Setting up a multi cam setup

[shebhnt]

Just wanted to see any thoughts/opinions on this setup.

I was thinking of buying:
the Atem Television Studio
2 Sony HVR-1000U cameras
associated cables

I'm trying to get the cheapest solution for hd.

[petereit]

You'll also need tripods, heads, pan handles, zoom and focus controls, an HD monitor small enough to mount on the camera but big enough to show full HD (otherwise your camera operator won't be able to see clearly enough to focus) and an intercomm system (multicam doesn't work unless your director can call the shots they need.)

There is no cheap HD solution.

[tdangelo]

Shebnt,

Adding on to some of Petereit's comments there is no way to do multi-camera production (HD, SD, No-D) well unless you have a minimum quantity of parts needed. In addition to quantity there is the question of quality. In my mind quality equals longevity. "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later." Either way, you will have to pay. Buying "cheap" gear to start may get your foot in the door but will be far more expensive in the long run as you will need to replace items sooner.

Any multi-camera production system can be broken down into three areas. All multi-camera production systems require all three to be functional. They are:

- SOURCES
- DESTINATIONS
- IN-BETWEEN

SOURCES are your camera, choice of lens, camera support (tripod, pedestal, PTZ, jib, handheld, steadycam, dead hang, strada-crane, lock-off, fly-cam, rail-cam, camera platform), viewfinder (or rear monitor/viewfinder), lens controls, camera CCU (optional), tally system (optional), return video (optional), audio to/from the camera (optional).

DESTINATIONS may include a tape or tapeless recording, web stream, video on demand, CCTV system, etc.

IN-BETWEEN is the glue that holds everything together. This includes your production switcher, monitor wall solution, camera shading CCU paint boxes (optional), tally (optional), sync distribution, timecode distribution, video distribution amplifiers, routing (optional), signal up/down/cross converters, aspect ratio converters, encoders, decoders, etc.

Sources and Destinations are the easiest of the three to change later on. IN-BETWEEN is more difficult to change later on. So, its important to think long-term regarding IN-BETWEEN as you will likely have to live with it for a long time. Also, IN-BETWEEN is not nearly as sexy as Sources and Destinations, so it may be harder to raise funds for this later on as well.

IN-BETWEEN needs to be built upon a signal standard. For example, you might decide that your signal standard is analog composite video. Or, you may choose analog component video, or S-Video. Or, you may decide on standard definition serial digital (SD SDI). Or High Definition serial digital (HD SDI). Then, there are resolutions and frame rates: 1920x1080, 1280x720, 525/480, 23.98p, 29.97p, 30p, 59.94i, 60i.

It is IMPORTANT that you create a plan which states your "house" or "system" resolution, frame rate, scan system (interlaced or progressive) and cable connector-signal-type and do you very best to make sure that every SOURCE, DESTINATION and IN-BETWEEN complies _natively_ with that standard. ESPECIALLY IF YOU PLAN ON DOING I-MAG.

If you don't plan it out as described you will likely have many converters, adapters, etc., to get everything to talk to eachother properly and each conversion is a possible point of failure. Each conversion also causes video latency (delay).

[shebhnt]

Maybe I should have clarified a little bit. I already know how to set it all up, I have it all planned out, I was just asking for whether these pieces of equipment sound good or if there was another switcher/camera that I overlooked.

Thank you for your replies. Maybe I should explain the planned setup. In the sound booth will be the switcher. If I go with the Atem, there will also be a computer connected into it to control it. There will be a monitor that will display the various camera inputs/preview/program views. Also another monitor showing the output.

We only are planning on doing a two camera shoot, focusing just on filming the sermons. Both cameras will be mounted on motorized tripod heads (which I already have) and then mounted onto shelves that we are installing into or worship center.

The plan is to use hdmi out (which these cameras will send a full hd signal through) and some lengthy hdmi cables to the switcher (which supports both hdmi and hd-sdi in). Also using (at least for now) the remotes that come with the tripod heads to just control them (so two separate remotes). Lastly, using the LANC connection on the cameras to control zoom, focus, etc.

The ATEM switcher boasts that it has an internal h.264 converter that is converting the signal live and then using a usb port, sending it to either a computer to capture it (or some kind of capture device)

Hopefully with this setup, one person can film our services, by the end of service there will be a h.264 file ready to be edited/uploaded/made into a remix video and it will be good to go. Right now everything is costing around $4000. My questions are, does the equipment I listed before (Atem TV Studio, HVR-1000U) sound good or is there something else that would work better? Also, does this set up sound like it would work or am I overlooking something?

We are not projecting the feed, if anything, we might send it to a TV we have in our cry room (which already is set up with an encoder/decoder to send video over ethernet) and maybe eventually TVs in our lobby.

I understand that these will end up being on the web/DVD and in doing so, trying to get HD is not going to do me much good but our Pastor strongly wants to have it set up for HD.

[Gracetech]

Having just put together a lower end system i can tell you that you might have issues using those cameras. The 1000U doesn't have alot of reach so close ups are only possible if you can get the cameras withing 40' of the stage. I do have to say that i liked the image produces by that imager in that camera but the lens left alot to be desired. Taking the lens to wide would seriously morph the picture. Of course what lower end camera doesn't do that.

I ended up settling on the Sony NX5u and they are some pretty great cameras with pretty good reach. Of course they too suffer from lower end lenses but they are the Best cheap camera i've ever used. I had a buddy that thought i was shooting with EX3's.

crt

[shebhnt]

Yes unfortunately, though my pastor wants to start doing it, he also wants to spend as little as possible. Panasonic released a lower enmodel, the ag-ac7u, that might also work but it doesn't have a LANC port and since it's new I haven't been able to find too many reviews on it.