My thoughts: RØDE Videocaster v Blackmagic Design ATEM

On the surface the RØDECaster Video looks like an amazing bit of gear indeed. I look forward to having a serious play with one in a real world environment as against just looking at specifications etc.

Already though, some have criticized the price point, stating at AUD$1799 it is too expensive compared to the obvious competitor, the ATEM range from Blackmagic Design, specifically the ATEM Mini Pro ($499) or if you need more than 4 HDMI channels of video, the ATEM Mini Xtreme (8 channels and $1649).

It could be suggested that RØDE has the upper audio hand due to its long expertise in this area, but that would be countered by Blackmagic that in their corner, the ATEM software has full access to the Fairlight technology.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the market as a whole reacts. And that can only be ascertained by a serious side-by-side comparison (of which I am sure there will be LOTS!)

Consider back not that far, and a piece of gear (or combinations of gear) that were necessary to perform all that the RØDECaster Video is capable of would have set you back upwards of $10k.