Live Video Streaming Guide – Part 2 : Hardware
steveonjava | March 6, 2010This is the second installation of my Live Streaming Guide, which will go over all the hardware you need to get setup. While you can spend tens of thousands of dollars on professional gear, it is possible to put together a high quality setup for a fraction of that cost. You may also be able to reuse some of your existing hardware, further reducing the cost.
This setup is targeted at streaming a live presentation over the internet that includes a speaker and possibly some slides or a demo. Not all of this hardware is required to get started, so I will present it in order of how critical it is to the quality of the presentation.
If you are just interested in knowing what I recommend and how much it will run you, skip to the Buying Guide.
Choosing a Camcorder
The first thing you will need is a camcorder to stream the video. The reason to go with a camcorder rather than a webcam is that you will have more options for lenses and zooming, and will be able to get a much higher resolution (as high as 1920×1080 for HD). HD camcorders are pretty common and fairly inexpensive; a good one can be bought new for around $600. Also, chances are that you or someone you know already has one that you can take advantage of.
One important consideration for camcorders is the computer interface. If the camcorder supports Firewire (IEEE 1394), you are in pretty good shape. This means it will probably support DV or HDV streaming to a laptop that has Firewire, and video streaming software will automatically pick it up as an input device. A popular model for doing video streaming is the Canon Vixia HV40 which can be purchased for around $650 new:
Canon Vixia HV40
What if I Have an AVCHD Camcorder? (skip this section if you are buying new)
A lot of the more recent camcorder models, particularly any that support Advanced Video Coding High Definition (AVCHD), do not have Firewire support. The advantage of these new AVCHD cameras is that they are lighter, and can capture video to a memory stick for easy transfer. However, they lack the DV circuitry needed to stream over Firewire. This is the case with the Canon Vixia HF20 camcorder I have been using.
Fortunately, you have some options with AVCHD cameras. Many of them support HDMI out, which is actually higher quality than HDV as long as you have a capture card you can use to record it. The card I have been using is the BlackMagic Intensity Pro, which works on both Mac and PC systems and is relatively inexpensive (about $185):
Blackmagic Intensity Pro
The big disadvantage of this is that it is a PCI Express card, so you need a computer with an expansion slot available. This makes a truly portable setup impossible since no laptops come with PCI slots.
Another option that is more attractive for a portable setup is to use a Matrox MX02 Mini breakout box. This supports both PCI and ExpressCard (EC) adapters, the latter of which can be found standard on many laptops. I actually bought a Matrox MX02 from the folks at DVEStore and tested it out, but it wouldn’t work for my setup. The problem is that I have a PC laptop with an EC slot, but the Matrox PC drivers don’t have full DirectShow support and only support capture to a limited set of applications such as Adobe Premiere. On the other hand, their Mac drivers are much better, allowing capture to any application that supports QuickTime video capture. The showstopper here was that Apple recently stopped shipping EC slots on all models smaller than 17″, so my 15″ Mac was useless (and I couldn’t justify buying a new laptop just for this purpose).
The upshot is that if you have a Mac with an ExpressCard Slot the MX02 Mini is a great, portable option to go with your AVCHD camcorder:
Matrox MX02 Mini
Capturing Presenter Audio
Now that you have high definition video, you need crystal clear audio to match. The problem is that most camcorder microphones will pick up ambient sound, so they are useless for recording the speaker at an event.
The best option is to pick up a lavalier mic that will capture the presenter audio directly. A good option that Aleksandar Gargenta (Sasa) uses for his San Francisco JUG meetups is the Audio Technica Pro 88W. It is relatively inexpensive and has excellent audio quality for the price. The disadvantages are that it operates over VHF frequencies, so it is subject to more interference and less range than UHF, and it has no battery meter so you are left guessing when to switch them out so you don’t lose power in the middle of a presentation.
Audio Technica Pro 88W
Sennheiser makes some much higher end models that will give you better audio, longer range, and an array of features like battery life monitoring and configurable channels. If you can afford the price (roughly $600), it is well worth it to invest in something like the Sennheiser EW112P G3:
Sennheiser EW112P G3
In addition to a lapel mic, you may also want to consider getting a shotgun mic. This will not give you as clear audio as you will get from the presenter, but can be useful to pick up questions from the audience. The way a shotgun mic works is that it is directional, so wherever you point the camera is where it will record the sound from. The audio pick-up is roughly canonical in shape, so the farther you are away from the speaker the more background noise you are likely to pick up. An excellent choice for a shotgun mic is the Rode VideoMic 2 which has professional sound quality, but only costs $150 (remember to check for accessory shoe compatibility with your camcorder… you may need an adapter):
Rode VideoMic 2
Picking a Tripod
The last bit of essential equipment is getting a good tripod for your setup. If you have a standard camera tripod you can make due, but getting a specialized video tripod is ideal. Even though a tripod will be the largest item in your rig, it doesn’t have to be the most expensive item, especially if you shop around. Some things you should consider when looking for a tripod are:
- Weight – If you will be recording on the run, choose a tripod that is lightweight and easy to setup.
- Control – You want to be able to easily pan and tilt the camera independently to follow the presenter, so get one with a good fluid drag mechanism.
- Quality – Your tripod stands to take a fair amount of abuse as you move your setup around, so make sure it is of sturdy construction.
I ended up going with the Ravelli AVT Video Tripod and have been pretty impressed with what you get for $77. It has a fluid balance for leveling the camera, switchable plates for quickly changing the mounted camcorder, and comes with two solid metal arms for controlling the camera angle. The only downside is that it is a little heavy (9 pounds), but the construction of the entire tripod is extremely rugged.
Ravelli AVT Video Tripod
Screen Recording
If you have the rest of the setup mentioned above, you are doing pretty good. However, for typical technical presentations with a slide deck or demos you will have trouble getting a good shot of both the presenter and the presentation. A much better option is to separately record and stream the presenter’s laptop so you can superimpose the presenter’s picture on top of the slides.
There are a variety of software options you can use to do this, but I am not going to even bother covering these for the simple reason that they are impractical. In most cases your presenter will use their own laptop, so it is not an option to setup the recording in advance. Even if it was, you still run the risk of having screen recording issues that would require interrupting the presenter to diagnose (this happened to me during my talk at the SD Forum and was extremely embarrassing even though we figured it out on the fly).
A much better option is to record the presenter’s laptop by intercepting and capturing the VGA signal. There are several VGA to USB converters on the market, but the most reasonable ones are sold by a company called Epiphan based out of Canada. Their entry level VGA2USB model is only $300, will allow capture of VGA signals at up to 2048×1536 resolution, and is about the size of a pack of cigarettes.
Epiphan VGA2USB
The downside of the entry level model is that the frame rate drops off steeply as the resolution goes up, and it is interlaced, which means your attendees will see tearing in the picture. They also sell much more expensive models that can handle everything from Dual-head DVI to direct internet streaming, but the best option is probably the VGA2USB LR, which captures at much higher frame rates with zero interlacing for $800:
Epiphan VGA2USB LR
In addition to the VGA to USB converter, you will also need a VGA splitter. It comes with a passive one, but if you want to maintain a high quality signal over a relatively long VGA cable (ours is 50′) you should probably invest in an active splitter. Radio Shack sells a very convenient VGA Splitter that will power itself off the computer’s USB slot, which is worth it for saving the hassle of carting yet another power supply:
Gigaware USB-Powered VGA Splitter
Buying Guide
After all that detail on the products and options, it is easy to lose track of the essentials. This section will give you just the line items and cost for my recommended setup.
Category Hardware Cost
Camcorder Canon Vixia HV40 $650
Microphone Audio Technica Pro 88W $124
Tripod Ravelli AVT Video Tripod $77
VGA Converter Epiphan VGA2USB $300
VGA Splitter Gigaware USB-Powered VGA Splitter $33
Important: Remember to buy a Firewire cable to hook this up to your computer, and a long (50′) VGA cable for the VGA2USB dongle.
I hope this hardware guide has been helpful. I have no vested interested in any of the companies or products mentioned, and welcome suggestions about good alternatives in the comments section.
Make sure to follow my blog so you catch the next installment of this series where I will go into detail on how to use this hardware to stream live from your event!
[...] : Hardware – This will give you an idea what hardware you need (including how to reuse what you have [...]
How do I pick a cheap camera that I can connect to my laptop with a wireless internet connection, so I can stream from an camera input? Where do I find a weatherproof camera for this?
Thanks
Cannon sells a weatherproof case for their Vixia models. See WP-V1 or WP-V2:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-WP-V1-Marine-camcorder/dp/B001W56Z06/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1272511003&sr=1-1
I have a AVCHD camcorder and would like to use this as a web cam, but it would be 100 times better quality than an ordinary web cam.
Can you tell me do I really need a capture card if I have no need to record the live stream?
I await your reply
Many thanks.
You will still need some way to get the live feed from your camera to your computer. The blackmagic card I mentioned will make it appear like a normal webcam to most applications, so that is probably the easiest way to do what you are asking.
I have a mac with a express card slot, if i buy the Matrox MX02 Mini breakout box do I also have to buy another card for my express card slot, if so which one?
When you buy the MX02 Mini you get the option of either a PCI Card or an Express Card interface. Buying it with the latter option should give you everything you need to start using it with your mac.
what are you using to compress the footage .
On camera AVCHD uses h264 as the codec. Usually for publishing I convert to an FLV container with either h264 or VP6 depending on what the service I am using supports.
Hi I have a canon camcorder hf s21 and i am tryin to use it to live stream I brought a mini to mac converter to hdmi adptor and I try using it to my 13inch mac laptop but it didn’t read it at all.what should I do or what didn’t I do ?
I hope you are not talking about mini displayport to hdmi:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H1824ZM/A
These adapters are meant for output only (such as displaying your laptop on a hdmi TV or monitor). To get hdmi input from your camera you will need a capture device like the Matrox MX02 Mini. This also requires a PC Express slot, which unfortunately the 13″ laptop doesn’t have.
Hi! Thanks for the great article… Maybe you can point me in the right direction, I have a Canon Vixia HF20 and Blackmagic Intensity Pro capture card… and whatever I do, I can’t get to capture (or even a visual), either through HDMI or Component….
I just want to know, you were actually able to capture the Canon Vixia H20 using a Blackmagic Intensity Pro through HDMI? Did you have to do anything special?
Thanks!
Alex
Alex,
I was able to get it to work with the same hardware (Vixia HF20 and Blackmagic Intensity Pro). I did have to go into the Blackmagic control panel and mess with the settings. Also, the ports on the back are not labeled, so make sure you are going into the input, not the output HDMI port.
Good luck getting your setup working!
Thanks Steve, you gave me the extra drop of hope that I needed to get it working… I’m not getting the monitor image in Media Express when set to 1080… but I don’t really plan on using it anyway. I guess the trick was to set it to 1080I 59.XXX instead of 1080i 60…
To get the image in Media Express I have to enable the downconversion in the control panel and set ME to NTSC… haha might as well use a webcam if I was to spend 2K on equipment to do SD recording… glad it turns out I can do HD!
The Vixia HF20 turns out to be a great choice, except the HDMI connector is in the way of the hand when holding it… but I am going to use a right angle mini-hdmi plud… should do the trick… hope this helps anyone out there with a similar setup!
Glad you got it working, Alex!
Hi Steve, thanks a lot for your guide, really hepful, i was wondering, do you know if it’s possible to use a Core i7 Laptop with USB 3.0 and the new Intensity Shuttle? That would be awesome since i have to buy a laptop for this project.
I am also eager to give the Intensity Shuttle a try. If it works just as well as their card-based solution, it could be the mobile answer to AVCHD streaming.
Please let us know how your experience with the Intensity Shuttle is!
Hi,
I want to make sure I have this right… the Intensity can take HDMI from a AVCHD camera and the Window’s Intensity drivers will allow it to be recognized like a webcam for live streaming?
I am looking at the Shuttle but want to make sure it’s is capable of doing live streaming as a standard webcam in those Windows apps. I just need SD streamed (standard flash application). I take it the Intensity will will downconvert the video.??
Yes, the intensity works just like a Webcam and will down convert the video if you want (there is a control panel where you configure the resolution).
I am very interested to hear how the Shuttle works. If that is a viable option, it would make a nice portable setup.
I bought the B.I.C. and I am trying to livestream using ustream but my camcordor (Canon VIXIA HF20) is not being reconized by the card to live stream and i dont really know what to do.
Getting this stuff working can be a bit of a pain… I assume you are getting the blackmagic black-screen-of-death when you try to use their software. I would try some of the following:
* Make sure you have it plugged in to the right HDMI port (the one closest to the case edge)
* Try changing the settings in the Blackmagic control panel (sometimes downscaling to SD can help)
* Make sure your player settings match the Blackmagic control panel exactly (including dimensions and frame rate)
* Try updating to the latest drivers — whatever you got with the card is probably out of date
Hi Steve,
I have a quick question regarding streaming video from 2 camcorders to one desktop…..Can it be done? I am starting to think not regardless of the video capture software I use. Do I have to purchase a DVR card in order for the computer to handle to 2 different usb inputs. If I use stream one camcorder via usb and one via firewire would that work? Do you recommend any programs for this process?
Thanks in advance.
I have been using two computers to keep it simple. Depending upon what sort of encoding you are doing it can also be pretty processor intensive.
Also, as far as I know there is no high def video streaming that works across a usb 2.0 bus (it is too slow). You have to use usb 3.0 or firewire (or a PCI/PC card).
Hello Steave,
Should I take pictures to send live video with live stream. I have a mac book pro last ’13 model and I have to buy a camera. I would like to take the canono HV40, as you suggested, but I would like to know if I need to do this just a firewire cable or otherwise. thanks.
All you will need for connectivity is a Firewire cable (for the latest models that have Firewire 800 you will need a 4-pin to 9-pin connector).
Good luck with your setup, and let us know how it goes!
Hi there,
I am trying to stream live video onto multiple tv screens for classroom demos.
I have the screens installed and hooked up to a pc computer.
I have a Cannon Elura plugged into the pc via firewire cable.
The issue i am having is i cant find the video on the pc, i opened it in windows media player and when selecting the “streaming” option it says “webcam not found”.
I have tried to find some software to download to fix this problem, however the only thing i could find was editing software that only shows the video in a small window (not full screen)
Is there software to fix this, or should I be looking into a video card for the computer that supports streaming??
I’m not by any means techy, so any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Abi
Have you tried using ustream with your setup?
http://www.ustream.tv/
Hello brother Steven,
It has been a real besting to read the information. I am from India, for few more weeks i’ll be t here in America. we are planing for a media ministry were we make video presentation. now I have canan VIXIA HF 11 now i’m considering the panasonic AG-Hmc150. what would you recommend?
I would like to directly connect my camcorder to my mac to capture the video directly using my mac what all he things that I need.
Thank you,
Joshua
The Vixia HF 11 and the AG-HMC150 are both AVCHD cameras with no Firewire output, so you will need an HDMI card for streaming. If you have the budget for a professional camera like the Panasonic, this is not a big deal, but keep this in mind when purchasing your setup.
If you are hooking up to a desktop, the Blackmagic Intensity Pro is your best bet (Mac Tower is supported). A laptop will need a mobile solution like the MX02 Mini.
SO glad to find this blog, Steve. Thanks!
I’m a piano entertainer and would like to stream audio/video from my gigs live on uStream.
My hope is to use the very lightweight Macbook Air to run the show.
Initially, I would use the iSight camera to capture video.
I’ll use one USB with an adapter to connect to ethernet.
The other USB will need to handle stereo audio IN from my mixing console.
Any hardware recommendations for USB/Audio IN?
Any hardware recommendations in the future if I decided against the iSight cam? I’m not sold on the idea of having the laptop sitting open on the piano, so I’m looking at simple webcams. Problem is, I’m out of USB ports!
Also, I’m trying to minimize the number of cords and adapters to get audio and video in through my one remaining USB port…
That should be a nice portable setup if you can live with webcam quality video.
For the audio-in, there are plenty of USB options, but you need to decide if you want a standard mini-din input or a higher quality XLR jack:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/TV233LL/A
Steve – I have a MacBook which doesn’t have Firewire but I’m planning on buying a new camera (likely the VIXIA mentioned above). Will I need the capture card or is there a converter to connect Fireware from the camera with the Mac?
If your MacBook has an ExpressCard slot then you can buy an inexpensive Firewire card to connect to your camera. Something like this should work:
http://www.amazon.com/2-Port-Expresscard-Firewire-Card/dp/B000RKUKMG/
thanks. Unfortunately, my mac doesn’t have the ExpressCard slot. So, i’m having to use a PC instead. But, now, I need your next blog in this series to tell me what to do. I thought it would be easier! The broadcast is not showing up in Ustream. Thought it was a firewall thing; followed the steps to open that. Still not showing up. Any suggestions for Ustream? thanks, again.
I figured it out. Had to update Flash and all seems to work now. still would love to read your next post in this series to discover any hints or suggestions you have for doing this well. thanks, again.
Glad you got it working. I have been meaning to post the last in this series, but just haven’t gotten around. I will try to get this together over the Christmas break.
What’s your workflow for the MXO2 Mini? I’ve never been able to get it to work via Quicktime Broadcaster…
I got the MX02 mini working in Adobe Flash Media Encoder Live. It required some tweaking of the video settings (in the MX02 control panel), but after that worked fine.
I also seem to remember having some trouble initially until I did a software and firmware update. The option for this is also in the MX02 control panel.
Hi Steve,
Any chance you could share what settings you tweaked to get the MX02 Mini to work with Adobe Flash Media Encoder Live? I’m hoping to use this combo with Livestream. Any hints would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-Mark
I don’t have the device with me right now (traveling), but I will check next week and post my settings… feel free to poke me by adding an extra comment on the block as a reminder if I forget.
Hi Mike – Did you have a chance to check on those settings? I hate to be a bother but I still haven’t been able to make any progress on my end.
Thanks,
-Mark
I was able to get the Matrox MX02 Mini working for the last SvJugFx meetup.
My setup was using Adobe Flash Media Encoder Live to pipe data to UStream. There is a whole list of different video options, but the one that worked the best for me was 1080i 59.94 YUV 8-bit.
I did notice some flakiness during the talk. It would occassionally cut out and require me to reset the video connection. Possibly could have been old drivers or an issue with my setup, but I didn’t have time to debug it further.
Steve,
I was able to get everything working using Livestream. Thanks again for your advice.
-Mark
Sorry, Steve, I’m not sure where my head was when I posted that last message. Anyway, any help is appreciated whenever you have the time.
-Mark
Just stumbl’d across this and am hoping that at least the Broadcasting segment is posted soon. Am interested in the JavaFX technologies that you’re using to accomplish this.
We have been using the Ubivent service for posting our most recent talks. They have an entire site built using JavaFX technology for streaming video and event management:
http://uvibent.com/
Hi, Steve. I’m back at it. All the video is working, but cannot get a decent audio into the Ustream feed. It’s there, but very, very low. I got the Audio Technica Pro 88W/T (I happen to live in Stow, Ohio, where Audio Technica is based!) and it’s just barely coming through. Is there a specific audio connection from the camera to the PC that I’m missing. It only works, too, when I plug the microphone directly into the PC. No audio at all is coming in via Firewire to the computer. Is that right? Or am I missing something? Thanks, again, for everything. Maybe this component will be addressed in the upcoming post in this series…
Hi, Steve. Happy New Year! Sorry to bother you again, but wondering if you’ll be posting that Broadcasting segment soon? I have an event later this month where I’m supposed to be shooting and streaming live and I’m kind of freaking out! I’m just lost on the sound. Video is working, but not getting any sound. Any help would be appreciated.
Matt,
Sorry for the delayed response. I have been pretty swamped, so the follow-up blog entry will have to wait.
To troubleshoot your audio problem, I would recommend checking the levels at a few different locations. The 88W/T comes with a listening earpiece that you can plug in to the device to test it. If it is working there, I would try the audio out jack on your camcorder (when the 88W/T is plugged in to the input). If that works, I would hook it directly up to your computer and listen as it records. Finally, you should test the recording itself.
Based on where you are seeing audio drop-off, that should help point to your problem.
Hey Steve,
I’m the IT/Media Production manager of my church The Living Word Faith Center in Houston,TX. We recently purchased a pair of Panasonic AG HMC150′s for the purpose of recording Live services & webstreaming simultaneously as we do right now with our existing cameras. From what you explained to the gentleman who previously mentioned the HMC 150, this will not be possible without a HDMI card for streaming. Is that to say that firewire is the only other way to get live stream video from this camera, or is it also possible to get sd stream through the D-Terminal component output(which is my intention)?
The HMC 150 has no Firewire support. The available output ports are:
Getting video in to a computer from any of these formats will require some sort of capture card. HDMI will give you the best quality, but if you happen to have a capture card that takes component you can use that. There are some restrictions on simultaneous use of the output ports, so check page 74 of your instruction manual.
Also, please take my advice with a grain of salt. I don’t own a HMC 150, so I am going off the technical specs and documentation.
Hi Steve – I want to capture live video from my canon vixia hf11 (use it as a webcam) to my new macbook pro 15″ laptop. what are the best to cheapest options for this. My goal is to make presentation vids, either using imovie or videocue.
-Ed
Your options for getting an HD video stream off your hf11 into a 15″ macbook are kind of limited since you don’t have a PC Express slot. If you have one of the models with the new Thunderbolt interface, you could try Blackmagic’s latest breakout box:
http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/ultrastudio3d/
By no means is this cheap, but it would probably give you the best quality recording (disclaimer: I don’t own one of these, so I can’t vouch for how well it works).
Steve,
your help (to all of us) is greatly appreciated.
Recently cellphone carriers released 4G technology. I am attempting to stream video/audio from a boat off the coast (within 4G service). If I use the 4G cellphone as a hotspot or a USB 4G modem to upload the feed, will it work?
Is there a software or a company you use to stream/broadcast?
Thanks!!!!!!
John
I have been using ustream… also heard good things about justin.tv.
4G networks should theoretically be fast enough to stream video, although the capabilities of different technologies marketed as 4G varies (hspa+, lte, etc.).
If you get it working, it would be great to hear about your experiences/setup.
Hi Steve –
First off – thank you for writing this post as there is nothing nearly as comprehensive anywhere else on the internet about this topic that I’ve found.
I am wanting to stream with our Vixia HF S21. It has the HDMI output, no firewire. Ideally I’d use my 2009 MacBook Pro or a 2010 Mac Mini — both of which have FireWIre 800 and USB. The MX02 won’t work because neither computer has a PC Express slot. Neither are new enough to have Thunderbolt so your expensive option that you suggested won’t work either. The Pinnacle Video Capture won’t work because it only takes composite or s-video and this cam only has component out.
Is there any solution? Or should I recommend to my office that we need a new camcorder?
Thanks!
Ryan
Right now, your least expensive option is probably to get a Firewire camcorder. HDMI capture has a slight advantage in terms of image quality since you are going direct to digital, but for most streaming needs the additional fidelity will get lost in compression.
I picked up a set of HV40s for my day job that we use to stream between sites, and they work great for that purpose (although I never actually use them for recording because I don’t want to deal with DV tapes).
I am hoping that the new Thunderbolt interfaces become commonplace on laptops and camcorders. That is an ideal streaming solution for the post-DV era.
Hello,
I am trying to figure out how to steam live through my camcorder. I’m not sure of the version of it, but it is a Panasonic HD Camcorder. It does have a firewire connection and I have the cord to hook it up to my Mac. I downloaded Adobe Live and Ustream Producer, but I can’t get either to display what I see through the camcorder. Ustream Producer does recognize my camcorder, but all it shows is a green screen when I click on it.
Please can someone tell me what I need to do to fix this problem or of another way of streaming live through Ustream. Thank you in advance for your help.
A good way to test your camcorder is to use Skype. They support just about every camera input known to man, and have reasonable error messages when things don’t work.
Also, if your camera came with any software you might want to dust off the CD and give that a try… if their own software doesn’t work then you can bug the manufacturer to help you out.
One other thing you might want to try is fiddling with the SD/HD settings on your camera (if it has any). I noticed that some programs have trouble with HDV streams over Firewire, but do fine with a DV stream.
I have new Macbook pro with a thunderbolt port and am trying to use my Pasonic Ag HMC 150 to accomplish this. Basically HDMI to Thunderbolt but my Macbook Pro doesn’t see the camera. I purchased a HDMI to Thunderbolt cable from the Apple store.
This is a common understanding with the Thunderbolt HDMI support… all it natively supports is HDMI out (for cloning your disply on a big screen TV or something similar). There is no built-in support for HDMI input via Thunderbolt.
That said, Thunderbolt does have the capability to do more since it is essentially just a high-speed I/O bus. Right now the only vendor I know of who has a Thunderbolt capture product on the market is Blackmagic Design. Their UltraStudio 3D is complete overkill, but should do the job (although I can’t attest to it personally, since I don’t have the $$$ to shell out myself):
http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/ultrastudio3d/
I am hopeful that the new Intensity Extreme they just announced is a good prosumer option. It is targeted specifically at AVCHD capture, in a reasonable price range, but not expected to ship until October:
http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/
Hello Steve!
Thank you very much for your useful article!!
I would like to ask you, if I have 2 cameras and screen capturing do I need a video mixer? ( or a portable studio?)
Do you know any affordable solution?
Professional video mixer? meh! Remember, this is the frugal guide to everything video streaming.
You can do it for free if you are clever with some of the online streaming services. For example, we use ustream and setup two shows (one for each camera) and use the overlay feature to combine streams (you get a little resizable picture-in-a-picture window).
Another option is to use a software package like Wirecast. It lets you do professional video mixing from your computer at a reasonable cost, and can record and push the stream to your service of choice.
Hi i wanted to live stream I am using a canon hf s21 camcorder and I am using a 13 inch mac book pro. I brought a mini to mac hmdi adptor but that is not reading on the macbook .what else should I do or what else can i do?
The mini displayport to hdmi adapter is for output only, so that will work great for watching videos (on your TV), but not streaming them.
Your options on the 13″ model are pretty limited. If you have one of the new Thunderbolt models there are some things you can do (see the other replies related to this). If you are pre-Thunderbolt (and without PCI express or Firewire), then you don’t have a port with enough speed to do HD streaming.
There may be some USB 2.0 options that allow you to capture SD streams, although I haven’t gone this route and can’t recommend anything in particular. If you are looking for something along these lines, make sure the device is designed for real-time streaming (UVC compliant), and not just recording for later playback.
Hello Steve,
I am very new to this stuff but here is what I wanted to do in a layman’s term;
1. I need to shot a fast action game like cockfighting in a cockpit arena (indoor) and basketball
2. I need to use three cameras/camcorder to shoot the action
3. This will be broadcast live over the internet.
4. There are people who will handle the live broadcasting in a different country
5. On my side I have to set-up, cameras, hook to internet, laptops
6. What I want to accomplish is broadcast and throw the live streaming to the broadcasters abroad.
7. at the same time record it
8. At least provide a quality shot over the internet with split screen, capability or PIP
9. with voice
The area where I am going to shoot this may have a limited internet capacity and may not as fast as the DSL internet connection.
I do not know where to start with the camcorder, compatible hardware and equipment since most of the write ups are very new to me and I noticed most of them are selling the wares. I feel you are the only who can help me.
Thanks
If you have limited internet connectivity, you should look into a streamed 3/4G setup like the Teradek bond (http://teradek.com/bond.html). It allows you to split a stream over multiple antennas to allow high enough bandwidth over a mobile connection to stream high quality video/audio.
Of course, the whole setup (teradek cube/bond/etc.) is not going to be cheap, so only go this route if you have a few grand to throw at this.
Hi Steve, thanks a lot for your guide, really hepful, i was wondering, do you know if it’s possible to use a Core i7 Laptop with USB 3.0 and the new Intensity Shuttle? That would be awesome since i have to buy a laptop for this project.
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http://www.lockinyourspot.com
Yeah, that setup should work fine.
Hello,
I was wondering if you know a way to publish a live stream from a linux server witha blackmagic card in it. I would really love to find a live encoder for linux which would work with black magic (i’m trying to avoid the vlc compiled with the decklink sdk option since vlc isn’t the most awesome thing when it comes to publishing live streams) so I won’t have to go into developing my own encoder since c++ isn’t something I would love getting into.
Hey Steve! Thanks for all your help. I have a website I do live broadcast on since 2008 and have made great strides in the quality using some of the equipment you suggested but I still want to keep improving it. Right now I use a Canon HV40 connected to my Dell Studio and a USB mixer with XLR mics for audio and a Ravelli tripod as you suggested. I want to stream using the HDMI on the HV40 and have been looking around and saw most of these capture devices are for Mac or a desktop. Do you have any ideas on how to make this work? My computer also does not have USB 3.0. I am looking to get an i7 laptop and know most do not have firewire so going HDMI will be important I think. Thanks for the help.
If you are getting a new laptop, your best bet is probably to take advantage of USB 3.0 (which most newer windows laptops come with) or ThunderBolt (for Mac-tops). BlackMagic has a new Intensity Shuttle product that comes with your choice of one of these interfaces and will stream over HDMI.