-->
Save your FREE seat for Streaming Media Connect in November. Register Now!

Review: Panasonic LiveCTRL Multicamera Live-Switching PTZ iOS App

When it comes to multicamera live production, there’s any number of broadcast-level companies willing to fulfill your needs. From Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Canon, Hitachi, to all the companies making video mixers, recorders, and streaming appliances. There’s no shortage of solutions to fill a trailer.

There are also several companies making integrated solutions, like NewTek Tricaster, and other software-based video mixing solutions like vMix, Wirecast, OBS, mimoLive, and others. These seek to integrate mixing, titles, video playback, graphics, recording, and streaming into one compact device.

The latest iteration of this are the iOS-based live video production solutions that I’ve written about: Switcher Studio, Teradek Live:Air Action, and Cinamaker. These offer many of the same integrated production features in an iPad Pro-based solution. But now, there's one more: Panasonic LiveCTRL (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Panasonic LiveCRTL

Panasonic itself has released an iOS app to produce multi-camera live production on an iPad. Now, this isn't an entirely new solution. It's based upon the core components of Cinamaker (Figure 2), and you need a Cinamaker license to add additional sources to the app, but Panasonic LiveCTRL does what no other iOS-based solution does: it directly interfaces with Panasonic's broadcast-level Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) cameras.

Figure 2. Cinamaker

This is a huge differentiation compared to solutions that are using cell phones as sources. While there's nothing inherently wrong with cell phones, they produce very good images, they are limited by their fixed focal length lenses, and the very deep focus that tiny sensors deliver. Put side by side with a prosumer camcorder, DSLR, or PTZ camera, the difference is immediately clear.

Panasonic’s LiveCTRL

Panasonic's LiveCTRL is written to interface with Panasonic's own Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras, naturally. These cameras deliver broadcast level optics and capability: up to 30x optical zoom, real iris control, manual control of gain, internal recording, and robust I/O on the PTZ head, including full-size HDMI or SDI, Ethernet with the capability for Power over Ethernet (PoE) that means you can run one cable to the PTZ head and it powers the head, delivers positioning commands, and delivers the video back to the mixing device. This is very convenient for quick and easy deployment.

I had an opportunity to test the LiveCTRL software with Panasonic’s HE40HW PTZ head (Figure 3), which has a street price of about $2,200 for the HDMI version. This costs a lot more than an iPhone. But, as I said in my iOS App Quality Comparison article, the quality of the video you deliver is directly related to the quality of the camera you use. Using a broadcast-level camera delivers better video than a cell phone, period. No question.

Figure 3. Panasonic HE40HW PTZ

Moreover, using LiveCTRL to manage several PTZ cameras lets you use one camera for a wide shot, medium shot, close up, and five different audience reaction shots, etc. (Figure 4). It’s not just the one shot a cell phone is limited to. I used one PTZ in the middle of a stage to deliver multiple audience shots, multiple “over the shoulder” shots of the minister and the audience, 2 different choir shots, 2 different shots of the piano player, and close-up shots of a guest mic in the audience. A single PTZ delivers all this.

Figure 4. Working with the LiveCTRL app

For my test, I was loaned the Panasonic HE40 to do the review and was using a fully enabled version of LiveCTRL on a 2017 iPad Pro I already use for my other iOS-based productions. This is not the latest iPad Pros with the USB-C connector. I took the lightning port of my iPad to Apple's Lighting-to-HDMI adapter so I could capture the screen with a HDMI hardware interface from Cinamaker.

My network consisted of a single WiFi router/access point, which was the bridge between the wired connection to the HDMI interface, and the PTZ head, as well as the wireless connection to the iPhone and the iPad. The HE400 was powered with its external power adapter. I did stream it from the iPad, and recorded it internally on the iPad.

I used an iPhone to show the aspects of the app that I can’t demonstrate while the app produces a show. These other features include the ability to start a new session, or resume an existing session, with all the presets and media left in place from where you last used them. These "Sessions" are like Project files. This ability is pretty unique to the iOS space when it comes to live production apps.

Streaming Covers
Free
for qualified subscribers
Subscribe Now Current Issue Past Issues
Related Articles

Buyers' Guide: PTZ Cameras

Today's professional PTZ cameras are nothing like their security camera predecessors. Now you can find models with all the professional features, technology, and hardware that you find on professional camcorders and digital cine cameras. In this PTZ buyers guide, I'll explain many of these features so you can make informed decisions when evaluating PTZ cameras in your own video production workflows.

Review: Canon N500 PTZ Camera

At $5,399, the Canon N500 is a bargain compared to other 1" sensor PTZ video cameras. Featuring 4K/30P and NDI|HX2 support, it has a long 15x optical zoom lens and dual XLR audio inputs, and supports the low-power POE+ standard.

Religious Organizations Take Streaming to the Next Level

Streaming video is helping houses of worship maintain and grow communities of believers in uncertain times. Here's how Jewish Broadcasting Service, Southeast Christian Church in Kentucky, St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and Preaching Christ Church in Tennessee are doing it.

Review: Roland V-02HD Multi-Format Video Mixer

The new, extremely compact Roland V-02HD can be used to mix multiple sources for live event streaming and/or to output audio/video to in-house projection systems.

Roland VR-1HD AV Streaming Mixer Review

Dive into the essential hardware functionality, features, and usability of the Roland VR-1HD AV Streaming Mixer, then learn about its software functionality, audio mixing, and how it works with programs like OBS, Vmix, and Wirecast to stream to services like Facebook Live and YouTube.

Review: Grown Up Microsoft Stream Is Ready for Business

Once an underfeatured and clumsy beta release, enterprise video platform Microsoft Stream is now an excellent solution for companies that rely on Office 365.

Review: Telestream Wirecast 12

If you missed the last few upgrades to Wirecast, Telestream's multicam live video production and streaming platform, you've missed a lot, as Wirecast has gained significant functionality while retaining its high degree of usability.

Companies and Suppliers Mentioned