Bando Camera Streams Live Content from K-Pop to TV Channels with Blackmagic
Bando Camera in Seoul is one of the largest suppliers for video, photography and visual imaging related gear in South Korea. The company recently built three new live streaming studios, now available to hire for all types and sizes of multi-camera streaming productions, from individuals to larger enterprises.
Since opening in late 2019, the studios have been used by some of Korea’s best known pop performers, global corporations and major Korean broadcasters. Productions include live performances by K-Pop singers, and programming for MBC TV network in Yeosu City, one of Korea’s three largest terrestrial TV stations.
The new build includes a large open studio for events such as small-scale concerts, and two smaller sound proof booths for individuals. To handle video switching and graphics insertions in the booths, the workflow includes Blackmagic Design ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4Ks and ATEM Minis. A HyperDeck Studio Mini records directly from the ATEM switchers and a Smart Videohub 40x40 router shares media across the building.
One of the company's booth studios
Two Bando Camera crew directing the streams use SmartView 4K and SmartView Duo for monitoring, with DeckLink SDI 4K cards and a collection of Teranex Mini Converters used for capture and playback and conversion.
ATEM for Options and Flexibility
“We chose Blackmagic Design's live production equipment, including both the larger ATEM 1 M/E and the newer ATEM Mini, as we believed that it could form the basic structure of a comprehensive content production workflow, from the shoot to post work. It also seems open to straightforward system expansion in the future,” said Mr Kim Byung Joon, Head of the New Media Team at Bando Camera.
“The ATEMs give us a lot of options and flexibility, for example, we regularly use it for its chroma keyer and to handle picture-in-picture effects. To support corporations and TV stations producing more complex types of content such as music concerts, the ATEM’s multi-view function is how we check a number of input sources simultaneously.
Bando Camera's larger studio is big enough to hold a small concert.
“The ATEM Mini in particular is a good fit for YouTube creators who are just entering the content creation world. We like the fact that the ATEM Mini can take up to four inputs, handling many workloads previously done at the PC end. It’s also portable and makes live streaming relatively simple,” he said.
Several of the initial major streaming events that took place in Bando Camera’s larger studio featured some of Korea’s biggest pop stars performing live sets. This included a live stream by Lee Su-Hyun of the K-Pop duo AKMU, who celebrated passing one million YouTube subscribers with a set of songs streamed from the studio. Another K-Pop star using the live streaming services was Eric Nam, who performed a full concert live for YouTube.
Remote Production for MBC TV
Yeosu City’s MBC Networks has completed a series of live streams at the new studio as a way to avoid requiring celebrities and other guests to travel from Seoul to Yeosu at the opposite end of the country, for content creation. MBC now live streams content directly from the Bando Camera location for their YouTube and traditional Trot singing lesson channels. This means that all of these streams can use the full Blackmagic Design streaming workflow, directed from the ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K at the centre of the productions.
“We are now able to make a much easier process available to anyone interested in creating content," said Kim Byung Joon. "Furthermore, because more varied content is being created, viewers are more likely to find programming that matches their tastes and interests. Even though they have only been in operation for a few months, we have seen all types of creators use the studios including entertainment management agencies using the studio to operate their own YouTube channels.” www.blackmagicdesign.com
