External devices
From Mogulus
Contents |
Start broadcasting like a pro! In this section, you will find links and advice about the best equipment and setup.
Cameras
Webcams
Every webcam should do the job! Whether you have an in built camera or an external webcam, plug it into your computer and select the input in your videosources. (Note that IP cameras are not supported by Flash and do not work in Mogulus studio).
The webcams we suggest:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/webcam_communications/webcams/&cl=us,en
DV cameras
Mogulus Studio will also work with most Standard DV cameras. Please check with your camera provider to ensure the device is Flash supported.
- We recommend using Firewire which is Native on Macs. On windows you will need a video capture card with a Firewire IEEE 1394 input. You can purchase a capture card from providers like Canopus
- You can also connect most cameras via USB though Firewire offers a higher datarate and will generally be more reliable.
- Plug it into the video capture card and make sure your computer recognizes it. You can test this using video editing software or another program which will recognize a camera.
- Go in the Mogulus studio, and select the correct device from the dropdown menu in the Cameras section of the Broadcast Live tab.
- Select the correct audio input is selected by clicking on "more settings" in the cameras section of the Broadcast Live tab.
- Connect only one camera per computer. If you wish to use multiple camera's, plug them into different computers and login to your studio on each computer. You can then switch easily from one camera to another.
For more information on audio and video set ups, go to: Change_your_audio_and_video_settings
Audio
We unfortunately don't provide simple live audio streaming, however one of our producers has given us a recipe for streaming a radio show with hosts in two different locations:
Behringer B-1 Mic plugged via XLR connector to a Mackie 1402 VLZ Pro Mixer. Mixer Tape Out to line in of desktop (this is for the audio stream and audio archive of the show)
Phone Calls"': We use a Comrex Stac 6 phone interface mated with 2 Vonage IP phone lines plus a transparent 877 number from Vonage. This allows our viewers to call in toll free! We use a standard handset phone that hooks into the Stac 6 handset hardware. I answer calls as the lines light up. The Stac 6 controls caller levels.
Studio cohost: We use 2 Comrex Access units. These devices connect my co-host and I together through the internet WITHOUT TYING UP A PHONE LINE! The Comrex Access connects to a static IP port in my cable modem. Even though we are 2000 miles apart, we sound like we are in the studio together. The Comrex Access utilizes low latency audio codecs so we have virtually no lag, as well as high fidelity. This is important because it enables us to send one high quality audio signal to the Mogulus studio, containing both of us, as well as our phone callers.
Mogulus Studio: Next we run from the Main Out of our Mackie Console to the Line In of a laptop that is ethernet connected to my cable modem. We have a 15Mbps download, 2Mbps upload broadband connection. This sends all of our show audio to the Mogulus Studio, so everyone can be heard. Finally, we connect the laptop USB out to our Mackie Channel strip, using a USB sound card. This enables viewers to hear all audio from the videos we pull from the internet and create ourselves. All we do is "un-mute" the channel whenever we run a video that originates from the Mogulus Studio.
Video: I use a Canon GL1 3 CCD camera plugged into the laptop via firewire. This camera can be manually adjusted for low light performance. My co-host uses a standard high end webcam!
The end result is a program with sound quality that equals FM radio at its best.
Capture
You can stream your desktop, a videogame or from an external device like a DVD player into Mogulus studio. To do so, you will need capture software such as WebcamMax for PC or CamTwist for Mac.
Download the application, open it and select the connected video source you would like to stream. The software will appear as a video source just like a camera inside the studio.
Check out the demo video below:
Chroma Key software
You can use Chroma Key Software to add background effects when filming in front of a green screen. Chroma Key Software has the advantage of being cheap but does not enable you to stream live while performing chroma key effects. You will need to pre-record your content and upload it to your Mogulus studio.
Adobe Premiere and Isadora are some commonly used software programs for adding chroma key and realtime effects.
Chroma Key hardware
Chroma Key hardware enables you to broadcast in front of a green screen in realtime.
For an example of this, check out the shows of one our producers, Sarah Austin, who broadcasts live on Mogulus every Thursday at 3 P.M. directly from the Mogulus studio in SOHO, New York.
We use a Reflecmedia Ultimatte DV Chroma Key device in our studio.
Capture Cards
In order to capture video from an analog source you will need an analog/digital converter such as a Canopus or a Dazzle.
These devices will allow you to input an analog RCA or S-Video signal and will output a digital signal to your computer via USB. Note that in many cases these devices are not compatible with Flash so you may need to use Flash Media Encoder or a capture program like WebcamMax to broadcast from this source in Mogulus studio.
How to set up multiple cameras
You wish to stream from multiple cameras?
We suggest you have one camera per computer. So, if you want to do a show, filming from three different angles, you will need three different computers.
Log into your studio on the three computers and select the correct input on each one.
Now, you can mix the cameras live from one station, by selecting them in the left tab (sources) in the Broadcast live section.
If you wish to mix audio and video, you will need to have an external mixer!
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