2013General Discussion forum
Methods for transmitting tally signals to camera operators and monitors
13 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- Tally signals from a switcher are routed by engineering through patches to camera base stations and then to the camera itself.
- Photo sensors are a common method for detecting tally, particularly for quick jobs and mobile situations.
- Many broadcast cameras have rear or side connectors that can be wired to power indicator lights directly, bypassing the need for photo sensors.
- Fiber and Triax systems typically integrate tally signal delivery directly to the camera.
- Sony camera models with dedicated tally outputs on the back multipin remote connector can use those outputs instead of photo sensors.
- For studio work with prompter systems, tally signals can be daisy-chained through compatible equipment before reaching the monitor.
- Older wireless transmitters lacked integrated telemetry but could work with separate small tally systems; most modern broadcast wireless transmitters have full telemetry built in.
Depends on
- The discussion focuses on professional broadcast camera setups and may not apply to consumer equipment.
- Specific implementation details depend on individual switcher models and camera base station configurations.
- The fiber and wireless setups mentioned reflect the state of technology as of 2013.
- Custom wiring solutions require knowledge of camera connector pinouts and basic soldering skills.