Blackmagic Design Announces ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K
Blackmagic Design announced ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K, a new Ultra HD model of the ATEM Constellation family with 40 x 12G-SDI standards converted inputs with support for standards up to Ultra HD 2160p60. Featuring the same features as the ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD, this new 4K model has 24 x 12G-SDI aux outputs, 16 upstream ATEM advanced chroma keyers, four downstream keyers, four Ultra HD media players, two SuperSource processors and more. ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K will be available in June from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for US$8995.
ATEM Constellation switchers feature a compact rack mount design with a built-in control panel. This allows operation of the switcher, critical during setup or for emergency use. Also included is a large LCD so customers can see program output and change switcher settings via on-screen menus. The compact design is perfect for portable live production, with the rear of the switcher including connections for 3G-SDI or 12G-SDI inputs, aux outputs, balanced audio and Ethernet for control. The top four M/E models even include RS-422 for serial control and MADI digital audio connections.
ATEM Constellation switchers are meant for concerts and music festivals because customers can place cameras on all areas of the stage for amazing coverage. The company says live sports benefit from the huge number of inputs and DVEs that let customers build multi-layer compositions to cover the action. ATEM Constellation also claims to be perfect for house-of-worship programming as it’s big enough to allow professional results, but it’s very simple to learn so it’s easy to train a volunteer crew.
With a control panel built into the front panel, customers can “simply walk up and operate the ATEM Constellation at any time.” Plus the front panel control buttons are the same premium type used on full-sized panels. Customers can even control keyers, media and fade to black from the front panel. Plus the front panel LCD and menu buttons also allow almost every single operational feature of the switcher to be accessed.
The ATEM Constellation family has a “massive number of fully independent outputs.” These SDI outputs are very powerful because customers can independently route any SDI input or any internal source to each SDI output. That’s perfect for running independent feeds to stage screens, master recorders and streaming processors. Or use the SDI outputs for ISO recorders, where each deck will get a resynchronized switcher input with matching timecode. All SDI outputs contain program audio, RP-188 timecode, SDI camera control, tally and talkback.
For livestreaming, the USB-C connection on ATEM Constellation operates as a webcam source. The software is tricked into thinking the ATEM Constellation is a common webcam, but it’s really a live production switcher. That guarantees full compatibility with any video software in full resolution 1080HD quality.
The built in multiview lets customers monitor multiple sources on a single monitor. The ATEM 4 M/E Constellation models have four independent multiviews. All external SDI inputs, plus all internal video sources can be routed to any view. All multiviews are fully customizable and can be independently set to 4, 7, 10, 13 or 16 simultaneous views. Customers can add the tally border plus source label and VU meters as an overlay on each view. Plus a red and green border will show tally on each view, so customers know what sources are on air.
ATEM Constellation features up to four independent DVEs, depending on the model, that let customers reposition graphics and create picture-in-picture compositions. Customers get amazing quality and the DVE supports position, resize and scale, all in real-time. The DVE lets customers create professional picture-in-picture effects with customizable 3D borders, shadows and lighting. DVEs can also be used to create amazing DVE transitions with squeeze and swoosh effects for adding excitement to their programming. Customers can even combine DVE transitions with custom graphics to create their own graphic wipe transitions. The ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K includes two SuperSource processors for even more DVEs.
ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K Features
- Built-in front panel controls.
- 40 standards converted 12G-SDI inputs.
- 24 customizable 12G-SDI outputs.
- USB output operates as a webcam and supports all video software.
- Four independent multiviews with multiple layout options.
- Four independent DVEs.
- Professional talkback compatible with ClearCom and RTS.
- Internal media for stills and motion graphics.
- Includes 16 ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyers.
- Two SuperSource multilayer processors.
- Multi-rate 12G-SDI for all HD and Ultra HD television standards up to 2160p60.
- Built-in 156-channel Fairlight audio mixer.
- Compatible with all ATEM hardware control panels.
ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K will be available in June for US$8995 and all the details are here: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/release/20230416-02