A second look at the Blackmagic-Design ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher

September 10th, 2011: Several months ago I wrote a review of the ATEM 1 M/E switcher along with a comparison of the 1 M/E to the NewTek TriCaster 850 live-presentation system. At that time I was making a case for the 1 M/E and other ATEM switchers as competition for the NewTek TCXD850 and other TriCaster models. While the information I wrote about the 1 M/E is still correct, and its potential to rival the NewTek TriCaster as a live-video switcher with graphics, titles and video clip playback plus the ability to stream to the internet and record a program file is still a valid possibility, I felt inclined to write a second review of the 1 M/E based on additional hands-in research and feedback from customers. My initial comparison of the 1 M/E and the TriCaster 850 was an apples for apples comparision. This comparison is more of an apples for pears comparison.

The Blackmagic Design 1 M/E Production Switcher is a solid piece of work. At only $2,495.00 list price, with its ability to input up to eight live video sources and switch those sources with transitions and effects plus perform upstream and downstream keying, makes the unit extremely affordable. The fact that you can operate the 1 M/E via a software control panel on either a Mac or Windows PC plus a pair of inexpensive monitors keep its initial purchase price well under $4K. (Optional hardware control panels are available starting at $5K).

The ATEM 1 M/E's compact size and weight plus its rackmount configuration lends itself to both studio and field production. Its video output image quality is extremely clean. With the unit and associated video cameras all genlocked to a master sync source, having all video inputs running at the same resolution and frame rate (480i, 720p or 1080i) plus avoiding use any DVE effects, there is essentially no video delay when switching with the 1 M/E.

Any audio associated with HDMI or SDI video feeds going into the 1 M/E is stripped away. You use a pair of analog XLR inputs to bring audio into the 1 M/E either from a single source or preferably from an external audio mixer. The analog audio is embedded on both the SDI and HDMI outputs of the 1 M/E. Currently there is no way for the ATEM 1 M/E to monitor or adjust the audio levels going in and out of the unit.

The 1 M/E includes 2GB of internal memory for storing graphics, titles and extremely short video clips. Those files are imported from an external computer into the 1 M/E via a standard Ethernet cable. Once loaded into memory, those files can be called-up during a live-switching session from the pair of media players and used with the two downstream keyers.

Running under the 2.5 software, the 1 M/E requires that all of its live video inputs (cameras, output from DVD or blu-ray players, etc.) be operating at the same resolution and frame rate. Once you set the mode that the 1 M/E unit is running at (currently 525i at 59.94 NTSC, 625i at 50 PAL, 720p at 50, 720p at 59.94, 1080i at 50 and 1080i at 59.94) all of your video inputs must be at the resolution and frame rate or they won't be seen by the switcher. There is no ability to mix video resolutions and frame rates coming into the 1 M/E. (Interestingly, with some limitations, you can bring in an HDMI feed or feeds from one or more computers at resolutions different from the video camera inputs).

If you have the 1 M/E set for 1080i resolution and connect two video cameras running at 1080i and a third camera running at 720p, you will need to change the 720p camera's output to 1080i by adding a converter or the third camera won't be seen by the switcher. The same is true if you want to bring in a 480i composite or Y/C feed and mix it with 1080i inputs. So, you have to decide if you want the 1 M/E to operate as either a standard-definition switcher or a high-definition switcher, and then make sure that all of your video inputs match in terms of resolution and frame rate.

Given the limited internal memory of the ATEM 1 M/E I was prepared to use either the Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle (now shipping) or the HyperDeck Studio (not shipping yet) with their HDMI and SDI I/O as playback and recording devices for the ATEM 1 M/E. The HyperDeck Studio, with its rackmount configuration and low $995.00 list price (the pair of SSDs are extra) was especially attractive as a long-form playback device for feeding show openings and closings, interview segments or even commericials into the 1 M/E. Given that both the 1 M/E and HyperDeck Studio have an RS-422 port it seemed logical that video clips from the HyperDeck Studio could be triggered by the 1 M/E and the resulting video clips with audio fed into the 1 M/E. The live program output from the 1 M/E could also be recorded by the HyperDeck Studio via HDMI or SDI.

This is still possibile, but knowing that the ATEM 1 M/E strips away any embedded audio from incoming HDMI or SDI video sources requires adding a converter or splitter to the HyperDeck Shuttle's HDMI or SDI output (or the HyperDeck Studio when it ships) to bring analog audio into the 1 M/E. Certainly not a deal breaker but annoying at the very least.

Finally, the USB port on the 1 M/E currently operates as a USB 2.0 device only even though the physical connectors allows for USB 3.0 throughput. According to Blackmagic Design, a future software update will activate the port as a USB 3.0 device. This mean may several things . . . that Blackmagic Design's UltraStudio software will finally work with the 1 M/E, allowing you to monitor the audio output level of the 1 M/E. And you will be able to create an H.264 file of the 1 M/E's live switch or program output and record it to another computer via the computer's USB 3.0 port. And you may be able to create a live streaming file from the USB 3.0 port using third-party software such as Adobe's Flash Media Live Encoder, etc.

Having thoroughly examined the ATEM 1 M/E's strengths and weaknesses, a second evaluation of the switcher's abilities and capabilities is in order. . . .

First and foremost, the ATEM 1 M/E is a live video switcher, pure and simple. It isn't an all-in-one, studio-in-a-box like the NewTek TriCaster, although it has the potential to come close via adding other Blackmagic Design prouducts and/or third-party companies. Knowing that, and given its price and capabilities, the 1 M/E is a superb piece of gear for switching both standard-definition or high-definition video sources.

The need to input all of your video cameras at the same video resolution and frame rate is an issue. For those end-users who routinely mix and match different video cameras in the field or the studio, this can be a real problem. The obvious solution is either to always use the same make and model of video camera, or at least use video cameras that output the same resolution and frame rate, or use converters so that all of the live souces match-up in terms of resolution and frame-rate.

If you are building a new studio facility, or acquiring a new field package, with multiple video cameras chances that output the same resolution and frame rate, obviously this too won't be a problem.

I have sold a lot of NewTek TriCasters to elementary, middle and high schools to do their morning announcement shows and other internal programming or sports production. Schools with older equipment . . . meaning video cameras outputting composite, Y/C or component analog video, won't find the 1 M/E to be such a good fit unless they purchase converters to exchange analog video into HDMI or SDI signals that the 1 M/E can work with.

For schools with even relatively modest equipment budgets to outfit a new studio, the ATEM 1 M/E is the perfect solution given its low cost (when using a computer to operate the switcher instead of a $5K control panel) and its ability to work with the live HDMI feed from prosumer video cameras starting at under $1K. Add a $200 Mackie audio mixer, a few microphones, cabling, a green screen, some video lights and a tripod for each camera, and you have an extemely affordable package to do live television with.

Until recently, NewTek had a serious gap in their high-definition TriCaster line-up in terms of the number of video inputs they worked with. You had to spend $25K to get a TriCaster 850 with eight video inputs or spend $15K for a TriCaster 300 with only three inputs. With the introduction of the new TriCaster 450 with four video inputs at $15K, NewTek has improved upon that situtation.

For those end-users who really want the capabilities of a hi-def TriCaster but need more than four live inputs and don't want to spend $25K on a TriCaster 850, may I suggest building an ATEM 1 M/E system for less than $4K and using it as a pre-switcher in front of your TriCaster?

In other words, connect up to eight video cameras to your 1 M/E (four SDI and/or four HDMI cameras), switch the cameras using the 1 M/E Software Control Panel and feed the 1 M/E's SDI output to the TriCaster 300 or 450. You can still connect two or three video cameras to your TriCaster (the output of the 1 M/E takes up one of the live inputs on the hi-def TriCaster) and still have all of the functionality of the TriCaster to do graphics, video clip back, record the live switch to hard drive and stream to the internet, etc. In other words, you can take the best of both systems and combine them into an even better system.

A real strength of the 1 M/E is its ability to input up to four computers via HDMI for live switching purposes.

(More to come as time permits . . . .)