Advice on Best ATEM Setup

I am getting conflicting opinions on the best way to go here and hearing different things about the ATEM Television Studio's abilities. Please can someone clarify?

We are looking to produce good quality multiple cam live webcasts. Our budget is around £1,500. We will be using Streamwolf as the platform (much like Livestream, UStream etc) and we have a few software live encoder solutions (FMLE and Streamwolf's own web plugin).

- Can the ATEM do the encoding (much like FMLE) or does it just create H.264 files in real time, therefore meaning we still need to use an encoder like FMLE?

- If it can stream, can it just send the live stream to a computer directly or will I need some kind of BMD shuttle to convert it from HDMI to web-ready format?

- Can it record locally at the same time? We may want to do post-production on the video files. Will recording it locally mean we should use two computers - one for live mixing/encoding and one for recording?

- Would it work better with a Mac or PC as the live mixing controller?

- If it doesn't stream, what's the point of it?

If somebody can help me on these questions above it would be a great help. We also need to buy another couple of camcorders and HDMI cabling etc with our budget, so a Tricaster is out of the question.

Look forward to your replies - Many thanks!

Josh

Hi.

To answer your questions, no the ATEM doesn´t do the encoding it just produce a H.264 file in real time. You will still need an encoder to be able to stream.

Some programs like Wirecast can´t use the H.264 as an input but other softwares can, MXlight for one.
There are cheap solutions if your software does´t support it, for example the mini recorder if you have MAC.

You can record at the same time depending of the software you are using. MXlight has this option.

PC or MAC doesn´t really matter, use what you are more familiar with.

The point of using an TVS are that the load of mixing several signal (in TVS up to 6 inputs and 2 internal stores) are taken away from the computer. If you only need 1 input then you can use a input card instead but using more take a computer with much more cpupower.

I suggest to try to have 1 computer doing the streaming/recording and 1 computer doing the mixing.
If you have the extra money I would go for an extra card on the streaming computer to let that computer only handle the streaming and record the H.264 stream on the same computer that handles the mixing.

Good luck Hakan.

Many thanks indeed Hakan for this very useful information.

You mention that Wirecast won't capture the video, but that other cheap solutions might such as the Mini Recorder. Could you shed more light on this? The main thing for me is capturing the video for live streaming, I'd be most interested what you recommend.

I'm not really able to look at a capture card solution as I'm hoping for a relatively mobile solution using my MacBook. I do however have a Thunderbolt intensity shuttle - not sure if this helps?

Many thanks Hakan!

Josh

Hi.

I mention that Wirecast can't use the H.264 signal coming out of the usb 2.0. Wirecast can record and stream at same time but you need a mini recorder or another capturing device taking the Hdmi och Sdi- signal from the TVS to be able to use Wirecast. There are other softwaresolutions that can use the h.264 signal directly from the usb 2.0.
Check out Mxlight (don't use it myself but other user says it really walue for money)
http://mxlight.co.uk/
Many of your questions are answered there.
Your Intensity Shuttle has Hdmi input so you could use that instead of using the usbsignal.
I have a similar setup, 1 PC for operating the TVS and my MacBook Pro for streaming using Wirecast and a Mini recorder as input.

Hakan

Hi Hakan,

I'm getting there! Many thanks, you've been a fantastic help.

You mention I have a similar setup, 1 PC for operating the TVS and my MacBook Pro for streaming using Wirecast and a Mini recorder as input.

So while you're operating the TVS on the PC, are you controlling the stream that is being sent to Wirecast?

As I understand it therefore I have two setup options, let me know if they seem wrong:

ATEM->INTENSITY->MAC (plus PC for TVS)
I could potentially go from ATEM to Intensity Shuttle via HDMI, then to Mac via Thunderbolt, then use something like Wirecast - while operating the TVS from a PC?

ATEM->PC
I see MXLight is only Windows compatible, so therefore the ATEM could connect to a PC via USB and then encode with something like Wirecast - would you also be able to operate the TVS on this same PC?

Thanks Hakan. You're proving far more knowledgeable than any of the electrical specialists and BMD resellers I've spoken to!

Josh

Hi Josh.

You got everything alright.
I prefer to use 2 computers since if you only use 1 you get 2 problem.
First problem are that 1 software need to be run in the background so you need to make sure that it still working when you switch to running the other software. In this case the streaming software will be in the background, you will also have some problems monitoring the stream because the other window will be on top covering it.
Second problem are that the task of streaming uses a lot of the available cpupower of your computer. It depends of what settings you use for streaming, HD uses more than SD. If you also uses the same computer for capturing the H264 signal you must make sure that your computer is powerful enough.

If you have 2 computers and something happens with the streaming you still have the captured signal from the other computer for later use. With only 1 you have put all the eggs in the same basket.

You could use a hyperdeck shuttle as a recording device instead of using 2 computers. 1 computer for mixing and streaming and recording with the shuttle.

Well the difference between myself and a lot of the resellers out there are that I do this for a living and has done that for the last 20+ years.

Hakan

Many thanks Hakan, you've been fantastic!

I think I've got everything I need now. Yes, I agree that 2 computers is probably the best way to go.

I am thinking now then that I use my PC for the TVS and mixing, and use the HDMI out to Intensity Shuttle to Mac to do the streaming. Simply because my Mac is newer and more powerful than my PC and as you say the streaming part uses more CPU.

As a fallback though, or as an alternative, I could swap them round and do MXLight with PC for streaming and use Mac for TVS. Might it be the case that the streaming through the PC might be less CPU-intensive than normal encoding on the PC if using the ATEM I wonder, because the video is compressed/encoded in the ATEM before coming out the USB - but I guess I'll see when I do some experimenting.

Many thanks Hakan, I may be coming back to you at some point as you've been a massive help!

Just to say that I use my MBP, an Intel Core i7 with 8G Ram to run both the ATEM vision mixer software and record the show. I don't think the ATEM software taxes the CPU much (correct me if I'm wrong someone!).
It has done this with both a Matrox MX02 Mini, and now with a Mini Recorder into Media Express recording Pro Res 422 files.
Funnily enough I did an experiment over the weekend running that Mini Recorder into Wirecast and streamed to Ustream while also running the ATEM switcher software. All seemed well, although the fan in the MBP kicked in. I didn't think to also try recording with Wirecast at the same time. I'm not wild about Wirecast recordings. Can't put my finger on it. Also, don't forget if you're editing, you probably don't want to record an H264 stream.
ATEM is now our own 1 M/E but did also use a borrowed TVS.
Rob
www.corvettewebblast.com