Tue Apr 02, 2024 9:02 pm
Since you have asked specifically about live streaming and the not the rest of your set up, I will speak only to that question and you mentioned that you are new to this so I want to give you the basics of streaming as a primer first.
To stream you need:
1. A device that encodes a video stream into a internet friendly format.
2. You have to tell that device where to send the stream (i.e. facebook, youtube, etc....these are generally referred to as CDNs or content delivery networks)
3. You need an internet connection that will give you a stable bandwidth. Typically an HD stream is streamed at between 4mbs and 6mbs (that is a setting that you would determine on your device). It's standard practice to make sure that your internet connection is able to give you double that bandwidth. You can test your internet connection by going to speedtest dot net. It's the upload speed (which is the last test it runs) that you care about since you are 'uploading' your stream.
Encoding devices come in a variety of flavors. There are software versions such as OBS, Wirecast, and Vmix. OBS is free and many people really like it. There are hardware devices such as the ATEM Mini Pro, Teradek Cube, and Blackmagic's Web Presenter.
Most hardware devices can only stream to one place at a time (like Facebook). The software devices above can technically stream to more than one place, it does create a greater workload on the computer running the software and increases your bandwidth. However, it is possible to pay for services such as Restream or Castr that will take your single incoming stream and then disseminate to several places for you (such as Facebook, YouTube, etc).
I would also like to note that many of the hardware and software devices that I have listed aren't only streaming devices, but could also act as a video switcher.
Okay, with the primer out of the way, here is what I would do in your situation.
I would start by asking, how many inputs do we need? Let's say you want 3 cameras and ProPresenter for lyrics. For lyrics you will have to decide if you are just going to key over black (which can be done with using just a single input on your switcher) or if you need to use an intermediate device that will give you two outputs on pro presenter for a perfect 'key' and 'fill'. If you only need four inputs and you are never going to need more, than the atem mini pro will be the best budget option for you. At $295 it is an encoder, a 4 camera HD switcher with a keyer for lyrics. You can't beat that price....heck, even if you just use it to stream only and not to switch, it's still the best price on the market. But you are limited to only streaming to one location at a time so when you wanted to stream to both YouTube and Facebook, you would have to go through a service such as Restream or Castr. A church that I freelance at regularly uses Restream and many other churches do as well.
You didn't mention any cameras....so obviously you would need cameras. So here's a primer on cameras:
Stationary vs Manned. Maybe your wide shot is a stationary camera that never moves or changes. However, you probably will want at least one other camera that is manned during the service. Stationary vs manned doesn't have to be different kinds of cameras, just something to think about.
Individually Manned or PTZ. PTZ stands for pan, tilt, zoom and one person can operate a whole bunch of cameras this way as you can remotely select what camera you want to adjust and you have full control over all of the adjustments including panning, tilting, and zooming.
In regards to actual cameras, the two main categories are DSLR (which look more like photo cameras) and Camcorder Style (which is what you think of when you think of video camera). DSLRs have excellent and in many cases far superior images do to their larger sensors. Traditional video cameras are much easier to operate while an event is happening. I am glossing over this a lot....A LOT.
There are two main types of cables that can be used to get your signal from your camera over to your switcher. HDMI is on virtually every camera that would be appropriate for your usage. But, a typical HDMI cable won't go much past 40-50 feet without causing signal interruptions. The last few years we have seen HDMI cables on the market that can go further but buyer beware. The other cable is referred to as SDI (serial digital interface). Not all cameras have SDI on them, and not all switchers can take in SDI. SDI can reliably be run hundreds of feet. Each SDI brand has a distance that it tops out at depending on if you are outputting 1080i or 1080p from your camera. Let's say you need to run SDI because of distance from camera to switcher, but you only have HDMI output from your camera. There are tons of converters on the market. Blackmagic sells a mini converter that will go from HDMI to SDI or SDI to HDMI and even converters that will do either/or both at the same time (bidirectional converters). These converters do require power.
If you stay with your ATEM Production Studio 4k you will have another thing to consider. On that model, which is a perfectly good HD switcher, because it's an older model you will have to make sure that all of your inputs can be set to the same resolution. And not to scare you, but even if you set your output resolution from all of your devices it doesn't mean that's what they are actually sending. PC laptops are notorious for always sending a 1080 59.94p signal even though you have set it to 1080 59.94i. So most production guys like myself always carry a converter that can up/down/cross convert to get matching signals. These also will convert from HDMI to SDI. Blackmagic sells these and another company sells a very popular unit called a DECIMATOR. I carry no less than 3 decimators with me on pretty much every job.
The reason that the Production Studio 4k needs the same resolution is because it doesn't have built in scan converters on the inputs. However, all of Blackmagic's newer switchers do starting with their ATEM Minis and going through their Constellation line.
You will also need a laptop to control your Production Studio 4k. While there are buttons that you can push on it, they won't control the switch. If you hook up a laptop to the switcher you will get full control over it. I use the cheapest laptops for this purpose and they work absolutely fine. (the two that travel with my switchers are Acers which I bought on sale for $150)
I don't know if this was more basic than you wanted or not, but it's a good starting point. Hopefully not too overwhelming!
-Lance Lewis
Champion Video
www.ChampionVideoOnline.com
Neenah, WI
