Producing Live Shows and Podcasts with vMix

Capture, produce and live stream sporting events with multiple camera angles and instant replay.

Use vMix to live stream your game all over the world

Streaming live sports has grown in popularity over the past few years. vMix allows you to bring a worldwide audience to your club and sport! Using vMix you'll be able to create HD streams that can be seen by fans both locally and all over the world! What better way to build a fanbase then to give them access to every minute of every game!

Create an amazing game day live experience!

Providing your live audience with a large screen for viewing is very important for most sporting events. People rely on this if they don't have a great view or if they want to see instant replays. With the advent of instant replay and video decisions, having live playback of the event is crucial. vMix enables users to create professional live instant replay for 4 camera angles! This is great for live viewers and can also be used in a video referee system or review process. This takes your normal live sports production to the next level!

Record your production for great highlights and post-match review

The recording on live sports is great for post-match editing and creating a highlights package. These recordings can be fully edited and then uploaded to the Club's website or Youtube channel.

Instant Replay with 8 camera live playback!

vMix PRO and vMix Max allows users to record 8 camera angles for Instant Replay and then play back those clips in the live production! Those clips can also be used to play at half time for a highlights package or exported for use on social media.

Interact with fans via social media

Using vMix Social, you'll be able to have fans interact at the game and through the live stream. Create and game hashtag and start displaying those tweets from people watching the game.

vMix in Action

vMix being used to produce Quidditch tournaments!

vMix was used to cover the 2018 US Quidditch Nationals in Austin, Texas by All Sport Web Productions.

Quidditch Nationals

Quidditch Live Streaming

uidditch is a fairly new sport that has it's basis in the Harry Potter novels! It combines elements of lacrosse, dodgeball, and rugby into a high energy, all inclusive contact sport. This year vMix was used to produce a multi-cam live stream for the US Nationals.

Quidditch Live Streaming

The Setup

This US Nationals is a large event with over 70 teams, so it was important to be able to catch all of the action and stream to those that couldn't make the event live. The live production team included a producer, 3 camera operators and 2 commentators. The stream was sent out to YouTube at 720p 30 where they had upwards of 3000 viewers for the game streams. The whole production was switched using a normal keyboard that had been programmed with vMix shortcuts.

They used the following gear-

  • 3x Sony PXW-X70 cameras connected via SDI
  • BMD Decklink Duo 2 Capture Card
  • i7 CPU, 16gb Ram and an NVIDA 870
  • Behringer 4 channel USB Audio Mixer
Quidditch

The Verdict

"My experience with vMix was amazing once the show was setup, this was not an ordinary show as this had just under 100 inputs to build the show. This is so I could accommodate the over 70 teams playing with custom scoreboard graphics along with all of the technical inputs. The system ran very efficiently at less than 20% CPU during the almost 40 hours of non-stop streaming over 2 days." -Scott from All Sport Web Productions, who produced the event.

vMix in Action

vMix being used to produce live korfball matches

vMix was used to produce the Korfball League Final 2022 in Rotterdam AHOY the Netherlands. After 4 years in ZIGGO Dome Amsterdam the Korfball League Final went to the venue where it has been for 13 years prior to that, Rotterdam AHOY. AHOY was also the venue of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021. Due to COVID 19 regulations the 2021 final was held in an empty RTM Stage but now all COVID regulations have been dropped the final was held in the main hall again with about 7.000 live spectators.

Dutch Korfbal League

Korfball League Live Streaming Crews

The Korfball League exists of 12 clubs each having their own live stream crew streaming the games of their 1st and 2nd team to Eyecons, (www.eyecons.com) a Dutch sport platform. The crews are all manned by volunteers. All clubs have a (minimum) three camera setup, use instant replay, and self-designed GT Graphics. The stream content also makes use of statistics that are entered live in a database program each game. To make use of those statistics a “vMix-adapter” has been created which interact natively with vMix web scripting. When a goal is scored and entered in the database an event is triggered that automatically shows graphics (Player name, number of goals, number of rebounds and shot percentage) in an overlay. All scoreboards and shotclocks have been digitalized using their RS484/232 output for an input string on a raspberry pi publishing a REST API with information that can be used in vMix datasources as an input for the scoreboard and shotclock graphic. All clubs have a studio where a presenter and an analyst have their preview, half time and afterthoughts. 2 commentators give commentatory at the pitch. In some occasions, commentatory is given from a remote location using vMix call.

Korfbal league setup

The Setup

Here is a description from the production Floormanager André-

Being on SDI productions for years we thought, let's do something different! This year we used a Full NDI production for all systems that needs the cameras from the pitch. We kept in studio registration in traditional SDI. NDI would give us the flexibility to deliver camara stream to various vMix PCs we planned to use.

Even more challenging was the Audio setup. Having studios in 2 different languages with interviewers along the pitch side using in ears we had to separate that as well. We decided to centralize all audio and use 2 audio engineers to bring up the quality of audio.

Click to see the full diagram:

Korfbal League setup

As you can see, we made use of 7 vMix instances:


Specs PC Match direction:

  • Intel Core i9-11900 8-core - 16 Threads.
  • Corsair Hydro Series H115i RGB Platinum
  • Asus Prime Z490-A
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
  • 32 GB DDR4 2x16GB 3600mhz CORSAIR
  • Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB 3300mb read/write SSD
  • 10Gbps NIC
  • Seasonic Focus Plus 850 Gold Power supply

This PC was used to mix the cameras that registered the matches. A second operator was operating the instant replay to show replays using the match.

Specs Venue direction:

  • Intel i7-5820, 3.3 Ghz CPU
  • Asus AS Rock motherboard
  • 16 GB RAM DDR4 2x8GB
  • Samsung 970 Evo SSD, 1 x HDD
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX1060 6GB
  • 10Gbps NIC
  • 650 POWERSUPPLY

A large screen was installed in the venue. This PC was used to mix commercials, statistics, match clock, live video, and replays for the screen. Also, at this PC a second operator was used for replays. During the match an analyst choose interesting moments for the presenter to talk about during halftime and afterthoughts.

Specs Studio NL direction:

  • Intel I9 - 10900E 3.6 Ghz
  • AORUS X299X motherboard
  • 32 GB RAM DDR4 2x16GB 3600mhz CORSAIR
  • Geforce 1080 - 8GB DDR5X
  • Samsung EVO 970 Plus
  • Samsung 970 EVO
  • 10Gbps NIC
  • CORSAIR CX 850 POWERSUPPLY

Specs Studio ENG direction:

  • AMD Ryzen 3800x
  • Asus AM4 PRIME X570-P motherboard
  • 32 GB RAM DDR4 2x16GB 3600mhz CORSAIR
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX3060 – 12GB DDR4X
  • amsung EVO 970
  • Samsung 500 GN (2*)
  • 10Gb NIC
  • Antec 600W gold 80+ POWERSUPPLY

The Dutch and English stream had their own studio program before and after the matches. These 2 PCs were used to mix these 2 programs. During the matches, the vMix operator used instant replay to mark fragments of the match at the direction of the analyst to be shown during the match analysis in the studio program.

Specs Final direction EN:

  • ASUS TUF X299 Mark 2
  • Intel Core I7-7800X - 12 threads - 3.5GHz
  • 16 GB DDR4 2400MHZ
  • NVIDIA GeForce 1660 Super - 6 GB
  • Samsung EVO 250
  • Samsung EVO 970
  • 1000W Corsair RM1000x POWERSUPPLY
  • 2.5 Gb NIC

Specs Final direction NL:

  • AMD Ryzen 9 3950x 16-core
  • ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR VIII
  • 64GB DDR4 4x16GB 3600mhz CORSAIR
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX3090 – 24 GB
  • Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1 TB (C)
  • Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2 tb (D)
  • 5Gb NIC
  • CORSAIR RMx Series RM1000x POWERSUPPLY

One for each stream to mix the studio, match video, interviews, and titles for the final stream. The final streams were streamed to the Eyecons sport video platform (eyecons.com).

Specs Titles NOS:

  • Intel I7 - 7820X
  • AORUS X299 Gaming 7
  • 32 GB RAM 4x8GB 2400mhz CORSAIR
  • NVIDIA Geforce 1080 - 8GB DDR5X
  • Samsung SSD 970 EVO
  • Samsung SSD 960 EVO
  • 10 Gb NIC
  • CORSAIR CX 850M POWERSUPPLY

An SDI stream with titles containing the match clock, score, and shot clock was delivered to the NOS (Dutch broadcast cooperation) who used it in their live broadcast on Dutch television

Other:
Match score & time notebook (normal specs)
Statistics notebook (normal specs)
Commentary Monitor EN (normal specs)
Studio Monitor EN (normal specs)
Commentary Monitor NL (normal specs)
Studio Monitor NL (normal specs)

Match statistics were collected via proprietary software. The statistics are integrated in several ways in the 2 streams: Team setups, scoring players, scoring percentages, etc. The software inject data in vMix using vMix web scripting.

Score, match time and shot clock time were made available as REST API data via proprietary software running on PC and on RaspberryPI. The data was read in vMix using vMix data sources.

The titles used were all developed by the korfball community using vMix GT Title Designer.

The production was run with 12 cameras from which 2 had a wireless connection. 8 cameras were connected via a BirdDog NDI encoder to a LAN. The other 4 cameras were connected via SDI directly to PC capture cards.

NDI was chosen due to its distribution flexibility. Each camera transmitted 1080p50 images resulting in about 150 Mbit/sec stream towards each vMix Pc. As we had 8 NDI streams, the heavily loaded vMix PCs, had to digest around 1.2 Gbit/sec of incoming network data. The used LAN was 10Gbit/sec capable with the majority of the vMix PCs had 10 Gbit/sec network interfaces. The heart of the LAN were 2 Cisco Nexus switches. NDI unicast was used to distribute NDI streams from the BirdDogs to the PCs and between the PCs. SDI was used to connect the studio cameras to the studio vMix mixers. SDI was chosen due to available hardware.

During the preparation of the event, we did several tests with NDI running in multicast mode. Although in a small setup multicast NDI ran stable after adding more cameras the total setup became unstable. As time was lacking to investigate this, we decide to go unicast as our network had enough capacity and the BirdDogs could deliver enough bandwidth for the 4 PCs that needed the direct camera input. The tests really helped us in preparing for the event.

Audio:

Audio was mixed separately from video. Two mixers were used a Behringer X32 for the Dutch stream and a Midas M32 for the English stream. Audio was added to the video in the end direction vMix mixer. Although vMix has capabilities for audio mixing, we have chosen for this setup as we wanted to separate the responsibilities for video and audio mixing. Because stageblocks were used we had to add 30 ms video delay in the Dutch stream and 60 ms in the English stream to make it lip-sync.

Click to see the full audio setup:

Korfbal League setup
List of used hardware:
  • Cameras: Various JVC and Sony
  • NDI: BirdDog mini and studio NDI
  • SDI Capture: Blackmagic Design Decklink
  • vMix control: Akai APC mini, Stream Deck, ShuttlePro
  • Data: Cisco Nexus, CAT 6/6a ethernet cabling
  • Audio: Behringer X32, Midas M32

The Verdict

Paul van de Griendt – Head of production:

“The national indoor korfball finals 2022 in Ahoy offers the highest podium to the world's best korfball players. This is also definitely true for the live streams. With a crew of 50 volunteers, vMix allowed us to broadcast a live Dutch registration, a separate live English registration and project the live scoreboard, live footage, replays and commercials on the big screen in the sport stadium. Multiple vMix systems ran stable during the two matches, providing all directors with the flexibility, configurability, programmability and reliable output. This event combined high level vMix performance with seamless collaboration between the systems. The crew operated as one. As the end-responsible person for the livestreams, using vMix is like working together with a well trusted partner. Reliable performance!”

Theo van Drimmelen – Head of Core Infrastructure:

“Building a production network carrying video and data needed thought. NDI in a simple setup with 2 cameras and 1 vMix PC is doable over a modest 1 Gbit/sec switch. But when your production becomes larger, careful selection of your network components becomes critical. Decent knowledge of networking is paramount. When setup a stable and performing network, vMix in combination with NDI give you the flexibility and reliability you need to produce a stunning live event.”

André Kager – Floormanager:

“vMix is in use at Korfball Clubs in the Dutch Korfball League since 2012. We have seen the product evolve from then onwards and what a ride it has been. All the features that have been added have enabled us to extend the quality of our streams, add functionality not only in technical way but also in easy to add content that makes it nicer to consume our stream for the people at home. Being on National TV with the final never the less over 50K people tuned in to our production. Thanks vMix!”

vMix in Action

vMix in use at the USA BMX Grand National!

vMix was used to produce coverage for the USA BMX Grand National, which is the largest BMX racing event in the world!

BMX Grand National

USA BMX Grand National

Since 2013 USA BMX has been using vMix to produce their live events. The first event that USA BMX used vMix to cover was the 2013 USA BMX Grand National which is the largest BMX racing event (participant wise) in the history of the sport!

After using vMix for that event George from USA BMX said: "After we saw what the program could do we were convinced that we had found a solution that was not only cost effective but could be customized specifically for our needs". They have since used vMix for the 2014 USA BMX Grand National and their 2015 North American Supercross Series with great success. It will also be in use for the 2015 Grand National in November. They broadcast the event over 3 days, which is streamed out via their YouTube channel to over 150,000 viewers throughout the weekend!

The Setup

The production for the USA BMX Grand National involves many roving cameras with wireless transmission in order to catch all of the action. They've used up to 7 cameras including 3 Panasonic HPX 170's, 3 JVC GY-HM710 and a Go Pro Hero 3 Black. These feed back to their custom i7 PC through 2 Black Magic Decklink Quad cards. To get the field signals back to their computer they're using various Teradek products. This feed is then sent out to 2 Jumbotron screens at the live venue and streamed to their YouTube Channel.

BMX Grand National

The Verdict

vMix streamed their most recent event, the Mile High Nationals, for 3 days and 15 total hours! Shooting live action sports with stationary and roving wireless cameras works great with vMix and can be seen by their awesome production. George says, "I can't imagine using anything else for what we do. No other system offers the customization that vMix offers and that is priceless in my eyes."

vMix in Action

vMix in use at Minor League Baseball games with PrepSpin.com

vMix is used by PrepSpin.com to cover high school sports, college sports and Minor League Baseball!

Prepspin

Prepspin Digital Sports Broadcast Network

PrepSpin.com was created to highlight student athletes online through rich digital media. Their service continues to open doors for coaches and student athletes at the next level while also promoting local schools and programs. After thousands of dollars spent and many disappointments, PrepSpin finally found vMix and has used it with great success.

William from Prepspin said, "We have bought those expensive encoders and other software solutions that were not able to handle what we threw at it. vMix has been our 'Game Changer' and we have never looked back."

The Setup

Their most recent usage has been at the Lexington Legends Minor League Baseball team. The Prepspin setup includes 5 cameras around the ballpark and a Blackmagic Design ATEM video switcher that is connected into a custom built "vMix Streaming Tank". The Streaming Tank includes an Intel i7 CPU, Nvidia 970 graphics card, and 16GB of DDR3 ram. The video sources include an Osprey card to take in replay, a Blackmagic Design Decklink Mini Recorder for video input from the ATEM, and a Blackmagic Design Decklink Mini Monitor for video program output.

Prepspin Setup

Prepspin stream to YouTube at 1080p for most of their clients and also send out a video signal to the concourse. They also record to SSD at the same time. For Scoreboards they use the live-score-app.

The Verdict

William gave a glowing report of his vMix use for Prepspin. "We love that vMix is the total solution for our needs. The dashboard is beautifully designed and easy to understand. We highly recommend it for all your production needs. You won't be disappointed. PrepSpin is truly a fail your way to success company and we don't know what we would do without vMix. A true game changer for us!"

vMix in Action

vMix in use with Australian Sports Network!

vMix is used by Corporate James to produce live content for Australian professional basketball franchises- The Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks

Corporate James

NBL Preseason Games and live audio streaming

The Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks are professional Australian basketball teams currently playing in the NBL. The production team behind Australian Sports Network (Corporate James) have been using vMix to help produce their live basketball coverage.

Australian Sports Network setup

They used vMix to live stream the video of preseason basketball games against Australian opponents and US college teams such as LSU, Cal, UCLA and Washington Huskies. With such interest in US college basketball, vMix allowed them to live stream to eager fans in the US. Due to television rights, they aren't able to stream the video of the regular season games but they use vMix to stream the audio commentary for each game and use their own custom graphics created in Adobe Photoshop, AfterEffects and Microsoft Expression Blend.

The Setup

The video production of a game involves a purpose built PC that includes

  • I7 4790 processor
  • ASUS Z97 Deluxe motherboard
  • Geforce GTX 970 GFX
  • 2x Blackmagic capture cards and an AverMedia C027

As audio is very important to them they use the following audio set up-

  • Behringer UMC 404HD
  • Samson S.AMP Stereo Headphone AMP (provide 4 x outputs to broadcast headsets)
  • 3 x Audio Technica BPHS1 Broadcast Headsets
Australian Sports Network setup

The production uses an AKAI APC Mini which they have custom labelled for full midi control of their production. They use a Sony Z1P HD camera with Blackmagic Convertor to SDI for their main camera, Canon 70D when required plus combination of other cameras that become available. Logitech C920 is used for close up camera for commentators. Finally the production is streamed out to Youtube and Facebook in HD to the Australian Sports Network Youtube channel.

The Verdict

vMix has allowed James to create great live sports productions with a very small crew. James says, "vMix has changed our production and taken us to next level. We are looking forward to be able to offer action replay to our Preseason Stream next season for our fans. No other product has the features and power of vMix."