The ATEM Mini Pro from Blackmagic Design is a compact video mixer that offers professional-quality multi-camera production in real time and delivers an impressive price-performance ratio. It has connections for up to four HDMI inputs (e.g. for digital cameras, computers, games consoles, and more) and two audio inputs in 3.5mm jack format, making video production uncomplicated, and its operation is highly intuitive. Users can directly switch between the connected sources on the device, add picture-in-picture, transition, and chroma keying (better known as green screen and blue screen) effects, and even integrate their own graphics. The results can then be transferred to the user’s computer – which will recognise the ATEM Mini Pro as a webcam – via the USB-C interface: The ideal setup for streaming to platforms like YouTube and Facebook as well as for innovative business presentations via video chat.
Any device with an HDMI output – whether it’s a digital camera, computer, smart device, games console, or DVD/Blu-ray player – can be connected to the ATEM Mini Pro without difficulty, and its ease of use is exemplary. Cuts and effect transitions can be made between the connected video sources using keys 1 to 4 on the user interface. The audio source can be set to match the selected HDMI source or permanently assigned – to the two additional 3.5mm jack connections for line and microphone signals, for example. The integrated encoder automatically converts all incoming signals to H.265 and up to 1080p and 60fps, so the video format is always taken care of – if only things could always be that simple!
From online tutorials, concerts, music lessons, and dance classes to conferences, religious services, webinars, and innovative business presentations, the world of live streaming is multifaceted and opens the door to a wide audience. Anyone looking to make a name for themselves here will be hard pressed to pass on the ATEM Mini Pro, which offers an impressive and affordable point of entry. Viewers on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, ZOOM, Skype, and other streaming and messenger services will appreciate the high quality of your video presentations. What is more, the ATEM Mini Pro is also extremely useful as an offline tool, since the HDMI video output can be connected to a projector, thus allowing presentations to be given to a larger audience.
Founded in 2001, the Australian company Blackmagic Design is one of the world's leading pioneers and manufacturers of creative video technology. Known for its outstanding codecs, Blackmagic offers professional technology at affordable prices. The manufacturer demonstrated this in 2002 with the release of the DeckLink capture card. This enabled the editing of uncompressed 10-bit video material on a Macintosh OS X system. The products of the ATEM Live series are used in major productions worldwide. Grant Petty, founder and CEO of the company, describes the guiding principle of his company itself as follows: "Blackmagic Design strives to make video of the highest quality affordable to everyone so that production and television can become a truly creative industry."
They may look almost identical, but there are decisive differences between the ATEM Mini and the ATEM Mini Pro. The ATEM Mini provides an ideal solution for real-time live streaming and for giving presentations that comes at a budget-friendly price, while the Pro version adds several extra functions whose relevance is determined by what is expected from the device. The ATEM Mini Pro’s USB-C connection means that video signals can be recorded direct to USB drive in H.264 format, and even to multiple hard drives simultaneously or successively by using a hub, making pre-production and backups child’s play. An integrated hardware streaming engine also makes streaming possible without a computer. The HDMI output can be controlled directly from the mixer and additionally provides a multiview for four cameras, previews for individual angles and media, and status information for recordings, streams, and audio.