Hey everyone, this is Doug with B&H.
I’m the technical lead on most of B&H’s live video discussion panels.
And they usually have a lot of gear and a lot of people who operate that gear to get the
job done.
But right now, we're watching is actually being cut, streamed and recorded right from
an iPad.
So, this little box next to me is called SlingStudio and really, it's what makes all of this possible.
I come from a background of a lot more people and technology involved and so honestly,
I was a little skeptical about this device because I'm used to having control over every
little part of the process.
So right now, in front of me there's two cameras they each have something called the CameraLink
on top of them they're just right on the hot shoe.
And they have an HDMI link right into the camera.
So basically, that transmits wirelessly over to SlingStudio, and then that wirelessly
connects to an iPad which where the switching is done.
So basically, everything is done all in one.
Now I wanted to see how flexible this system really was because I'm used to having all
that control.
Surprisingly, you actually can insert graphics, you can insert video and you can isolate your
audio.
Now, right off-the-bat, there is nice little professional touch on the CameraLinks there
is a tally light.
So, I know which camera is active every time I look at it based on the light.
It’s this guy right here...The wide.
Now probably one of the other important things that I'm looking for in a live streaming setup
is the ability to record ISOs or isolated recordings of the different camera angles.
SlingStudio actually can do that, it records all to an SD card.
It's right here actually we're recording both the program feed which includes all the cuts
and the ISOs.
So later on, if we wanted to, we could actually edit this and go right back to the original
recordings.
Now for this example we're not streaming the video we're only recording it.
That’s because SlingStudio uses ad-hoc Wi-Fi to connect to its devices.
That includes the CameraLinks and the iPad.
So, you don't need a router or internet connection if you only want to record.
If you do want to stream you can connect this over Wi-Fi to an internet connection or use
an add-on to use Ethernet.
However, this is a streaming device so if you do intend to stream your video you can
connect to YouTube, Facebook or use a custom RTMP address.
Which is usually what we do, when we’re on the field.
SlingStudio itself is controlled via the iPad so any configuration, camera sources, or the
internet connection you use actually has to be done through the iPad.
Now I know what you're thinking, It’s a wireless device.
I'm usually skeptical things about myself--worried about signal dropouts and distance.
So, what we decided to do was take it outside and treat it kind of as a director's monitor.
In a mock shoot.
So, let's go check it out and see the results.
For this test, I wanted to see just how far I can use SlingStudio.
It's a little bit of an unorthodox setup.
But, with single camera, placed the CameraLink on top
and setup the shot.
There's an optional external battery can attach to the bottom unit.
Which is good for outdoor situations like this.
Here I am helping the talent convey the “bruiting protagonist.”
A quick check showed that the CameraLink was already still synced to SlingStudio.
Meaning I can open the existing project.
Now since this is just a single camera setup, it won't hurt to full-screen the program feed.
Anyway, off I go.
At just over two blocks distance the video does freeze and eventually drops out.
Two blocks though, is just a bit unrealistic.
After walking up halfway, to about 1 blocks distance, the signal picked back up.
Recording resumed without having to manually reconnect.
Just so you understand what kind of distance were talking about here, not to mention all
the potential interference from good old Midtown Manhattan, being able to get even this far
is surprising.
And means in a controlled environment, the signal should be extremely reliable.
Let’s head back to the studio.
Alright, and I'm back.
So, would I use SlingStudio as a production monitor outside?
Probably not but I was genuinely surprised at how capable the main unit and the app really
were.
If you ever streamed multiple cameras before, you'll know that even to get just two extra
cameras involved requires a lot more cabling and gear.
One extra feature I didn't mention earlier was that you can actually use a Smartphone
as an extra video source.
And this kind of opens the door if you want to do more mobile production where you're
on the floor running and gunning.
It’s really nice feature to have.
Now while I was able to get about one city block away from the CameraLink, I'm very curious
what would happen if I situated the primary SlingStudio Hub between the CameraLink and
the iPad.
In a real-world situation in a studio indoors, you'd probably have no connectivity issues whatsoever.
We used audio following video via embedded HDMI audio and that had a slight delay to
it that we had to fix in post.
SlingStudio does have a way to fix audio delay but it's only available with a line in connection
not on the HDMI audio.
Additionally, the preview feeds would sometimes stutter on the app but they never affected
the recorded stream.
Personally, I see SlingStudio as a fantastic option if you want to get started in multi-camera
streaming.
Because you don't have to think about setting up an entire Studio.
Its biggest strength is that a can record ISO recordings of each camera angle along
with the program feed and honestly that's something I didn't expect to see you here.
So it’s really appreciated.
Anyway, this is Doug for B&H.
I'll see you next.