Blackmagic ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD

ATEM Constellation HD switchers feature a compact rackmount design with a built-in control panel. This allows the switcher to be operated directly, which is critical during installation or for emergency use. Also included is a large LCD screen so you can view program output and change switcher settings via on-screen menus. The compact design is perfect for portable live production, with 3G-SDI inputs, 3G-SDI aux outputs, balanced audio and Ethernet on the back of the switcher for control. The top 4 M/E model even includes RS-422 for serial control and MADI digital audio connections.

With a control panel built into the front panel, you can easily operate the ATEM Constellation at any time. Plus, the front panel controls are the same premium type used on the large panels, so they're extremely reliable. You can even control keyers, media and fade to black from the front panel. In addition, the front panel LCD display and menu buttons allow access to almost all operational functions of the switcher.

The ATEM Constellation HD family includes independent 3G-SDI inputs, with each input having its own dedicated up- and cross-converter. That means it's possible to convert any 1080p input source to the switcher's video standard. That means you can have each switcher's SDI input run a different television standard and all inputs will work just fine.

The ATEM Constellation HD family has a huge number of fully independent 3G-SDI outputs. The 4 M/E model has a whopping 24 x 3G-SDI outputs. These SDI outputs are very powerful because you can independently route any SDI input or any internal source to any SDI output. Or use the SDI outputs for ISO recorders, giving each deck a re-synchronized switcher input with matching timecode. All SDI outputs include program audio, RP-188 time code, SDI camera control, tally and talkback.

Thanks to the built-in multiview, you can display multiple sources on one monitor. The 4 M/E model has 4 independent multiviews. All external SDI inputs, plus all internal video sources can be routed to any display. All multiviews are fully customizable and can be independently set to 4, 7, 10, 13 or 16 simultaneous views. You can overlay the tally border plus source label and VU meters on any view. Plus a red and green border displays the total on each view so you know which sources are On Air.

ATEM Constellation HD includes a wide variety of native broadcast transitions, such as mix, dip, wipe and more. All transitions can be customized in the system control menus with adjustments for border color, border width, position, orientation and much more. The ATEM Constellation Switcher contains a powerful digital video effects processor for DVE transitions, which can be used to push the current image off the screen and reveal a new video underneath. The DVE can even be used to create graphical swipe transitions.

To allow crews to work as one creative team, ATEM Constellation features built-in talkback. Talkback supports a 5-pin XLR headset connector, plus a rear-mount RJ12 connector for interfacing with industry standard talkback systems such as ClearCom or RTS. You get full talkback control, including program and tech loops, sidetone control for hearing the headset microphone in the headphones, and program mix. ATEM Constellation HD also supports SDI talkback which uses SDI channels 15 and 16 for 2-way communication with Blackmagic Design cameras. You can even use channels 13 and 14 for technical talkback.

The built-in media pool stores RGBA graphics and broadcast-quality animations that can be played directly by the 4 media players. The built-in media pool contains images for use with the media players and the 4 M/E model can hold 60 photos and 600 frame animations.

For news or virtual set work, ATEM Constellation HD is perfect as it features many advanced ATEM keyers for high-quality chroma or luminance keying. The chroma keyer is incredibly powerful and features a color picker to sample background colors for automatic generation of key parameters. You get fine control for edge and flare, and there's even a foreground color corrector so you can match the "look" of the foreground layer with the background layer, allowing for seamless compositions. The keyer can also be used for pattern and DVE keying. You get 16 ATEM Advanced Keyers on the 4 M/E model.

With 4 upstream chroma keyers per M/E row, you get the perfect solution for building virtual sets. With so many ATEM advanced chroma keyers, you can use one keyer per camera to create a seamless composition of the camera over the custom background. You can use external image processors for virtual sets, or you can even build a fixed camera virtual camera set by loading pre-rendered still image backgrounds from the media players and media pool. You can set macros to switch cameras and load the correct background in the media players. With so much flexibility, you can experiment to try different studio setups.

In addition to the DVEs in the M/E rows, the 4 M/E model includes powerful SuperSource multi-layer processors with 4 additional DVE layers plus a background layer, appearing to the ATEM Constellation HD as an additional input source. Any video input from a switcher can be used for any SuperSource DVE, then it's all layered together over a custom media pool background. SuperSource is like having an extra multi-layer VFX switcher built in. SuperSource is perfect for picture-in-picture interviews, as you can set the effect while leaving the main DVEs free for other tasks. The ATEM 4 M/E Constellation even has 2 completely independent SuperSource processors.

The SDI inputs also handle embedded audio and mix audio from all video inputs. In addition, the program outputs contain talkback, tally and camera control information. That means you can connect one of the switcher's SDI outputs back to the camera for program return, camera control, and talkback.

With a built-in Fairlight audio mixer, the ATEM Constellation makes it possible to do extremely complex live sound mixes. The internal mixer has up to 156 input channels, for the largest audio mixer in a live production switcher. Audio is de-embedded from all SDI video inputs and passed to the audio mixer. Then the 4 M/E model has extra audio mixer input channels for the MADI audio inputs. Each input channel features the highest quality 6-band parametric EQ and compressor, limiter, expander and noise gate, as well as full panning. You get extra channels for the analog input, talkback microphone and media players. All this audio power can be controlled via the ATEM Software Control or a Mackie compatible panel.

The ATEM Software Control Panel gives you full control over your switcher and is included for free. The ATEM software control panel has a beautifully designed interface with a visual switcher and parameter palettes for making quick adjustments. The ATEM Software Control also gives you access to camera control, audio mixing, media, macro programming, and even control of HyperDeck disk recorders. You can even save the entire state of the switcher as XML files, and all media is backed up from the media pool.

All rows of M/E buttons contain integrated LCDs for dynamic labeling of input buttons. The massive 4 M/E model has 4 M/E rows with 40 input buttons per row and 4 independent LCD screens for system monitoring.

Unlike other switchers, all features are included in the purchase price. That means you can get all features fully enabled and always ready to use. There are no license fees and no ongoing monthly fees. This means that users will never experience a license expiring 5 minutes before their program starts. Advanced features such as multiview, SuperSource, DVEs or the ATEM Advanced Keyers are always enabled and always ready to use.

ATEM Constellation HD Switchers features

Advanced design with built-in controls on the front panel.

40 standards converted 3G-SDI inputs.

24 customizable 3G-SDI outputs.

4 independent multiviews with multiple layout options.

Includes DVE and stinger transitions.

Includes 4 DVEs.

Professional talkback compatible with ClearCom and RTS.

Internal media for photos and moving images.

Includes new ATEM Advanced Chroma Key.

4 upstream ATEM Advanced Chroma keyers per M/E row for chroma key work.

Multi rate 3G-SDI for all HD television standards including 720p, 1080i and 1080p.

Built-in 156 channel Fairlight audio mixer.

Includes free software control panel.

Compatible with all ATEM hardware control panels.

All features are included at no extra cost.