Streaming Setup for Production & Live Events
Streaming Setup for Production & Live Events
In my last post, I shared my ideas for a multi-purpose camera rig. This time, I’ll be fleshing that rig out to create a live streaming setup for productions and live events. The camera rig will be the same, but this time we will have four units paired with a few other goodies.
The Switcher
For the switcher, I’ve chosen Blackmagic Design's ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K. It features eight 12G-SDI inputs, each with a built-in standards converter, so no matter what resolution the inputs are, we can stream at 4K. Don't worry about the HDMI outputs on our BMPCC 6K cameras—we will be dealing with those in our floor rack later.
Monitoring
To monitor the video streams, I’ve chosen two SmartView 4K monitors from Blackmagic Design. Each monitor has dual 12G-SDI inputs so that we can switch between multiple sources on each screen, which comes in handy during production.
Playback
For playback, we’ll be using three Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Studio Minis. These units are capable of outputting two streams of 4K each, meaning you can play graphics with key and fill—such as titles or lower thirds. The HyperDecks can also record media, so if you need a copy of your production to hand to event organizers immediately, you’re all set. While they only feature 6G-SDI, the ATEM’s built-in standards converters will easily handle the footage.
Live Graphics
For live graphics, we will be using two Apple Mac minis. These Apple Silicon-based Macs have more than enough power to run mimoLive. To get the key and fill for these graphics out of the Macs, we need a capture and playback card; for that, I’ve chosen two Blackmagic Design UltraStudio 4K Minis, one for each Mac mini. Because you can input a video feed into the UltraStudio 4K, you can send a clean feed from the switcher and overlay additional graphics—such as lower thirds or live stream elements—straight out of mimoLive.
Main Rack Gear
To complete our main rack, we need a few other components:
- Blackmagic Design Smart Videohub 20×20: This provides more than enough inputs and outputs to switch feeds on the fly.
- Network: I’ve gone with a Ubiquiti 16-port PoE switch paired with a Dream Machine Pro controller, which also provides eight non-PoE ports. This may seem like overkill, but it offers plenty of room for future device expansion.
Stage Rack
The stage rack is how we connect our audio and video feeds to the ATEM. At the bottom is the Yamaha Tio 1608-D Dante stage box. Above this is a 16-port patch panel for XLR connections and the optical connections from the switch.
Next, we have another Ubiquiti 16-port PoE switch to connect to the Blackmagic Teranex Mini HDMI-to-Optical converters. I chose these models because they include two XLR inputs each, allowing us to send audio from the Dante network to the ATEM. The converters also provide six SDI outputs at the stage level, so if you need to give each camera operator a return feed or send a signal to projectors, you are good to go. Inside the rack, we also have two Dante AVIO Analog Input Adapters for the converters that do not have outputs on the stage box.
Finally, on the back, we have an MTP-to-optical breakout cable feeding each converter. There is an MTP trunk running from the stage box to the control area, which carries 24 optical fibers: 12 for the converters, four for the network switch, and eight spares for future use.
Equipment List
|
Product |
Qty |
Price |
Total |
|
BMPCC 6K Setup (see previous post) |
4 |
£9,231.15 |
£36,924.60 |
|
DataVideo HDMI Cable 100M |
4 |
£636.00 |
£2,544.00 |
|
ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K |
1 |
£2,758.80 |
£2,758.80 |
|
Mackie Universal Control Pro Bundle |
1 |
£1,483.00 |
£1,483.00 |
|
Blackmagic MultiDock 10G |
1 |
£534.00 |
£534.00 |
|
Samsung 2TB 2.5″ SSD |
6 |
£188.99 |
£1,133.94 |
|
Blackmagic Smart Videohub 20×20 |
1 |
£1,834.80 |
£1,834.80 |
|
Blackmagic HyperDeck Studio Mini |
3 |
£654.00 |
£1,962.00 |
|
Blackmagic UltraStudio 4K Mini |
2 |
£922.80 |
£1,845.60 |
|
Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Cable 2M |
1 |
£54.34 |
£54.34 |
|
Blackmagic SmartView |
2 |
£894.00 |
£1,788.00 |
|
20-Port USB Power Station |
1 |
£48.09 |
£48.09 |
|
USB-A to USB-C Cable |
20 |
£7.99 |
£159.80 |
|
Blackmagic Micro HDMI to SDI Converter |
10 |
£58.80 |
£588.00 |
|
1U Rack Shelf |
3 |
£21.99 |
£65.97 |
|
The t.tracks VM-100 Voltage Meter |
2 |
£41.00 |
£82.00 |
|
2M HDMI Cable |
20 |
£9.99 |
£199.80 |
|
10-Port Blanking Plate |
1 |
£9.30 |
£9.30 |
|
HDMI Port |
10 |
£10.10 |
£101.00 |
|
3M SDI Cable |
2 |
£15.12 |
£30.24 |
|
0.5M SDI Cable |
20 |
£4.80 |
£96.00 |
|
2M Cat6 Ethernet Cable |
7 |
£4.49 |
£31.43 |
|
5M Cat6 Ethernet Cable |
2 |
£4.99 |
£9.98 |
|
100M Cat6 Ethernet Cable |
10 |
£48.99 |
£489.90 |
|
Empty Cable Reel |
10 |
£85.00 |
£850.00 |
|
8U Rack Case |
1 |
£70.00 |
£70.00 |
|
Thon Rack Panel 1U 16XLR |
1 |
£9.48 |
£9.48 |
|
Yamaha Tio 1608-D (Dante Stage Box) |
1 |
£1,039.00 |
£1,039.00 |
|
Dante AVIO Analog Output Adaptor |
4 |
£145.00 |
£580.00 |
|
Dante AVIO Analog Input Adaptor |
4 |
£145.00 |
£580.00 |
|
UniFi Dream Machine |
1 |
£364.89 |
£364.89 |
|
UBNT USW-16-POE Gen 2 |
2 |
£295.18 |
£590.36 |
|
Blackmagic Teranex Mini HDMI to Optical |
6 |
£450.00 |
£2,700.00 |
|
Double 12U 19” Workstation Flightcase |
1 |
£810.15 |
£810.15 |
|
Mac mini Rack Shelf |
1 |
£238.80 |
£238.80 |
|
Mac mini |
2 |
£699.00 |
£1,398.00 |
|
Apple Magic Keyboard (w/ Numpad) |
2 |
£129.00 |
£258.00 |
|
Apple Magic Mouse 2 |
2 |
£99.00 |
£198.00 |
|
3U Drawer |
2 |
£51.68 |
£103.36 |
|
6U Drawer |
1 |
£77.73 |
£77.73 |
|
Glensound Beatrice R16 Rackmount Intercom |
1 |
£2,136.00 |
£2,136.00 |
|
Glensound Beatrice 2-Channel Beltpack |
10 |
£510.00 |
£5,100.00 |
|
100m 24-core MTP Trunk Cable |
1 |
£458.40 |
£458.40 |
|
24-Core MTP Breakout Cable |
2 |
£275.62 |
£551.24 |
|
Total |
£72,888.00 |
To have a full 4-camera 6K multicam setup for just under £73,000 is fantastic. I snuck in a few extra gadgets that should make production just a bit easier. Let me know what you think!