Choosing and Using NewTek Connect Spark and Connect Spark Pro NDI Converters
December 19, 2018 by Kane Peterson and Chuck Baker
With the addition of the NewTek Connect Spark™ Pro, NewTek has added 4K 60p NDI® conversion capability with very low latency and very high quality to the Connect Spark family. Whatever your production needs, you can now select the Connect Spark model that is the best fit to convert each camera or device video signal to NDI for IP transport over a standard network within your production suite.
What do you need to know to make those choices? NewTek workflow engineer Kane Peterson shows you through the capabilities of each Connect Spark model and discusses workflow solutions that each can provide. There are a few points that we would particularly like to call out from the information that Kane provides:
Kane shares a chart of the features of the two original Connect Spark converters and the new Pro model. The Pro model provides up to 2160p 60fps resolution of course, converts HDMI to NDI and requires an Ethernet connection. The two original Spark models provide up to 1080p 60fps signals and are designed to allow operation over WiFi; to do this, they provide a more compressed signal using the NDI-HX variation of NewTek’s IP technology. Because of this different compression, a bit of latency will be noticeable. The original Spark models also provide onboard recording capability with a Micro SD card or attached USB thumb drive or hard drive, which may be a useful production backup feature allowing you to ensure complete capture of the camera footage even if WiFi goes down during the production.
Kane also conducts a latency comparison, taking the output from a camera aimed at a tablet running stopwatch application and sending the signal both through an SDI cable directly to a NewTek VMC1 and through a Connect Spark Pro and over the network to the VMC1. The snaps of the Program Out composition of the inputs tell the story - Connect Spark Pro introduces no added latency versus a direct SDI baseband cable connection. Also, the image is indistinguishable.
We hope this video is helpful for you in selecting the Connect Spark model or models that fit your particular production needs. If you have suggestions for other topics you would like covered in a Facebook Live or Tip Jar Tutorial, please send us a message. We will see you next time.
Learn More:
- NewTek Connect Spark™ 1080p60 NDI® video converters
- NewTek Connect Spark™ Pro 4Kp60 NDI® video converter
- NewTek NDI®
- TriCaster® TC1 4Kp60 16-input Multi-camera Integrated Production System
- NewTek VMC1 4Kp60 44-input Multi-Camera Integrated Production System
