Serato Video General Discussion

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 Serato Video General Discussion
Getting more serious about video
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Getting more serious about video

Logisticalstyles 4:17 PM - 17 November, 2016
I purchased my Video license a while back when it was on sale and have really only used it at home to practice with. I used it out in public twice at this sports bar that I sometimes fill in at. This bar wants to put me in their regular rotation but they require the DJs to do video so I went ahead got a Promo only subscription and have begun creating a video library on a 2TB external drive. So far everything has been going pretty smoothly but now that I have been bitten by the video bug I want to start adding video to my mobile setup as well. I've got a few questions that I hope some of you can answer.

1. VGA vs HDMI. Which is the best route to go? The bar I spin at only offers an HDMI cable to connect to and it displays on 2 of their 6 TV screens. If I add video to my mobile rig should I be using VGA or HDMI.

2. Should I be using a TV or a Projector for my mobile setup? It would seem like the projector is the better choice since I can project to different areas easily and there would be less stuff to carry and setup.

3 Is there any other gear that I need to invest in? I'll probably pick up a HDMI and VGA splitter just to have on hand for the odd situation that may arise.

4. Last Saturday when I was playing at the sports bar I got a Serato Video has crashed message. One of the two screens stopped displaying and went black. The other screen continued to play. Any idea what could have caused this?

5. Although Serato Video gives you the preview screens do you guys hook up a screen in your DJ booth to allow you to see what's displaying on the main screens or is that just unnecessary gear to carry?

That's all I can think of for now. Any help would be appreciated. FYI, I'm using a Late 2013 Mackbook Pro with 16GB RAM and 500GB SSD. NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2048 MB Current OS is 10.9.5.
DJ Marv the Maverick 4:26 PM - 19 November, 2016
things I've done since starting video djing

1. Purchased Mix emergency
2. Signed up to Smash vision and Xtendamix
3. Bought a Elgato Thunderbolt 2 Dock, for some reason the HDMI port on the mac reacts differently to different HDMI cable lengths. I think it's underpowered. You never know how long the HDMI cable installed in venues is. The dock I bought had HDMI.
4. Bought a Lan To HDMI Baluns


Re your questions
1. HDMI should be better
2. I don't do much videos on mobile gigs except there is a projector or screens installed in the venue. If you go projector consider a short throw and rear projector. You might need to get a screen to project on too?
otherwise like in many videos I've seen, some. mobile guys just get tow screens mounted on trusses which kinda looks cool too.
3. I've got an HDMI splitter to or you can get a HDMI Matrix 4x4 or something. It will handle multiple sources to multiple screens. Eg if you can have another laptop or tablet doing photo slide shows during dinner time.
4. Try Mix Emergency
5. One of the screens is across me in the bar I play at so that's my monitor 😀. I will like a way to be able to drag the video preview screens (deck 1, deck 2 and Mix screen) to a another monitor (portable) apart from the my laptop screen. Currently neither Mix emergency nor Serato Video can use more than two screens.
Logisticalstyles 2:07 PM - 21 November, 2016
Thanks for the info DJ Marv.

I'll look into those video services. I think I have some videos from Smash Vision. I believe I signed up for a free account once. The way everyone praises Mix Emergency I think I'll have to seriously consider that option.
I have a similar dock to the Elgato that you mentioned but it's made by Belkin. Do you use the Lan To HDMI Baluns often?

Would something like this work for the HDMI matrix?
www.amazon.com
popnwave 4:51 PM - 21 November, 2016
LAN/CAT to HDMI usually work ok - it REALLY depends on getting a solid brand. There are a TON off rebranded ones you'll see around that companies just slap their names on. Cheap ones will have you cursing when you get drop outs and black screens. If you're going over 100' you might need to consider ones that pull power (5v) to boost the signal. Under 100' and you can usually use unpowered units.
DJ Marv the Maverick 6:15 PM - 21 November, 2016
Yeah I bought the balun on ebay think about 40 bucks or so. It's a no name brand. It works fine, the recommended length of lan cable for this one is 30ft.

I previously bought a 30ft long active HDMi cable. Damn thing was heavy and a PITA to uncoil/coil up. I think it's good for permanent installation not for mobile work.
So I abandoned it and have been using the baluns religiously since.

If you are gonna be doing mobile gigs and charging for it then you probably should look into a premium brand if there are.

Quote:

Would something like this work for the HDMI matrix?
www.amazon.com


That should work. My residency has a 4x4. One slot reserved for me and the other for sports cable TV.