Recent firmware updates have significantly increased SlingStudio's already substantial capabilities for churches.
Back in 2018, I did an initial product review of SlingStudio. Since then the system itself hasn't changed, but thanks to firmware updates (v1.8.371 for iPad and v1.8.215 for Mac), the product itself has changed significantly. At the core, it is a portable wireless multi-cam production platform for streaming. When I say portable, I want to be clear; you can fit the entire SlingStudio (from $999) set up in a backpack. However, some of the features move the SlingStudio from just functional, to very powerful.
New features move the SlingStudio from just functional, to very powerful.
How it works
There are a few pieces to the whole system; hub, CameraLink, Console app and Capture app. The hub is an all-in-one video switcher, recorder, streamer, and audio mixer. The hub is capable of streaming to all your standard streaming platforms, as well as any RTMP(S) destination. The CameraLinks are wireless transmitters that connect to the hub wirelessly via 802.11ac connectivity and have a range of up to 300ft. The CameraLinks feature an HDMI port for the video signal and micro USB for power/charging, with an internal battery life of more than two hours. The Capture application turns the camera on your smartphone to a video source, which works just like the CameraLinks, but with less range. Lastly, the Console app controls everything and runs on an iPad or a Mac. That is all there is to it; connect all your wireless sources, open up the Console app, and start streaming.
The SlingStudio system includes the hub, CameraLink, Console app and Capture app.
Flexibility
I don't recall SlingStudio having internal graphics ability in previous generations, but it does now. Videos and transparent graphics can be preloaded into the SlingStudio. There are some built-in lower thirds and scoreboards that are dynamically modifiable in the Console application. These features make SlingStudio an excellent option for running your broadcast cut.
One of the coolest and most underrated features of the system is how it can help with post-production.
Interface Updates
The Console application I tested a few years ago only ran on iPads, but now runs on Macs as well. Actual computers give you an extra sense of reliability because the interface could be running on a MacBook Pro, a product designed to be used by professionals rather than an iPad, which is still a consumer product. While iPads have become a staple in most production environments, in my humble opinion, there is no substitute for an actual computer when it comes to the world of video.
Chroma Keying
The latest firmware update adds chroma keying as an option. The chroma key can key out any source input, not just pre-generated graphics. To test this feature, I used a computer running ProPresenter and put lyrics on the green background. Right off the bat, the chroma key is not the easiest to use, nor does it pull the cleanest key ever. There are also not a ton of controls for the chroma keying function. However, with the limited available controls, I was able to pull the text key cleanly out.
Transition
Another of the new options for SlingStudio is the auto-transition feature. First, you tell the system which is the main or default camera, and the which are the secondary or B-roll cameras. Once it’s set up, SlingStudio will cut between all of them. After that, you can set the transitions to come at a regular interval, or you can have SlingStudio follow the audio source. If you are doing an interview show or video podcast, this is an excellent option because you set a camera on each talent and then have SlingStudio do all the work. No director needed.
Sports
Some of the new features are specific to sports; custom scoreboards, instant replay, video review, tagging, and highlights. Many churches have sports teams, and some churches like my home church would use these same features for middle school ministry. For those familiar with sports for TV, this is a light version of an EVS. Now, these new features are certainly not the powerhouse that real EVS is, but they aren't trivial either. These are especially great for churches that have sports teams. If you had a product like SlingStudio that you were pressing into use other days of the week for your sports league, I would call that a huge win.
All these great features make SlingStudio a pretty powerful production piece. So the real question is, "how are you going to use it?" This question has more than a few answers. When you compare it to many small switchers, the one real advantage SlingStudio has over the rest of the market is it's wireless. Not needing wires makes it great for churches that stream from temporary locations or schools. Anyone who has been a part of a "church in a box" knows running cables early on a Sunday morning, to wrap them back up a few hours later, is only fun for so long, which is why being wireless has some huge advantages.
Aside from "church in a box," another option is to use SlingStudio for post-production. I think this is one of the coolest and most underrated features of the whole system. You can use SlingStudio to get your multi-cam proxies on your Adobe Premiere or Final Cut timeline, to make your 4K workflow a breeze. To unpack just a little bit, SlingStudio can record your program feed, as well as all your raw camera feeds in 1080p on an SD card in the hub or external drive. Once you use SlingStudio's Adobe extension or Final Cut plug-in, the program feed shows up on the timeline with each camera on its own layer along with all your cuts and transitions. Everything is time-aligned and edit-ready. After that, import the 4K native camera recordings and associate them to the lower-res proxies from SlingStudio and done.
If your church shoots a lot of multi-cam interviews, SlingStudio might be worth it to speed up your post-production workflow. Also, keep in mind because it's wireless and portable; this is a product that can be used seven days a week. I am always a massive fan of any product that is a multi-tasker and can be pushed in to use on the weekend services as well as Monday to Friday.
SlingStudio is an excellent fit for many churches because of the affordable price point, portability, and ability to be used in post and live production.
