Video Production

Today's streaming productions scale from impromptu online broadcasts captured via webcam and delivered within a corporate firewall to massive professional multicam productions streamed worldwide. With tutorials,  reviews, and analysis from leading producers, the content on this page looks at preproduction, audio and video capture, encoding, and especially the gear and strategies essential for successful streaming.

Features

Review: Magewell Director Mini 3.0

All-in-One (AIO) live production devices leverage the latest mobile CPU and GPU power and integrated capability, with real hardware connections for multiple HDMI ports, ethernet, headphones, audio input, and more—all from one manufacturer so there's just one update cycle to track. Magewell recently came out with the 3.0 update to their Director Mini AIO production tablet (Figure 1), and they are pushing the envelope with what these little powerhouses can do.

Review: Elgato Prompter

The $279 Elgato Prompter is a unique product that performs well in its namesake role but offers a range of functionality that extends far beyond script reading. You'll find Prompter highly useful if you're a frequent video conference participant, if you create screencams or recorded product demonstrations, and even if you produce webinars.

Improving Audience Engagement With Virtual Meetings and Events

Since the mass adoption of working from home during the pandemic, we have seen massive growth in platforms such as Teams and Zoom for not only meetings that would have previously been carried out face-to-face, but also for training sessions, events, and internal communications. While being incredibly useful and widely used communication tools, these services are not without some serious problems when it comes to engaging and retaining an audience.

Managing Teleprompter Scrolling Speed with Elgato Stream Deck and Pedal

One of the most challenging aspects of reading from a teleprompter has always been speed control. Unless you get the speed just right, you either have to rush or slow down your narration, and either adjustment adds stress to your delivery that can force a glitch and another retake. Fortunately, Elgato has two hardware options you can use to control scrolling speed; the Stream Deck+ ($199.99) and Stream Deck Pedal ($89.99). Elgato was kind enough to send both options for me to try, and I'll briefly recount my experience here.

Sponsored Articles

Hot Products: Magewell USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro

Magewell's USB Capture family has long been the gold standard for professional video capture devices, earning a reputation for being the easiest and most reliable way to bring video and audio signals into software for live streaming, video conferencing, medical imaging, and more. Thenew USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro continues this tradition while adding the ability to capture video sources up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second.

Tech Talk: Making the Most out of BRIDGE LIVE with AJA's Mike Boucke

From facilitating live-event streaming to remote production and beyond, AJA's multi-channel UltraHD and HD live video solution BRIDGE LIVE supports a wide range of streaming and contribution codecs. Join AJA product manager Mike Boucke to learn more about this powerful device and all it offers for live-stream workflows—from ultra-low latency to support for NDI and more.

Interview with Ian McDonough, CEO, Blackbird

Blackbird's CEO talks about the appeal of cloud-native production, the importance of sustainability, and 'storycentric' production.

Interview with Andrey Okunev, CEO Medialooks

Video Production Companies and Suppliers