Blackmagic Design MC BiDirect. SDI/HDMI 12G

I bought this to future-proof my portable rack for 4K workflows, and it’s become the most useful tool in my kit. The main selling point for me is that it's truly bi-directional: I can send a camera feed (HDMI to SDI) to my switcher and a return feed (SDI to HDMI) to a monitor simultaneously. It handles both signals at once, even in different formats.

The 12G support is flawless—I've tested it up to 2160p60 and it didn't drop a frame. A massive bonus is the ability to load a 3D LUT directly onto the converter; this lets me use standard HDMI TV screens as client monitors with proper color calibration, which saves me renting expensive equipment.

Pros:
Handles 4K up to 60fps (12G-SDI)
Works as two simultaneous converters
Solid metal build, feels very durable
LUT support for color correction on the output

Cons:
Gets quite warm during operation (normal for BMD, but watch out)
Requires a high-quality USB-C cable/power source to run reliably