An iPad That Can Anchor Real Live Production
Mavis Studio is a touch-first iPad live production app that combines multi-camera switching, media playback, graphics, audio mixing, recording, streaming, and NDI video streaming into a single mobile AV production workspace designed to replace traditional fixed broadcast rigs for many AV teams and content creators. That ambitious promise has moved from interesting to credible with Mavis’ new update, announced at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas. The release adds NDI Preview, PTZ camera control, USB audio support, and 3D layouts—features that put the app squarely in professional territory, not hobbyist experimentation. In a show that hosted 28,132 verified attendees from 94 countries, the message was clear: the iPad is no longer a sidecar gadget; it can be the switcher. For broadcasters, venues, and educators, this is a philosophical shift as much as a technical one.
NDI Preview: Testing the Network Before It Breaks Your Show
The most important new Mavis Studio feature is NDI Preview, and it solves the biggest pain point in iPad live production: trust in the IP video network. NDI input and output were already supported, letting teams bring networked cameras and sources into the tablet workflow. But committing to a paid NDI subscription before knowing whether your switches, cabling, and Wi‑Fi will behave was a risky bet. NDI Preview now grants five minutes of full NDI access—including camera sources, tally, and PTZ control—before any payment is required, so users can confirm network performance and source compatibility and see how the iPad rig fits into their existing setup. In practice, this short window is an honest stress test: if your multi-camera NDI video streaming chokes during preview, you know the problem is your network, not the app. For field and remote teams, that clarity is worth more than any marketing spec sheet.
PTZ Camera Control and the Case for a Touchscreen Switcher
The second big step is integrated PTZ camera control, which turns the iPad into an operator console rather than a passive monitor. With the update, Mavis Studio can pan, tilt, zoom, and focus supported NDI PTZ cameras directly from the interface, driven by a smarter control wheel that adapts to the active source. The wheel switches between PTZ camera control, media control, and 3D layout adjustment, with customizable buttons alongside it for frequent actions. That soft control approach matters in spaces where compact multi-camera rigs are common but budgets or crew sizes cannot justify dedicated hardware panels. Instead of parking a separate PTZ controller next to a switcher, an operator can steer cameras, cut shots, and manage layouts from the same screen. In the crowd of modern production hubs folding PTZ into NDI workflows, Mavis’ bet is simple: a touchscreen can be the main surface, not a compromise.
USB Audio and 3D Layouts: Filling the Gaps in Mobile AV Workflows
Where many tablet workflows fall apart is audio and graphics depth. Mavis Studio’s USB audio and 3D layouts tackle both head‑on. On the sound side, the app now supports USB audio interfaces, routing up to four channels of professional hardware into its integrated audio desk, with the same interface handling headphone monitoring. This means common boxes like a Focusrite Scarlett can plug straight into iPad live production without messy workarounds. Visually, new 3D layouts let operators angle and position layers in 3D space for events, interviews, presentations, and branded shows, building richer multi-camera compositions without a separate graphics system. Tied to the control wheel’s layout mode, a single operator can adjust motion and depth in real time. These Mavis Studio features close the gap between what clients expect from a “proper” control room and what a tablet rig can deliver, especially for houses of worship, educators, and small venues seeking more polished output.
Pricing, Trajectory, and Why This Matters for AV Teams
Context matters: Mavis Studio only launched a few months before this update, extending a path that began with the Mavis Camera app on iPhone and grew through camera‑to‑cloud, NDI HX3 streaming, LUT workflows, and Film Kit. The iPad app was the logical step, turning the tablet into a production room instead of a better camera. The new features are live now, with Mavis Studio available as a free App Store download; the free tier watermarks outputs, and removing that watermark costs USD 24.99 (approx. RM115) per month or USD 79.99 (approx. RM365) per year, while removing the watermark and activating NDI costs USD 39.99 (approx. RM185) per month or USD 129.99 (approx. RM595) per year. In a market crowded with software-led switchers, the significance is not that another app exists; it is that this one is unapologetically mobile-first. For AV teams scoping IP-based, portable production, the combination of NDI Preview, PTZ control, USB audio, and 3D layouts makes the iPad a legitimate anchor for serious live shows, not a backup device.
