Blackmagic ATEM Television Studio HD User Manual Additional Features on ISO Models

ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO switchers have additional features giving you more options for your broadcast including ISO recording each input and connecting to remote sources when streaming via Ethernet. This means you can add cameras on your local network or from across the world.

Some Blackmagic Design cameras such as Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro and URSA Broadcast G2 feature a built in streaming engine that enables the camera to stream directly to ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO.

Connecting Remote Sources over a Local Network

ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO and Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro are both set to DHCP by default, so once you connect them via Ethernet there are only a few steps to start streaming.

Connecting Directly

Connecting via a Network Switch

Firstly, you want to make sure your switcher is visible on the network by checking the general settings in ATEM Software Control.

1. Launch ATEM Software Control.

2. Open the ‘settings’ menu by clicking the gear icon in the lower left corner.

3. Go to the final setting under the ‘general’ tab and make sure you’ve ticked the option to enable the switcher to be discovered on the network. Remote source network settings in ATEM Software Control

Once you’ve made sure your switcher is visible over the network, you can set your cameras up. When using a local network, each camera will be identified by the switcher using the camera name on the digital slate. This means if you are connecting more than one source it’s worth setting each camera with a different camera name, for instance, A, B, C or Cam 1, Cam 2 etc so they’re easier to identify on the switcher end. For more information on setting a camera name, refer to the ‘entering metadata’ section in your camera manual.

To start streaming from the camera:

1. Using your camera press the ‘menu’ button and tap on the ‘setup’ tab.

2. Once in the ‘setup’ tab navigate to the livestream settings and select the ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO switcher from the platform setting.

3. Tap the ‘stream’ button to start streaming. ‘Live’ will illuminate blue over the setting to indicate you are streaming. If you’ve enabled stream information on your camera, you will see the data rate information appear on the HUD.

Selecting the Input

Once you’ve started streaming from a camera, you can select it as an input using the sources tab in ATEM Software Control.

To select the remote source as an input:

1. In the settings menu of ATEM Software Control select the ‘sources’ tab.

2. Click the menu beside input 1. The camera will appear in the list using the camera ID in the digital slate.

3. Select the source. Once you’ve selected the input, the camera signal should appear in your multiview. You can now treat the input as you would any SDI input.

To enable tally and camera control the ATEM camera ID on the camera needs to be set to the same number as the input you’ve assigned on the switcher. This way the camera will detect tally for the input and you can use the camera control settings on the switcher or in ATEM Software Control to make adjustments. Blackmagic Studio cameras will set the camera ID to match the input once the camera starts streaming and the input is assigned. For other cameras, the ATEM camera ID can only be adjusted when the camera is not streaming, so the operator may need to stop and restart once the correct ID is set. For more information on setting the ATEM camera ID, refer to your Blackmagic Design camera manual.

Connecting Remote Sources via the Internet

With ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO switchers you can also add remote sources from anywhere in the world. This means a remote user can stream their camera signal over the Internet using either a fixed Ethernet connection or tethering their smartphone connection. Using ATEM Software Control to generate a key, you can export an XML file containing the all the connection information needed. Email the XML file to the camera operator, then after they import the file into their camera they can start streaming straight away.

To generate a streaming key:

1. Launch ATEM Software Control and open ‘settings’ using the cog icon in the lower left hand corner.

2. Select the ‘sources’ tab and click on ‘remote source setup’ in the lower left corner.

3. Click on ‘auto detect’. Your ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO will analyze the internet connection and display the switchers public IP address, selected port and internet status. If you can see the ‘visible worldwide’ you are ready to proceed. If ‘port forwarding error’ appears in the Internet status indicator, there may be further configuration needed with your network or Internet service provider. What this means is you need to ask an Internet provider, or your network administrator to set up port forwarding on your Internet connection to “TCP port 1935”. They will know what that means!

4. Once your status displays ‘visible worldwide’ click on ‘add remote camera’. A key will appear under ‘manually added remote cameras’. You can modify the source name by clicking in the text field. Changing the name from the default can assist in identifying the input when selecting the remote source in the sources tab. Clicking on the key icon will generate a new password.

5. Click on the ‘share’ button and follow the prompts to save the settings to an XML file. Once you have saved the XML file, send the file to the camera operator via email. The camera operator can then copy the file to USB media or an SD card and then import it into the camera.

6. Once a streaming key has been generated you can select the source using the input menu. This means you can assign the input before the remote camera has started streaming. Once the camera starts streaming it will appear on your multiview. In the input tab of the sources window select an input and from the menu click on the source name corresponding to the streaming key you have just exported.

7. Along with emailing the streaming key you can let the operator know which input you’ve assigned so they can set the ATEM camera ID to the corresponding number. When the ATEM camera ID corresponds to the switcher’s input number, your camera will detect tally data for that input and the tally light will work correctly on the camera. You will also be able to make adjustments using the camera control settings on the switcher or via ATEM Software Control. The ATEM camera ID on Blackmagic Studio Cameras will update automatically once the camera is assigned to an input and begins streaming.

For information on setting the ATEM camera ID or importing an XML, refer to the Blackmagic camera manual for the particular model.

Recording ISO Files

ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO can record video files from each of the video inputs and these are called isolated input files or “ISO” files.

By default, ATEM ISO model switchers will record a video file of the program output. However if you select to record the ISO files, it will change to recording a whole folder of content that includes the input video files as well as audio files, plus a DaVinci Resolve project file.

How to Record ISO Files

To record a folder of ISO files and other items, simply go to the record palette in ATEM Software Control and select the setting “ISO record all inputs”. Now your switcher will record the folder of contents when you press record in the palette or on the front panel.

To enable ISO recordings, check the ‘ISO record all inputs’ checkbox in the record stream palette.

It’s important to use a disk that’s fast enough. A good flash disk is recommended as often mechanical disks cannot work fast enough to record the 9 streams of H.264 HD video. For the most up to date list of recommended USB-C flash disks please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com/support.

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NOTE If the video standard on your switcher is set to an interlaced format such as 1080i60, ISO recording will be disabled.

What’s in the ISO Folder?

The record folder will take the name of the record palette. Even though this folder will have multiple ISO files, it also has the main program recording. But when ISO recording, it will be placed inside this folder with the other items.

The ISO video files are recorded from each input and placed into a sub folder called Video ISO Files. Each video file is recorded from each input and is an exact recording of the video connected to that specific SDI input. The ISO files also have synced timecode and camera number metadata, so you can use any edit software’s multi-cam feature. To make editing simpler, all ISO files have program audio, the same as the master video file.

Because the ISO files include camera number metadata and synced timecode, you can also use the DaVinci Resolve Sync Bin to quickly select between views and build an edit.

It’s worth noting that if you use any graphic from the media pool, these will be automatically saved into a sub folder called Media Files that’s located inside the Video ISO Files folder. This allows you to rebuild the titles in your edit that were used during your live program.

Audio input files from each input as well as the microphone inputs are also recorded. These are placed into a sub folder called Audio Source Files. These files are in broadcast WAV format and are professional stereo audio files that exclude any processing or EQ from the built in audio mixer.

So this means the files are clean and you can use them to create a whole new audio mix using professional audio software. The audio tiles also include timecode so they are synchronized to the video files.

The most exciting item to be saved into the project folder is the DaVinci Resolve project file. This file will have been built based on the switcher actions that occurred since you started recording. It currently allows several switcher functions to be recorded and then when you double click this file, it will open up DaVinci Resolve with a full timeline of all these edits.

ATEM switcher functions that are currently supported include cut and mix edits between all video inputs and the media player, downstream titles and fade to black. These are the most used functions and these will be restored as the video edit in DaVinci Resolve. Further functions will be added in future updates.

Append Recording

If you don’t change the project name, when you record, it will append the edit to the DaVinci Resolve project file you have previously recorded on disk. This is very useful as it means you can stop for mistakes, or lunch, and then start recording again. Both recordings will then open into the same timeline and you can knit the recordings together so they appear seamless to the viewer. If you don’t want to append record, be sure to change the project name, or use a new blank USB disk.

Benefits of Editing a Live Project

There are multiple benefits of editing a live event. Some of the edits you might need to do can be completed very quickly and then you can render out a new master file before uploading. It means you don’t have to accept the live edit you did while streaming, as now you can make changes to it before uploading it.

You can also use the ISO recording features and editing to create programs faster, because you can just use ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO model switchers as a multi track recorder to feed edit stations with multiple camera views!

If you are importing the DaVinci Resolve project, then you are going to see your live production rebuilt as an edit almost instantly. Now you can make some fast creative adjustments to your event before uploading.

What’s on the Layers?

The processing in a switcher normally progresses from the switcher inputs on the left of the control panel to the right where the output features are. That’s because a switcher is a live processing pipeline from the video inputs, through all the switcher features and then out to the video output.

Editing works very differently. You get a stack of layers in editing software. The lowest layer is covered by layers above. So this means any clip on layer 2 will cover any clip on layer 1. Normally people edit with cuts and dissolves on layer 1, however then other items are placed on layers above. Any clip placed on layer 3 would cover any clips on layers 1 and 2. You can have dozens of layers in complex edits.

So to understand what DaVinci Resolve does when it imports your project file, just look at the project after it’s been imported. You can see the various types of processing that have been placed on different edit layers.

Shifting Edit Points

An advantage of editing is you can shift your edit points around. When you do a live production, the action can get very fast and it can be difficult to keep up. Imagine an interview program where multiple people are rapidly talking and interrupting each other. The live switch may have struggled to keep up as the conversation moves from person to person.

So rolling the edit points will allow you to move the edits to before a person starts talking. In a live switch you need to keep up so your edits lag behind the person starting to talk. However now you can shift them back in time and the edit will cut to the person just before they start talking. This will transform the feel of the program.

To roll the edit forward, scroll to the edit point in the timeline and then move your mouse to the edit point in the lower timeline. You will see a double bar tool appear. If you click and drag to the left, the edit point will move to earlier in time. If you click and drag to the right, your edit point will move later in time.

Be sure not to click the half bar tools with the little arrows. These are the trim in and trim out tools. As you move the mouse around the edit point the tools automatically change. So if you use the trim in and trim out tools, you will increase or reduce the duration of your whole video track and the audio will become out of sync with the green audio track below.

Replacing Shots

The sync bin will let you find shots that sync to the point on the timeline where you are currently positioned. This means you can fix situations where you cut to the wrong camera, or you can search for better shots because you have more time to see what alternatives you had.

To use the sync bin, just select it from the top left of the cut page. Once selected, you will see your media pool at the top left and your viewer will change. The media pool will now show a timeline of available clips and the viewer will show a multiview of the shots you have. These are only the shots that sync to the point in the timeline you are positioned on. If you move the timeline, these shots will also track in sync.

Think of the sync bin as an assistant editor that looks for shots for you and displays them in a multiview, so you can use them for editing.

Because ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO model switchers know what input you have connected, plus it’s recording those inputs into video files, it will have placed the camera number metadata into the files for you. This means camera 1 in the sync bin is really the video input you had connected to input 1 on the switcher. Camera 2 is input 2 and so on.

To select an alternative edit, you need to follow 2 steps. First you need to select the shot you want and set its in and out point. The next step is to edit it into your timeline, over the shot you currently have.

So scroll to the position in the timeline that has the start of the shot you want to replace. You are going to edit over the top of this clip. You should see the alternative shots displayed in the multiview. These are the other options you have and you see all the input video files that were recorded from the ISO switcher’s inputs.

Now click the shot you want. You will see it display full screen. It will also have an in point set for you, and it will be located at the current timeline position. There is an out point also placed at a clip duration of 4 seconds. It’s unlikely you want this exact out point, so now all you need to do is scroll along the timeline to find the point you want the new shot to end and press O. The out point will move to this position.

If you did not select the correct shot, just press escape and it will return you to the multiview and you can select another shot.

Now you have your shot selected, you want to place it in the timeline. This is where you need to use the source overwrite edit mode. The edit modes are centered below the media pool, and the right most one is called source overwrite. You can see which edit mode is which, by hovering your mouse over the buttons to display the tool tips with the edit label.

The source overwrite is intelligent, and it will look at the clip you have selected, then look at the timeline and it will edit that clip into the timeline at the exact timecode match. This means all the shots you are editing into the timeline with source overwrite will stay in sync. Not only that, you don’t need to set any in and out points in the timeline, as you can just scroll along, look for shots, and add them into the timeline as cutaways.

The source overwrite edit mode will always place the clip on the layer above the current clip in the timeline. If there is no layer, it will add the layer and then place it. This means it’s easy to find your cutaways as they will be on the layers above your original edit.

Simply scroll along your timeline, select your cutaways from the sync bin multiview and replace as many shots as you need.

Adding Dissolves

Another great feature for editing is you can add extra dissolves to your timeline. Often when streaming at low bandwidth, dissolves can look blocky. So this means you might not use them for the live stream. But when you upload your program you might want to add more dissolves to make the feel of the program gentler and more elegant.

You can now add the dissolves to smooth out the flow. DaVinci lets you drag transitions from the transition palette onto each edit point, however there is a faster way to add dissolves. At the bottom right of the media pool on the cut page are 3 transition buttons. One will remove any transition and make the edit point a cut, but the middle button will add a dissolve. You can just scroll along and press the middle button and add dissolves.

If you watch the timeline ruler you will see a little triangle marker bouncing up and down. This will show you the edit point that DaVinci thinks you want to add the dissolve to. This means you don’t even need to add in points to the timeline as when you press the dissolve button, it will add it to the marked edit for you. It’s very fast and you can just scroll along and add dissolves where you need them.

Cutting Out Boring Bits or Mistakes

Sometimes you might have parts of your show that are a bit slow, or you could have stopped because of a mistake. You can cut out these sections by using the split tool. Below the media pool there is a tool on the left side that looks like a pair of scissors. Click this tool and you will split all the layers in your timeline. Now if you click the clips between the cuts, you can just press delete to remove those clips and the gap in the timeline will close up automatically.

You can see how easy it is to do common fixes to your live event. Now select quick export on the top right of the cut page window and you can get a new master file with all these changes applied.

Editing in DaVinci Resolve

To understand how to use DaVinci Resolve, it’s best to watch some tutorial videos online and download the free version to use for training. DaVinci Resolve is very sophisticated and is used by high end Hollywood studios on feature films, however the cut page is a lot simpler and is easy to learn. Check online for more information.

Recording in Camera

ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO switchers can control Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro, URSA Mini Pro and URSA Broadcast G2 over SDI, using a second SDI cable connected to the camera input from one of the switcher’s outputs. ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO switchers can also control remote cameras connected via Ethernet over a local network or the internet.

This means you can do color correction and adjust lens settings via the camera control panel in the ATEM Software Control app. Please check the section in this manual that describes how this works.

Another advantage of this control is you can select the record in camera setting in the record stream palette so you can record in the cameras while recording to a USB disk.

The advantage of recording in camera is that the cameras will record in Blackmagic RAW, which is a film gamma file that’s perfect for applying advanced color correction. However even more exciting is that the files in camera are 4K, so by using these files you can master your live production in Ultra HD. Even though these are HD switchers, you can still deliver Ultra HD masters for upload or broadcast.

The connections to the camera will upload timecode as well as camera number and filename information. This means the Blackmagic RAW files will be in sync with the switcher timecode. This makes using them easy.

To use Blackmagic RAW files from the cameras, be sure to select the record in camera setting in the record stream palette. Then once you have completed recording, be sure to copy the camera files into the Video ISO files folder from the switcher. It’s important you do this as DaVinci Resolve needs to see these files when you first open the DaVinci Resolve project file.

However one problem with using both ISO files from the switcher and the Blackmagic RAW files from the camera is they will clash. Both files have the same timecode and the same camera number. This is not an issue because DaVinci Resolve, by default will use the ISO files.

To change to use the higher resolution Blackmagic RAW files in your project, just select the camera originals button on the top right of the cut page window. The icon that looks like a little camera. Once you select this icon, you should see your timeline change as it’s now selected the Blackmagic RAW files, which are film gamma.

You might need to add color correction to these files to make your cut look good. Blackmagic RAW files are clean without color correction, so you can use the powerful color correction tools in DaVinci Resolve to create an amazingly graded master.

If you want to deliver in Ultra HD, just select the resolution menu next to the camera originals icon and it allows you to select various resolutions and aspect ratios. The top setting is for Ultra HD. Once you select this, your whole project will be changed over to Ultra HD and you should see your images become sharper.

Any non camera inputs such as slide shows from a computer will be upscaled automatically. HD images from the media pool will also be upscaled automatically. You can replace these images in the media folder if you want them to be replaced by higher resolution versions of your media pool graphics.

Now when you do quick export, you will be exporting an Ultra HD master, all from an HD switcher!