While most switchers have two rows of input buttons, this ATEM gets away with one, using a scheme where whatever is on air is lit red and what is set for up next is green.

At the far right is a group of four smaller buttons, Media Player 1 and 2, Cut and Auto trans. Above each is an Audio Follow Video button to enable or disable the feature. A single row of eight large buttons represents the eight video inputs. The most conspicuous new feature is a set of buttons that allow you to use 90% of the unit’s features without a computer. It outputs two HD-SDI program outs and an HDMI multi-viewer out. The ATEM Television Studio HD is a half-rack unit with four HD-SDI and four HDMI inputs. Besides the name, not much else is the same. (It never happened in my experience, but we wondered, “What if?”)īMD has now updated its entry-level switcher with the introduction of the ATEM Television Studio HD. Because of the price, we overlooked issues like needing a computer to control it - and the fear of what would happen if the computer crashed during a live show. It had lots of flexibility and, at under $1,000, was the go-to switcher for people who couldn’t afford a pro console.

What it could do for the price was groundbreaking at the time, and it became a very popular switcher in the AV services business. About seven years ago, I reviewed Blackmagic Design’s (BMD) ATEM Television Studio for another publication.

Atem television studio hd