Blackmagic Design: ATEM Mini Extreme Review
The Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme… I don’t even know where to start with it.
I really do feel a sense of separation since I packed it up to send back to Blackmagic Design. I got to test the new device for two weeks and due to rain and other cancellations, I was only able to use it for two live broadcasts but I was in love well before that!
The ATEM Mini Extreme basically shut down all of the questions from the previous ATEM Mini models and added more than anyone truly expected from a sub $1,000, 8-input, 4 output switcher. I absolutely love it.
Let’s start with the obvious. The 8 HDMI inputs are great. They have sync so your footage won’t have a lag between the cameras because the inputs all convert your footage to match. In my testing, I connected one of our Sony PXW-70s, a Canon 80d, and a GoPro. The footage looked great. There was no lag between the channels, not ghosting, nothing… just good high-quality footage. The only problem I have with the HDMI input is that they are HDMI so for a lot of sports applications unless you go wireless, you are limited on your camera spread and placements. This is also something that a BMD converter can fix if you want to go from SDI or fiber for that matter.
Audio is great with the ATEM Mini Extreme as well. Each HDMI input carries audio and there are also a pair of 1/8th jacks for audio in. All audio can be adjusted on the front panel of the ATEM Mini Extreme. Turning channels off and on, setting levels, and setting AFV can be done right on the front panel of the ATEM Mini Extreme. When you use the ATEM control software, you can also further tweak audio with all of the built-in Fairlight controls that are built-in on every channel. Add compression, set the EQ that sounds best for that microphone, and much more for each channel.
Another thing that I loved about working with the ATEM Mini Extreme was that I could set the multiview to exactly what I needed. For our biggest show, we only used four cameras so I didn’t need all 16 boxes. I collapsed some boxes, made a larger preview and program window, and built the multiview to the exact specs that I needed. The multiview for the ATEM Mini Extreme has the same options as the much more advanced Constellation 8k.
I talked earlier about the outputs. I don’t want to get any farther without tempting you on the number of different ways you can use the ATEM Mini Extreme because of the number of outputs. Obviously, one of the HDMI outs could/should be used as a multiview, but it doesn’t have to. If you know what you are shooting, then you can use both HDMI outputs simply as outputs - sending any one of the inputs, preview, program, or event a clean feed out to wherever you want. The USB outs make the ATEM Mini Extreme a video conference dream. You could send the USB-C out to a computer and use the ATEM Mini Extreme just as you would a webcam… except you could have up to 8 different inputs, graphics, transitions, virtual sets, and more. You can also record straight to a disk with the ATEM Mini Extreme’s USB-C out and coming soon in the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO which allows you to not only record the program out but also each input separately. The footage recorded in the ATEM Mini Extreme is native to Blackmagic Design’s editing software, Davinci Resolve. Just like with the 8 inputs, I don’t know how or when I would ever need to use all 4 outputs but I would like to try!
The inputs and outputs of the ATEM Mini Extreme are great but there is so much more under the hood. With 4 chroma keyers, you can “take” your show anywhere and layer in more graphics than I can think of. If you wanna get real crazy, layer your 4 keyers with your choice of 6 picture-in-picture DVEs and your 2 media layers. By the way, the PIP feature is a gem when you are doing sports. We just threw one on the screen during a soccer match and it looked like we knew what we were doing!
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Here’s the overall picture on the ATEM Mini Extreme. If you are doing anything live broadcasting and want to be more mobile, more capable, and more prepared for your program to grow, the ATEM Mini Extreme is a great choice for you. It handles everything that I can think of when I think about what I want my live shows to look like in the future while at the same time, it’s not an entire truck nor an entire budget. You get more power from the ATEM Mini Extreme than anything else like it on the market. You are a couple of cameras, a monitor, and internet connection away from being live with what could be an amazing production.
OH YEAH!!! Speaking of internet connection! If you connect your Apple or Android phone to the USB port of the ATEM Mini Extreme, you now can use the 4G or 5G from your phone to stream live! Let me say that again in a different way, if you are somewhere that has no internet connection, you can use your phone to stream live without having to connect a hotspot, run 100s of feet of ethernet cable, or anything… just plug up your phone!
Meet the Author, Tom White
Tom White is the digital media instructor at Morgan County High School in Madison, GA. Currently teaching TV production and animation pathways, Tom's programs have received state and national honors including the 2016 NFHS Network School Broadcast Program Of The Year. Prior to teaching, Tom was a marketing, promotions, and online content director for a major radio corporation in Atlanta. Tom studied exercise science at High Point University prior to his radio career. Despite his winding career path, his mother still thinks he is special.