BMD UltraStudio Monitor 3G not displaying playback

[74designer]

I just purchased a Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Monitor 3G that I have connected to iMac via Thunderbolt 3. From the  Monitor 3G I have hdmi cable connected to HD TV. I cannot get the playback to display on the HD TV. I have followed the brief instruction in the manual but I am unable to get Premiere or After Effects to display on the HD TV.

Using DaVinci Resolve it give me an option to set monitor playback to 1080i60 and it will display the video on the TV, even when working on a 24p timeline.

Has anyone used the Monitor 3G with Premier and After Effects and was able to get it to display the video playback?

Thanks,

Brett

[Richard M Knight]

What are your sequence settings? If the sequence is of a higher resolution or frame rate than the BM device can handle the screen will be blank. In my system I can playback 4k 25 fps but not 4K 50 fps.

[74designer]

Hello Richard,

Thank you for the reply.   My sequence is 1080p 23.98.

Before I start Premier I can open BM Desktop Video Setup app and it list the UntraStudio Monitor 3G - "Video Output" 1080p 59.94.

Once I open Premiere with a sequence set as 1080p 23.98 the BM Desktop Video Setup app updates "Video Output" as 1080p23.98.

My reference monitor reads "Out of Range".

If I change the Premiere timeline to 1080p59.94 the reference monitor will start displaying the video. Also, the BM Desktop Video Setup will change back to "Video Output" to 1080p59.94.

Per the manual the Monitor 3G should be converting my 1080p23.98 seuqnece to 1080p59.94 to be displayed on the refernce monitor. But it does not.

If I connect the HDMI from the Monitor 3G with a Premiere 1080p59.94 sequence to a standard HD TV it displays "Format not Supported". 

Again, I thought this box was supposed to take all of my video feeds and convert them to 1080p59.94 to display on refernece monitor or HD TV.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

-Brett

[R Neil Haugen]

Ask the BM support for assistance also, and I would check their user support forum.

Neil

[74designer]

Thanks for the suggestion Neil.

BM support suggested I use the Adobe Premiere forum.

I posted on the balckmagic board but no one has given any input.

DaVinci provides a tab in the project settings to select the playback framerate. I can have a 24fps timeline and set the playback as 60fps and it will display on the monitor.

Premiere does not seem to have an option like that. In the BMD Monitor 3G manual it simply says check the device in the Playback tab of the project. Did that. But it will not display 24fps timeline, only 60fps timeline.

If using just DaVinci, it works as long as you specifiy the playback FPS as 60.

But the device is advertised that it works with Premiere and After Effects. On the packaging it states the UltraStudio Monitor 3G can be plugged in to a big screen TV.

BMD support are saying that my displays doesn't support 24fps.

Where do I go and find a big screen TV that supports 24fps? I thought this device was supposed to be converting my 24fps timeline into 60fps so it can be displayed on a monitor or big screen TV.

I asked them to email me a list of monitors and big screen TVs that work with the Monitor 3G. They do not have a list.

If its my equipment give me a list of approved monitors. Don't tell me it supports big screen TVs out of Premiere when it doesn't. 

Is there another company that has a simpler output playback HDMI device?

Thanks for everyone input.

[R Neil Haugen]

These things can be so freaking complex, and it's difficult to get advice that actually works for so many things.

I learned a couple years back that checking on frame-rate support before buying any monitor/TV to use with an NLE is a must. Why? I work with and teach to pro colorists, and they always want to see any project at the frame rate on screen to match the project itself. Do most editors every hear anybody say anything about that?'

No.

And support is so often "somewhat lacking" in full user case details.

For another place to get help, maybe try LiftGammaGain, the LGG forum. That is heavily colorists and VFX types, and they nearly all have multiple BM and AJA devices running to monitors working with various apps. You might get some help there.

I'll also ping @TrentHappel  ... maybe someone there can offer advice?

Neil

[74designer]

Thank you Neil.

I will try LiftGammaGain forum.

For me, I am not needing to view the playback at the same frame rate as my timeline. I am only using it to get a better idea on colors using a cheap display that has rec 709.

The fact that the DaVinci software provides a tab to set playback (signal sent to monitor) at 60fps while allowing me to work on a 24fps timeline is good with me. I am just looking for the feature in Premiere. In the BMD manual it states"change the playback frame rate to 60. But in the Premiere instructions in only states select the BMD device in the playback tab.

My mistake was taking a product description printed on the manaufactures website as well as the product box itself as a fact. "The UltraStudio Monitor 3G works with Premiere and playback can be displayed on a big screen TV."

It also gives intructions for using it to display Photoshop files out to the reference monitor. I follow those instructions and the BMD option I am supposed to select is grayed out.

I was looking for an easy plug and play solution for the simple work I do. 

[Andy 1968]

The BMD products have a control panel. You can set the output to 1080i but that doesn't mean Premiere Pro cannot playback a sequence that is 6K 60P or 4K 24P if setup correctly. Your Ultra Studio should work the same way. The video below might be helpful.

https://youtu.be/barrJWuBzCA

[R Neil Haugen]

What frame-rates will that TV accept, do you know? What's the model?

Neil

[74designer · Accepted solution]

It only supports 60 - which is the issue.

If I use DaVinci I can get around the issue by choosing 60fps as my playback, even when working on a 24fps timeline.

Premiere does not offer this feature, so i am stuck with working on 60 timelines if I work in Premiere.

I am ok with that being the issue. What has frustrated me is that I read over the website and the manual before purchasing the Monitor 3G. Both the website and the manual mix all of their UltraStudio in/out products into one manual. In the manual it refers to setting your output fps on the more expensive in/outs and then gets into how to set it up for Premiere, After Effects etc. The manual doesn't really talk about the Monitor 3G. So as I read the manual before buying and I took it that the Monitor 3G would work like the manual. It doesn't, which is fine. Its the cheapest one.

If the website and manual would have stated that the Monitor 3G determines the fps playback from your timeline and you can not set that using the BMD desktop video setup software (like you can with the more expensive in/outs) than I would have had a better idea what displays I needed for what I wanted to do.

It doesn't state that. On the box it only states all of the frame rates it can handle and that it works great with big screen TV and reference monitors. I know a lot of people have experience and may take all of this for granted. But, for people new to the industry it seems explaining their product and what it truely can and cannot do would be a benefit to their potential lifelong customers. This is the cheapest sdi/hdmi out they make. Usually people with less experience purchase these products.

Thanks Neil and Richard for the help. I would say with your help and my call to Blackmagic I have found my answer. I'm going to mark this thread as done.

[R Neil Haugen]

It is SO ... um ... we'll just say frustrating! ... when the data information has major holes in it. Like in this case.

Best wishes moving forward ...

Neil