In NewTek’s recent Case Study “NewTek Saves eGaming Producer LocalGames From COVID Disaster,” NewTek shares how LocalGames overcame the problem many production companies were experiencing during the pandemic. Check out some highlights from the Case Study below.

“Because all our content is on network, we require a workflow that allows us to efficiently stream video to the network,. And that’s why we chose to go with NewTek. Their products are designed with livestreaming in mind.”

Bernardo Pizurnia, CEO of LocalGames

I found the TriCaster to be very easy to learn. And I’m not the sort of person who likes to read manuals. I’m much more of a doer. That’s the way I learn. So, I just got in there, sat down at the TriCaster, and got my hands dirty. I found it to be very intuitive. That’s how I learned to record macros, create camera pre-sets, modify the Multiview, and build buffer animations. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get your hands dirty. I still haven’t read the manual.”

Rodrigo Cotiart, LocalGames’ broadcast engineer and Chief TriCaster Operator

“It seems strange to say this, but COVID actually made us a stronger company. It pushed us to find new tools, to use virtual sets, to incorporate Unreal Engine. It pushed us into the future and forced us to make the most of the latest technologies.”

Bernardo Pizurnia, CEO of LocalGames

Check out the Case Study here!

Learn more about NewTek here!

With NDI being introduced to Teams, the world of stream has opened even more!

Here is a short demonstration on how to connect Microsoft teams with NDI and then bring in two Teams callers, as separate sources into your live video production switcher.

Download the free NDI Tools: ndi.tv/tools/

Download the NDI SDK: ndi.tv/sdk/

Learn more about NewTek here!

Watch the full video here!

In this video we discuss how the Covid-19 outbreak has affected how we put on our productions.

With a free tool called Skype TX you can embed Skype calls from any device into your production with a very simple set up.

NewTek

Learn more about NewTek HERE.

NewTek U training on how to use the Skype TX built into some TriCaster models. It will show you how to configure and use this feature in the system.

Check out the video on YouTube HERE.

Learn more about NewTek HERE.

Check out the full page of videos HERE.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Click any of these links to see NewTeks Full Video on the Subject:

• System Setup
• Session Setup
• Switching and Transitions
• Clip Playback
• Title Graphics
• Live Streaming
• Recording

Learn more about NewTek HERE

NewTek recently posted on their blog a support article, going through some frequently asked questions about the new TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI.

Check it out below!

Here is a brief overview of the networking abilities of the TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI.  One main point to remember is that the TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI used in a standalone environment will not require any configuration of static IP’s.  The system is designed to automatically provide DHCP to any device connected.

The TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI has two 1GbE NIC ports on the motherboard and four 1GbE NIC ports with PoE power on the expansion card.  This gives the system a total of six 1GbE NIC ports of bandwidth to use for NDI network connections. Each port has it’s own IP range and is isolated from the others.

1) How does the TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI service work?

The DHCP service will start automatically on system boot and will stay running even if you exit into Windows which enables automatic networking available at any time and not only when the TriCaster itself is running.  The service will bind to ALL network ports on the system, including the two motherboard ports.  This means  you can connect external devices to ANY of the network ports on the system and they will automatically get an IP address.  This allows you to connect up to 6 devices directly, each to a network port on the system and they will automatically configure.

2) What if I connect to a network that already has DHCP? 

In this case, the DHCP service on the Mini will initially scan for about 5 seconds for an existing DHCP service.  If one is recognized, then the service will be deactivated for that port.  This allows you to connect ANY port on the TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI to an existing network and use it for internet access or other LAN usage.

3) What range of IP addresses does the Mini’s DHCP server use?

The built in DHCP server will use the 172.16.x.x. range of IP address.  The first network interface will get 172.16.0.x, the second interface will get 172.16.1.x and so on.  This does mean that if you connect to a house network that is using the some of the 172.16.x.x network ranges you may run into a conflict, as the house network is trying to use a range that the Mini’s DHCP server is also trying to use on different interface. 

The 172.16.x.x range is a reserved set of IP address for LAN networking that are not routed over the internet.  It not might be as popular as the 192.168.x.x range found on many networks, but it is possible that some this IP range is still used for an in house network.

4) Can I adjust the IP ranges used by the Mini’s DHCP server?

Currently there are no options for adjusting the IP ranges.

5) Could I add additional NIC interfaces (USB or Ethernet adapter) to the TriCaster Mini 4k|NDI?

If an additional NIC is added, please be aware that the Mini’s DHCP server would bind to this interface and use additional IP ranges.  Each subnet is configured as a class C subnet (using a netmask of 255.255.255.0).

This automatic configuration does come with one caveat: Devices connected to the TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI will not be visible to other existing networks unless a network switch is connected. Here is an example:

A PTZ1 camera is connected to one NIC and a laptop with Studio Monitor is connected to another NIC on the TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI.  The data will not be bridged between the interfaces and the two devices will not see each other.  Using NDI Access Manager to setup remote devices will not work, as there is no routing between the NICs.  In this setup, both devices will be visible only to the TriCaster Mini 4K|NDI itself.

What’s the workaround for this workflow? 

Connect the PTZ1 camera and the laptop to small switch and then connect the switch to a NIC on the Mini.  Both devices will be given addresses in the same IP range and will now communicate with each other and with the Mini in this configuration.

You cannot use a static IP configuration for any NIC port that doesn’t have an external DHCP server on that network.  In this case, the NIC port will revert to two modes:

• An external DHCP service is found on the interface.  In this case, setting up a static IP address on the Mini for this interface is possible.  However, it is recommended and preferred to setup a reservation in the DHCP server in this scenario.  This will provide a constant IP address to the unit without having to configure the NIC port on the Mini.
• There is no external DHCP service found on the interface.  In this case, the Mini’s built in DHCP service will be active and the interface cannot be configured for static IP configuration.

Check out the full article from NewTek HERE

Learn more about NewTek HERE

NewTek’s TriCaster Mini  was launched in 2014 as a more affordable TriCaster with HDMI I/O and a low price to appeal to a very wide range of video content producers. Since then, a new generation of full size TriCasters has appeared – the TC1 – which is a huge leap from the earlier generations, with 4K support and NDI input and outputs.

NDI is video over IP for everyone

If you don’t know about NDI, the chances are that you will come across it very soon. It’s a very easy way to send video over a network. It’s simple to set up, and very simple to use – all of which might divert you from the fact that it’s an extraordinarily capable technology that is now by far the world’s most popular form of Video over IP.

NDI delivers the goods. We’ve hosted live, streamed events using NDI instead of video cables. It’s one of the most important developments in this industry for the last ten years.

Now, there’s a new TriCaster Mini, the TC Mini, and it’s radically different: not least because it has absolutely no conventional video I/O.

Ethernet is the new normal

Instead, it has multiple RJ-45 (ie Ethernet) sockets. Strictly, it has virtual I/O, because you can bring in multiple NDI video signals over a single Ethernet connector.

If you’ve not been following the NDI story, all of this might sound a bit far fetched. But the uses (and users) of NDI are now so widespread that it’s reasonable to say that the architecture of the TC Mini is necessary rather than speculative. More of this in a minute, but first, let’s have a closer look at the new TriCaster.

The TC Mini ships with no SDI or HDMI. There are 4 Mini Display Ports for connecting external displays, and three of these can be configured as multiviewers.

NewTek TC Mini Back three quarters view

There are four RJ45 jacks with Power over Ethernet (POE) that can supply power to external devices over the network cable. This is ideal for PTZ cameras.

There’s an additional two Gig E connectors. Using solely Ethernet, you can bring in up to 8 sources and switch them in real time.

The TC Mini is natively 4K

The TC Mini is natively 4K at all normal 4K frame rates. It comes with a 1TB SSD, and virtually every aspect of the product is a big improvement over the previous generation. The new TriCaster is part of the new generation of TriCasters and will therefore be able to benefit from most software updates as they become available.

The fact that the TC Mini has NDI at its core means it can accept a wide range of inputs. If you run the included NDI|HX camera app on your iPhone, you can use it as a video source. You can also bring in computer graphics, Skype and computer games. If your iPhone can support 4K you can use it as a 4K source with the TC Mini.

One of the features of the most recent version of NDI is that it supports recording to storage devices across the network, and this is also supported by the TC Mini. So you can set up recorders for clip playback, replay and archiving. You can even send video sources direct to Premiere.

TC Mini is a dual video streaming encoder

Just like previous and other current TriCasters, the TC Mini supports video streaming. It has two streaming encoders, which can operate simultaneously for streaming to multiple streaming hosts. This option might have seemed niche when TriCasters first appeared, but it’s essential now, and, in conjunction with all the video source options over NDI, it’s going to lower the barrier to live productions even further.

Just to reiterate: any recent iPhone can be turned into a decent video camera by running NDI over a local WiFi network. But what about “legacy” cameras and devices that don’t have an Ethernet port?

Every TC Mini will come with two separate HDMI to NDI converters – and you can buy more of these easily and inexpensively. The same goes for outputs. But you may not want or need to convert from NDI to “legacy” video.

For example, let’s say you need one or more program output monitors. Traditionally you’d have to use an HDMI cable connected to a monitor. HDMI cables can be inflexible and they can’t run over long distances. With NDI, you take a laptop (or any computer), run an NDI APP on it, connect it to the network, and you can display any source or output, including the program output from the TC Mini.

NewTek TC-Mini-back-panel flat view

Another of the TC Mini’s talents is that it supports NDI KVM. (KVM stands for Keyboard, Video, Monitor). What this means is that you can fully control and operate the TC Mini from anywhere on the NDI network. It’s incredibly flexible.

Purchasers of the TC Mini get six month’s free use of Premium Access – a subscription that opens up some premium features across all TriCasters. One of these is the ability to output multiple “shapes” of video for social media: normal 16:9; square and vertical.

We think the TC Mini is a very important product introduction for several reasons.

A bold move?

When NDI was first announced, it was a bit like having the first telephone on the planet: there was nothing to connect to. Introducing an NDI-only TriCaster then would have been “bold”. But now, hundreds of manufacturers are embracing NDI. It’s already become a de facto standard. It’s the lingua franca of video networks.

So, yes, a physical I/O-free TriCaster is bold. But it’s a good move. And with the rise and rise of NDI across the industry, you could reasonably say that it’s an important one, too.

The TriCaster Mini is shipping later this month, starting at a price of $8995.

Check out the full article HERE

Learn more about NewTek HERE

Sports fans love to see those “Wow!” moments in the game again and again, and from multiple angles. The same goes for those moments when officials make a controversial call. NewTek 3Play^® 3P1 provides four-channel synchronized recording that makes offering replays quick and easy, plus allows for switching angles during instant replay just as simply as if you were switching during the live segments. NewTek Video Producer Richard Evans shows us – in less than two minutes – how to set up for such replays and how to execute them in production with a couple of button presses.

Building on what we see in the video, here are some tips:

• With 3Play’s variable speed playback, you can use the T-Bar to use slow-motion for the replay so viewers can see the fantastic play action, or see what the ref saw and called, in detail from every angle captured for maximum insight
• Set up your social media publishing parameters ahead of time with the Auto Upload settings and send selected replay clips or stills to social media just by pressing the Publish button
• NDI^® Telestrator Pro is standard with 3Play 3P1. Network an appropriate device for your experts, and they can comment on your replays with dual-channel telestration capability

All of these and more are designed to be done on the fly without interrupting your flow of live production for the game or event.

Link to original article!

Learn more about NewTek here!

YouTube creator Lon Seidman of LonTV operates as a one-man-band when he’s crafting his YouTube videos. While he does practically everything himself — setup, recording, editing, the whole shabang — his videos can still be compared head-to-head with news broadcasts created with larger crews and a bigger budget.

So what’s Seidman’s secret? Besides his clear dedication and skill, Seidman uses the TriCaster® Mini from NewTek, along with the company’s Connect Spark video converter and NDI® technology.

What Prompted Seidman to start using real-time switchers?

Ten years ago, Seidman got into an Amazon-run program that matched brands to product reviewers. He began to do tons of video reviews and decided to upload some of them to YouTube. Later, he saw that he was starting to get some notable traffic from his reviews.

“Before I knew it I was getting a good amount of traffic, subscribers were picking up and then I was doing it more often and I really needed to figure out a way to get my workflow more efficient,” Seidman says. “I decided to start doing real-time switching of the video as I was recording it and that way when I was done, I just kinda straighten the clips together and upload it.”…read more