VideoSwitching
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Livestream announces Studio HD500 all-in-one video switcher, ships October 15th for $8,500
Earlier this year, Livestream quietly entered the hardware business with a real-time streaming puck known as the Broadcaster -- an adequate moniker, to say the least. Now, some five months after that camera add-on made its intriguing debut, Livestream's introducing the Studio HD500, an all-in-one video production switcher aimed at both hobbyists and pros. Most notable, however, is the fact the company's entering this fresh market in good pricing fashion, given the Studio HD500's appealing tag of $8,500 -- which may still seem like a hefty amount, but ends up feeling light when compared to other similar tools that start off at a cool $15-$20k, such as, say, one of NewTek's TriCaster offerings. At any rate, those near $9,000 for the Studio HD500 will get you a switcher loaded with live audio / multi-camera mixing capabilities, a built-in DVR and media player, one-click live streaming to the outfit's own platform, plus a handful of inputs and outputs -- including HD / SD, SDI, S-Video and HDMI. It's also worth noting the Studio HD500 isn't fully attached to Livestream's site by any means, making it possible to use with other competing sites such as YouTube, Ustream and many more. While kindly speaking to us, Livestream's CEO Max Haot said, "Our goal is to get multi-camera switching equipment into as many hands as possible," adding that the "key is to make it easier and more cost effective." The Studio HD500 is available for pre-order today and set to start shipping on October 15th -- which could be around the same time the software-only version makes an appearance, though all we know about that so far is it'll be coming at some point "later this year." In the meantime, there's a couple of extra pics for your viewing pleasure down below, and the detailed presser from Livestream right after the break.%Gallery-164278%
Wirecast 4 delivers live video switching, webcast streaming
The cost of doing live TV-style production has plummeted in the past decade. Not so long ago, doing a live multi-camera shoot would require a studio and switching equipment that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Then along came the NewTek Tricaster, which delivered much of the functionality of a studio in a small form factor PC box for less than US$10,000. [The Stream Breeze drops that cost down to about $4,000 now. –Ed.] Even 10 grand is a lot to spend if you're just getting started in the video broadcast arena. Thankfully, the folks at Telestream offer a more affordable option with the software-only Wirecast platform. The company has just released Wirecast 4 with a thoroughly updated user interface, new title templates, improved Flash encoding and more. Wirecast already included picture in picture support, playback of pre-recorded video, audio and images, and simultaneous encoding to multiple bit-rates. The software allows live switching between multiple input sources and chroma-keying with green screens. The Pro version adds support for HDV and wireless IP cameras as well as 3D virtual sets. The standard version of Wirecast 4 is US$449 while the Pro edition is $995; both can output to QuickTime, Flash or Windows Media streams. Wirecast 4 is available in both Mac and Windows versions. [You might also take a look at BoinxTV, which TUAW has used for onsite production at Macworld Expo and elsewhere. BoinxTV's solution for web streaming is a bit more convoluted than Wirecast's direct support (it requires a third-party capture utility like CamTwist or the $29 GrabberRaster) but for studio recording it covers a lot of the same ground. It starts at $199 for a sponsored edition. –Ed.] [via MacNN]
