Teradek VidiU and Live:Air make it possible to run a multicamera live streaming prodcution, complete with graphics, titles and b-roll from your IOS device! In this article you'll learn how to set it up and how well it works. While the solution has some limitations, mostly related to the WiFi network and bandwidth, the technology works and has tremendous promise.
It should also be noted that Videoguys recommends 720P for HD streaming. Regardless of your hardware having higher resolution capabilities. 720P video streams look great and they work better, both on the encoding for you and on playback for your viewers.
Streaming Media by Paul Schumutzler
In the Field: Teradek Live:Air
Live:Air gives the user the ability to switch among up to four cameras while mixing in titles, graphics, and pre-recorded b-roll. While the theoretical capabilities of such a setup are very exciting, the technological limitations of current iPad models are keeping the system from reaching its full potential.
Teradek, a company responsible for some of the biggest recent advancements in streaming technology, released the Live:Air (pronounce Live to Air) iPad app at BVE London 2015. This $99 app connects to the company’s Teradk VidiU units, while all devices are connected to a shared wireless network. Live:Air gives the user the ability to switch among up to four cameras while mixing in titles, graphics, and pre-recorded b-roll. While the theoretical capabilities of such a setup are very exciting, the realities of today’s technological limitations are keeping the system from reaching its full potential.
Exhibit Hall Demo
I first met Topher DeLancy of Teradek in May at Streaming Media East in New York. On the show floor, DeLancy showed me their live demo of Live:Air, which paired several Teradek VidiU -connected camera feeds along with some pre-recorded content and titles. He switched among sources with ease, and I tried my hand at technical director for a few minutes. When asked about specifications for the system to work, he stressed that an iPad Air 2 must be used for the app to function well.
Test Project
A few months later, a fellow producer, Jacob Dean, came to me with a perfect use case to test out the whole suite. Dean had been hired to produce a 3-4 camera live concert in Knoxville. Soon I had two VidiUs and one VidiU mini in my possession along with an older iPad Mini 2 to begin pre-show testing.
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