Decimator 12G-CROSS 4K HDMI SDI Cross Converter with Scaling and Frame Rate Conversion

3,249

Format Combos

12G

SDI Support

4K60

Max Output

Output Formats

294

VESA Formats

36mo

Warranty

Overview

Picture this. You are on a live event, your camera is pushing 12G-SDI, and the director suddenly asks for a clean HDMI feed to the confidence monitor while the SDI signal keeps rolling to the vision mixer. Most boxes make you choose. The Decimator 12G-CROSS 4K Converter with Scaling and Frame Rate Conversion does not make you choose. It takes whatever comes in — HDMI or SDI — and simultaneously pushes both out, independently routed, at any resolution your downstream gear can accept.

That flexibility is not accidental. Decimator Design built the 12G-CROSS around a 4K Motion Adaptive Scaling Engine that converts between 351 input formats and 57 output formats. Do the math and you get 3,249 possible format combinations — SD PAL all the way up to 12G 4096x2160p60. The scaler handles frame rate conversion too, so dropping a 59.94 feed to 25 for a European broadcast chain takes seconds to configure from the onboard LCD. No laptop. No dip switches. No drama.

It is small enough to gaffer-tape to a cart and quiet enough to run on a dialogue stage — no fan, no noise, solid aluminium shell. Engineers who have used Decimator gear before will recognise that philosophy immediately. It just works, in whatever environment you put it in.

What Makes the Decimator 12G-CROSS Different

True Cross-Conversion, Both Directions

Feed SDI in, get HDMI out — and HDMI in, get SDI out — simultaneously. Both outputs run independently, so you can route to a monitor and a mixer at the same time without splitting the signal or degrading it.

4K Motion Adaptive Scaling Engine

Driven by either the HDMI or SDI input, the scaler converts between 351 input and 57 output formats in real time. Horizontal and vertical flip are built in — handy for camera rigs where the sensor is mounted upside-down.

Full 12G-SDI — No Adapters, No Compromises

12G, 6G, 3G Level A and B, HD, and SD — all on the same BNC input and four SDI outputs. Connecting it to legacy infrastructure does not mean stepping down. It meets the signal where it is.

Built-in 1-to-4 SDI Distribution Amplifier

Four (3G/HD/SD)-SDI outputs mean a single camera feed can reach four destinations simultaneously. That is a distribution amplifier built into the same box as the converter. One less piece of kit on the cart.

Professional Test Pattern Generator

58 test patterns — SMPTE bars, zone plates, luma and chroma ramps — across 57 selectable output formats. The audio tone generator is there too. Use it to commission a venue, check a cable run, or troubleshoot a signal path without dragging out a dedicated TPG.

Onboard LCD Control — No Laptop on Set

Source routing, scaler format, colour space, audio pair mapping — all accessible from the front-panel LCD and four buttons. Settings save automatically. USB port is there when you need the full control panel app, but you rarely will.

Genlock Input — Frame-Accurate Output

Lock the scaler to SDI, HDMI, or an external Genlock reference. The output stays frame-accurate whether you are cutting live to air or feeding a VFX pipeline that demands locked 23.98.

Audio Pair Rearrangement

Eight audio pair routes on the SDI output, four on HDMI. Moving dialogue from channels 3/4 to 1/2 — the kind of thing that causes arguments in post — takes thirty seconds on the menu. No NLE, no re-patch.

Fanless — Silent Operation

No moving parts. The aluminium shell handles heat passively. Run it on a quiet drama set, in a church, in a commentary booth — the unit produces no audible noise whatsoever.

How It Works — Signal Routing Logic

The 12G-CROSS runs three parallel signal paths that can be configured independently from the LCD menu. The first path is a direct route — SDI input passes through to the SDI outputs, or HDMI input routes to the HDMI output — with reclocking on the two loop-through SDI outputs. The second path is the cross-convert: SDI input routes to HDMI output, or HDMI input routes to SDI output, format-matched in real time. The third path feeds both outputs from the built-in Down Up Cross (DUC) scaler, which is where the frame rate conversion, scaling, and genlock locking live.

The DUC scaler reference can be set to free-run, SDI input, HDMI input, or external genlock. Free-run is useful for TPG work or situations where the input may drop; the scaler keeps outputting at the last configured format rather than going black. Colour space handling is per-path and per-format — 709 and 2020 on both SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, with AVI InfoFrame and Payload ID detection, and manual overrides available when the metadata in the signal is not trustworthy.

3G output defaults to Level A. Level B is a one-menu toggle. The HDMI output type covers DVI RGB 4:4:4 through HDMI YCbCr 4:2:2, with two-channel or eight-channel audio selection. That covers virtually every HDMI display or capture device you are likely to encounter.

Supported Formats

SDI — In and Out

12G-SDI: (3840 or 4096) × 2160p50 / 59.94 / 60
6G-SDI: (3840 or 4096) × 2160p23.98 / 24 / 25 / 29.97 / 30
3G-A or 3G-B: (1920 or 2048) × 1080p50 / 59.94 / 60
HD-SDI: 1920×1080i · 1080p · 1080psf · 1280×720p (all standard rates)
SD-SDI: 720×576 PAL · 720×480i59.94 NTSC

HDMI — In and Out

(4096 or 3840) × 2160p up to 60 fps
1920×1080p up to 60 fps · 1920×1080i60/59.94/50
1280×720p — all standard frame rates
720×480p59.94 · 720×576p50 · NTSC / PAL interlaced
294 VESA formats via HDMI input

Scaler Output — 57 Formats

SD: 720×487i59.94 · 720×576i50 · ED variants
HD: 720p · 1080i · 1080p · 1080psf · 2048×1080p
3G: 1920×1080p50/59.94/60 · 2048×1080p50/59.94/60
6G: 3840×2160p23.98–30 · 4096×2160p23.98–30
12G: 3840×2160p50/59.94/60 · 4096×2160p50/59.94/60

Why Engineers Choose the 12G-CROSS

No Fan

Dead-silent operation. Dialogue stages, broadcast commentary boxes, houses of worship — anywhere a spinning fan would cause a problem.

Pocket-Sized

106 × 130 × 31 mm. Lighter than a lens cap set. Tuck it behind a monitor, mount it to a camera cage, or drop it in a kit bag.

No Computer

Full control from the onboard LCD. Every setting. No app needed on location, no firmware USB required for daily use.

36-Month Warranty

Three full years of parts-and-labour coverage from Decimator Design. Gear you can rent out and not worry about.

Who Uses It

The 12G-CROSS turns up in a lot of different signal chains because the problem it solves — mismatched formats between pieces of gear — is universal. Broadcast truck operators use it to bridge camera feeds between SDI infrastructure and HDMI confidence monitors. Live event companies use the 1-to-4 distribution to feed four destinations from a single camera without a separate DA. Post-production facilities use the frame rate conversion to feed a 23.98 editorial suite from a 25fps acquisition feed. And on-location engineers keep one in the kit bag because it takes up almost no space and covers most conversion scenarios they will encounter in a day.

Broadcast & Live Production HDMI-to-SDI Conversion SDI-to-HDMI Conversion Frame Rate Conversion 4K Down-Conversion Signal Distribution 1-to-4 Remote Field Production Post-Production Facility House of Worship System Integration & Testing Education & Corporate AV

Full Specifications — Decimator 12G-CROSS

SDI Input	1 × (12G/6G/3G/HD/SD)-SDI — SMPTE 259M · 292M · 274M · 296M · 424M · 2048-1 · 2036-1
SDI Outputs	2 × (12G/6G/3G/HD/SD)-SDI re-clocked loop-through · 2 × (12G/6G/3G/HD/SD)-SDI
HDMI Input	1 × HDMI Type A — up to 4K60, plus 294 VESA formats
HDMI Output	1 × HDMI Type A — DVI RGB 4:4:4 · HDMI RGB 4:4:4 · YCbCr 4:4:4 · YCbCr 4:2:2, selectable 2-ch or 8-ch audio
Genlock Input	1 × BNC
Scaler / Frame Rate Conversion	351 input formats × 57 output formats = 3,249 format combinations · horizontal and vertical flip · motion-adaptive deinterlacing
Test Pattern Generator	58 patterns incl. Luma and Chroma Zone-plates · 57 output formats · audio tone generator (1 kHz, 500 Hz, broken variants)
Audio Routing	8 × SDI output pair assignments · 4 × HDMI output pair assignments · per-output audio test tone on/off
Colour Space	Rec. 709 and Rec. 2020 on SDI and HDMI in/out · AVI InfoFrame and Payload ID detection · manual override per path
Control	Onboard LCD + 4 buttons · USB port for PC/Mac control panel and firmware updates
Power	+5V to +32V DC · Positive Centre Pin · Metal Thread Locking DC Socket
Dimensions	106 mm × 130 mm × 31 mm (4.2 × 5.1 × 1.2 in)
Cooling	Fanless — passive aluminium enclosure
Warranty	36 months — parts and labour, Decimator Design Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia

In the Box

Decimator 12G-CROSS converter
Power supply
HDMI cable
USB cable

Questions about the Decimator 12G-CROSS?

Our team has hands-on experience with Decimator gear and can help you confirm compatibility, discuss rental versus purchase, or advise on system integration.

Talk to an Expert

Browse related gear: Blackmagic Design · PTZ Cameras · Video Converters · SDI Equipment · Get Support

Decimator 12G-CROSS 4K HDMI/SDI Converter with Scaling and Frame Rate Conversion