Matrox Monarch HD is Amazing for Streaming and Recording!
By Jamie G
A college graduation is one of the most anticipated events for a college student. With the years of hard work and dedication, students can’t wait to walk across stage and receive their diploma. With the sudden outbreak of Covid-19, many wondered if it would be possible for college students to have this experience. At The University Of Northern Florida (UNF) the Matrox Monarch HD encoder made this possible. The Monarch HD provided high-quality recordings of UNF’s lectures and live streams of their commencement ceremonies.
Elaine Poppell, Senior Broadcast Engineering Technologist at UNF turned to Matrox when she had to design a distance learning classroom. After coming across a YouTube video featuring the Matrox Monarch HD she knew she had to have it. “I looked at everything available at the time, but it was the Monarch HD that stood out above the rest” she said.
UNF’s distance learning classrooms are equipped with PTZ cameras, broadcast equipment, and lecture capture software and hardware, including the Monarch HD. When recording distance learning classes, they use two or three SDI cameras around the lecture hall. The camera captures video and audio which is sent to a switcher and mixer. Those feeds are then sent to the Monarch HD encoder. The files are then uploaded to the UNF learning management system and the lecture is all ready to go. Students can then access the lecture at their own convenience.
For bigger productions, such as a graduation ceremony more SDI cameras are used to cover views of the audience, stage, speakers, and more. The video fed to Monarch HD is streamed at 720x480p and at 1,200 Mbps – using RTMP – to Discover Video’s Arcas video distribution platform, where students’ friends and family can tune in to watch the live stream of the ceremony.
The Matrox Monarch HD has been a staple at UNF and has provided high-quality lecture capture and helped s stream its commencement ceremonies in real time. Poppell say’s it’s her go-to streaming and recording appliance.
Even at lower resolutions, the videos recorded with the Monarch HD are amazing. The Monarch HD makes every production smooth. I know I can count on Matrox every time!”
Elaine Poppell