Blackmagic ATEM 1 M/E Switcher Hits the Campaign Trail

Matchpoint Studios will produce and broadcast Front Row Tampa Bay, a live community
web TV event held for the Republican National Convention using Blackmagic Design’s
ATEM 1 M/E Switcher.

Matchpoint will be using the ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher in a set-up with Blackmagic Design’s Mini Converters SDI to HDMI, UltraStudio 3D and Compact Videohub. Front Row Tampa Bay is an initiative launched by the Tampa Bay Partnership to feature life, business and economic opportunity in the Tampa Bay region during the 2012 Republican National Convention, which brings an estimated 6,000 delegates and alternates, and 15,000 members of the worldwide media into the region.
After successfully streaming 10 hours of live programming for the Republican Party of Florida’s P5 Live! Convention in September 2011, Matchpoint Studios was nominated to handle production and broadcast functions for the Front Row Tampa Bay project. Director of Matchpoint Studios JP Manterola said, “Four days of national attention means we have four days to showcase the best of Tampa Bay and Florida to the world. The purpose of Front Row Tampa Bay is to broadcast major drivers of the economy over the Internet - healthy communities, technology and innovation, business, financial and data services, marine and environmental activities and the Florida experience.”
The Matchpoint team will be using ATEM 1 M/E to handle multi camera shoots and graphics, and feeding topical pre taped content and live footage being recorded off site from a MacBook Pro into the switcher. They have chosen the Blackmagic Design system on this project because of its broadcast functions and production quality. Four Blackmagic Design Mini Converters SDI to HDMI will be used on HD cameras onstage and in remote locations, while the Thunderbolt based UltraStudio 3D will capture SDI video for Livestream compression. The Compact Videohub router will bring everything together, making it possible to show what is happening in the studio on multiple screens and in separate rooms throughout the facility, including the building’s entrance, main lobby and VIP lounge. JP Manterola said the ATEM Production Switcher’s performance has worked well for the company since they first used it on the P5 Live! event. “For Front Row Tampa Bay, we will be making use of all eight discreet inputs, plugging in multiple cameras, video walls and our MacBook Pro,” he said. “With the ATEM 1 M/E’s built in MultiViewer, we’ll be able to view all sources and programming on a single monitor, with the option to name crosspoints and reconfigure the display.” ATEM Production Switchers include four upstream keyers each with independent chroma, shaped and linear keying, two downstream keyers, stinger effects, graphic wipes, media players for stills and clips and a built in DVE for DVE transitions or key repositioning. ATEM also has numerous HDMI and SDI inputs allowing both professional SDI cameras and consumer HDMI cameras and computers to be connected. ATEM includes a free software control panel and media pool management software for Mac OS X and Windows 7, and is sold independently of the hardware control panel.  www.blackmagic-design.com