Vizrt first to integrate with NewTek’s TalkShow for journalist control of live Skype feeds
Vizrt has announced that it will be the first company to integrate with TalkShow VS-100, the video calling production system from NewTek, writes Sharifa Marshall. The TalkShow system gives television studios and live video producers the ability to use Skype’s 300 million users as guest speakers on live programming in full frame HD-SDI video.
NewTek’s TalkShow system for initiating, receiving, monitoring and managing video calls features a unique set of professional-level live production tools and features not found in other video calling systems. With TalkShow, customisable settings allow users to fully colour correct video within the live calls. It also gives operators the ability to equalise, compress or limit audio, and adjust headroom controls for improved SDI-embedded audio quality.
NewTek’s TalkShow integrates with a variety of Vizrt tools including the Viz One MAM system which records live feeds from TalkShow and the Viz Opus and Viz Mosart studio automation for graphics and video playout systems route TalkShow’s Skype feeds live on-air. Viz Multiplay sends the live Skype video to the studio video walls or screens and Viz Virtual Studio enables video streams to be fully immersed in the live studio through augmented reality techniques. In the newsroom producers can choose which, from a number of Skype feeds, to include in a broadcast using templates in Viz Pilot. Viz Engine powers the live feed to display as an SDI signal or IP stream with real-time graphics overlays.
“Skype video is a powerful tool for people to be able to connect to anyone in the world but broadcasters have long struggled to harness this tool for live broadcast,” said Petter Ole Jakobsen, Vizrt CTO. “The great collaboration between NewTek and Vizrt has opened the door for broadcasters to be able to use Skype video live from anywhere and have it work seamlessly as part of their daily production workflow. This integration lets broadcasters bring the story to their audiences no matter where it happens.”
“TalkShow enables producers to build shows in ways that were previously not possible. It breaks down the fourth wall and makes it easy to take audience participation to a whole new level,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, president and CTO of NewTek. “We’re excited to be working with Vizrt, an industry leader in solutions for 3D graphics, video, sets and analysis. Combining the versatility of Vizrt’s solutions with TalkShow puts unprecedented creative power in the hands of producers to deliver shows beyond the imagination.”