NewTek Connect Spark Review - Captures HDMI Video Over a Network!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2024
- Buy one from B&H : lon.tv/spark (affiliate link) - NewTek's new Connect Spark delivers broadcast quality video over IP networks with low latency. It works great with their Tricaster switchers but also with software too like OBS and Xsplit. See more production: lon.tv/production and subscribe! lon.tv/s
VIDEO INDEX:
00:54 - Hardware overview
01:03 - Short power cable
01:08 - Ports and connectors
01:56 - Ethernet vs. WiFi
02:31 - NDI maximum bandwidth requirement
02:50 - External storage for recording
04:04 - How it works: Using with a Tricaster
06:14 - Using with Chromakey
06:50 - Web based control panel
07:08 - Starting and stopping recording
07:19 - Video bandwidth adjustment
08:12 - Recording options / file size limit adjustments
08:36 - Recorded file management
09:00 - Network & Wireless Settings
10:35 - Video quality and compression artifacts
11:12 - Max resolution: 1080p 60fps
11:18 - Game capture
11:50 - OBS / Open Broadcaster and other software support
12:58 - Using NDI as a webcam
13:37 - Conclusion and final thoughts
NewTek's Tricaster is one of the most important components of my workflow and this new add-on device extends that functionality significantly.
Now I can bring in very low latency video into my production environment anywhere I have an ethernet jack or a WiFi connection capable of 15 megabits per second. It works through Newtek's NDI protocol. Video integrates into the Tricaster workflow like any other wired camera would. Very flexible and completely plug and play - the Tricaster finds it on the network automatically.
But because NDI is an open source technology other things work with it too. Xsplit, Open Broadcaster (OBS), Wirecast, and many other software and hardware solutions are compatible.
I found that the compression is a bit too much for video game capture, but bringing in regular video from a camera seems to be working just fine. I experimented with some fast motion pans and zooms and also had it working successfully with chroma key.
I think this product will be very useful for schools, houses of worship, etc. to get cameras into places they couldn't before due to wiring constraints.
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I think you mean Newtek has been around for a while, NDI was introduced around 2015 and has never ever required a capture card unless you want to call your ethernet card a capture card. Thanks for the review I value them very much since you are honest and not bias. This is a new technology and I think eventually it will replace SDI once the industry stars catching up and implementing it. Price still too high for me but I guess it will come down once more and more companies start making these converters.
Had been looking forward to this product's release. Fantastic review, Lon. Newtek continues to impress!
Huh, I didn't expect it to force such a strict bitrate limitation.
+EposVox it sounds like they are really pushing WiFi here but it would have been nice for it to push more nitrate over Ethernet
Well, the thing is that you would need a 10gigabit network to push or not compress as much. Who has that? It requires a 1Gigabit router and honestly, they did it this way because this way you can input an NDI source from across the world if you wanted to. Think about it you can be in one location and your NDI sources in another location but if you would set up a VPN and be able to get to those cameras that is awesome. Also you can use your smart phone as a NDI source
i wouldn't expect "uncompressed" but the NDI protocol itself is not THIS compressed. 15mbps is kinda low if you're doing post-production. 1 GIGABIT is PLENTY of bandwidth to get super high-bitrate recordings out of. Even my high-end video recorders shooting ProRes don't even hit a full gigabit-per-second bitrate. There's plenty of room to go far with it. I agree that it looks like they're focusing on WiFi for this - but some customizability of the bitrate would be nice. On a gigabit network you can basically get uncompressed for any use case this would be used for anyway.
Some of the other NDI stuff I've experimented with runs at higher bit rates but of course doesn't work as well over Wifi. I do hope they implement the compressed format on the smartphone app! I'm not able to get consistent performance out of it right now.
We want to make sure that you can move video anywhere on LAN at any distance that you want, including wireless. We went to huge effort to get basically perfect video quality (it rivals the 150Mbit/s I-frame scheme we use on other parts of NDI) by running crazy long GOPs (which are interactively controlled in real-time by the NDI receiver).
All the opinions you are about to hear are my own, nobody is paying for this review and nobody is reviewing this content before it is posted.
Windows 10 I paid for it in gumballs. 😊
Wow, awesome!
It is a bit on the expensive side, but can't say I've ever seen something that works this well and in such a simple and direct manner... over wi-fi of all things. Several of the dedicated capture devices that have to be connected over wire sometimes don't work this well.
Very impressed. Would love to have something like that on the arsenal. xD
I don't have a wireless router in our press box. It is a strange setup as it only has a box that comes in and we just plug directly from that to our TriCaster. Do I need a router or would a switch work to get internet and the video from the Spark to my TriCaster Mini?
Great review - We were not sure when or how to implement and recommend NDI workflows, but thanks to this device and video I am thinking it could be a viable solution in certain situations.
Did not know this existed! (would have been handy this last weekend!) Thanks for sharing this little piece of treasure!
Can this be used to capture and record the output of a cable box DVR (non premium content)?
If so, is there a better way?
to make live broadcasts, in terms of quality, which is better? Teradek cube or via NDI Spark? .. talking about quality
Teradek.NDI require too much processing power from your pc
How would you recommend attaching this to a camcorder without using the $190 battery option?
Hi Lon, is there such thing as a device for converting satellite free to air to over the network such as this or the HD Homerun.
Thanks for the review. Will this work with The live to air app by Teradek?
Hi i got 2 of these recently. I have a concern
It says it needs gigabit wifi router. Can you recommend wifi gigabit router which supports 2.4g as spark connect doesn't support 5g.
Ubiquti make products that will do both 2.4 and 5.8 WiFi.
Most WiFi hardware is 2.4, with 5.8 being optional, but most also are not 'gigabit' on the wifi side.
What would u recommend to watch tv on multiple tv`s (maybe even 4K to be future proof) from one set top box (right now i can use the HDMI out of the set top box to my 4k tv (94 SD and 19 FHD/HD channels) and an antenna cable to a Samsung monitor/tv 22 inches (like 55 SD channels, maybe ones that i can`t see on the big 4K tv), offcourse i would like to see more channels on both TV`s and 2 separate channels, not the same video on 2 tv screens. I keep hearing of Slingbox, which in my oppinion is the best system, but i don`t know if it will work in Romania. From my cable provider i have 2 boxes (set top box+AC router with optical fiber).
Good video. Question, if you use the Ethernet connection instead of wifi, how would you go Live to say TH-cam or Facebook Live of your one Ethernet port on computer is being utilized by the Spark?
Hello it's still the same.this is just an input over the same network LAN and you can recognise it in any software as an NDI input.especially easy in vmix
The Sparks won't connect direct to social media platforms, they're not designed for that functionality.
As HD MC suggested, use with vMix, or with OBS, or even VLC which now supports NDI streaming.
Lon, can you describe your game capture tests? How was the Spark hooked up, and did you test both WiFi and wired Ethernet? If so, any differences? Thanks!
+Chuck Baker hooked up via hdmi direct from the PC, tried both Ethernet and wireless also pulled the recording, they all looked the same.
Thanks, Lon! :)
Tell me if I'm wrong but could you plug a Steam Link into this and stream your games over the internet with about 45-60ms of latency?
It's not designed for game streaming.
LON desde Santiago de Chile (Latin-America) te felicito por tu excelente canal de TH-cam.
Por favor, te pido ayuda para resolver dos dudas.
¿Cuál es la distancia máxima de uso entre el dispositivo transmisor (el Spark) y un router WIFI (receptor)?
Y la segunda, ¿puedo usar el Spark con baterías o conectarlo a baterías Sony del tipo NF?
Gracias y eres lo máximo.
Thanks for the video, really interesting piece of hardware. You should ask for a sample of BirdDog Studio HDMI to Network Device Interface Converter to compare it.
Really $500 for hdmi and $800 for sdi and it isn't even 4K. Seriously Newtek it is just a capture card and a tiny computer (like a raspberry pi) and set me software. Why does it cost so much? Honestly my major gripe is that it isn't even 4K as there network tricaster (tc1) supports 4K and it is built around ip video as you have to get external boxes to use more than a couple normal sdi
Yuuuup. And there's the nasty GPU/CPU loading for NDI-HX.
More value out of the Chinese made RTSP boxes. :)
Hello i am a little confused .... If you need to add around 8 NDI inputs... what kind of PC do you need... does more inputs mean less perfomance?
Which software bro
So i guess they are considering this a bird-dog killer? The tally indicator is too small for anyone to know from a distance they are on-air. Although I'd rather use the HD-SDI version of this unit. Good demo on it.
My understanding on the Bird Dog is that it pushes out a much higher bit rate image vs. the Connect. There's a good comparison over at the Video Guys about how the products differ: www.videoguys.com/blog/important-information-birddog-ndi-converters/
Holy crap, $495 though?
Eureka_sevenfold - Dude, seriously! I was thinking in a similar price range as you. No way in hell I would pay 500 bucks for this lol
+Richard Cookerly I think this is the least expensive piece of hardware newtek has ever produced :)
Honestly this isn't a consumer device. It's meant more as a low end piece of hardware for NewTeks growing video over ip market. Great product. Specific market.
I'm sure the price of this type of device will fall over time. But, around the time that this is $150, the 4K version will be out, and it will cost $500 :-)
Lon.TV - I have to admit that it's impressive technology though!
Personal experience - the WiFi on a Spark sucks balls over 5 meters, at 10 meters it's pretty much un-useable. On the ones we had, the SD card slot didn't ever see any SD card inserted.
There's zero advantage in latency compared to a cheap RTSP box, and given the Sparks cost up to four times the price,... You can pick up an RTSP unit with 4K support, recording, ethernet, wifi AND 4G for the same money as NewTek charge for these.
Your desk is really high. I hope this is just for videos and not daily working, typing, etc.
Wow! Very crazy!!!
like the review, as was considering adding a couple SDI vers. to my workflow. one negative not of the spark, but in the multicam. You might look to consider colour matching ur cameras I wasn't certain if you shirt was blue, lilac or purple.
Does it do Power over Ethernet?
Ben C Yes.
Cool but too expensive.
Thanks but I will wait for the China $150 clone.
I'll wait for the China $50 clone :D
Kiloview make the hardware, their version comes in NDI or RTSP flavours.
1 st!!!!!!!!