In theory, if you had your own streaming capability, you know, ability to stream to a direct link, you could really put the bandwidth up to 70 Mbps per second, which would be pretty nice.”ħ0 Mbps is the max bitrate the Pro can encode at (and it caps at 1080 resolution), which is way higher than the recommended specs for just about every streaming service. You can just use that to control the ATEM software, and that reduces the load. “This way, the computer that it’s connected to is not doing any of the encoding. And dropped frames can happen when the CPU of the computer you’re trying to stream with gets overloaded. With a built-in hardware encoder, you reduce the need for a computer (you still need one to set up the stream details) and greatly improve the reliability of your stream by using a dedicated hardware encoder with built-in buffering.Īs Caniglia explains: “The good part about being able to handle the encoding in the box is that the power of our encoder generates a stream that doesn’t have dropped frames. This works, but it puts the process of encoding in realtime on your computer, which can be taxing and cause issues.
You’d then use a software encoder such as OBS to stream to whatever service you want (usually via RTMP). The ATEM shows up as a webcam source (great if you want to take your Zoom game to the next level). With the ATEM Mini, if you want to live stream to YouTube or Twitch you’d plug the ATEM into your computer via USB. While looking extremely similar and having the same four HDMI inputs and two audio inputs, the Pro adds one huge feature - hardware encoding. The big announcement was the release of a new version of the ATEM Mini - the ATEM Mini Pro (priced at $595). Also unknown if BMD will open up an SDK for other manufacturers to tap into the HDMI camera control ability, so as of now this will only work with the two versions of the Pocket Cinema Cameras. This is adjusting the actual Pocket Cinema camera settings internally, so you can’t use another camera and change how it looks via the ATEM. One thing to note - this is not a look being applied by the ATEM or your computer. And if you’re recording the program output it will also trigger recording internally on the camera. With a compatible lens, you can adjust focus and zoom. You can adjust exposure and color temperature. You can also control the Pocket Cinema Cameras from the ATEM software on your computer - the exact same software that works with the broadcast level ATEMs and studio cameras.
And orange if the camera is recording internally, which is a nice way to get ISO recordings in Blackmagic RAW if you later wanted to edit your multicam shoot into a higher quality video. Red if the camera is live, green if it’s in the preview screen (if you have program/preview mixing enabled).
So with the free firmware update, when either the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K or Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is plugged into the ATEM Mini or ATEM Mini Pro, a new set of features and control is unlocked. However, Blackmagic figured out a way to carry additional info on the HDMI signal. The ATEM Mini and BMD Pocket Cinema Cameras use HDMI, not SDI, which normally just carries audio and video. In addition to audio and video, they can also carry additional data like tally light (is the camera live or on standby?) and commands to adjust the camera settings. Regular broadcast cameras use SDI cable connections, which can run longer distances and are more secure than HDMI. Working our way down the stream, let’s start with the Pocket Cinema Camera updates. Turning Cinema Cameras Into Broadcast Cameras I had a chance to chat with Bob Caniglia, Director of Sales Operations in North America for Blackmagic Design, about the new updates, as well as some thoughts on the new ATEM Mini Pro after using it for a few weeks. In the early days of the global shutdown, even before the canceled NAB would’ve taken place, Blackmagic Design had some product announcements that ended up being very appropriately timed: Updates to their Pocket Cinema cameras and the ATEM Mini, and the release of the brand new ATEM Mini Pro. In Cinematography, Filmmaking, ProductionĪTEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Design, Live Streaming