More Related Stories TriCaster VM Video Mixer
From: $995.00
ACAD NEWTEK TRICASTER FULL
From: $4795.00

Product Review: Page (1) of 2 - 11/06/07

email article print page

NewTek TriCaster Studio

Production studio in a box

By Heath McKnight

NewTek?s TriCaster STUDIO is a powerful hardware device that packs everything you?d find in a television production truck or studio, into a small box, about the size of a standard field monitor. The most attractive item is the price: you won?t be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to get professional quality HD and SD video production, both live and taped.

The TriCaster STUDIO is a production truck in a box, allowing up to six cameras to switch between, live keying with green or blue screen, multiple I/O ports, widescreen support (hey, we?re moving into an HD world, so this is a bonus), the capability to do live streaming over the Internet and much, much more.

Some other features that take me back to my days of working in television news include the capability to call up two pieces of b-roll to cue up and play during a broadcast, much like a technical director would punch up the video that was cued up in two different VTR decks by the Video Tape Operator. Virtual background sets are a plus, too, especially as we move into the high definition world. Having to construct expensive background sets that will look good in HD can cost a lot of money, but a virtual set takes that problem out of the equation. But that?s only scratching the surface.

The TriCaster Studio

The TriCaster STUDIO interface

NewTek happened to be doing some big demos and presentations in Orlando, Florida, so I was able to get Don Ballance from NewTek, to give my friend Pat Speicher and I a full demo. Pat set up his studio with a green screen, lights, and V1u, and we were ready for action.

The TriCaster STUDIO, monitor and green screen, ready for action

Don showed us all the highlights, including how effective and ?smart? the virtual sets are.  You set up your talent, then indicate in the TriCaster STUDIO if you?re cameras are 4:3 or 16:9 (Standard Definition only, up to six cameras total), then you can begin recording, up to 20 hours, in the unit, while switching live between cameras and angles. If you have one camera, you can go from a medium shot behind the desk to a wide shot. The TriCaster STUDIO is ?smart? enough to allow not only a wider angle without changing the shot in camera, but it also accounts for real-world reflection on the desk, floor, etc., all in real time. There are many virtual sets to choose from to fit your production and event needs.