Need question about broadcast setup.

[TVLurker 160]

Okay. So I'm going to be venturing into professional broadcasting in January and I need help choosing a live streamer; I've narrowed it down to these options.

• Tricaster 8000
  
• Livestream Studio HD1710
  
• Datavideo SE-3000 16 input
  
• Blackmagic Design ATEM
  
• Panasonic AV-HS450N
  
• ROSS Crossover
  
• FOR.A HVS-390HS
  
• Broadcast Pix Granite
  

However, I don't know what I want. I want something with custom transitions, custom lower thirds and a character generator but at the same time, I want something that contains more than 8 inputs. Can anybody help me over here? Your input would be greatly considered.

[ns8401 846]

I've run a granite before and it was a pretty nice and easy to use product, I can't speak to the others though.

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

Blackmagic ATEM is a really nice streamer. It's great for remotes and of course plug and play more or less with their other products if you have any in your kit. I myself have that on my wishlist.

[Chief-O 28]

I can't speak for the 8000, but as far as I know, you can't really customize transitions on a TriCaster. [i've only had experience on the original model, and very limited experience to date on the TC40]. That said, you do get a CG and lower thirds [mostly through the LiveText software, which you'd likely have to run from another computer]. I'm not sure how customizable the transitions are on the Granite, but you'd also get full CG capability [inscriber software is included; Chyron software is an option]. Pretty sure you'd need an external CG [and servers/tape decks!] with the Atem, Crossover, and HS450 [and possibly the other choices].

[Weeters 1805]

I have experience with the ATEMs... Besides the one I own (ATEM TVS) having it's multiviewer output die on me five minutes before a production (Blackmagic sent me a new one even though I sent the old one in on like, the last day of the warranty), it's a pretty nice device. I do have a few issues with it, namely the lack of built-in scaling/conversion and Blackmagic's need to constantly screw around with things like the UI ("Color 2" is still an option, and with third party apps it can still be used, but it was removed from the virtual switcher UI in the last update.)

 

The ATEM doesn't have a built in CG as much as the Tricaster, Broadcast Pix, and Livestream boxes do, though. You have to essentially run Photoshop and constantly export static files to one of the ATEM's two "Media Players". Despite the ability to use things like DVE and 16 sources, even the highest end ATEM still only has two media players. You really have to build a separate box with something like CasparCG to get something close to professional grade. I know that this was the case at a convention I attended over the summer, just so they could have lower thirds that animated on and off and have the ability to play out actual videos.

 

I've seen a variety of ATEMs in use in a variety of situations, though, so they're doing something right.

 

The Livestream units all use off-the-shelf hardware (and in the case of the Studio HD31 at least, an off the shelf case) and they seem to be more than happy to tell you exactly what's in them. The 1710 costs $30k and includes the control surfaces, which alone cost $12,000. I have a hard time believing a high-end motherboard, CPU, graphics card, and a couple of Blackmagic cards cost anywhere close to $18,000. Might be better off building the thing yourself and buying just the software, but I wouldn't know for sure.

 

Tricaster's built in CG clearly leaves a lot to be desired as both VizRT and Chyron have add-on kits for it.

 

I'd probably either go for the Broadcast Pix for an "all in one" option, and if money was no object but I still had to pick off that list, I'd get a Ross Crossover and build a CasparCG box or two for video playback and CG.