Since I started coping with broadcast tv audio and video expertise in highschool within the Eighties, I significantly admire the truth that after buying traditional trade leaders like ATEM (ECHOlab), DaVinci, Fairlight and Teranex, Blackmagic Design tends to maintain the unique names with merchandise as they modernize them. The heritage and title behind the ATEM line of video mixers/switchers (beforehand referred to as SEGs or Particular Results Turbines) goes again to ECHOlab from Billerica, Massachusetts within the northeast of the US, when it was based by the Whitaker household, whom I had the privilege of assembly personally. The primary such gadget I utilized in highschool in Connecticut was in actual fact the ECHOlab SE/1 Particular Results Generator. That was the greyscale/monochrome (“black & white”) model which was the predecessor to the ECHOlab SE/1c, the primary colour model. The highschool hadn’t but upgraded to a colour studio. The unique SE/1 used 6-pin DIN connections for cameras (separate horizontal and vertical sync, and so on), however certainly used BNC for its outputs, the identical locking bayonet connector used the trendy SDI. In essence, the brand new U$345 ATEM SDI sequence returns to its authentic roots through the use of that BNC bodily port, though the precise sign is sort of totally different from the analog monochrome video of the SE/1 and the colour element digital excessive definition one in any of at the moment’s ATEM fashions.
About BNC
Regardless of what a humorous fellow faculty scholar used to say within the eighties, BNC doesn’t stand for “British Naval Connector”. In keeping with my analysis, BNC stands for “Bayonet Neill–Concelman”. BNC is a locking miniature fast join/disconnect connector used for coaxial cable.The BNC was launched on army radio tools within the Nineteen Forties and has since grow to be extensively utilized in radio programs, and is a typical kind of video connector, each earlier than & after colour tv and earlier than & after digital tv. The BNC with coaxial cable has additionally been used for native space networks, however has been primarily outmoded by twisted pair cable with RJ-45 connectors in my observations. The letters N and C in BNC consult with the final names of its authentic designers, Paul Neill (1882 – 1968) and Carl Concelman (1912 – 1975).
I included the BNC factoid because it’s the connector utilized in SDI (coated forward), which is the primary interface on the ATEM SDI sequence from Blackmagic Design.
About HDMI
Born within the palindromic yr of 2002, HDMI stands for Excessive-Definition Multimedia Interface with at the least three totally different sizes thus far. Not like the BNC coated within the prior part, which works for analog and digital indicators, HDMI is a proprietary audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital video knowledge and compressed or uncompressed digital audio knowledge from an HDMI-compliant supply units, akin to a digicam, show controller, to a appropriate pc monitor, video projector, video monitor or tv set, or digital video switcher.
I included the HDMI factoid because it’s the connector used within the present ATEM Mini lineup from Blackmagic Design, the place the ATEM SDI has come to accompany it with BNC for SDI, coated forward.
About SDI
SDI stands for Serial Digital Interface. SDI is a household of digital video interfaces first standardized by SMPTE (Society of Movement Image and Tv Engineers) in 1989. SDI makes use of coaxial cable and the BNC coated earlier.
I included the SDI factoid because it’s the primary interface utilized by the ATEM SDI lineup of units from Blackmagic Design.
Benefits of SDI over HDMI
Most distance (with out further units) and lockability are the primary benefits of SDI over HDMI. Though locking HDMI connectors certainly exist in the marketplace, they’re scarce within the units themselves. Few cameras have a locking HDMI port, and to my information, the ATEM Mini units don’t have locking HDMI connections both.
I’ve met producers who (earlier than the discharge of the ATEM SDI units) cringed on the concept of utilizing ATEM with HDMI, for concern of sudden disconnection throughout a reside program if somebody tripped on an HDMI cable. (I suppose the remaining concern could also be a digicam or ATEM SDI being pulled to the bottom if somebody journeys on a coaxial SDI cable with BNC.) I believe that the primary motive that Blackmagic launched the ATEM SDI sequence is as a result of they heard of these producers who cringed in regards to the two weaknesses in HDMI.
Interchangeability
HDMI cameras and different sources might certainly be linked to an ATEM SDI sequence utilizing an HDMI-to-SDI converter, from Blackmagic Design or different sources. Earlier than the existence of the ATEM SDI sequence, SDI cameras may very well be linked to ATEM Mini units through the use of an SDI-to-HDMI converter from Blackmagic Design or different sources.
Evaluating an ATEM SDI with its grandfather, the ECHOlab SE/1
I think about that in 1974 (or barely earlier than), ECHOlab engineers possible sat down in Billerica, Massachusetts, US to design what I suppose was possible its first entry stage product, the ECHOlab SE/1. Their objectives could be to make it work with the inexpensive video cameras of the day, utilizing the present video indicators. They designed the SE/1 to simply accept 4 sources.
In 2010, Blackmagic Design purchased ECHOlab and presumably, its expertise and patents. Blackmagic made a number of video switchers (aka video mixers or SEGs) utilizing the ATEM title. The primary (and nonetheless present) ATEM Mini fashions use HDMI connections. Seemingly a few years in the past, Blackmagic Design engineers sat down in Australia with comparable objectives for the entry stage ATEM SDI: to simply accept 4 sources, to be compact and inexpensive. After all, they knew that there was a market section that prefers SDI (BNC) over HDMI. In addition they know that it ought to deal with digital high-definition video and audio too. The ATEM Mini and ATEM SDI fashions even have digital video results and Fairlight audio, neither of which was dealt with by its grandfather, the ECHOlab SE/1.
The place ATEM SDI (and ATEM Mini) thrive: ergonomics
In my view, each ATEM SDI and ATEM Mini thrive when the person desires bodily buttons to execute cuts or different transitions whereas watching an exterior monitor of any desired dimension and at an applicable peak.
With bodily buttons, the operator can memorize the place of every supply or transition button and preserve eye contact with the monitor in entrance and normally increased up. Many customers might discover this conventional strategy to be extra ergonomic than with a number of the rivals which use an all-in-one touchscreen, which forces the person to look downward. In reality, that’s why I love to do most of my typing for articles and books with a bodily keyboard, sitting in an ergonomic chair whereas I search for onto a big matte (non-reflective) show at ergonomic peak, not with a smartphone, pill or laptop computer with a display that will drive me to be wanting down.
ATEM SDI and ATEM Mini also can thrive when it’s desired to have a separate operator accountable for updating digital graphics being achieved in a separate, close by pc.
Standalone switcher
Aside from the requirement for energy, an exterior monitor and video sources, the ATEM SDI may match standalone, that means that ATEM SDI doesn’t require a close-by pc to be linked throughout operation. Nonetheless, a close-by pc could also be linked by way of USB-C or RJ-45 Ethernet to an ATEM SDI for software program updates, to make changes (as I’ll cowl forward) or to ship graphics to the ATEM SDI.
Interlaced and progressive in ATEM SDI fashions
ATEM SDI fashions can settle for 720p (which by definition is simply progressive), 1080i (be it true interlaced or PsF disguised as 1080i) or 1080p at any commonplace price. On the output, the ATEM SDI fashions can solely output progressive 1080p at any desired commonplace price, which is okay for me, for a lot of causes. See extra within the subsequent part.
Fixing Sort 3 digicam shyness
An important new reality I discovered in conversations with Blackmagic Designs in preparation of this evaluation is that though (as I coated in prior articles) it’s certainly doable to create a customized XML file, fortuitously it isn’t required for a very powerful motive I had been contemplating and discussing it earlier than.
As I’ve coated in different articles, in full default operation, ATEM Mini and ATEM SDI set their output decision and framerate in response to the primary supply linked. That is superb when the supply (i.e. digicam) really outputs the specified recording or reside broadcast decision and framerate. Nonetheless, that could be very dangerous when the primary supply linked is a “shy” digicam which suffers from Sort 3 shyness (as I coated in lots of articles, together with my Review: Blackmagic Web Presenter HD streaming encoder + shyness fixer from 2021). For instance, many 1080p cameras that undergo from Sort 3 shyness, when set to shoot 1080/25p sadly double the reside output framerate to 1080/50p… and when set to shoot at 1080/29.97p sadly output reside 1080/59.94p. Each are a horrible waste of bandwidth and in some instances, can sadly make every body undergo from further compression artifacts downstream simply due to a colossal misunderstanding. (That is the fault of the shy 1080p digicam producers, not the fault of the ATEM. however fortuitously, the ATEM Mini or ATEM SDI can repair it within the case of Sort 3 shyness).
Fortuitously, after discussing it with Blackmagic, I found that’s doable to set an ATEM Mini or ATEM SDI to output a selected decision and framerate (i.e. 1080/25p or 1080/29.97p) with out making a customized XML file (as I used to be beforehand led to imagine). Fortuitously, setting a selected output setting like 1080/25p or 1080/29.97p could be achieved within the ATEM software program in a linked pc by way of USB or RJ-45 Ethernet after which the ATEM Mini or ATEM SDI remembers that setting till informed in any other case, even when no pc is linked. After doing that, even should you join a shy 1080p digicam outputting repeated frames (like 1080/25p despatched as 1080/50p or 1080/29.97p despatched as 1080/59.94p), the ATEM Mini or ATEM SDI will fortuitously take away the repeated frames and output the specified 1080/25p or 1080/29.97p, thus avoiding the waste of bandwidth and additional compression artifacts suffered within the case the place there’s a restricted bandwidth funds.
Audio with ATEM SDI
Audio could be despatched to the ATEM SDI both embedded over SDI (i.e. from the digicam’s microphone enter) or by way of an unbalanced 3.5 mm stereo jack which presents bias voltage (aka “plugin energy”) for unbalanced electret condenser microphones that require it.
The ATEM SDI has a complete of two 3.5 mm unbalanced stereo inputs. The three.5 mm inputs could also be set by way of software program to deal with client line stage inputs as a substitute of mic stage. See extra details about this in my ATEM Mini and ATEM SDI want record, forward.
Managed by way of software program, ATEM SDI features a Fairlight audio mixer with EQ and dynamics.
Different options in ATEM SDI
ATEM SDI consists of DVE (digital video results) for image in image, transition results, inexperienced display chromakey, 20 stills media pool for titles (with translucent or clear alpha channel by way of PNG, TGA or GIF) and free ATEM Software program Management, which requires a close-by pc.
My ATEM Mini and ATEM SDI want record
Sooner or later, I hope that Blackmagic Design will provide two new options:
- 4K UHD help (at the least on the enter) since that won’t solely resolve Sort 3 shyness (which will also be solved by the present ATEM Mini and ATEM SDI fashions), but in addition resolve Sort 1 and Sort 2 shyness (that are at the moment solved in an imperfect means) since cameras are by no means shy when outputting 4K UHD.
- Balanced audio inputs (which Blackmagic Design already solved not too long ago for its increased finish ATEM switchers by way of its ATEM Microphone Converter. Nonetheless, that converter solely works with these units with the MADI connection, which aren’t included with the ATEM Mini or ATEM SDI units.
Conclusions
The U$345 ATEM SDI is a strong but inexpensive entry stage gadget for many who primarily favor SDI/BNC connections from digicam sources. Its ATEM title pays homage to its ancestor, the ECHOlab SE/1. Though they share the identical capabilities of switching from 4 bodily sources, the ATEM SDI goes means past with excessive definition video, digital results, chromakey and Fairlight audio. After all, there are bigger ATEM SDI fashions obtainable too. For extra info, BlackmagicDesign.com
Picture credit
The ATEM SDI pictures are courtesy of Blackmagic Design.
The BNC picture is courtesy of Swift.Hg by way of Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0).
The HDMI picture is courtesy of I, D-Kuru vía Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Austria license.
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FTC disclosure
Blackmagic Design shouldn’t be paying for this evaluation, though Blackmagic Design let the ATEM SDI to Allan Tépper to facilitate the evaluation. He has since returned it. A few of the producers listed above have contracted Tépper and/or TecnoTur LLC to hold out consulting and/or translations/localizations/transcreations. Up to now, not one of the producers listed above is/are sponsors of the TecnoTur, BeyondPodcasting, CapicúaFM or TuSaludSecreta applications, though they’re welcome to take action, and a few are, could also be (or might have been) sponsors of ProVideo Coalition journal. Some hyperlinks to 3rd events listed on this article and/or on this net web page might not directly profit TecnoTur LLC by way of affiliate applications. Allan Tépper’s opinions are his personal. Allan Tépper shouldn’t be accountable for misuse or misunderstanding of knowledge he shares.
The BNC picture is courtesy of Swift.Hg by way of Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0).
The HDMI picture is courtesy of I, D-Kuru vía Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Austria license.
