NiTRo Uses Blackmagic Design Workflow for New Streaming Studio

Blackmagic Design today announced that NiTRo (NTV Technical 百家乐软件 Inc.), a comprehensive technical production unit of the Nippon Television Group, uses a number of Blackmagic Design products for its main streaming studio, M-CUBE. The workflow includes ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD live production switchers, ATEM 2 M/E高级面板, ATEM 1m /E高级面板, HyperDeck Studio HD Plus广播平台, Ultimatte 12 4K real time compositing processors and other Blackmagic Design products.

NiTRo handles technical operations for TV production and it has recently begun streaming services. M-CUBE began operating in 2023 and has done numerous streaming and recording projects for various clients, including an esports league for one of the largest fighting games in the Japan esports league.

The main switcher at the studio is the ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD, with control facilitated by the ATEM 2 M/E高级面板. The setup also includes four HyperDeck Studio HD Pluses, seven HyperDeck Studio HD Minis and a HyperDeck Extreme Control, as well as three Ultimatte 12 4Ks and Ultimatte Smart Remote 4 for chroma keying.

Masaaki Iwahara from the production technical department said, “We had previously used several other models of Blackmagic switchers, so we felt confident and found that the ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD was well suited for the esports programs we currently work on, offering higher cost performance compared to competing products from other manufacturers. One of the features that made us chose the ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD was the large number of inputs and outputs it had.”

He continued, “Moreover, the ATEM’s MADI output capabilities were crucial. We use around 27 inputs for the esports program we regularly broadcast, with approximately 15 of them having accompanying audio. 通常, dedicated equipment is needed to separate audio and video for sending audio to an audio mixer, 但是有了这个开关, MADI输出为每个输入提供音频. 在我们的小工作室里, not needing additional equipment is a significant advantage in terms of both space and cost.”

为冗余, two sets of the ATEM switchers and control panels are used to ensure swift response in case of any issues. “We have two ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD units installed. It’s convenient to switch immediately by just changing the IP address. 由于空间限制, we introduced the ATEM 2 M/E高级面板 to control the main switcher and the ATEM 1m /E高级面板 to control the backup switcher. 然而, we flexibly rotate between the switchers depending on which panel is more suitable for the particular program,他补充道.

Ultimatte 12 4K用于色度键控, providing clean keying without occupying M/E buttons on the switcher for complex effects. Iwahara解释, 使用切换器合成时, 它连接M/E列, 限制其他功能. So, 我们安装Ultimatte是因为它的价格实惠, clean keying and the ability to save background stills on the device. The DSK function allows us to create a new layer by inputting fill and key, 提供完整的实时合成解决方案.”

NiTRo uses HyperDeck Studio HD Mini for simple VTR playback and also for sending video signals to computers via the HyperDeck during remote broadcasts between different locations, 因为它与UVC标准兼容. HyperDeck Studio HD Plus is also used for its ability to output fill and key signals, 再加上Ultimatte 12 4K.

“There is a high demand for displaying sponsor logos on screen during esports tournaments or playing videos with keys during opening sequences. HyperDeck输出填充和键信号, 我们把它放进Ultimatte来合成,岩原说.

目前, the esports streaming program that NiTRo regularly works on is being streamed on five different platforms. “每个平台都略有不同. 例如, 有些流媒体有广告，有些流媒体没有广告, so we make full use of ATEM’s macro features to accommodate this. Since ATEM allows setting up macros for the destination of outputs, 我们为24个输出中的每一个都设置了宏, and automatically switch between the inclusion and exclusion of commercials on each line. The scale of what we did with the switcher for this esports project was large, 所以我们用了和过去不同的方式来使用它, 但即使包括这些, ATEM非常容易使用,岩原总结道.