RØDE has released version 1.4 firmware for its RØDECaster Video family, and it’s one of the more substantial free updates we’ve seen for a production console. The headline addition is a new 4K Capture Mode that turns the RØDECaster Video, RØDECaster Video S and RØDECaster Video Core into dedicated UHD multi-camera capture and distribution systems.

Until now, the consoles have been built around Full HD switching. With 1.4, users can choose between three operating modes: the existing FHD Switching mode, the new 4K Capture mode and a new Full HD Capture mode that prioritises a smooth 1080p60 feed.

4K Capture Mode

In 4K Capture mode, each console accepts multiple UHD 30p camera feeds over HDMI – four on the RØDECaster Video and three on the Video S and Video Core – and sends each one out as its own NDI stream. That means individual camera feeds can be picked up by any NDI-enabled system on the network, including OBS and Ecamm Live.

Each source can also be recorded as an isolated 3840 x 2160 track direct to an external SSD in H.264 or H.265, giving editors clean, separate files to cut and grade. The full RØDE audio engine keeps running alongside, and every NDI output can carry its own custom audio mix.

There is a trade-off. To handle the jump in resolution, RØDE has reduced or simplified many of the switching, scene, keying and media options in the capture modes. Those features remain fully available in the standard FHD Switching mode, so users can move between modes depending on the job.

RØDECaster Sync for every console

RØDECaster Sync, which links a RØDECaster Video console to a RØDECaster Pro II or RØDECaster Duo over a single USB-C cable, was previously limited to the Video Core. Version 1.4 extends it to the RØDECaster Video and Video S.

Once connected, the audio console’s faders, buttons, SMART pads and touchscreen can control both units, and a new Video SMART Pad type puts switching, scenes, media, overlays and auto-switching under your fingers. The two devices share a nine-channel mixer, and everything records to the RØDECaster Video’s drive.

Other changes

The update also adds OTIO timeline export for Adobe Premiere Pro, joining the DaVinci Resolve EDL export introduced in version 1.3, so multi-camera shows can be rebuilt quickly in the edit. Audio from compatible USB webcams is now supported, and keyboard shortcuts have been added to the Scene Builder in the RØDECaster App.

For small studios and podcasters who have been waiting for a 4K route out of the RØDECaster Video, this is a big step, and the fact that it comes free rather than as new hardware is welcome.

RØDECaster Video 1.4 key features

RØDECaster Video 1.4 price and availability

RØDECaster Video 1.4 is available now as a free update for the RØDECaster Video, RØDECaster Video S and RØDECaster Video Core. Details are on the RØDE website, and RØDE has posted an overview video of the new features.