Desktop Distributed Budget Video - Part 1

Challenge: You want Multicam input, beautifully synced audio, video clip playback, opens & closes AND rock solid streaming on an ultra low budget - well, here's one way to make that happen.

The easiest way to achieve studio quality streaming is simple - buy a studio and equip it with the best gear money can buy. Problem solved. BUT, if your day gig is driving for UBER Eats, you may not be able to realize the studio output of your dreams, until now.

There are plenty of freeware studio platforms, software and really inexpensive devices but all of those come with some sort of technical issue which will no doubt hold you back from superior production quality. I've always been a fan of TeleStream Wirecast - although lately this software solution has become more expensive and even worse - super CPU intensive (don't get me started on the titling issues). Don't get me wrong - if you've got a pretty substantial budget and some powerful machines, Wirecast can work wonders. The biggest drawback is, however, CPU usage - and should your machine start pegging over 65% you're gonna experience audio drift and a host of other issues. There is also the challenge of multi-camera input and the stress it puts on the average laptop or desktop. Again, not an issue if you've got big bux, but what if you don't?

Well, I started thinking about this from a practical aspect - expecting a PC / Mac to handle multiple camera inputs, switching AND encoding push is asking an awful lot of the average machine - so why not spread out the tasks to multiple machines? I hear you screaming "I thought this was a low budget article!" And trust me, it is. By splitting the tasks among two medium range laptops you can create studio-quality results on an UBER Eats budget. Here's how it works:

1) Video input laptop - this will be your clip playback, still store, re-stream source. As long as it has an HDMI output and can play back a video clip without stuttering, you're good to go.

2) BlackMagic ATEM Mini - you can get one of these for $300 (or really break the bank and go with the PRO for $600).

3) Encoding laptop - this second machine can be a MacBook Pro, or maybe even something less, but the laptop you're using for day-to-day will probably handle this task.

The chain works like this: Video input laptop HDMI out to input 1 on ATEM Mini, output of ATEM Mini into Mac laptop. Now, on the way you can add three additional inputs via HDMI on the ATEM Mini and switch the input into the encoding Mac (think addition video sources / cameras). Your Mac will "see" the ATEM Mini as a full HD webcam audio + video input allowing you to use this machine as a dedicated encoder / RTMP output device.

Next Time: Video Input & Encoding Flow