Blackmagic Video Assist User Manual  Getting Started

This section shows you how to get started including:

• Plugging in Power

• Plugging in Video

• Plugging in Audio

• Inserting SD cards

Plugging in Power

Getting started with your Blackmagic Video Assist is as simple as plugging in power, connecting your video source, plugging in your audio and inserting an SD card.

To supply power, plug in the supplied power adapter to your video assist’s power input on the right side panel. On the 12G models, you can secure the connector to the video assist to prevent accidental disconnection.

To power on the unit, press the power button on the right side panel. Press and hold to power off.

Connect external power to the +12V power input. Press the power button to turn the unit on.

📘

TIP The supplied power cable included with Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR features a locking connector to prevent disconnection, but you can also use any 36W 12V power cable to power the video assist.

You can also power your video assist using Sony L-series batteries that are very common and can be purchased in a variety of capacities.

Insert the battery into the slot and slide down until it clicks into place. To remove, press and hold the button above the battery and slide the battery out

📘

Charging your Batteries

L-series batteries are very common and used in a variety of video equipment. This also means there is a wide variety of chargers you can use to recharge your batteries. These include a wall plug style charger with a single battery slot, or dual slot models with an LCD screen that displays the charge status of your batteries. When selecting a battery charger, it’s important to make sure it fits into your production workflow. For example, some chargers are powered via USB so are convenient for when you are on the go. Other chargers are mains powered so will suit studio and office locations.

The first time you power up your Blackmagic Video Assist you will be prompted to select your language from the 11 available options. Tap on your selected language and then tap ‘update’. You can change your language settings at any time using the ‘setup’ tab of the dashboard menu.

Plugging in Video

The next step is to plug your SDI or HDMI source video into the Mini BNC, BNC or HDMI input. Mini BNC to regular BNC cables can be purchased from your nearest professional video equipment stores.

Plugging in Audio

When plugging in your video, audio is also connected as it’s embedded in the SDI or HDMI video signal. However, 7” video assist models also have built in mini XLR connectors so you can plug in external balanced analog audio as well.

📘

NOTE On the 7” video assist model, you can set the audio settings to record analog channels 1 and 2, or choose one channel analog audio and one channel SDI or HDMI audio, depending on your source video. For more information about analog audio and adjusting levels refer to the ‘audio’ section later in this manual.

Inserting SD Cards

To start recording clips, first insert a compatible SD card.

For high quality HD recording, we recommend high speed UHS-I SD cards. However, if you are recording standard definition or lower bit rate, lower quality compression you might be able to use slower cards. Generally, the faster the cards the better.

If you are recording Ultra HD, then we recommend high speed UHS-II type SD cards. For Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR these cards need to be capable of write speeds above 224MB/s for recording up to ProRes HQ Ultra HD 2160p60.

The 7” video assist models also have two SD card slots. You can record to either one, or insert two SD cards for continuous recording or fast media change overs.

Before using your cards, you will need to format them to either HFS+ or exFAT formats. It’s easy to format your media via the ‘storage’ settings. For information on formatting, refer to the ‘storage media’ section for more later in this manual.

To start recording you’ll need to insert an HFS+ or exFAT formatted UHS-I or UHS-II SD card. You can easily format your SD card using the ‘storage’ settings in the touchscreen menu.

That’s all there is to getting started. With power, video and a formatted SD card you can now start recording!