Multiple camera live event, streaming with PC, wireless HDMI solution and Starcraft.

[zergling]

Hey. I've been lurking here for quite a while, because this forum has always popped up for me when i've searched camera related things from web. At this point now, my knowledge has grown and the things i want to do get more complicated. So I guess it's time to get more personal, look more deeper into things and start sharing experiences. This is my first post here. :smile:


For some years I’ve done local lanparties here in my little 1 million population country. There has been somewhere around 150 participants, we have played some older and newer games and it has been fun. Last year i also did some streaming for event’s tournament (in estonian language) and got surprisingly quite few people watching. I got some feedback saying that it’s pretty fun and all that but there is something missing, it lacks a little bit of that „live“ effect. Unfortunately I’dont have much time to play these days, but I really want to do something extra for local community this year to add a little excitement.



So the plan I want to realize is like this: Up to 2-3 cameras in sync with eachother, one of them totally wireless with video and sound. Commentary table with 2 mics, lavalier or headworn type which could be used in the schools halls and corridors where events usually take place. Create tv-show or sportslike viewer friendly experience with live editing.


The resources i have:
’Laptop with usb3 port. (haven’t bought yet, need one with good usb3 interface and nvidia chip, it must have Renesas/Intel host controller)
’PC computer with usb3.
’Firewire camcorder hv20 with analog output (firewire connection has 3 secs of lag so it's input can’t be used)
’GH2
’H4N
’Firewire external sound card with 1 XLR and 2 Hi-Z line inputs (H4N can be connected through line input)
’1 lav mic(works only with h4n 3,5 input, not Hi-Z / line ones)
’Rode videomic



The budget i have is somewhere about 2000€.
All gear must be availible for shipping to Estonia (no extra tax inside EU)
The things i think i need to buy, but are not totally sure which ones i should get are:

*USB3 HDMI Capture card. It would be good if i could connect two cameras into one. But it seems that i might need to use 2 capture cards. But is that even possible, does USB interface allow such bandwidth?

*Used camcorder with CLEAN hdmi output and usable as usb webcam. I know some Canon camcorders are useable with USB, but i don’t have any idea about delay’s and sync, would be a useful feature nonetheless. Price could be around 500€.

*2 lavalier or headworn microphones for commentary table. Price around 100€ each max.

*Wireless hdmi video and sound transmitter with minimal to no delay, (uncompressed signal is a must?). This is the thing i have the least amount of experience.

*External sound card with more inputs or analog mixer for commentary table. H4n might be actually enough for this so maybe don’t need to buy it.



I have done research about allmentioned things myself and later I try to post some of my own conclusions after i have sorted all the links. At the moment things feel a little overwhelming, but it’s ok.

The programs used will be Open Broadcaster or Xsplit, but can also be something else if it’s not too expensive. The thing I haven’t figured out yet is how will i be able to monitor the cameras if i should buy 2 capture cards and cut between cameras in OBS/Xsplit. I want to avoid buying Blackmagic ATEM just for monitoring and switching cameras function. I need a way to monitor capture card inputs without showing them picture-in-picture in Xsplit. Basically, I need to preview the camera feeds that you'd throw live before you switch to them. At the moment it’s not possible with Open Broadcaster, Xsplit has a preview scene function in beta 2.0 at the moment which can be a workaround i guess. But maybe there are some other program to monitor capture cards inputs? I think Wirecast supports it, if can’t find any workaround then I might be forced to buy it for 200$ per year.


I would be most grateful if you would share me your advice and knowledge to make this Starcraft dream of mine happen. = )

 

[fordry]

Check out vmixhd.com. Way better deal than wirecast and I can speak from experience that is very high quality. The basic HD version is very reasonably priced and should do everything you need and then you just need your capture stuff and the trial is the 4k version for 60 days with no watermark. Basically you get the full version for 60 days for free.

Blackmagic Decklink Mini Recorder is probably one of the better deals for capturing but it needs to be in a desktop system. You can have multiple cards if you have a motherboard with the slots for the cards. Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle USB 3 is a HDMI capture for $200USD but I have a feeling you can only use one per USB host so I bet most laptops can only use one at a time. Maybe a pccard slot usb3 device? not sure if those work with the shuttle.

As for wireless HDMI, check out the Nyrius Aries Pro. If you can get away with running the cabling, HDMI over ethernet might be a more cost effective solution than wireless though.

Dunno about cameras but ya, any that you find just make sure they can output clean HDMI. Keep lighting in mind, even really good cameras will struggle without some decent lighting.

 

[zergling]

Thanks for the recommendations!

60 day no watermark trial can become really handy. At the moment i'm looking at wirecast cause they support those capture cards. When i decide to get them i might try this vmixhd out.

I'm going to go for laptop and USB3. USB host means all the slots combined? I might go for something like this, http://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Aspire-V15-Nitro-VN7-591G-77A9-Notebook-Review.128435.0.html


Nyrius Aries Pro is really well priced. I can invest a little bit more money into wireless system, but it seems to be still kind of overwhelming.
For example: http://www.abelcine.com/store/AbelCine-Wireless-Video-Solution/ There is no info on how to load batteries, list of signals progressive/interlaced that is supported, exact delay, battery lifetime, etc. But it costs 3x more.

Is there any wireless system like Aries Pro but with 2x more usable distance?

 

[fordry]

I can tell you this much, any USB3 capture card you look at should work without any trouble with vmix. It is compatible with any device that makes itself a camera on the system and most of these do just that.

As far as I know, any laptop with USB 3 only has one controller and therefore the stated bandwidth for USB3 is shared across all ports. I would be quite surprised if you can use more than a single USB capture device with a laptop without adding another USB controller somehow and that is probably a somewhat iffy proposition.

As for the wireless, I don't know of anything else with much better range anywhere near the $1000 price mark. The Teradek Bolt would have more range but its up around $2000. Maybe you could rent it? Or maybe that is within your price range still... Overall though, from what I understand of these wireless hd systems, they have virtually no delay, not enough to cause issues in a multicam setup with wired cams.

edit - I did look around a bit and I see the Aja Io XT which is a thunderbolt capture card with 2 HD-SDI inputs and an HDMI (I assume it can only capture any 2 inputs but i dunno, maybe all 3? Can't tell from the main specs, might want to communicate with Aja about its exact capabilities before buying). If you just wanted 2 cameras you could get a laptop with a thunderbolt port and USB 3 and have one capture card on USB and one on thunderbolt. There are Blackmagic thunderbolt capture cards available in the $300USD range. I really don't see being able to connect more than a single capture device to USB on a laptop though.

Honestly though, for the money, it might be better to just use a desktop for this. Capture cards for desktop are around $130US and you can have as many as your motherboard can handle.