Livestream announces Studio HD500 all-in-one video switcher, ships October 15th for $8,500

Earlier this year, Livestream quietly entered the hardware business with a real-time streaming puck known as the Broadcaster -- an adequate moniker, to say the least. Now, some five months after that camera add-on made its intriguing debut, Livestream's introducing the Studio HD500, an all-in-one video production switcher aimed at both hobbyists and pros. Most notable, however, is the fact the company's entering this fresh market in good pricing fashion, given the Studio HD500's appealing tag of $8,500 -- which may still seem like a hefty amount, but ends up feeling light when compared to other similar tools that start off at a cool $15-$20k, such as, say, one of NewTek's TriCaster offerings. At any rate, those near $9,000 for the Studio HD500 will get you a switcher loaded with live audio / multi-camera mixing capabilities, a built-in DVR and media player, one-click live streaming to the outfit's own platform, plus a handful of inputs and outputs -- including HD / SD, SDI, S-Video and HDMI. It's also worth noting the Studio HD500 isn't fully attached to Livestream's site by any means, making it possible to use with other competing sites such as YouTube, Ustream and many more.

While kindly speaking to us, Livestream's CEO Max Haot said, "Our goal is to get multi-camera switching equipment into as many hands as possible," adding that the "key is to make it easier and more cost effective." The Studio HD500 is available for pre-order today and set to start shipping on October 15th -- which could be around the same time the software-only version makes an appearance, though all we know about that so far is it'll be coming at some point "later this year." In the meantime, there's a couple of extra pics for your viewing pleasure down below, and the detailed presser from Livestream right after the break.%Gallery-164278%

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Livestream Enters the Switcher Market with Livestream Studio HD500: A Truly Portable All-In-One Live HD Production Switcher

Expanding its hardware offering, Livestream solidifies its position as a full-service
solution for live video event production with free software version arriving early
2013

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – September 5, 2012 – Livestream, the market leader for live event
coverage, today introduces the Livestream Studio HD500, an all-in-one broadcast quality
video switcher. The new hardware product features include:

Live video mixing for multi-camera productions
Live audio mixing
Graphics overlay and titling
Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and player
One-click live streaming in HD multi-bitrate to the award winning Livestream
Platform
Up to 5 HD/SD SDI inputs
5 video outputs (HD/SD SDI, HDMI, Component, Composite, S-VIDEO)

The Livestream Studio HD500 is available for pre-order today for $8,500 at http://
store.livestream.com and will start shipping on October 15, 2012. Livestream will also give
away five free units in September to selected producers who apply for the early release
program at http://store.livestream.com.

"A key part of our mission at Livestream is to make it easier and more affordable for
producers and event owners to produce high quality HD multi-camera live streams,"
said Max Haot, CEO and Co-founder of Livestream. "Earlier this year, we introduced the
Livestream Broadcaster hardware which made livestreaming without a PC possible for
single camera productions. We are now thrilled to further our mission by bringing to
market an all-in-one broadcast quality multi-camera switcher that is truly portable and
offered at a disruptive price."

The Livestream Studio HD500 is designed to perform as a standalone, broadcast quality
live video switcher when using live video output (HD/SD SDI, HDMI, Component, S-Video,
Composite), and is ideal for applications such as in-venue screen broadcasting, live-to-
tape production and network and local television programming, all with or without live
streaming to the web.

The first product in the Livestream Studio family, Livestream Studio HD500, is a portable
hardware version featuring up to 5 HD/SD SDI inputs and 5 video outputs (HD/SD SDI,

HDMI, Component, Composite, S-VIDEO). The product includes a built-in screen and Tom
Bihn © bag that can be taken as carry-on luggage for producers on the go to accommodate
live events both nationally and internationally. Comparable all-in-one live switcher
products in the market are available for approximately $20,000 and are not fully portable,
requiring separate screens and large cases that need to be checked on airlines.

In the first quarter of 2013, Livestream will also release software which will work with
certified digital video input cards from BlackMagic Design © and webcams. This software
will enable customers to transform their PC or Mac computer into a broadcast quality video
switcher and streaming hardware device.

The soon-to-be-released software will be free to download when used with the Livestream
platform. When using the free software version, the live video output- feature will be
disabled. A paid version of the software, which will allow users to stream to any streaming
service provider or in venue screens via the live video output, will also be made available.

About Livestream

Livestream (Livestream.com) is the market leader for live event coverage. With simple to
use technology, our service allows anyone to broadcast live to the web, as well as being
the top destination for live content from around the world. Our content partners include
Facebook, The New York Times, ABC News, CBS News, Associated Press, HBO, AT&T,
PepsiCo, Electronic Arts, Adidas, The Academy Awards, Warner Bros. Records, Paramount
Pictures. Livestream operates with over 120 full-time staff members in 4 offices – in New
York, Los Angeles, Bangalore and the Ukraine. The service is available for free (advertising-
supported) or as a feature-rich, monetizable, premium subscription for business. The
new.livestream.com is an innovative new platform, available in beta, that combines live
event coverage with real-time photos, text, and video clip updates posted using web
browsers or mobile devices. The technology supports live blogging, live and on-demand HD
video powered by Akamai HDNet, and real-time posting tools