Advanced Edition News

I’ve been recently working with the Advanced Edition upgrade software for the TriCaster again on my dealer demo TriCaster Mini HD-4i. I also hosted a open-house demo and two training classes about the TriCaster Advanced Edition software and streaming in early November in Raleigh, NC led by Colin Sandy, an industry-expert on all things TriCaster. Between those two efforts I was reminded of just how powerful and useful the TriCaster Advanced Edition release really is.

More DSKs or downstream keyers! You now have two DSKs with each M/E on the TriCaster Mini and 410 that let you display two independent titles, graphics, video clips, network sources or live video sources with your virtual sets, double-box effects or chroma-key effects. Both DSKs can be independently scaled and/or repositioned anywhere within the ME. The TriCaster 460 and 860 have four DSKs per M/E and four DSKs with the switcher.

For all TriCasters you can now add borders and shadows to DSKs in both the switcher and M/Es. Hundreds of pre-made borders are included with the software or you can create your own. Drop shadows and outlines can be added to each DSK. And you can add transparency (opacity) to each DSK. This means you can finally add outlines, borders or shadows to lower-third titles and other graphics or even video clips and live camera feeds. Just remember to also download and install the separate content when you install the Advanced Edition software.

You can lock a DSK to a virtual set. Previously when you zoomed in or out of a virtual set the DSK didn’t move but stayed in place. In other words, it looked and behaved like an overlay. Now the DSK can be locked into position so that it becomes a part of the set and looks correct as you pan and zoom. Taking the process a step further, you can key-in a second person into the virtual set using a DSK. For example, with one of the typical NewTek-designed virtual sets a person (or two) is keyed into the set behind the desk. Using the M/E's second DSK (or third or fourth with a TriCaster 460 or 860) a second person can be keyed and brought anywhere into the set . . . in front of or besides the desk, etc. This is very easy to do yet very powerful. And you still have another DSK available to display a title or other graphic with.

The noise gate found with the audio mixer is very powerful and useful. You can set a clip-level for the audio input that effectively shuts-off the audio channel (the audio isn’t heard) until the audio reaches a certain level. In other words, with a microphone input, background or ambient noise won’t open the channel but a person talking will. This is extremely useful for keeping unwanted sound out of the audio and for also opening and closing multiple sound sources. This alone is worth the price of the software upgrade!

The ability to add transitions to video clips and graphics in the media players (DDRs and GFX) plus split or trim clips and/or graphics. In other words, you can now perform basic editing functions in the media players (both stills and video clips). For example, after bringing in a sequence of video clips into DDR 1, press Control A to select all of the clips and then press Alt F to add a transition to each clip. The default transition is a dissolve but you can easily change that to any of the transitions normally used in the switcher. You can easily add “in” and “out” points to each video clip to change their length or trim unwanted footage, change their playback speed to fast or slow-motion, and you can cut or split a clip into one or more clips for deletion and trimming purposes. You can also drag clips around in the bin to easily change the order of their playback . . . clip three can now become clip one, etc.

Automatic, real-time color correction or shading of video cameras and other live video sources. This means that matching your video cameras so that their images looks the same when switching from camera to camera is done automatically. It also means that during an outdoor event, as the color temperature of the outdoor light changes (you start in early afternoon but go into the evening or go from a bluish to a reddish color temperature) your video cameras look correct and remain matched.

DataLink support allows you to bring in external (or internal) real-time data (including webpages, spreadsheets, scoreboards, databases, and RSS feeds) and map it to titles, comments and other fields in graphics templates and display that information as part of your program or live switch. For example, you can bring in Nasdaq stock reports or time and temperature information in real-time using standard DataLink sources.

More animation buffers . . . five animation buffers in the TriCaster Mini and 410 models and 10 animation buffers in the TriCaster 460 and 860 . . . meaning the ability to playback animations, motion graphics and looping video clips without having to use a DDR. Animated buffers can be called up in the DKS found with the switcher and the M/Es.

Despite all of the features and capabilities gained by adding the Advanced Edition software to your TriCaster, you will find that the User Interface remains pretty much the same as before, with the obvious exception of having more DSKs to work with. The additional tools are there, but you don't have to learn a new interface to operate the TriCaster with.

A few points to note about the TriCaster Advanced Edition software:

The Advanced Edition software doesn’t ship with any current TriCaster models . . . you must purchase the TriCaster and then add the Advanced Edition software to the TriCaster.

The TriCaster Advanced Edition software is available for all current TriCaster models (all three Mini models, the 410, 460 and 8000) with the exception of the TriCaster 40 (sorry, TriCaster 40 owners!)

The TriCaster Advanced Edition software is also available for the recently dropped TriCaster 860.

The Advanced Edition software works with 410, 460, 860, 8000 and Mini TriCaster models. If you have a TriCaster 455 or 855, etc. you must first upgrade those models to the 460 or 860 software levels. Owners of older TriCasters should contact Matt Drabick of DigiTek Systems about how to add the Advanced Edition software to their TriCaster.

The Advanced Edition software upgrade brings many of the previously-unique capabilities found with NewTek’s flagship TriCaster 8000 to the rest of the TriCaster line-up except the TriCaster 40. Adding the recent free Advanced Edition update (update, not paid upgrade) for the TriCaster 460 or 860 adds even more of those remaining capabilities.

If you already have the Advanced Edition upgrade software installed on your TriCaster 460 or 860, you can install a free update from NewTek to your TriCaster 460 or 860 running the Advanced Edition software that adds even more capabilities to those TriCaster models. By adding the free Advanced Edition software update to your TriCaster 460 or 860 you are essentially turning those models into a TriCaster 8000 (with the exception of any extra audio video inputs and outputs). Added capabilities include additional sub-mixes and virtually unlimited layered effects with M/E re-entry and 4-channel mix/effects, 4 DSK overlays on the switcher and 4 KEY overlays on every M/E, real-time motion tracking of keyed visuals, edge feathering of graphics and other visuals, plus more full-motion sources with real-time animation on 10 of the 15 buffers.

NewTek’s NDI protocol that will allow the TriCaster to remotely bring-in IP video and audio sources will be part of the TriCaster Advanced Edition software in Q4, 2015. More to come on that subject as information becomes available.

List price for the TriCaster Advanced Edition upgrade software is $1,495.00. DigiTek Systems sells the software for less. If you have questions about the upgrade please contact Matt Drabick at mdrabick@mindspring.com or call 919-790-5488.

FYI! NewTek plans to increase the list price of the TriCaster Advanced Edition software upgrade from $1,495.00 to $1,995.00 starting in January, 2016 . . . .