What do the New York Court of Appeals, Fox Sports and a sixth grade class in Florida have in common? They all use NewTek’s TriCaster. The court used TriCaster to stream a historic case on the Niagara Frontier, Fox Sports uses TriCaster to expand its live event coverage to Web streaming, and the sixth graders produce a weekly school news program with multiple cameras, titles, graphics and imported shots.

TriCaster carries on the legacy of the epic Video Toaster product, which introduced so many live production pros to the world of computers. The release of TriCaster Broadcast in May 2008 carries the product to new heights, adding SDI I/O as well as a preview output with SDI, component and composite outs. TriCaster derives its name, by the way, from its ability to output video, stream to the Web and save to internal disk simultaneously.

So much of the "production" that many of us now do is actually postproduction, yet there remains a tremendous market for live production capabilities. Instead of contracting, the live production market is actually growing, due in great measure to Web streaming. TriCaster is the logical product to fill this live-to-Web niche, and it does so in a compact, easy to use, stable and highly dependable 16 lb. box.

I’ve had the opportunity to use the TriCaster Broadcast for a couple of months now. I was a bit skeptical initially, having vague recollections of an Amiga computer with wires running amok and the Toaster software. Besides, I thought, it is SD and everyone has “graduated” to HD. But the moment I took a close look at TriCaster at NAB 2008 and then had one in my own studio, I immediately recognized the need for the product and now understand why NewTek sells as many units as it can produce. And one more thing: it is fun. I had forgotten what live production is all about and felt as enchanted as no doubt those sixth graders in Florida felt at their first exposure to production.

TriCaster Broadcast occupies a modest footprint on the desktop and has a front panel with six video inputs (SDI, component, composite, Y/C), four audio inputs, stereo audio out, headphone out, video out, preview out, AES/EBU audio in/out and, finally, genlock in. The front panel also has two USB and one FireWire 400 ports. Rear panel has video outputs with analog, DVI and S-Video ports. The unit is supplied with a keyboard and mouse but requires an external video monitor. For my tests, I used a Dell 24-inch LCD display.

I also had the opportunity to test the optional LiveControl LC-11 ($1,995) and TimeWarp TW-42 ($995) control surfaces. LiveControl offers a physical controller like the familiar production switcher so that you don't have to control the TriCaster with on-screen software and mouse. It speeds the workflow so significantly that I would recommend it as a standard purchase with any TriCaster system. TimeWarp is where all the fun begins. With this device, it is possible to mark clips to replay at slow, fast or variable speed, controlled with a jog shuttle wheel. This is essential for sports production.

TriCaster is based on a Windows XP operating system, but the user is largely insulated from interaction with the OS. Connect to a computer monitor or an optional preview monitor, boot it up and initialize. With an Internet connection, TriCaster will then search for any software updates and install them. Restart the unit. You’re ready to set your work environment and produce live TV.

First, open the TriCaster Configuration Options dialog box. TriCaster Broadcast offers two live production modes, one utilizing all six inputs and the other the more traditional three-camera mode. I preferred to work in the three-camera mode not only because I was only working with two cameras but, more importantly, because each input has a permanent assignment to an ISO display in the Live Production tab in this mode. It’s just like being in the production truck or control room. I would like to see implemented in a future version the ability to display all six cameras in this mode. Set 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio and video standard (NTSC/PAL, called Video Mode in the dialog box). Click "Launch TriCaster Now" to enter the tabbed UI.

The Live Production tab displays preview/output or the ISO displays, depending on configuration, and offers the ability to show a waveform monitor and vectorscope updated in real time, a switcher (if not using the optional LiveControl surface), transitions, overlays, procams, live matte, audio mixer and dual DDRs.

Cue clips to be played back or titles using the dual cue-able DDRs and just bring them in at the appropriate time. Clips can be imported from any external source and, in a UI that looks remarkably like NewTek’s Speed Edit NLE, edited and stored. The device supports HDV, MPEG-2, AVI, QuickTime and a custom SpeedHQ codec that offers 4:2:2 color depth at a 5:1 compression.

If you’ve done live production before, you know the workflow. Assemble all of the elements. Create titles using the built-in titler or add the optional LiveText ($995) software, allowing creation of these titles on an external computer.

Doing keys? TriCaster does real-time keying with all of the matte options and parameters one would expect. Once you’ve pulled your key, TriCaster will use your own background or one of the many virtual sets that ship with the product. Registered users also have access to a more complete virtual set library on the NewTek Web site. These sets are more realistic than just about any virtual set I’ve ever seen. They are modeled in and can be modified by NewTek’s LightWave 3D software, an industry standard for 3D modeling and visualization.

The Edit Media tab is where the postproduction of either captured or imported clips occurs. The Text Tab gives access to the text generator. There are some limitations in text generating in that many of the preset 3D elements of the various animation options cannot be modified. That poses a limitation to one (like myself) who now thinks in the postproduction mindset, but it is not really a concern in live production. If you want a given animation, create it in LightWave or bring it in as a graphic or movie created in some other application well in advance of the live shot.

Back to the main Live Production screen, all of the elements of the package are visible, all cued up and ready to go. Need a transition? There are thousands. But any live producer will tell you that you decide in advance the transitions you might use and have those available to punch up.

Now it’s time to make live TV! All of the sources are coming at you. Audio needs to be mixed from the four possible sources (audio does not follow the camera—this is live TV, remember) and elements need to be cued, titled, brought in and faded out, shots punched up. The adrenalin is surging.

But where is the output going? On that live production screen are Record Output and Stream Output options. Let’s say we wish to simultaneously project and stream to the Web. It’s as simple as connecting a projector and, for streaming, selecting the Stream Output button in the UI. Streaming profiles will appear, with choices for Flash, Windows Media or VC-1. Configuration of server and other protocols for streaming to your server are straightforward. Of course, you can archive to disk regardless of the output. The internal disk holds 20 hours of footage. There are no options for external expansion of that storage, but footage can always be unloaded to an archival device after the live event.

The lack of HD options might be seen as a limitation by some, but for Web streaming or live event production for religious institutions, education, corporate meetings or sporting events, SD is more than adequate. But since the signal is digital already through SDI, I suppose there would be nothing to prevent using hardware up-res for an HD signal for TV stations that would wish to broadcast in HD. After all, much of the ENG work for local “HD news” is up-resed SD. Again, what I thought was a shortcoming isn’t really all that limiting. Still, I would like to see an addition to the product line that I would call “TriCaster HD.”

The only other weakness I discovered was a one- or two-second latency in the on-screen display. I would attribute this more to hardware limitations than to a deficiency in the software.

There are few products that have excited me as much as the TriCaster. There is an ever-increasing need for live production. In this age of ersatz experts, TriCaster has a very simple learning curve. Its apparent simplicity belies a deep feature set.

At $11,995 plus the optional control surfaces, TriCaster Broadcast represents a powerful and affordable tool for virtually any user from broadcast to elementary school. When courts, TV networks and sixth graders all agree, you know you’ve got a winner.

STATS:
TriCaster Broadcast makes it possible to deliver a network-quality program to video, projector and Web stream with a full range of professional tools, including six camera inputs, waveform, vectorscope, live virtual sets and double box effects.
MSRP: $11,995
Web Site: www.newtek.com/tricaster