Magewell Launches Director Mini Portable, All-in-One Live Production And Streaming System

Magewell is expanding its portfolio with the launch of its first self-contained, full-featured production solution, Director Mini. Combining multi-input switching, graphics, streaming, recording and monitoring in one compact device, Director Mini enables a single operator to easily create visually compelling productions for live event coverage, remote production feeds and more.

Director Mini offers a unique combination of input source flexibility and feature richness in an exceptionally versatile form factor. Users can switch between two HDMI inputs and two USB AV inputs as well as three simultaneous live IP sources including SRT streams, RTMP streams or up to two NDIHX sources. File-based media assets including video, audio and images can also be combined freely with live sources. Embedded audio is supported on the HDMI and USB inputs alongside a 3.5mm analog audio input.

Director Mini’s intuitive user interface is accessed through its integrated 5.44” AMOLED touchscreen. Users can define multiple scenes that combine live HDMI, USB and audio inputs with network streams, media sources and graphics, then switch or transition between these scenes on the fly. Chroma keying enables the use of virtual backgrounds, while telestration enables real-time on-screen drawing and combines with built-in scoreboard functionality to support sports productions. PTZ camera control is also available through the touchscreen, simplifying single-operator productions.

Director Mini’s touchscreen interface is complemented by the Director Utility app for iOS and Android devices, which provides remote configuration, audio controls, input switching, scoreboard control and more. The Director Utility can also turn the smartphone’s camera into a streaming source as a mobile input to the Director Mini hardware, further enhancing the multi-camera production possibilities of the system. Up to three mobile devices can be used simultaneously as sources to Director Mini.

Director Mini can encode video up to 1080p at 60 frames per second and bitrates up to 30Mbps, with a flexible array of output possibilities. Productions can be streamed using the RTMP protocol to popular platforms such as YouTube Live, Facebook Live or custom destinations. Live comments can be displayed while streaming to YouTube, Facebook or Twitch. The ability to output an SRT stream makes Director Mini an excellent tool for contributing high-quality feeds to an off-site location for remote production. Alternatively, the device can create one NDI® HX output to serve as a source for additional IP-based production tools. Its USB-C port can be configured to display the program output, user interface or a loop-through of either HDMI input on a connected USB-C display. Last but not least, content can be recorded to an SD card, USB flash drive or the device’s internal storage.

The compact Director Mini hardware features a 1/4"-20 thread for use with standard camera-mounting accessories and can be operated in horizontal or vertical orientation. The device can be powered with the included power adapter but also supports two NP-F hot-swappable external batteries (not included), enabling uninterrupted power for long productions. 

You might also like...

Sports Graphics Production: Data Sources For Live Sports Graphics

The first step in data driven sports graphics production is gathering the data itself. The nature of that data can vary dramatically from sport to sport. Here we discuss some of the data gathering technology and techniques required.

Growing Momentum For 5G In Remote Production

A combination of factors that includes new 3GPP 5G standards & optimizations that have reduced latencies & jitter, new network slicing capabilities and the availability of new LEO satellite services are bringing increasing momentum to the use of 5G for…

Monitoring & Compliance In Broadcast: Accessibility & The Impact Of AI

The proliferation of delivery devices and formats increases the challenges presented by accessibility compliance, but it is an area of rapid AI powered innovation.

Sports Graphics Production: Part 1 – Data Driven Visualization

Welcome to Part 1 of our new series on Sports Graphics Production - a collection of six articles presented in two parts, that examine two key areas of live sports broadcast; data driven visualizations and the rise of virtual studio environments.

Monitoring & Compliance In Broadcast: Monitoring QoS & QoE To Power Monetization

Measuring Quality of Experience (QoE) as perceived by viewers has become critical for monetization both from targeted advertising and direct content consumption.