回顾:直播工作室HD51

直播工作室HD51 is the latest in a line of production switchers from Livestream. Two aspects of the product are compelling: 第一个 is that HDMI is now an available input, 对那些还没有升级到SDI的生产商来说，什么会有吸引力. Second are the features that Livestream has added to the Studio software itself over the last twelve months, 其中包括图中图功能, and the ability to input remote desktops from other Windows computers and live Livestream feeds as video sources. 在这篇综述中, I’ll start with the hardware functionality in the HD51 and then fill you in on what’s new with Studio.

接触硬件

HD51是可安装的, desktop-sized enclosure with USB connectors and headphone jack on the front panel, 以及后面所有重要的I/O. 单位的正面(下面的图1)也有十道红色的斜线, which looks cool and also provides sufficient light to run the low-profile Livestream Studio keyboard when the lights are turned down low.

图1. 直播工作室HD51视频切换器的正面. 单击图像以查看其全尺寸.

The HD51 runs a 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional, driven by a 3.2 GHz 6-core (12 with HTT enabled, which it is) i7-3930K CPU with 8GB of RAM. Graphics are supplied by an NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 card with both DVI and HDMI output, with a single 1TB Western Digital Red internal SATA drive for both the system and storage. 像大多数转换者一样, 这台机器很吵, 最好在房间后面或单独的控制室中使用.

音频/视频输入(下面的图2)由5台Blackmagic Design DeckLink Mini录音机提供, 可以连接到SDI或HDMI, 还有一个1/8”音频输入. 该装置还可以从两个远程源输入音频和视频, which can be remote desktops on the same LAN or live Livestream feeds. 下面将详细介绍其工作原理. 再加上基于磁盘的音频和视频的两个媒体通道, two graphics feeds and two color bars that can also supply a background color and you’re working with a total of 13 video sources. The HD51 can also input audio from any USB source that doesn’t require a driver, with all audio sources controlled via an audio mixer in the Studio software.

图2. HD51背面的连接. 单击图像以查看其全尺寸.

Hardware output is supplied by a Blackmagic Design DeckLink Mini Monitor, 具有SDI和HDMI输出图像或其他显示. 除了, the unit can record up to four ISO streams in 100 Mbps MotionJPEG format and, 当然, 编码并输出多个流到Livestream或其他服务. 下面还有更多关于录制和流媒体的内容.

监测和混合

在监控方面, 你可以在一个屏幕上控制Studio, 或者将不同的窗口分开，以便在第二个屏幕上观看. 图3(下面) 在我的测试配置中显示Studio, 它涉及两个通过HDMI连接的实时摄像头, 来自该公司曼哈顿办公室的现场直播, a PowerPoint slide brought in remotely from a separate computer in my office, 还有两个基于磁盘的文件, 绿屏视频, and another PowerPoint tutorial in the media player on the bottom right. No, Studio doesn’t do greenscreen yet, but I was ready to test if it did.

图3. Studio软件在HD51上进行了测试. 单击图像以查看其全尺寸.

像大多数混音器一样, Studio使用预览/程序范式, with the preview the large window on the upper left and the program the large window on the upper right. All video sources are shown in the strip of inputs beneath these two large windows. 选择输入将其插入到Preview监视器中, 你可以通过右上方的t形条现场观看, 或按空格键. 您还可以通过键盘快捷键直接接收任何输入.

Let’s discuss the implementation details for some of the new features shown in 图3. 第一个, you can input the screen and audio from any computer on the same LAN as Studio by downloading a free program from Livestream and running that on the target computer. 目前，它只支持windows操作系统，但很快就会支持Mac. The obvious use cases are software demonstrations or PowerPoint presentations in enterprise and other deployments.

在图形编辑器中创建图中图视频 图4(下面). Operation is simple: You click the camera icon on the bottom left of the design window, 打开矩形工具. Draw the rectangle in the desired size and position and then choose the input via a simple drop-down list.

图4. The Graphics Module template editor where you create picture-in-pictures, 添加文本和工作与图形. 单击图像以查看其全尺寸.

另一个特性是倒数时钟，如图4所示, 右边是相关的控件, which you can use to count down until the start of the event and the automatically transition to the selected source--a nice way to keep your audience informed about timing. You can also create dynamic images and text that you can update during the event, 虽然我没有探索这些选择.