Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro & ATEM Television Studio HD8 Switcher Released

Camera News

by Alex HohenthanerFebruary 23^rd, 2023

Blackmagic Design has just introduced several updates to its studio-oriented product lineup. These include the new Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro and 4K Pro G2, the ATEM Television Studio HD8 and Television Studio HD8 ISO as well as the ATEM Microphone Converter box.

During a recent online event, Blackmagic Design’s CEO Grant Petty jumped on stage for a live demonstration of the company’s latest products geared towards live studio productions. As usual, he went in-depth, so we tried to sum up all the best features of their new studio-oriented cameras and switchers in this article. Let’s take a closer look!

Blackmagic Studio Camera with 6K sensor: overview

The new Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro is built on the legacy of the Studio Camera 4K and Studio Camera 4K Plus, but comes with a higher-resolution 6K sensor. With an ISO range of up to 25,600, it claims to offer good low-light performance. The body has a Canon EF lens mount and, just like the BMPCC 6K Pro, integrates built-in ND filters (2, 4 and 6 stops). These can be electronically and even remotely controlled from a switcher.

Looking at its connectivity features, we find an HDMI and 12G-SDI out port, 10G Ethernet connection, two 12V power connections, two USB-C ports, two balanced XLR audio inputs with phantom power, a 5-pin headset connection as well as a 3.5mm headset connector. The 10G Ethernet supports all video, tally, talkback, and camera power via a single connection.

The Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro can be connected to the internet via a mobile phone over the USB-C port and then connected to the switcher via the ATEM Software Controls (and the remote camera setup). The camera generates an H.264 live stream that is sent back to the switcher over the internet.

Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro – features

• Native 6K sensor with 13 stops of dynamic range.
• Compatible with a wide range of popular EF lenses.
• Live streaming for global remote cameras via Ethernet or mobile data.
• Built in 2, 4 and 6 stop remote controllable ND filters.
• Large 7-inch high-brightness viewfinder.
• Includes 12G-SDI, HDMI, 10G Ethernet connections.
• Single 10G Ethernet allows SMPTE fiber style workflow.
• Professional mini XLR inputs with 48V phantom power.
• Optional focus and zoom demands for lens control.
• Blackmagic Studio Converter allows all connections via Ethernet.

The company also launched an updated version of their 4K studio-oriented camera, the Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro G2. The major difference with the older model is added support for remote control features. Lastly, Blackmagic introduced a Blackmagic Cameras 8.0 update with many new features and bug fixes.

ATEM Television Studio HD8: overview

Along with launching the new Studio Cameras, the company also announced a replacement for their ATEM Television Studio switcher, this time called ATEM Television Studio HD8, as well as the ATEM Switchers 9.0 Update. Blackmagic describes the switcher as a “television studio you can hold in your hand”. Indeed, it has been designed with portability in mind.

The new design features a standard broadcast layout that should be familiar to most users. At the back, we can find an extensive set of connectors, including MADI in/out with 32 audio channels support as well as two USB-C ports (for recording to external disks or using the switcher as a webcam). Other ports include 8 3G-SDI inputs, 8 program video outputs for a return feed to the camera, 2 AUX outputs (with a countdown timer on AUX1), a main program SDI and a Multi-view out, control room and studio floor outputs for audio monitoring as well as XLR inputs. This model can be used with industry-standard talkback headsets.

The Multiview can support up to 16 customizable channels on one monitor as well as status screens – for example, to use for recording or streaming. ATEM Television Studio HD8 features 4 ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyers for Green Screen keying effects, 4 SuperSource multi-layer processors and 2 downstream keyers which can be linked to transitions.

The buttons have electronic labels, so they can be re-labeled according to the selected function set. The button layout features a preview transition button to see transitions in the preview window before actually making the transition live. The T-bar on the panel is the same type used on their other production panels.

You can connect a phone for mobile data which can also be used as a backup in case the wired internet connection fails. This new model features internal recording to a M.2 flash disk that can be synced with Dropbox or Google Drive. Internal storage is also recognized as network storage so it can be accessed by all users connected to the same network.

The Fairlight audio mixer makes it possible to do complex live sound mixing while featuring processing on all inputs. It has its own LCD screen with an audio meter for each channel which will change to color when the channel is live. There are 10 knobs to dial in the levels and many dedicated buttons for audio functions. The LCD screen as well as the button mapping can be changed, e.g. to individually control EQ, limiter, or compressor for each channel.

The whole section, including the LCD screen and the surrounding buttons, can also be used to control connected cameras for color correction, gain or focus adjustment, and much more.

There is an ISO version that has 8 input recorders (as well as recording the output), which enables you to edit the footage (for example, to move and change cuts and transitions) later on in DaVinci Resolve. This version also supports remote cameras that can be connected via the internet or a local network.

ATEM Television Studio HD8 – key features

• All-in-one switcher and control panel design.
• Supports connecting up to 8 x SDI cameras.
• Wide range of professional video effects included.
• Internal media for stills and motion graphics.
• 4 ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyers for green/blue screen work.
• Includes SuperSource multi-layer processor with 4 DVEs.
• 8 x standards converted 3G-SDI inputs.
• 9 x 3G-SDI program video outputs and 2 x 3G-SDI aux outputs.
• Audio mixer supports limiter, compressor, 6 band EQ and more.
• 16-way multiview for monitoring all cameras on a single monitor.
• Live stream via Ethernet or mobile phones via USB.
• Records to USB flash disks or optional internal cloud storage.
• USB output operates as a webcam and supports all video software.
• ISO model supports recording all video inputs for later editing.
• ISO model records a DaVinci Resolve project file.
• Supports remote internet-connected cameras on ISO model.
• Includes free ATEM Software Control for Mac and Windows.
• Localized for 13 popular languages.
• Expands audio inputs with ATEM Microphone Converter.

ATEM Microphone Converter

Last but not least, Blackmagic Design has released the ATEM Microphone Converter box. It features 4 analog inputs that can be toggled between MIC/LINE, and have 48V phantom power, a MADI input and a MADI output. Each input has 8 analog-to-digital converters and features built-in gain controls in 32-bit, while an HDMI output enables users to monitor the audio waveforms on a dedicated display.

According to the company, the converter has an extremely low noise floor of -129dBV, a dynamic range of 131 dB(A), low distortion of 0.002% and uniform tolerances across all channels.

ATEM Microphone Converter Features

• Expand audio inputs with ATEM Microphone Converter.
• Robust converter style design.
• Connects via MADI for multi-channel audio.
• Extremely low noise floor of -129dBV.
• Ultra-high dynamic range of 131 dB(A).
• Precise input matching and low distortion of 0.002%.
• Includes HDMI monitoring output with scrolling audio waveform display.

Price and availability

The new Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K and Studio Camera 4K Pro G2 are available now for $2,495 and $1,865 respectively, while the ATEM Television Studio HD8 and ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO retail for $2,995 and $3,995. The price of the ATEM Microphone Converter is set at $395 and the product should become available in about one month.

Finally, the Blackmagic Camera 8.0 and ATEM Switchers 9.0 updates are now available to download free of charge from the company’s Support Center.

For more information, please visit Blackmagic Design’s website.

What do you think of the new Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pro and ATEM Television Studio HD8 live production switchers? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!