RØDE has today released RØDECaster Video 1.4, a major free firmware update for its all-in-one video production consoles – the RØDECaster Video, RØDECaster Video S and RØDECaster Video Core. Headlined by a powerful new 4K Capture Mode, the update introduces two new operating modes that transform the consoles into dedicated multi-camera capture and distribution systems, either in 4K30 or 1080p60, outputting multiple feeds over NDI® and recording isolated tracks straight to storage.
The same update extends RØDECaster Sync (RØDE’s unified audio-and-video workflow) to the entire current-generation family of video and audio RØDECasters, as well as support for timeline export for Adobe Premiere Pro, and other powerful features.
WHAT RØDECASTER VIDEO UPDATE 1.4 ADDS:
- 4K Capture Mode – alongside standard switching operation, a new mode (4K Capture) has been introduced that turns the console into a UHD (3840×2160) capture and distribution system, replacing many of the switching capabilities with the ability to receive multiple HDMI camera feeds and send each out as its own NDI® stream at UHD30
- 4K ISO recording – in 4K Capture mode, users can capture every UHD source as an isolated track directly to an external SSD in H.264 or H.265, ready for the edit
- Full HD Capture Mode – a third mode that prioritises a smooth 1080p60 feed
- Full audio mixer in every capture mode – the complete RØDE audio engine runs alongside, with each NDI output available as its own custom mix
- RØDECaster Sync for the whole family – flagship audio-and-video integration now works with the RØDECaster Video and Video S, joining the Video Core
“When we launched the RØDECaster Video, we set out to make professional production radically more accessible – and we’re not done,” said RØDE CEO James Hocking. “With 1.4, a single free update turns these consoles into a full 4K capture and distribution system and brings RØDECaster Sync to the entire family. This is just another example of our commitment to continue improving our RØDECaster family, long after launch – the ultimate production consoles are ever-improving.”
4K CAPTURE MODE
4K Capture Mode is an additional operating mode that reimagines the RØDECaster Video as a dedicated UHD capture and distribution hub. In this mode, each console can take in multiple UHD30 camera feeds over HDMI (four on the RØDECaster Video, three on the Video S and Video Core) and send every feed out as its own NDI® stream, ready to be pulled into any NDI-enabled production, streaming or recording system on the network, including popular applications like OBS and eCamm Live. At the same time, each source can be recorded as an isolated 4K track straight to an external SSD in H.264 or H.265, handing editors clean, independent files for the grade. To achieve these massively increased resolutions, many of the switching, multi-camera scene arrangement, keying and media options have been reduced or simplified in this mode, although they remain fully functional in the default FHD Switching Mode.
A parallel Full HD Capture Mode is also available, for creators who’d rather hold a full 60fps across multiple 1080p feeds. Both are purpose-built throughput modes: they focus the console’s octa-core engine entirely on capturing and distributing pristine multi-camera video, with the full RØDE audio mixer running alongside and every NDI output available as its own custom mix. When keying, graphics, transitions, scenes and direct streaming are called for, the console’s standard FHD Switching mode is available as always.
RØDECASTER SYNC, NOW ACROSS THE FAMILY
RØDECaster Sync connects any RØDECaster Video console to a RØDECaster Pro II or Duo with a single USB-C cable, merging them into one comprehensive audio-and-video studio. First introduced on the RØDECaster Video Core, version 1.4 extends Sync functionality to the RØDECaster Video and Video S, so every current-generation console can now tap into the same integration.
Once connected, the Pro II or Duo’s hands-on interface can be used as an additional control surface for both machines. Its faders, mute and listen buttons, SMART pads and touchscreen control video and audio alike, and a new Video SMART Pad type puts switching, scenes, media, overlays and auto-switching under your fingertips. The two devices share a single nine-channel mixer drawn from any input on either unit, and every input and output across both is available to the combined production – more I/O than any RØDECaster has offered before. Recording, channel processing and custom output routing are all shared, and everything records to the RØDECaster Video’s drive, keeping audio and video together in one place. It’s an integration where the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts, elevating the entire RØDECaster range.
OTHER UPDATES IN 1.4
Alongside these major updates, the RØDECaster Video family is now also able to export timeline information (OTIO files) for use in Adobe Premiere Pro, allowing users to quickly and simply reconstruct their complex multi-camera shows in order to make fine adjustments in post-production. This joins the existing DaVinci Resolve EDL Export support introduced in version 1.3.
Additionally, the RØDECaster Video family can now accept audio from any compatible USB webcam, and keyboard shortcuts have been added for the Scene Builder in the RØDECaster App, effectively transforming a computer keyboard into its own switching interface when used with the app.
RØDECaster Video 1.4 is the latest step in RØDE’s commitment to building tools that grow more capable over time, keeping the RØDECaster Video family at the leading edge of accessible, professional production.
RØDECaster Video 1.4 is available now as a free update for the RØDECaster Video, RØDECaster Video S and RØDECaster Video Core. To learn more, visit: rode.com
So now Blackmagic Design. Over to you with the ATEM! This is going to get interesting I suggest!