One of the questions we get asked a lot here at Gaming Australia is "where should I start when looking to start streaming?", and until now our standard answer has been, do some research and find the best products for you and then research again. Well thanks to Bluemouth Interactive and 3rd Earth Media, those stock standard responses are a thing of the past. The brand new 3rd Earth Media Streamer Pack is your all-in-one startup streaming solution. Including everything you'll need to successfully start streaming, this pack is a perfect entry level option for anyone looking to start a stream, or even a podcast.
This pack includes:
4K Capture card
HD Webcam
Omnidirectional Microphone
Adjustable LED light ring
Audio DAC
Microphone Boom arm, and desk stands
Bluetooth remote control
HDMI & USB Cables
That's a lot of stuff for one handy little box…
At a price point of $299, you'd struggle to buy a capture card elsewhere for the same price, making this a great value pack. However if you're already established as a streamer and are looking to add a little more quality and polish to your streams then this probably isn't the pack for you.
4K Capture Card:
Other entry level 4K capture cards on the market will set you back anywhere between $250 - $400 making this one seem all the more value for money. This 4K capture card is perfect for anyone's entry-mid level needs. Capturing some great footage, for me and my needs at least, this card performs better than my more expensive Elgato HD60 card is able to. While it performs well and the quality of the capture is great, if you're looking for a more lossless capture quality, then I may suggest a more high end capture card. If you're looking for something solid, that will get the job done as well as most streamers out there, at a great price, then absolutely pick this up. It is important to note here though that while this capture card is “technically 4K”, as with a lot of “4K” capture cards on the market at the moment, the card allows up to 4K input; but can only output at 1080p. Meaning any recordings you do create will be limited to 1080p and not 4K. This wasn't a huge issue for me as I find 1080p videos just fine.
Here is an example of the footage quality you can expect from this capture card:
The footage above is captured using nothing but the capture card, webcam, and ring light included in this kit. I have heard others suggest that this device compresses footage to an unwatchable level, which as you can see, clearly isn't the case. While its not crystal clear, It's certainly as good as anyone starting out will possibly need.
Omnidirectional Microphone:
The microphone included in this kit is actually much better than I expected. Its features include a pop sock, anti vibration capsule, cantilever stand and desk mount and second desk stand. Once connected to my laptop using the DAC supplied and mounted to the cantilever stand, included in this kit. It performed flawlessly. The sound quality is way above my expectations and even with my ceiling fan on the mic picked up no distinguishable fan noise. I'm not particularly well versed in microphones and the technical specs of audio quality etc, so all I can do is offer my personal opinion. All in all the microphone included here is perfect for anyone not looking to spend upwards of $100 on just a mic. I tried both the stands provided and much preferred to use this with the Boom arm allowing me to easily move the microphone in and out of my way as I game and stream etc...
HD Webcam:
The webcam provided was an absolute step up from my built in laptop webcam. The image was clearer, with better lighting and less noise, honestly, this is about as good as I can imagine you'll ever need, especially when your webcam box on your stream will be tiny anyway 99.9% of the time. This webcam does include its own internal microphone, however as you can imagine its not particularly amazing in terms of sound quality so unless you have a specific reason for not using the microphone included in this pack there's no need to ever use it in your stream. Just remember to mute it in your audio devices within your stream or risk an echo from both microphones picking up sound (I learned this the hard way!)
There's not much more to say about this one, but check out the image below for a comparison between my built in laptop camera and this one.
As you can see the image is on this webcam is clearer, handles the lighting better and has a better level of zoom, the only issue I have with it is the slight fish eye on the background. but its not a big deal.
Adjustable LED Light Ring:
I've never really seen the need for a light ring, that was, until I used one! Now, I wouldn't stream without it. This piece of equipment is perfect for enhancing your look while streaming, with warm, cool, natural light settings and adjustable brightness there's a mode and level for every occasion. There's nothing worse than a dark and dreary webcam on a stream, so this is absolutely an essential part of this kit, and a part that is often overlooked or underestimates, much like I have done in the past.
This pack also comes with an optional mobile phone holder and Bluetooth remote control allowing you to control your mobile devices camera, which is very handy, and not just for streaming.
Overall, this pack is absolutely great value for anyone looking to start up. There are no compatibility issues and there simply isn't better value for money out there in my opinion. The $299 price tag for a complete setup is an absolute steal! Available exclusively from JB HIFI, get yours today…
Thanks to Bluemouth Interactive we have a 3rd Earth Streamer pack to give away and will be announcing a competition very soon so keep your eyes peeled for that.
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