IBC 2013: NewTek unveils next generation TriCaster family
NewTek has unveiled the next generation of its industry-standard, professional TriCaster multi-camera production systems, introducing three new models—TriCaster 860, TriCaster 460, and TriCaster 410—and major enhancements to the company’s flagship system, TriCaster 8000.
The newly expanded product family offers a number of innovative industry firsts that represent a quantum leap forward in integrated live video production and enable video producers to deliver programmes with a level of quality and visual impact that has never before been possible with single, turnkey multi-camera production systems. All products in the new line will begin shipping on 12 September 2013, just prior to the IBC 2013 convention in Amsterdam.
“When we talk to video producers, the most common challenge we hear is how to deliver a greater amount of content in a shorter amount of time, but with the level of quality and visual impact that their viewers demand,” says Dr. Andrew Cross, CTO, NewTek. “Years ago, TriCaster emerged as the gold standard in live video production, helping people to work faster and significantly reduce production costs. Today, our TriCaster family crosses a new frontier by placing an unprecedented level of creative tools, system performance, and operational control in the hands of every operator. The degree of visual sophistication and operational ease that anyone can achieve during a live show with these new TriCaster models opens up new creation, delivery, and revenue possibilities that have quite simply never been available before.”
The entire professional TriCaster product line incorporates across-the-board breakthroughs in integrated multi-camera live production. All systems now offer 4 or 8 full mix/effects (M/E) channels, greatly expanding the system’s switching performance. Producers can use these M/Es to generate layered and composited real-time video, produce sub-mixes in the main video programme, and output content as a secondary programme—all with complete switcher behaviours, transitions, overlays, multi-source layering and virtual sets.
Additional enhancements that are now standard across the entire product line include vastly advanced virtual sets with new camera motion controls; new ‘holographic’ virtual sets that blend panoramic images with layered and composited video; broad media publishing functions for simultaneous multi-channel content delivery; expanded buffers for creating hundreds of custom motion and animated graphics; new, unique remote robotic camera controls; and extensive macro and automation functions that greatly simplify the execution of system commands during a live programme and integrate with venues that already use comprehensive MIDI automation.
The new family of professional TriCaster systems includes four models, each designed to address a wide range of multi-camera video production needs. The specific models are: TriCaster 410: a streamlined, compact system with a full 4 M/E production switcher, HD-SDI connectivity, and tools for live-only delivery, ideal for anyone producing small to medium-sized live shows or webcasts with powerful media sharing and disk recording capabilities; TriCaster 460: a compact system with a full 4 M/E production switcher with greater connectivity and broader creative flexibility for any small or medium-sized production, particularly where live video content is touched up, re-packaged or re-purposed for postproduction or supplemental programming; TriCaster 860: a system designed for full-sized live action with an abundance of angles, visuals, coverage and postproduction tools, offering a full 8 M/E production switcher, plus more channels, sources, I/O, graphics and effects, and greater capacity for media storage; TriCaster 8000, the flagship content publishing hub for all the media in a live programme, with a premium 8 M/E production switcher, built-in failsafe and redundancy capabilities, and extensive router support for enhanced broadcast integration, massive multi-camera coverage, and mission critical high-end productions of any size.
All TriCaster models include comprehensive feature enhancements that enable producers to create bigger and better shows, and reach larger audiences with network TV-style video content—while also significantly lowering production costs. With any TriCaster system, users can reduce the many racks of equipment and crew often required to produce a multi-camera show. Some of the top new features include: enhanced virtual sets; ‘holographic’ live virtual sets; expanded media publishing; animation, title and still image buffers; expanded outputs and monitoring; robotic camera control; and extensive control and automation functions.