NewTek at NAB The Video

The demo starts at about 3:40

More TCXD850 details

• 22-channel switcher with eight digital or analog inputs, two DDRs, two network inputs, titles, stills and eight virtual/mix channels
• Advanced overlay capabilities include rotation, positioning and scaling in 3D plus animated effects
• New live virtual sets in HD include double box effects with options for stand-up and one or two presenters
• Photorealistic LiveMatte™ virtual sets system with advanced matte generation and spill suppression for every switcher input
• Two network inputs deliver graphics from LiveText™, presentations from a PC or Mac® using iVGA™ or other computer sources to the switcher or overlay channels
• Simultaneous monitoring of all switcher inputs at full field-rate and signal integrity verification with color Waveform/Vectorscopes
• Using any combination of either embedded digital, AES or the16 balanced analog XLR audio inputs to bring in microphones, stereo or quad line level sources
• Audio mixing capabilities with audio follows video support and auxiliary routing to integrate into an external audio setup
• HDMI and VGA program outputs for projector (IMAG) or other monitoring applications
• 36 hours of 1080i recording capacity that can be extended by using the three removable drive bays
• Three video output rows provide flexible simultaneous HD and SD video output
• Durable rack mount 4U case with redundant power supply 

1) LIVE PRODUCTION provides control of an entire multi-channel HD production. Connect up to eight HD or standard definition (SD) cameras, digital or analog audio, and go live with simultaneous output to video, projector and the Web.
2) LIVE VIRTUAL SETS in HD give you the flexibility of expansive, professional sets even though your location may have limited space. With live, multi-camera smooth zooming, show your talent in a network-style studio without the need for a camera operator or expensive motion control system. Sets include double box effects with options for stand-up and one or two presenters.
3) ON-SCREEN MONITORS let you select shots with confidence. Displays include cameras, clips and iVGA™ networked computer inputs, along with the ability to send all monitors to a second display, and enlarge your workspace.
4) PREVIEW AND PROGRAM MONITORS let you display titles or a transition on-screen, while showing what source is up next. Innovative color Waveform Monitors and Vectorscopes ensure perfect signal quality for your live production.
5) ADVANCED VIDEO SWITCHER gives you unprecedented control over all inputs. Select a live output on Preview, and use either the on-screen T-bar or the optional LC-11 hardware to transition easily from one source to another. Versatile production tools such as Virtual Inputs and dual downstream keys provide the ability to easily create dynamic overlays and graphics.
6) VIDEO TRANSITIONS add interest and impact to your live production. Use any of the 200-plus HD broadcast-quality effects to transition from one source to another and fly titles and inserts on and off screen.
7) LIVE TITLES give you a broadcast look with graphics, titles and animated overlays on top of your live video. Lock a title or bug to a camera or virtual input and set the in and out motion for each.
8) ONE-BUTTON INTERNET STREAMING allows you to use Adobe® Flash® or Windows Media® to deliver a live stream directly to the Web, in 720p HD and other streaming profiles with simultaneous archive for later viewing. ONE BUTTON RECORDING captures your live production as a full HD resolution video file.
9) AUDIO MIXING gives you complete control over microphones, line inputs and clip playback levels. You can also adjust input trim levels for the best possible audio. In addition, the system provides both AES and embedded digital audio for pristine sound.
10) DIGITIAL MEDIA PLAYERS include two DDRs for video playback, titles, stills, music and sound, making it easy to add video clips and imagery to your production, as well as auto-insert clips captured during a live event for immediate playback. HD and SD resolutions are supplied in a variety of popular file formats.
11) VIRTUAL INPUTS provide eight customized inputs to configure virtual sets, layer live elements, assign titles, set upstream picture-in-picture elements and much more. These settings can be used as templates for easy creation of other mix effects, and are instantly available in the preset bin along the left.

TCXD850 Pix

Update:

 The TriCaster Mini Cooper:

TriCaster TCXD850 Unveiled!

NewTek unveiled the newest TriCaster the TCXD850 at NAB. It's a pretty amazing machine; eight SDI/Component/Composite/S-Video inputs, two DDRs, three HD/SD SDI outputs, three HD/SD Component outs. NewTek hasn't neglected the audio section either with sixteen XLR mic/line inputs, eight AES/EBU digital inputs and up to eight embedded SDI audio channels.

The video is processed internally in 32 bit floating point 4:4:4:4 along with four channels of 32 bit floating point 96kHz audio. You can mix SD and HD sources and record up to 36 hours of 1080i HD video to the three removable hard drives.

The switcher also has eight virtual/mix channels that let you mix two sources along with overlays or virtual sets. The main DSK has two independent keys with positioning, scaling, cropping and 3D rotation. All sources have on-screen previews The switcher is rounded out with two iVGA inputs, a still store and titles.

The TriCaster TCXD850 includes SpeedEDIT 2.0 and the LiveText CG. It's all housed in a 4U rack mount box with all the I/O connections on the back. I got a peek inside and this looks to be the best built machine ever from NewTek, nice and tidy.

Oh, the price - $24,995. The projected ship date - July 15. That was a stunner. It doesn't look like we will have to wait six months for it ship.

NAB Preview and First Quarter Summary

Long time no post!


NAB is once again upon us, NewTek looks to have some new product up their sleeve - maybe a big brother for the TCXD300, I don't know exactly but I've been promised it will be cool. If you can make it to Vegas you should go, NewTek is sweetening the pot with $60,000 of prizes (a TCXD300 everyday) simply register at the booth or at the Live Production Mini parked in front of the South Hall.

First Quarter 2010 is turning out to be full of win for Newtek. TriCasters are everywhere, ESPN Winter X Games, NBA All Star Week, Pro Soccer, The Morgan's Wonderland Opening, LG Fashion Week, Miss Teen USA, Bill Cosby Townhall, MTV, and too many big time video blogs and web TV shows to list.

Lightwave was used to create the VAD real-time environment during the production of Avatar. NewTek then hired Rob Powers who was Avatar's Animation Technical Director and Visual Art Dept. Supervisor to be director of Entertainment and Media Development. So expect to see even more of Lightwave in movies.

SpeedEDIT 2.0 was released, updates were released for 3Play, TCXD300 and the long awaited VT5.3 patch was also released.

If you are going to be in Vegas April 12 - 15 and want to meet up just give us a call at 1-800-692-6442. That number will also be being forwarded to a cell phone while we are out of town.

NBA All-Star Jam

The TriCaster™ high definition/standard definition (HD/SD) portable live production system will be used by the NBA to live stream the 2010 All-Star Jam Session Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown and NBA D-League Dream
Factory on February 12 at www.nba.com. TriCaster will also be used throughout the All-Star Jam Session February 11 to 13 to drive live venue video of all the action taking place in center court to courtside video boards as well as to on-site plasma screens.

“The NBA All-Star Weekend Jam Session is filled with exciting games and contests, including the ever-popular Slam Dunk and Three-Point Shoot-out competitions,” said Shawn H. Smith, vice president of business development and chief marketing officer, NBA Development League. “With NewTek TriCaster, we are able to give fans at home a virtual front row seat, ensuring that they don’t miss a minute of the action.” "The NBA is one of the first sports organizations to capitalize on portable live production and streaming using NewTek TriCaster,” said Philip Nelson, senior vice president, strategic development, NewTek Inc. “This aggressive strategy has placed them at the forefront of the new media revolution.”

The schedule of events to be live streamed from Center Court on www.nba.com is:

Friday, February 12, 2010 8:00 p.m. CT:

Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown featuring Guest Judges LeBron James and Darryl Dawkins

9:15 p.m. CT:

NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night

SpeedEDIT 2.0 Ships

The long awaited update to NewTek's SpeedEDIT has shipped.

The major new features are support for more HD codecs. Sub projects are now treated as video clips so you can overlay them etc. Transitions can be applied to overlays. Better and faster MPEG rendering. SE now supports output to Blackmagic Design cards

There are lots of small improvements and bug fixes. I'll have a more in-depth artlicle up soon. (I'm still working on the TCXD300 review.