Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini HDMI Live Switcher

Multi camera for live streaming, video recordings, zoom calls, presentations, and much more have given me powerful dynamics to my show. A direct camera take to my guests, close up shots, and the habilita to set up extra scenes for quick switching right at the reach of my fingertips while recording or streaming (or both). Almost two years of using here are pros and cons: Pros: It’s the most advanced video capture device for the money, and the comparable competition is so behind they are not even in the same solar system. Control device with buttons or software. Run macros, control BMPCC cameras from the software. Color grade from software live (out to hdmi with almost Davincci resolve grade processing). Run and control audio and audio processing straight from the software controls in your PC or Max. Use advanced options for so many things. This is a professional level device at consumers ease of use and price. Cons: Do expect to have to buy extra cables and extra stuff. To get the most off this, you’ll have to learn how to use the software that operates it. It has no on/off switch, but I use a smart plug to work around it. Other than that, it’s a no brained. It solves more problems than you think. I love it for livestreams and podcast recording alike.

Update: This thing still rocks! I really have not had one issue with it. I thought that maybe because it does not have a fan, I would start having problems with it overheating but everything is running well. Seriously, if you're on the fence about this, I can say after having this for some time now, it's very worth it. This tool has saved me a lot of headache. For its price, it's really loaded with features. I have not had it too long so I'm not sure of its longevity. It seems to run a little hot but no technical issues so far. I am using it for business and I'll use it nonstop for 5-6 hours at a time. It's been great and like I said, there are tons of functions with this thing. The software is great too. I have to hand it to Blackmagic, they made my favorite piece of gear that I have purchased in a long time. In comparison to other switches on the market, you might pay $1000 dollars just to get half as many features as the ATEM Mini. Also, it's basically plug and play. I'll let you know if any technical issues crop up.

I’m amazed this thing was only $300. I use this in a workflow with OBS studio to produce high school football live streams. I run all cameras and audio through this switcher (the software audio mixer is incredible) and output to my laptop running OBS where I overlay all the graphics before live streaming out of OBS to YouTube. It’s a perfect cheap setup giving me broadcast quality productions. The only negative to me is the integration of graphics into the switcher. It’s upstream and downstream keys are useless to me. You can only use PNG files and there is no physical button on the switcher for the downstream key. The physical upstream key does not work if you are using a Luma key setup. It only works for chroma key. Would be nice if the media pool accepted Photoshop PSD files that would update on-air as they are changed and saved in photoshop. That’s what I’ve been doing using OBS which allows for changeable scoreboards. Just recently though, I figured out how to integrate Scoreboard+ into OBS which gives me a scoreboard with a clock and full controller. Just wish it would work in the ATEM Mini instead of OBS. However, for the price, I can’t give it any less than 5 stars for the $300 version. Now, the higher priced versions I’d expect these flaws to be fixed.

As a switcher, this really does work well. We discovered one key thing that did not appear in any of the descriptions. HDMI input 1 has a 50ft HDMI cable rated for 4k and our PTZ cameras are at 1080p, and it works great. However, HDMI inputs 2, 3, and 4 require somewhat shorter lengths. Avoid going more than 25 feet. A 50ft cable identical to the cable for input 1 would not work on the other three inputs. Fortunately, we had a HDMI splitter that is powered and that actually worked with the 50 footer. Just be aware that if inputs 2, 3, and 4 need longer lengths you'll probably want to use sdi cable (assuming your source has it) or some sort of powered "booster" for an HDMI signal. Perhaps a fiber optic HDMI cable would be better for those inputs. Just be prepared with that fact and no doubt this will be a great video switcher for you.

I've been using the Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini HDMI Live Switcher for livestreaming at my church for a couple of weeks now. I've not really even begun to use it to its' potential, but I love the easy setup, the sound controls, the easy transitions between cameras and more. Really looking forward to playing around with adding graphics to the stream, adding more cameras and the like. Great product at a great price! The only downside I can think of is that there is no built in audio monitoring. I had to get an HDMI audio splitter so I could listen to the audio signal going out in real time.

My job is provide product demos and be on multiple calls a day. This little unit has inputs for my camera, duplicate output of my desktop and video out of hardware we use. The fact that it shows up as a webcam means I essentially can "share my screen" without needing to be a host or have permissions in a meeting. This plus showing my camera and video out of other hardware makes this much easier than using OBS with a load of dongles on my MacBook. I use the still image button to display my company logo when I need to hide my face for a second. Maybe not the intended use case but a good solution for the price. Everyone's pretty blown away by my high production value in business video calls, but it's going to be the norm between this work-from-home reality and when the kids who stream on Twitch move into the business world and put us to shame with their learned production skills.

I now own two of the ATEM Minis. We create videos for Facebook Live and YouTube. Our first one was set up to bring together the HDMI stream from 3 different consumer grade ( inexpensive ) video cameras and a computer desktop along with a lavalier mic plugged into the back of the mini. The video output is run into a DVR ( Cloner Pro ) via HDMI to record everything and another output goes to another computer ( an older MacBook Pro ) to livestream. All the cams and computer screen are switched in and out with a single touch of a button that includes fades. This setup saves many hours of video editing time and allows the talent to control the cameras without any need for a second person. I still have a digital video switcher from 20 years ago that mixed two cameras and two mics. It was over $3,000 back then and doesn't do even a fraction of what the ATEM Mini does. I am only surprised that BlackMagic is selling this at such a low price point. It would be a bargain at $600 but they are only asking $295 for it. Nicely done BlackMagic!

Learned the hard way that Blackmagic products perform less than satisfactorily. Bought a $1000 portable box switcher that had an XLR factory defect that couldn't be repaired. Item became a brick after it died during an update. Used it less than a month. Also, bought a few HDMI to SDI video converters that didn't convert. Had to use converters from another manufacturer D_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R that worked like a charm. This portable switcher is barely adequate for production use. Big issues ... no preview out, many useful functions are only available using laptop and Blackmagic interface software. Cheap price okay. Looking at replacing this with another brand that that appear more promising R _ _ _ _ D.