Through the looking glass at 10Gbps
November 18, 2010 3:02 PM   Subscribe

I'm looking for a little box which flips/mirrors an HDMI feed, or an LCD monitor which does the same

I'm preparing a little remote monitoring station for a distant video camera. The monitor is connected to the camera using HDMI. The problem is that my camera looks through a mirror, so without any processing, the image is reversed. Is there a little electronics box which can flip an incoming HDMI stream and send it out a new cable? Otherwise is there an LCD monitor / TV (>20") that has mirror/flip built in? My Google-Fu is weak here.
posted by Popular Ethics to Computers & Internet (14 answers total)
 
Visual effects boxes exist, but they aren't cheap. Like, five figures not cheap.

Assuming the HDMI isn't encrypted (using HDCP), you could run the feed into a computer and use OpenGL to flip it in something approximating real time. Probably.

But, now you're talking about running a gaming-class, with the GPU/CPU at maximum usage 24/7. This sounds expensive and error-prone to me.

So, I'd say, no, such a thing is unlikely to exist for a high-def digital link.
posted by Netzapper at 3:13 PM on November 18, 2010


Place the monitor near a mirror so the image is back to normal. Shouldn't be too hard.
posted by notsnot at 3:26 PM on November 18, 2010


Probably not since it's connected by HDMI, but is the camera a security camera or webcam? Many security cameras (& a few webcams) have internal switches or firmware settings to flip &/or mirror the video, for cases where the camera must be mounted upside-down or looking into a mirror.
posted by Pinback at 3:49 PM on November 18, 2010


Many projectors provide an inverted setting meant for rear projection systems (where the projector fires at the back side of a translucent screen.) Alternatively, you can fire a standard projector at an angled mirror to fold the image back to the correct orientation.

You could also remount your camera to face the area you're trying to view.
posted by contraption at 3:50 PM on November 18, 2010


If inputting the video feed into a computer is an option and the computer has an Nvidia card, the drivers have an feature called NVKeystone that can flip the video for you. It shouldn't require a gaming-class GPU.
posted by zsazsa at 4:04 PM on November 18, 2010


I'll bet Pinback has it. It would be much more common to have a switch in the camera for this rather than everybody who mounts upside-down to have to buy a separate box.
posted by rhizome at 4:17 PM on November 18, 2010


Response by poster: Heh. A mirror in front of the TV is a cheap option for sure, but it's a little too hokey for this application. And 5 figures for an effects box is unfortunate - I was hoping for three or low fours.

The computer option sounds interesting. Is there a (reasonably priced) graphics card out there with an hdmi input?

The camera is a Canon 5d mk ii. As far as I know there isn't a mirror/flip switch, unless the firmware has been hacked or something.
posted by Popular Ethics at 6:35 PM on November 18, 2010


Looks like it's called "picture flip" by some TV manufacturers:

"The Picture Flip feature offers a Normal image, Mirror image, Rotated image, or an Upside Down image."
http://www.epinions.com/review/pr-Televisions_Sharp_LC_20E1UW_Aquos_19_7_in_TV_LC_20E1U_W/content_155340738180
http://www.worldwidevoltage.com/sharp-19a33m--multi-system-tv.html
http://www.110220volts.com/LCD-19R30.html
posted by suedehead at 6:47 PM on November 18, 2010


Response by poster: Unfortunately repositioning the camera is not feasible. The pivoting mirror is integral to this particular setup (without it, the camera would be damaged). I thought about arranging two mirrors before the camera, but that's not terribly easy either.
posted by Popular Ethics at 6:52 PM on November 18, 2010


Response by poster: Bam, thanks suedehead. I was turning up nothing with the keyword "mirror". Unfortunately the TV you linked to seems to be out of production. Sharp doesn't mention anything about "picture flip" on their website. They might have abandoned this feature. So close!
posted by Popular Ethics at 7:06 PM on November 18, 2010


Looks like there are some other ones still being sold:
Google Shopping results for "sharp tv picture flip".
posted by suedehead at 10:43 AM on November 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I found this inverter box / card for dvi signals. I'm hoping it will work with an HDMI -> DVI adaptor. The price is right anyway:
http://www.planaronline.com/catalog/?cat=3d-accessories&sub=graphicscards
posted by Popular Ethics at 10:44 PM on November 21, 2010


Response by poster: Sorry, let me link that properly:
http://www.planaronline.com/catalog/?cat=3d-accessories&sub=graphicscards

There's also this, but I can't find a retailer:
http://www.gomax-electronics.com.tw/MX-1003A.html
posted by Popular Ethics at 11:59 PM on November 21, 2010


HDMI = DVI + Audio, so you're probably safe going down that road.
posted by rhizome at 1:31 PM on November 22, 2010


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