Blackmagic Design has held a livestream to introduce a selection of new products: ATEM Television Studio HD8/HD8 ISO switchers, 6K and 4K G2 models for the manufacturer’s Studio Cameras and an ATEM Microphone Converter.
The ATEM Television Studio HD8 is a professional live production switcher built into a broadcast control panel so it can be used for high-end work while also being portable. The switcher comes with eight standards-converted SDI inputs, two aux outputs, four chroma keyers, two downstream keyers, SuperSource, two media players and a wide variety of transitions. Additional features include hardware streaming, recording, audio mixer, talkback, multiview and optional internal cloud storage. There’s also an ISO model that records all eight inputs for editing.
Most of the features can be accessed from the front panel, or customers can use the free ATEM Software Control on Mac or Windows. Customers can select from transitions such as dissolve, or more dramatic effects such as dip to colour, DVE squeeze and DVE push. Customers can also add a DVE for picture-in-picture effects with customised graphics. There are also media players which let users store graphics with alpha channels for titles and graphics that can be used as live video inputs.
The Studio Camera 6K Pro is a more powerful version of the studio camera that features an EF lens mount, a larger 6K sensor for improved colourimetry and fine detail handling, ND filters and built-in livestreaming via Ethernet or mobile data. It shares the same compact all-in-one design of the Studio Camera family with a lightweight carbon fibre reinforced polycarbonate body, large integrated 7-inch HDR viewfinder and broadcast connections. The Studio Camera 4K Pro G2 is an updated model that also includes built-in livestreaming.
Unlike consumer cameras, the Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro G2 and 6K Pro models have SDI connections that include talkback so the switcher operator can communicate with cameras during live events. That means the director can talk to the camera operators to guide shot selection, eliminating the problem where all cameras could have the same shot, at the same time. The talkback connector is built into the side of the camera and supports standard five-pin XLR broadcast headsets.
The Studio Camera 6K Pro features high-quality, remote-controllable ND filters that let customers quickly reduce the amount of light entering the camera. Designed to match the colourimetry and colour science of the camera, the two-, four- and six-stop filters give customers additional latitude, even under harsh lighting. The filters are designed to filter both optical and IR wavelengths evenly, eliminating IR contamination of the images. The ND filters can be electronically controlled by the function buttons on the back of the camera. Because they can be controlled remotely by the camera control operator, the camera operator is free to focus on getting the perfect shot.
Finally, the ATEM Microphone Converter is an audio analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) that lets users add additional microphones to ATEM switcher models such as the ATEM Television Studio HD8. Featuring a MADI connection, it means customers don’t have to configure any complex settings because the connection is a simple BNC cable. 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. The design also features an HDMI monitoring output with scrolling waveform displays.
The ATEM Microphone Converter plugs into the ATEM Television Studio MADI port, so there’s no complex setup required, and additional units can be daisy-chained for more sources. Each converter has four analogue inputs that are mic/line selectable and have 48V phantom power. The design uses eight separate ADCs on each separate input that work together to extend the dynamic range. There is also an HDMI monitoring output with scrolling audio waveforms. The converter features combined XLR/TRS input sockets, allowing both XLR or jack cables to be connected. It also includes a MADI output with the converted audio, as well as a MADI input which allows multiple ATEM Microphone Converters to be daisy-chained so more than four channels of audio can be embedded into a single MADI connection.
