Live switched multi-camera setup

[Adam Grunseth]

Originally Posted by Al Gardner

So are you using the PC for live streaming?

Yes.

There is a software package called MX Light by an independent programmer that I have been using. It is a remarkable companion for the Blackmagic ATEM Television Studio switcher. The switcher has its own hardware H.264 encoder. MX Light allows you to adjust the hardware encoder settings and re-stream the H.264 stream without re-encoding it. While streaming you can also simultaneously record the program as well.

Since the encoding is happening in the switcher, not the PC, there is very little CPU overhead. Also, because no re-encoding is needed the delay between what is happening live and what a viewer sees on the internet stream is significantly reduced.

[Adam Grunseth]

Just a quick update on my progress in putting all this together-

I have the PC installed in the rackmount case now. I am still waiting on my wireless receiver and power conditioner/battery backup unit to arrive.

[Al Gardner]

Originally Posted by Adam Grunseth

Yes.

There is a software package called MX Light by an independent programmer that I have been using. It is a remarkable companion for the Blackmagic ATEM Television Studio switcher. The switcher has its own hardware H.264 encoder. MX Light allows you to adjust the hardware encoder settings and re-stream the H.264 stream without re-encoding it. While streaming you can also simultaneously record the program as well.

Since the encoding is happening in the switcher, not the PC, there is very little CPU overhead. Also, because no re-encoding is needed the delay between what is happening live and what a viewer sees on the internet stream is significantly reduced.

Now this is looking good, Might make me sell the boat.
The streaming part with low overhead makes it real attractive.

So is there any additional equipment needed to do this?

[Adam Grunseth]

Originally Posted by Al Gardner

Now this is looking good, Might make me sell the boat.
The streaming part with low overhead makes it real attractive.

So is there any additional equipment needed to do this?

To facilitate live streaming with the Blackmagic ATEM Television studio all you need is a PC running Windows, the ATEM switcher, and the MXLight software.

As the video switcher uses a network connection for control, you will either need a PC with two network adapters to control the the switcher and stream, or a network router.

Audio input on the switcher is AES/EBU only, so you would likely need some kind of audio converter.

Of course you will also need a fast enough internet connection to stream from.

[Al Gardner]

I do live streaming all the time. But it's typically with powerpoints and video side by side.

From the information you provided though this a good way for me to do HD video streaming with that software.

I did some checking and I can do the same thing with the Black Magic H.264 Pro Recorder as it does the encoding on the device as well. And the MX Light software will bridge the gap. I'm doing HD now but off the CPU.

Thanks for the heads up!

Do you have a good streaming provider? I can recommend one that's really good and cost effective.
'

[Adam Grunseth]

Originally Posted by Al Gardner

I do live streaming all the time. But it's typically with powerpoints and video side by side.

From the information you provided though this a good way for me to do HD video streaming with that software.

I did some checking and I can do the same thing with the Black Magic H.264 Pro Recorder as it does the encoding on the device as well. And the MX Light software will bridge the gap. I'm doing HD now but off the CPU.

Thanks for the heads up!

Do you have a good streaming provider? I can recommend one that's really good and cost effective.
'

In regards to a streaming provider, what is cost effective really depends on the size of your audience.

Since most of the live streaming I have done has been to relatively small groups, DaCast works great. Especially since I can embed the DaCast player in my website with no DaCast branding.

[D.J. Ammons]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Don't know the other cams. I do know that for wedding work, 1/4" sensors do not cut it in low light, whether you have one, or three sensors.

Jeff,

I have been shooting weddings with two Sony V1U's with 1/4" sensors for years without any low light issues at weddings. Maybe I have been lucky and have not had to deal with any venue's as dark as you have to deal with.

At receptions we use LED lights mounted on the cameras if the room is too dark. In the past year we have added a Canon XA10 and Canon t4i to our kit and I really have not noticed any huge improvement in low light capability with footage shot with them vs the V1U's.

[Al Gardner]

[QUOTE=.

Since most of the live streaming I have done has been to relatively small groups, DaCast works great. Especially since I can embed the DaCast player in my website with no DaCast branding.[/QUOTE]

I have a Dacast account too. But not for long. Dacast is just a reseller for Edgecast. Scale Engine is both cheaper and better. It's very easy to use and these guys are sharp. And most any good service will allow embedding the player. Give them a look.

Dacast is nice but they stumble with too much stuff. Their still behind on IOS etc.. But I could see how they would be very suitable for a lot of streamers.

[Adam Grunseth]

Originally Posted by Al Gardner

I have a Dacast account too. But not for long. Dacast is just a reseller for Edgecast. Scale Engine is both cheaper and better. It's very easy to use and these guys are sharp. And most any good service will allow embedding the player. Give them a look.

Dacast is nice but they stumble with too much stuff. Their still behind on IOS etc.. But I could see how they would be very suitable for a lot of streamers.

I'll have to check out Scale Engine. Thanks for the recommendation.

I started using DaCast because someone else told me about it. It seems simple and their pricing structure seems a good fit for what I do. I don't have too much experience with other paid streaming services- I just know that DaCast was working well for me.

[Al Gardner]

Adam,
I'm certainly not saying DaCast is bad. I just think Scale Engine is better. And price wise it's major when you do start streaming to bigger audiences which I suspect you will with that awesome system you got.

The cost difference is nothing to sneeze at. And the guys that run it are industry gurus.

[Adam Grunseth]

I just wanted to post another update on the progress as everything comes together.

I received my UHF wireless mic system and have the receiver installed in the rack case. The only thing left to go in the case now is the UPS which should arrive tomorrow.

My camera crane also arrived this past week. I was able to get it all set up without any issues- But I am going to need to invest in some more counter weights. I have eighteen pounds of weights, but that wasn't quite enough to balance it out.

[Al Gardner]

That is one nice rig. How many wireless do you have?

What jib did you get? Pictures?

[Adam Grunseth]

Originally Posted by Al Gardner

That is one nice rig. How many wireless do you have?

What jib did you get? Pictures?

I have four wireless mics, which is the maximum number the receiver I have can use simultaneously. The audio mixer supports six different input sources, so in addition to the four wireless mics I could also bring in audio from two additional hard wired sources.

The jib I purchased is the ProAim jib- They started out as an E-bay company from what I understand and manufacture their jibs in India. Despite reading positive reviews about their products, I was highly skeptical. It is by far not the best jib in the world, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it is.

Once I get the counter weights for it I will get it all set up again and post some pictures. Once I have the whole system up and running I will be making a video showing how everything works.

[Al Gardner]

Thanks, I'm intrigued.

[Adam Grunseth]

High definition video flypack update-

The final major component that goes into the rack case arrived today, the Furman F1000 power conditioner and battery backup unit. I am still waiting on various patch cables and connectors so I can hook everything up and get it working, but I now have all the major components.

Starting at the bottom of the rack is the power conditioner and battery backup unit. This provides power for the whole system. It allows me to plug into AC power sources that provide irregular and unreliable power. Even under poor power conditions, it will still output constant clean AC power to all of the other components. It also features a battery backup, so if I should loose power for any reason everything won't just shut down.

Moving up the case is the PC. The PC serves three primary purposes in this setup- First the video switcher is controlled via PC software. It is possible to purchase a dedicated hardware control panel for the switcher, but that is an additional $5,000. The PC also works as a graphics machine, allowing you to edit video graphics and photoshop and load them into the video switcher's graphics channels via USB. Finally the PC also acts as the video recorder, allowing several hours of high def recording from the main program out of the video switcher.

Above the PC is the audio mixer. This is a basic 6 input line level audio mixer, so there isn't too much to say about it. Four of the inputs will be tied to the wireless audio receiver. The other two inputs will remain free for patching into a house audio system or adding additional hard wired audio sources- Such as from a video playback system where pre-recorded video elements or instant replays are necessary.

Next is a pro level analog to digital audio converter. The main output from the audio mixer will be connected to this converter. It will then output a digital AES/EBU audio signal. The video switcher only accepts AES/EBU audio, so this component is necessary to tie the audio in with the video.

In addition to converting the analog audio to digital, this converter provides some other useful features. The detailed VU meters will make it much easier for the audio operator to monitor levels. It also features a built in world clock sync generator which can be used for genlocking the video switcher and cameras. This will prevent audio sync drift in extremely long recordings.

Finally at the top of the rack is the wireless audio receiver. This receiver will work with four individual microphones all simultaneously. The four display screens on it will let the audio operator monitor the status of the different microphones, including how much battery they have left and signal strength.

Moving around to the back of the unit it is obvious that I haven't done any of the cabling yet. At the bottom of the case from the back you can see the video switcher itself. This is where all the cameras and video sources get connect. It allows me to cut, dissolve, or wipe between the various sources. It supports live graphics keying on two internal media channels. It also has a built in high quality chroma keyer.

The video switcher also has a broadcast grade hardware H.264 encoder built in. This means I can connect the encoder to the PC via ordinary USB and save the output. Since the video switcher is doing all the video encoding, the PC's processor is hardly used at all in this process.

I should have all the various cables and connectors I need to start hooking everything up next week. Once I have everything up and running I will post another update.