adding more USB3 throughput via PCI-E or SATA
  • ??


I know, $50 is super cheap, and I've been around pro video for over 30 years so know very well what things used to cost and still can. But 90% of our viewers are teens/young adults using phones. We don't need broadcast quality, but we need 24-30fps at least fairly consistently.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Peter1000  
#2 Posted : Monday, June 7, 2021 6:28:58 PM(UTC)
Peter1000

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we tried ultracheap 12$ USB2 capture dongles from Aliexpress.
they can capture maximum 1080 30p, they worked well in vMix for capturing screens or „not fast moving objects“
IMPORTANT: In the INPUT settings of vMix you have to set VIDEO FORMAT for from default to mjpeg!
If i remember, you can not have more than 2 capture devices on the same USB controller. and there was a thing with renaming the second device. there are a few entries about this in the forum.

thanks 2 users thanked Peter1000 for this useful post.
mjgraves on 6/8/2021(UTC), jlarson on 6/12/2021(UTC)
bremusound  
#3 Posted : Tuesday, June 8, 2021 6:20:51 PM(UTC)
bremusound

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The new Elgato Camlink Pro (4x HDMI PCIe) works great with Vmix. It takes 4K/30 signals so you don‘t have to upgrade later when you want to go beyond 720p.
thanks 1 user thanked bremusound for this useful post.
jlarson on 6/12/2021(UTC)
jlarson  
#4 Posted : Saturday, June 12, 2021 4:36:12 PM(UTC)
jlarson

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Thailand
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Originally Posted by: Peter1000 Go to Quoted Post

IMPORTANT: In the INPUT settings of vMix you have to set VIDEO FORMAT for from default to mjpeg!


Ok, that was the answer I needed. It was mentioned in the other thread, but I couldn't find where to set that, and there was no reply to the suggestion so I didn't take it that seriously, then forgot. Your emphasis sent me back to find that setting. To any other future noobs: the VIDEO FORMAT setting is accessed either by creating a new input or clicking the "Change" button in the settings window.

Quote:
If i remember, you can not have more than 2 capture devices on the same USB controller. and there was a thing with renaming the second device.


I only have 2 right now, but both are working with the same name. Assuming you're right on that limit, I saw adding a PCI-E USB card suggested somewhere, and see they are cheap, so I was figuring to go that route when the time comes.

bremusound wrote:

The new Elgato Camlink Pro (4x HDMI PCIe) works great with Vmix. It takes 4K/30 signals so you don‘t have to upgrade later when you want to go beyond 720p.


Thank you for that suggestion. I'll start saving. ;-)
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