Atem Television Studio Software Mac

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5. Switcher

If you don't need to mix video sources (lightboard + powerpoint, for example) you may not need a Video Switcher at all.

This page is an intro to the Video Switcher (Blackmagic Design ATEM Television Studio Production Switcher). The Switcher control panel is an onscreen adaptation of hardware switchers that video production people are familiar with. User manuals tend to assume that familiarity, and don't explain the basics much.

Below are instructions for mixing the lightboard video with powerpoint graphics, displaying the sum on the presenter's monitor, and recording to disk. It also explains a split-screen use, in which the lightboard occupies part of the image and a macro camera (or other live source) occupies the other.

We normally just add the brightness of the powerpoint graphics to that of the lightboard camera, which is why both are on black backgrounds to start with. If you want to get fancier, there are ways to have the Switcher combine these images so that the powerpoint graphics appear to be behind the presenter, or in front of the presenter. Details are at ADVANCED SWITCHER MODES.

Also, we recently started using a newer switcher (the HD model) which allows us to use the presenter's monitor not only to show the lightboard image and the powerpoint graphics, but also a teleprompter script, all superimposed. Details are at TELEPROMPTER mix.

Video mixing panel

Below is the 'switcher' panel of the Blackmagic Design ATEM software, which controls video mixing.

The switcher recognizes up to six video inputs (Cam1 through Cam6), plus there is an all-black pseudo-input (Blk).
For us, Cam6 is the videocamera that is permanently aimed at the lightboard. Cam2 is a portable videocamera that we sometimes use for macro shots (e.g. photographing someone's hands as they build circuits), or for 'talking head' closeups.
A computer running powerpoint provides graphics, and Cam1 is the video from this computer. We want to be able to superimposeCam1 on any other video source, especially the lightboard, and this is done with the Upstream Keyer. The right side of the panel above shows how the Upstream Keyer is configured: its Fill Source and Key Source are both set to Cam1, and the button for Pre Multiplied Key is selected. This can be set up once and for all. Now, when you want to superimpose the graphics, turn the keyer on/off with the KEY1 button.
The Preview/Program Transition Slider determines whether the video being recorded comes from the PROGRAM SOURCE bank of buttons, or from the PREVIEW SOURCE bank of buttons. Typically we select Cam6 (the lightboard camera) on PROGRAM SOURCE, and Cam2 (the macro or portrait camera) on PREVIEW SOURCE.
Very usefully, thePreview/Program Transition slider can be slid half way. If the transition type is WIPE (shown below), this allows us to split the screen, half lightboard and half macro, for instance. There is far far more you can do with the ATEM switcher, for instance see the subpage on ADVANCED SWITCHER MODES. The above is usually all we use.

Audio mixing panel

The ATEM switcher control software also has an audio mixer panel:

Our wireless mic signals go into the audio inputs of the main videocamera (Cam6), and so its channel is the is the only one that I enable for audio on the audio mixer panel. Audio channels from all other cameras and laptops are disabled, so that we don't pick up unwanted sound.
I found that the ATEM switcher audio mixer's volume sliders don't work correctly, so I set them all at full volume (0 db), and I use other volume controls to adjust the audio level. Specifically, I first set the wireless mic receiver's output volume control knob to about 50%. Then I set the videocamera's manual audio level to get a reasonable level on the ATEM audio tab's VU meters. Thereafter, to fine tune for different presenters, I only need to adjust the wireless mic receiver's output volume control knob, which is the one most easily at hand.
The VU meters on the ATEM's audio mixer tab should bounce into the red rarely, but get close often. But if I need to adjust this, I don't use the audio mixer's sliders, which are still defective (as of 2016).

Video 'capture to file' tab

The ATEM switcher has a capture feature:

The built-in capture now works well (as of ~2015). It is important to set the recording format to 'native', not 'native progressive'
The video format is H.264 inside an 'mp4' filetype. If your computer doesn't have enough RAM, or isn't fast enough, it won't be able to keep up with the stream for long. If you want to check this file format, you can download a 3-second sample at the bottom of this page (videosample.mp4)

Powerpoint graphics

To serve as an input to the switcher, your laptop HDMI output must be capable of driving a 1920x1080 monitor. If the laptop cannot produce the protocol (e.g. 1080i30) that the Switcher is using, the Switcher will show it as black; there's no conversion, error message. You can get this VGA to 1080p scaler.
Powerpoint slides should be on a black background, and the whole deck should be formatted to an aspect ratio of 16x9 before you start putting content on the slides (otherwise the content will get stretched when you reformat). Here is a template powerpoint deck you can start with. (You can also download it at the bottom of this page.)
For non-powerpoint sources where you don't get to choose the color scheme, such as web pages, it can be useful to Invert your laptop's display, changing white backgrounds to black, dark text to light, etc. On a mac, the Invert control is at System Preferences / Accessibility.

Video editing

I've been happy using a very simple editor, MPEG Streamclip, that works natively in H.264 format rather than 'transcoding' the video up and back to other formats. Transcoding is slow, reduces video quality, inflates file size, and often messes up audio/video sync.
MPEG Streamclip allows you to trim clips or concatenate clips, and that's about all. After trimming, use 'save as', not 'export', to avoid transcoding.

You can directly upload these .mp4 files to youtube, vimeo, etc. The H.264 encoding is what they like best.

Next: 6. FAQ

Subpages (3):Advanced switcher modesMX Light settingsTeleprompter

VideoSample.mp4

ATEM Television Studio can be used from the front panel, or you can control it using the included free ATEM Software Control for Mac or Windows. The ATEM Software Control gives you even more control and creative options! Blackmagicdesign ATEM Television Studio HD Pdf User Manuals. View online or download Blackmagicdesign ATEM Television Studio HD Installation And Operation Manual.

This guide shows you how to setup OBS Studio for Live Streaming to Facebook Live. You will use a computer, Web Presenter, and an ATEM.

This is the first in a series of Church Technology How-To Guides. It has been prepared to assist people using a portable streaming kit I built for The Salvation Army. Rather than distributing these instructions as a PDF, I’m publishing the information here. There are many different ways to live stream, but this is how I recommend people approach simple live streaming situations.

UPDATE March 2020: If you are looking for a more general discussion around live streaming options for your church, please read my new article.

What You Need

Reliable internet connection
- You need at least 4Mbps Upload
Windows or Apple Mac OS Computer
- macOS 10.10 or newer, or Windows 7 or newer
- Minimum 4GB RAM
- 1x Ethernet Port
- 2x USB Ports
- Lower-grade CPUs (such as Pentium, Atom, Core 2 and i3) are not recommended
- Dedicated graphics card is preferred
HDMI or SDI Capture Interface: Blackmagic Design Web Presenter
Video Switcher: ATEM Television Studio HD
HDMI and/or SDI Cameras in 1080i50 mode
Video Cabling (HDMI or SDI)
Network Router with LAN and WAN ports
Publisher or Admin permissions to a Facebook Page
Audio Console with XLR Outputs
Microphones

Preparation – Software Installation

Before you begin, you need to download and install two free software applications:

These applications are both regularly updated, so make sure you update your software before the event.

Setup Instructions – Connections

Place your ATEM, Web Presenter, and Computer on a table in close proximity to each other, and make the following connections:

Web Presenter USB, to Computer USB
ATEM USB, to Computer USB
PGM Output on the ATEM (SDI/BNC), to the SDI Input on the Web Presenter
ATEM HDMI Multi-View Output, to HDMI Input on small monitor
ATEM Ethernet connection to a LAN port on your router
Ethernet port on your Computer to a LAN port on the router
LAN port on the wall, to Internet/WAN port on the router
ATEM, Web Presenter, Router, and Computer Power to Power Board
Audio Console XLR Output, to Analog Audio Input on ATEM
Camera HDMI and SDI output to ATEM HDMI and SDI Inputs
Microphones to Audio Console Inputs

Atem television studio software, free download mac

ATEM Connection Diagram

Web Presenter Connection Diagram

Blackmagic Atem Television Studio Manual

Router Connection Diagram

Audio Console Connection Diagram

Setup Instructions – Connecting to the ATEM

In this step, we’ll connect the laptop to the ATEM switcher and check/change some connection settings.

Make sure your computer is connected to the router via Ethernet
Turn off any WiFi Connection
Find your computer’s local IP address and take note
Open the ATEM Setup software on your PC
If your ATEM needs updating, you will be prompted to do so now
1. DO NOT power off your Computer or ATEM while performing this step, or you can break the switcher
2. Please make sure you have the latest version of the software, otherwise you will downgrade the ATEM switcher
If the computer is successfully connected to the ATEM via USB, you will see the IP Address settings
1. If the Router and ATEM have already been configured properly, the first three segments of the IP address will exactly match your computer’s IP address found in Step 3
2. Take note of the ATEM’s IP Address
Close ATEM Setup
Open ATEM Software Control
Enter the IP Address of the ATEM you found in Step 6b
You will now be connected to your ATEM

Setup Instructions – Configuring the ATEM

In this step, we’ll check and change some format settings in your ATEM switcher.

In ATEM Software Control, click the cog wheel in the bottom left of the screen
In the General Tab, set the Resolution to “1080i50”
In the Labels Tab, type in the names of each of your video inputs
Save your settings
In the File menu, press “Save Startup State”

You will need to make sure your cameras are set to 1080i50 mode, or you will receive no video input.

Setup Instructions – ATEM Audio

In the ATEM Control software, go to the “Audio” tab
Turn all Audio Inputs off
Turn on the External Audio Input
Set the External Audio input to 0dB (unity)
1. This is roughly equivalent to putting the fader around 1/4 from the top of the range
Speak into a microphone, turn up the channel on your Audio Console, and test the External Audio meters move in the ATEM software

Setup Instructions – Configuring OBS Settings

In this section, we’ll configure all the settings in OBS.

Open OBS Studio
Open the “Preferences” menu
Save the following settings:

Tab	Setting Name	Setting Value
Output	Mode	Simple
Video Bitrate	On slow connections, set ‘1024’. On faster connections, set ‘4096’.
Encoder	Software (x264)
Audio Bitrate	96
Recording Path	(Pick a folder on your computer. You’ll need around 2GB per hour)
Record Quality	Same as Stream
Record Format	mkv
Audio	Sample Rate	44.1Khz
Channels	Stereo
Desktop Audio Device	Disabled
Desktop Audio Device 2	Disabled
Mic/Auxiliary Audio Device	Web Presenter
Video	Base Canvas Resolution	1280×720
Base Canvas Resolution	1280×720
Output Scaled Resolution	1280×720
Downscale Filter	Bicubic
Common FPS Values	30
Hotkeys	Disable all hotkeys
Advanced	Color Format	NV12
YUV Color Space	601
YUV Color Range	Partial
Automatically Reconnect	Enabled
Network – Bind to IP	Select the IP address of your Ethernet adapter on your PC (this is the one you found in the “Connecting to the ATEM” section)

Advanced Note: It’s possible to have your ATEM one one network, and your Streaming Internet Connection on another interface. To do this, you can set the “Network – Bind to IP” setting to your Internet-facing Ethernet/WiFi port. However, to access the internet in your web browser, you’re going to need to change the ‘Interface Metric’ in your computer’s network settings. This an advanced procedure. For simplicity, it’s recommended you keep everything on the same network.

Setup Instructions – OBS Video and Audio

In this section, we’re going to to get a video and audio input into OBS.

In the bottom left of OBS, find the “Scenes” pane and press the “+” button underneath
1. Give your scene a name
2. Select your Scene
Find the “Sources” pane, press the “+” button underneath, and select “Video Capture Device”
1. Enter any name
2. Set the Device to “Blackmagic Web Presenter”
3. Set the Preset to “1280 x 720”
Under the Sources pane, press the “+” button, and select “Audio Input Capture”
1. Enter any name
2. Set the Device to “Blackmagic Web Presenter”

By this point, you should have Audio and Video Inputs working. You will be able to see your full-screen video in the preview screen, and monitor your audio input levels down the bottom.

Setup Instructions – Facebook Live

In this section, we’ll create a live video stream on Facebook and configure OBS to use it.

In a Web Browser, go to Facebook and Login
Navigate to the Page where you wish to stream your video
1. In the top menu, click “Publishing Tools”
2. On the left menu, press “Video Library”
3. On the right, press the “+ Live” button
4. Fill out a Title, Tags, and Description.
5. Copy the “Stream Key” text
In OBS, open the “Preferences Menu”
1. Go to the “Streaming” section
2. Select the service “Facebook”, leave the default server, and paste in the Stream Key
3. Save your preferences
In OBS, press “Start Streaming”
In Facebook, wait for the video to buffer and ensure the video and audio are both working
1. When you are ready to start the event, press “Go Live”

Monitoring your Live Stream

While you are live streaming, you will want to keep an eye on some things:

Audio Levels
- Keep your audio as loud as possible, without clipping
- Don’t be afraid to use the built-in compression on the desk
- Use your ears to verify you’re not clipping (on the stream) and not over-compressing
Dropped Frames
- Dropped Frames (bottom toolbar in OBS) will show you if your CPU and/or Internet Connection aren’t keeping up
- If you drop too many frames, the stream will disconnect
- It is a good idea to test the connection ahead of time, paying particular attention to the dropped frames
Bitrate
- Your bitrate should always remain in the ballpark of your specified bitrate (1024Kbps or 4096Kbps)
- If your bitrate drops, you may have issues with your CPU and/or network
CPU
- Ideally, your CPU should remain under 50%
- If your CPU runs consistently high, you may experience over-heating or dropped frames

Atem Television Studio Used

If you run into performance issues during your event, first try lowering the bitrate.