BMD's ATEM Mini production switcher gets a big brother which adds more pro features into the miniature box of tricks
(Image credit: Blackmagic Design)
Blackmagic Design has introduced an advanced version of its ATEM Mini video production switcher, which adds more professional features for those want to live stream using two or more camera angles.
Like its $295 predecessor, the new ATEM Mini Pro can control up to four different cameras, allow you to switch between them during live broadcasts on services such as YouTube, Twitch, Zoom and Facebook Live. As well as hard cuts, the units also allow you to add a large number of effects and dissolves as you cut between camera sources. But there are several new features on the Pro version that will justify the doubling of the price tag to $595.
A key new addition is a built-in hardware streaming engine, that allows you to stream direct from the ATEM Mini Pro via the ethernet cable - without the need for additional software streaming software. This is said to give a superior performance, minimizing the risk of dropped frames.
An additional facility is the ability to plug in a hard drive or USB stick so that you have a complete archive copy of the video that you are streaming. The footage is saved as H.264 video files with AAC audio. ATEM Mini Pro supports multiple disks when used with a USB hub or Blackmagic MultiDock, so when a disk fills recording can continue to a second disk for non-stop recording.
(Image credit: Blackmagic Design)
The ATEM Mini Pro model also adds a professional multiview that lets users see all four video inputs and preview on a single monitor. Each camera view includes tally indicators so that you know when each source is on-air, and each view also has custom labels and audio meters.
The ATEM Mini Pro is the same size as the original ATEM Mini, but adds a number of additional control buttons to the front panel.
The ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini will both be able to control Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras directly, thanks for a new firmware update that has been simultaneously released for the PCC 4K and PCC 6K filmmaking cameras.
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Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography.
His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 15 Pro Max.
He has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Dorling Kindersley, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.
