Blackmagic Atem Television Studio HD8
Blackmagic Design announces Atem Television Studio HD8, a new family of all-in-one live production switchers that combine broadcast features with portability. These new switchers feature broadcast grade control panels with advanced features such as streaming and recording. There is also an ISO model that can record all video inputs and can connect to up to eight remote cameras. These new switchers also support live streaming, talkback and optional internal storage.
The new Atem Television Studio HD is a professional live production switcher built into a broadcast control panel. It is designed for high end work, while being very portable. This means customers can use it in small venues that don't have the access for equipment racks or broadcast vans. The switcher features 8 standards converted SDI inputs, 2 aux outputs, 4 chroma keyers, 2 downstream keyers, SuperSource, 2 media players and lots of transitions. It also includes television studio features such as hardware streaming, recording, audio mixer, talkback, multiview and optional internal cloud storage. There's also an ISO model that records all 8 inputs for editing.
Most of the features can be operated from the front panel, or customers can use the free Atem Software Control on Mac or Windows to access even more features.
Customers can select from transitions such as dissolve, or more dramatic effects such as dip to color, DVE squeeze and DVE push, and add a DVE for picture in picture effects with customized graphics. There are also media players which let users store graphics with alpha channels for titles and graphics that they can load as live video inputs. Then users can live stream the results.
“The Atem Television Studio HD combines a switcher and control panel into the same unit, so it’s extremely portable. The front panel includes buttons for selecting sources, triggering transitions and setting up video effects. Plus, the buttons are the same high-end type used on expensive broadcast switchers. Customers also get a built-in t-bar for manual transition control. The front panel even has an innovative audio mixer control area with live metering on a dedicated LCD,” according to the announcement.
With 8 3G-SDI video inputs, Atem Television Studio HD users can connect multiple cameras for different views of the performance. All video sources will re-sync to the switcher, even if they operate at different video standards.
The built-in media pool stores broadcast quality graphics and animations that can be played back using the built in media players. For highest quality, all media supports RGB colorspace with alpha channel, allowing transparency and layering. The media pool can hold 20 HD resolution stills. Motion graphics clips for animations and stingers can be up to 400 frames in 720HD and 200 frames in 1080HD.
Atem Television Studio features 4 Atem Advanced Chroma Keyers for green screen keying effects. The chroma keyers include features such as a color picker to sample background colors for automatic generation of the key parameters. Customers get controls for edge and flare, and there is a foreground color corrector so customers can match the foreground and background layers. The keyer can also be used for pattern and DVE keying.
A SuperSource multi-layer processor gives customers 4 extra DVE layers plus a background layer, layered together as an additional input source. SuperSource is designed for doing multiple picture in picture displays with people being interviewed because customers can set up the effect so the viewer can see each person being interviewed all within a graphic.
The Atem Television Studio HD features 8 independent 3G-SDI inputs, with each input featuring its own dedicated standards converter to convert any 1080HD or 720HD input source to the video standard of the switcher.
The Atem Television Studio includes nine 3G-SDI program outputs to send a separate program return feed to all cameras. The SDI program return is used to send tally, talkback and control information back to the cameras. Customers also get 2 dedicated aux outputs for driving stage monitors and master recorders. For camera monitoring, there is a dedicated 3G-SDI and HDMI output for the multiview.
A built in Fairlight audio mixer allows more complex live sound mixing. The internal mixer features enough channels for all SDI inputs, as well as extra channels for the XLR, RCA and MADI inputs. Each input channel features quality 6 band parametric EQ, compressor, limiter, expander and noise gate as well as level and pan controls. The audio mixer can be adjusted from the front panel using the dedicated audio mixer controls and LCD.
ATEM Television Studio HD includes a professional multiview showing all video inputs, preview and program on a single SDI or HDMI monitor. Each camera view includes tally indicators so customers know when each source is on-air, plus each view has custom labels and audio meters. Customers can fully customize the multiview layout with up to 16 simultaneous views.
Atem Television Studio HD has a built-in hardware streaming engine for live streaming to a global audience and live stream to services such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitch. Streaming works using the Ethernet connection to the internet, or customers can connect a smartphone to use mobile data.
Atem Television Studio HD supports recording to external USB flash disks. Or if an optional M.2 flash disk is installed, customers can record direct to internal cloud storage. The internal storage plus any external USB disks will be available to share over the local Ethernet network so other people can work on post production tasks such as editing, color correction and graphics preparation. All recordings are in H.264 format with AAC audio for broadcast quality video and small file sizes. The append record features allows customers to re-start recording onto the previous file to deliver a single file.
Atem Television Studio HD is designed to work with all video software because the USB connection emulates a webcam. “…customers can plug into a computer and use any video software that works with a webcam. That guarantees full compatibility with any video software and in full resolution 1080HD quality,” according to the release.
The Atem Television Studio HD ISO model allows customers to edit live events because it can record all inputs to separate video files. Customers get 8 separate video input files with matching timecode and sync, plus the program video is also recorded into a separate master video file. Users can edit using any NLE software that supports multi-cam editing. A DaVinci Resolve Project file is saved and linked to the input video files, so live switching is converted into an edit timeline users click to open.
With support for DaVinci Resolve project files in the ISO model, customers get a full post production workflow with editing, color correction, visual effects and audio mixing. By opening the project users will see their live production as an edit timeline. Customers can relink to Blackmagic RAW camera files if they want to finish in Ultra HD.
Atem Television Studio HD ISO model can connect to remote cameras. The Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2, Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro G2 and Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro cameras can live stream in H.264 direct to the switcher. It also includes camera control and tally. Program audio is also sent back to the camera for live interviews.
The Atem Software Control app allows access to all the features in the switcher. Atem Software Control features a visual switcher user interface with parameter palettes for making adjustments. The software lets customers live switch, mix audio, color correct in the cameras and manage media. Customers can also build and run complex macros from the software.
Atem Television Studio HD supports multiple languages in the menus and in the Atem Software Control with support for English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Polish and Ukrainian languages.
If users are building a podcasting studio or need more microphones, then the Atem Microphone Converter allows audio input expansion. It connects to the Atem Television Studio using the MADI port and customers can daisy chain units to add more inputs. Each converter has 4 analog inputs that are mic/line selectable and have phantom power. The design features a low noise floor of -129dBV, a dynamic range of 131dB(A), low distortion of 0.002% and uniform tolerances across all channels. It uses 8 separate ADCs on each input to collectively extend the dynamic range and has an HDMI monitoring output with scrolling audio waveforms.
"These new Atem Television Studio HD8 switchers are amazing as they pack so many features into an extremely portable design," says Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "However, we also wanted them to be high end broadcast grade switchers so customers don't have to compromise. We have achieved this as they feature full broadcast control panels, innovative audio mixing, plus streaming and recording all built in. It’s very exciting!"
Atem Television Studio HD8 is available immediately from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide from US $2,995.
