As for the live broadcast that most people know, it may just be a mobile phone, and if it is more advanced, it may be equipped with a hand-held three-axis stabilizer; if you want to get started, you can play it with your hands. Such a low entry threshold is also the charm of live broadcasting; but it can also be advanced Play multi-machine, multi-screen live broadcast and play various special effects like a show.

The AVerMedia BU110 driver-free video capture device to be shared this time can be regarded as a stepping stone from the shallow to the deep (that is to say, the appearance is also a bit like a brick). Or in the computer, to complete the higher-quality live broadcast requirements; this is similar to the principle of the AVerMedia GC513 capture box introduced by the game editor Randal a while ago; however, the BU110 is lighter in size, and it also feels like it is for mobile live broadcast. A product designed, how to say it? Just keep watching~

Before entering the actual operation, let's explain why the BU110, and even the GC513 introduced earlier, can be plug and play without the need for drivers. Mainly because it supports the UVC (USB Video Class) universal protocol, which allows products that support this protocol to be used immediately after plugging in the required device such as a computer without drivers. This may still be a bit foggy. For a simple example, most of the current WebCam cameras almost support the UVC specification, which saves a lot of time in finding, or downloading and installing drivers.

Actual operation

BU110 According to the needs of use, the B340LB-13 can be divided into two situations: a computer or a mobile phone with a camera device for live broadcast. In the case of a computer, the principle is the same as that of a mobile phone, which is to capture what the camera sees -> then transmit it to the computer for live broadcast. It can support OS X or Windows operating system. At this time, you can connect to the computer through the USB-A and USB-C cables included in the package (that is to say, if the laptop only has USB-C, you may have to buy it separately) .

After the connection with the laptop is completed, it can be used with software such as OBS or AverMedia RECentral 4 produced by AVerMedia for live broadcast. RECentral 4 has a preliminary introduction in the previous article of GC513, interested friends can click here ; But the editor himself does not have a deep research on OBS, so here is a schematic diagram of a successful installation. (Look at this depth of field! Generally, there is no live broadcast on mobile phones)

However, in the case of using a computer as a live broadcast, most of them are limited to indoor shooting, or you can use the multiple ports of the laptop or an external hub to play multi-screen live broadcast with multiple BU110 or similar capture boxes. The professionalism is more than that of mobile phones; but the disadvantage is that the laptop is larger, and some accessories such as supported cameras are not available. I am afraid that it will be suitable for a lot of indoor shooting.

If the mobile phone is used as the live broadcast, if it is a single soldier, I am afraid that a clip that can place the mobile phone can be placed on the hot shoe (as shown in the figure below) for framing and turning on and off the live broadcast; otherwise, it is necessary to ask someone to help take the camera to view the live broadcast. This is just to take a picture. Generally, the live broadcast is actually performed. The selected USB and HDMI cables will be relatively short, which not only looks beautiful, but also is safer to use. It is not afraid of being hooked and causing the cables to loosen.

In addition, using a mobile phone also requires a dedicated live broadcast APP for normal use, and currently only supports the Android platform to use. The following also uses the live broadcast APP "CameraFi Live", which is currently used by many people, as the main operation example. It can be found from the main page that this APP has built-in four more mainstream channels such as Youtube, Twitch, USTREAM and Facebook; at the same time, it can also support other live broadcast platforms of RTSP or RTMP protocol.

After setting the mobile phone and camera through BU110, and then entering "CameraFi Live", the device will be automatically detected. At this time, when you click on the platform you want to live broadcast, you can enter the main page to make relevant settings, and you can adjust the live broadcast privacy, In addition to the name and other settings, you can also add filters, text, and even picture-in-picture, etc. It should be noted that due to official restrictions on Facebook, the maximum picture quality is only 720p; Youtube is up to Full HD and supports 360 degrees live streaming.

Next, let's take a look at a simple example, because the mic is not set properly during the broadcast, so the video has no sound... Although it will not affect the picture quality, please forgive me, because the Facebook video is uploaded after downloading. As for Youtube, it may be compressed to some extent, and it will only be 360p in the end. I also attach a screenshot here. On Facebook, it really has 720p. .

A few noteworthy points should be that the attached camera format is APS-C, and it is easy to create a shallow depth of field, which is not comparable to mobile phone lenses; however, if you have a good eye, you can also find it on Youtube. At the beginning of the video, the information interface of the camera runs out. This is because the capture card will capture the picture information on the "screen" of the camera. Therefore, during the live broadcast, special attention should be paid to whether the information interface of the camera is turned off, and the peak value commonly used in manual focusing is generally used. function, the color frame with successful focus will also be directly captured... If you look closely at the example below, you can find the red edge of the peak.

summary

From a few simple trial scenarios, it can be seen that the core value of BU110 is to convert what high-end video recording equipment sees back to the mobile phone so that the live broadcast screen can be better presented. The difficulty is also quite low; it is a good choice for users who are new to live broadcast and want to present more professional live broadcast results.

However, from the above example, we can see that although the quality of the live broadcast with a handheld camera and a handheld mobile phone is poor, the weight of the handheld also increases. For a live broadcast that may take more than 10 minutes, a tripod may be required. The mobile phone also has an advantage - the so-called three-axis stabilizer, although the camera also has a corresponding stabilizer, but the price may not be affordable for ordinary consumers, the solution may be to use a lightweight camera that balances image quality and weight It is a monocular, and can be used with a supported handheld gimbal.