4K for video production and post-production: Buy or wait?

You can summarize this year's theme at NAB very easily: 4K. There are vendors selling 4K cameras, monitors, storage devices, production switchers, routers, video capture cards, video editors and post-production software all over the show floor. Salespeople will tell you that 4K is "the next big thing," and you'd better start buying equipment and software to support it. The problem is that the last "next big thing," 3D, wasn't, so does it really make sense for television stations, video production companies and post-production houses to buy 4K equipment?

There are clearly applications for which 4K makes sense, of which motion picture production and post production are the most obvious. In movies, more resolution is almost always better, especially where special effects are used--you can lose resolution in the process and still have enough for for acceptable quality when projected onto a big screen. However, when it comes to television, 4K may be too much of a good thing. 4K video requires four times as much storage and much faster connections than 2K, both of which increase costs. 4K monitors are still scarce and are much more expensive than 2K monitors.

The question for video producers is, will 4K television sets and media players take off with consumers, and if so, when? Based on 3D's track record, producers may want to wait a while to spend their money. 3D was originally launched by motion picture distributors and adopted by consumer electronics companies in order to increase their revenues. However, they didn't consider whether consumers were really interested in 3D, how much they were willing to pay for it or how much grief they were willing to go through in order to get it.

Like Blu-Ray before it, there was no single standard for 3D, which led to consumer confusion and frustration. Some 3DTVs required heavy, expensive, battery-powered "active" 3D glasses, while others required lighter, less-expensive "passive" glasses that many users felt didn't deliver good enough picture quality. Glasses for one manufacturer's 3DTVs usually didn't work with other manufacturer's sets, and most 3DTVs only came with one or two pairs of glasses, so families with children had to shell out more money to buy additional pairs. Movie distributors struck exclusive deals with consumer electronics companies for some of their films; for example, 20th Century Fox gave Panasonic an exclusive for "Avatar." Consumers who purchased Panasonic 3DTVs a free copy of the movie, but buyers of other brands couldn't get it at all.

A few television producers jumped into 3D early; for example, Discovery, Sony and IMAX launched a 3D cable channel called 3net, and ESPN launched a 3D channel. While ESPN got fairly wide carriage, 3net has spotty availability. That's about it when it comes to regular 3D service, and even for that limited selection, consumers are usually required to pay extra for 3D by their video service providers.

So, is 4K likely to be different? It won't cause the headaches and nausea that some viewers get with 3D, so in that sense, there's likely to be less resistance to 4K. On the other hand, consumers will need new 4K televisions. They'll have to buy a new video player, because Blu-Ray is limited to 2K. They'll have to replace their home theater systems and A/V receivers, because a single HDMI connection can only handle one-fourth of the bandwidth required for 4K. Cable, satellite and IPTV video providers will have to provide new set-top boxes and dedicate multiple channels for a single 4K signal, as well as upgrade their signal distribution systems, potentially at an enormous capital cost. Finally, ATSC 2.0, the upcoming new standard for digital television broadcasting in the U.S., won't support 4K. For 4K to be supported by broadcasters, it will have to wait for ATSC 3.0, which is still in an early state of development and won't be implemented for over-the-air use for years.

There will eventually be a big consumer market for 4K; it's the obvious next step in resolution. However, it may be five to ten years before we get there. If you can get the 4K-capable equipment you need at the same price as 2K, you should buy it, but unless you're working on movies, it's better to let consumer adoption tell you when it's right to buy into 4K, rather than vendors.

Livestream jumps into the production switcher business with the HD500

Earlier today, Livestream announced its first entry into the portable production switcher market. The HD500 is targeted directly against NewTek's Tricaster 455, at about half the price--$8,500 (U.S.) vs. $15,995 for the 455 without a control surface. Shipments will begin on October 15th. The HD500's features include:

• Live video mixing for multi-camera productions (1 M/E bus)
• Live audio mixing
• Graphics overlay and titling (2 graphics & titling channels)
• Digital video recorder (DVR) and player (two sources, 10 hour capacity at 1080i 100Mbps MJPEG AVI)
• One-click live streaming in HD multi-bitrate to Livestream's service
• Integrated multiviewer and 17" 1920 x 1200 display
• 4 HD/SD SDI inputs with live video out; 5 inputs when configured for streaming or recording
• 5 video outputs (HD/SD SDI, HDMI, Component, Composite and S-Video)

The HD500 is based on a portable workstation running Windows 7 that's small enough to be brought on-board airplanes as carry-on luggage. It's got an Intel Core i7 3.2 GHz six-core CPU, integrated 17" display and multiple PCI slots--all of which are taken up by the display controller and off-the-shelf Blackmagic Design DeckLink cards for video I/O. The software was written by Livestream's own development team.

According to Max Haot, Livestream's CEO and co-founder, the HD500's design was based on input from Livestream's own in-house video production team, which produces hundreds of live streamed events each year for clients. The team has used a variety of production switchers over the years, including Tricasters and Blackmagic Design's ATEM 1 M/E and 2 M/E. They wanted a highly portable, all-in-one production switcher that would be simple to use.

The HD500 leaves out some of the features in the Tricaster 455, such as virtual sets, because Livestream's production team found that it never used them. In addition, there's no dedicated control surface available for the HD500, although Livestream may offer one as an option in the future.

Livestream's goal with the HD500 is to make it easier and less expensive to produce live video events, which will draw in more clients and revenues. To that end, the company plans to unbundle its switcher software in Q1 2013 and make it available to its customers for free. A paid version will support streaming services from competitors. Haot also believes that the HD500's price and features will appeal to companies using other streaming services--its internal encoder is dedicated to Livestream, but even with an external encoder, the package cost will still be below that of the Tricaster 455. Haot also made clear that the HD500 is only the first in a family of hardware switchers planned by Livestream.

One concern I have is Livestream's plan for product repairs. The company offers phone support seven days a week, 12 hours a day, but if a problem with a customer's HD500 can't be resolved by over-the-phone troubleshooting, the entire device has to be shipped back to Livestream's manufacturing partner for repair. There's no field repair option and no local dealers to contact for an emergency hardware loan. Livestream doesn't want users to open up the switcher to attempt their own repairs, and only two months of phone support are included in the purchase price. If a HD500 breaks down at a live production site, shipping the switcher back for repair won't be an acceptable option.

Another concern is the quality and reliability of Livestream's switching software. NewTek has been making Tricasters since 2005; that gives them a lot of time to have worked out the bugs. By comparison, this is Livestream's first go at a broadcast-quality production switcher. It's inevitable that features will be missing or poorly implemented, and that there will be bugs in the software. Those issues will get worked out over time...but do you want to be the one who first runs into them during a live production? If I were in the market for a switcher, I'd probably let Livestream's software mature for 6 to 12 months before I'd buy.

The HD500 is a compelling all-in-one switcher--but there are an ever-increasing number of options for buyers. More than ever, it's important to clearly understand how you're going to use your switcher, how you're going to connect it to cameras, the rest of your video chain, and (for streaming) the Internet, and which streaming service (or services) you plan to use, before you buy.

Blackmagic Design adds software audio mixer to its ATEM production switchers

When doing live video production, it's easy to give audio short shrift. If you're traveling light or have limited space, there are many times when you'd prefer not to carry a separate audio mixer, or use an A/V mixer that often compromises both audio and video capabilities. Blackmagic Design announced today that the software audio mixer that it recently added to its ATEM 2 M/E production switcher is now included at no cost with both its ATEM 1 M/E and ATEM Television Studio switchers.

Blackmagic's ATEM Switcher 3.2 Audio Mixer uses the embedded audio from SDI and HDMI cameras attached to the switcher, and from the switchers' built-in audio interfaces (AES/EBU in the Television Studio, and a breakout cable in the 1 M/E and 2 M/E.) It can also accept audio from any audio interface connected to the computer running the audio mixer software, and in the case of the 1 M/E and 2 M/E, from the switcher's internal media players.

The audio mixer software communicates with the production switcher, so that in Audio Follows Video (AFV) mode, audio automatically crossfades when the video input changes. Or, selected audio inputs can be permanently mixed into the program output. The new audio mixer is integrated into Blackmagic's ATEM Control Panel software, which runs on both Windows and OS X, and is accessed through a tab in the Control Panel. ATEM Switcher 3.2 Audio Mixer is available now for free download from Blackmagic Design's website.

A new model for video production, take 2

Last August, I wrote an entry about how new technologies and the vastly improved quality of consumer- and prosumer-grade video and audio equipment would allow producers to build an HD webcasting studio with four automated cameras, a camera control unit and a production switcher for around $47,000. In that iteration of the design, I specified Panasonic's IP cameras and switcher. I also included a very inexpensive Zoom audio mixer/recorder, four Line 6 digital wireless microphones, four Litepanels LED lights and some other equipment.

After I returned from NAB last month, I reworked the budget and replaced many of the components with new, lower-priced models. For example, I replaced the Panasonic cameras with Canon XA10 camcorders--not automated, but for my money, they give a better picture and are much more flexible--and then went with third-party pan/tilt heads and controllers. The Panasonic switcher, which was bare-bones in the extreme, was replaced with Blackmagic Design's ATEM 1 M/E, which is better in just about every possible dimension.

I also dramatically improved the audio mixer, moving from the Zoom R24 to a PreSonus 16.4.2. By judiciously swapping out components (but without replacing anything with junk and without losing any functionality), I added four teleprompters, an intercom, a broadcast graphics server and a complete talk show call-in phone system, while actually saving $1,000 on the original system. That's in a bit more than eight months.

My goal is to get a studio built with this new design by the end of the year for a startup I'm working on. IBC, the other big broadcasting conference of the year, will be held in September. Who knows what else we'll see there, and what more you'll be able to do with $50,000?

Monogram BCC: Impressive new video production system

I missed this one at NAB, but a company called Monogram Multimedia has developed a very impressive live video production system called BCC that competes with NewTek's TriCaster TCXD300, the recently-released HD version of the TriCaster. There are a couple of things that make the BCC unique: First, it fits all of its components, including a touch-screen display, into a single Pelican case weighing 35 to 53 lb., depending on configuration. Second, it doesn't require any external monitors, keyboards, T-bars or switches in order to work. The touch-screen display doubles as a control surface and multi-source monitor. I'm always a little bit suspicious of packing too much into a single device, since a failure in a single component can render the entire system inoperable. However, it makes sense in a portable production system where it's essential to get a lot of power into a small package.

The BCC can be configured with up to eight HD-SDI inputs, as well as a 3D model with four dual HD-SDI channels. It also has a built in encoder and audio mixer. As you might expect, the BCC doesn't come cheap--prices range from $14,995 for a four-channel SD version to $34,995 for the four-channel 3DHD version. The four-channel HD version that's most comparable to the TCXD300 lists for $19,995 and the eight-channel version for $23,995.

According to the ProVideo Coalition's Allen Tepper, the touch-screen interface takes some time to adapt to vs. the conventional T-bar interface, but once you do, it's a very powerful interface. (In my opinion, any innovation in switcher user interfaces is a good thing.) Portable, all-in-one video production systems are taking off, and the BCC is impressive.

It's Not the Tools, It's the Talent

If you're at all interested in video production, one of the most exciting developments in years has been the introduction of digital SLRs (DSLRs) with first-rate video capabilities, especially the Canon 5D MkII and 7D, and the Panasonic Lumix GH1 (which technically isn't an SLR, but fits into the category in every other way.) For the cost of a mid-range professional camcorder from a few years ago, you can buy any of these cameras, a nice support rig from Redrock Micro or Zacuto, and a case full of Zeiss Prime lenses. The 5D MkII and 7D were used to shoot the new opening title sequence for Saturday Night Live, so keeping the cameras' limitations in mind (primarily their rolling shutter/"Jello" image problems with motion), they're "ready for prime time."

The tools cost less than they ever have, and provide superb image quality, so it therefore means that more people than ever can produce professional videos and motion pictures. Perhaps, but you can't buy talent at B&H. It takes more than a nice camera and great lenses to shoot compelling video. You have to know how to frame a shot, how to light, and how to pull focus. You have to know how to break down a scene into a sequence of shots, and how to get those shots under changing conditions. You have to know how to work with talent and how to communicate what you're looking for.

The point is that the ever-decreasing cost of tools is democratizing video production, just like the Internet is democratizing video distribution and promotion, but it takes talent (and training) to know how to use the tools to their best advantage. Talent can't be bought and isn't getting any easier to acquire. So, as excited as I am about these new tools, I'm also afraid that we're going to get even more schlocky videos, albeit with really great bokeh.