Home

- B&H Photo Video Digital Cameras, Photography

1. Revised May 21 2013 Trademarks NewTek TriCaster TriCaster 40 TriCaster XD TCXD40 TCXD850 TCXD850 Extreme TriCaster TCXD850 Extreme TriCaster 850 Extreme TriCaster Extreme TriCaster 850 TCXD450 TCXD450 Extreme TriCaster TCXD450 Extreme TriCaster 450 Extreme TriCaster Extreme TriCaster 450 IsoCorder TCXD300 TriCaster PRO TriCaster STUDIO TriCaster BROADCAST TriCaster DUO VGA SpeedEDIT 3PLAY 3PLAY 820 3PXD820 LiveText DataLink LiveSet LiveMatte TimeWarp VT V T5 Video Toaster Toaster 3D Arsenal Aura LightWave LightWave 3D and LightWave CORE are trademarks of NEWTEK All other brand names product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 2 3 TS she 5 Te beas 5 Getting Started ias arado 7 K CORNER acaricia raoba 7 2 1 1 A e O ie 8 2 1 2 MEWO e A AA ola 8 e E en o E E 8 A cei e 5 sre PR E o oauwac seqhtesteuvaceseaunscadede deeseesttvatecseanes 9 2 2 aL Startup ana Windows ACUVa O iones daa 9 222 Ti Caster License ana RegiStratiON escitas io E A 10 C Die Recs T 6 Ns 10 224 Registerime Dy Telephone statistic ee eee 11 23 SIRIO COM MOG ON iio 11 Zak APADO Session onto 11 A AA a A q 14 A SACO e T 19 2 3 4 Nte e sn caia 21 The Live Desk Dante 22 Dal COVE Man acceda 22 SAL A AE 22 Se MONO E E A E E E A E E E E EE 23 324 EOntextual ree rat l e ne ee eee eee bea Saa 24 3 2 2 TOS e Lag CONTO aid iii ori ecas 25 3 2 3 Wavetorm Vecto
2. IMAG is a very tricky task at the best of times one that calls for excellent planning and where possible testing Those designing an IMAG installation have not just one but two inter related broadcasts to consider the audio and video streams If audio and video travelled at the same speed wherever you were seated in the audience the sound and video image from the front of the auditorium would reach your ears and your retinas at precisely the same moment This is not the case however Even in relatively small venues sound reaches those in the rear of the audience noticeably later than those in the front while the image arrives effectively instantaneously In this context latency refers to the time it takes for the video signal to transit one part of the IMAG path from camera lens to final display It s desirable to keep video latency to an agreeable minimum but put away any notion of zero latency as being ideal since this would result in only those very near the front of the audience enjoying acceptable lip sync It is common for each device in the production pipeline even the cameras and monitors to contribute to the combined total latency TriCaster s portion is well within acceptable standards for devices of this sort roughly between 1 5 and 2 5 frames Here are some points to consider when designing and connecting your system e f you use Multiview output from the TriCaster to the projector match the r
3. cgxml files from TriCaster s integrated title system e Audio files standard wav or mp3 files and other common audio file types Hint All Media Browsers support most popular 32bit file formats that is files with an embedded alpha or transparency channel The DDR Digital Disk Recorder can play all four of the file types listed in the previous section It is unique in being the only Media Player to play video clips Graphics 1 and 2 can play all supported file types except video clips The only other significant difference between the DDR and Graphics modules is that the latter do not have a Speed control 3 5 1 COMMON FEATURES Let s look at the features and controls that are common to all Media Players PLAYLISTS The dominant feature of all of TriCaster s Media Players is a storyboard style playlist that is used to organize content for use during your live productions The playlist displays large thumbnail icons for each entry A scrollbar at right accommodates long playlists Icons can quickly and easily be re ordered using the familiar drag and drop workflow The playlist can even be altered during playback if the currently playing item is removed The filename of each item is displayed above its thumbnail and dle its playback duration is shown below Clicking an item select it and sets the play position to its In Point Shift click and Ctrl click multi selection operations are supported Double clic
4. 4 NETWORK SOURCES nnn The network source features of your TriCaster are very useful TriCaster supports two simultaneous network sources so you can live switch displays from networked computers or appropriate mobile devices as part of your productions As discussed back in Section 2 3 2 a number of Network sources are directly available for selection on the Switcher and can of course be captured or streamed as well as included in your presentation 4 1 VGA Perhaps you d like to be able to add Microsoft PowerPoint output web pages Skype video calls application displays or other exotic content to your productions Using the supplied iVGA client application TriCaster directly supports such displays from computers on the same network by means of the Network 1 and 2 sources on the Switcher 4 1 1 VGA CLIENTS 1 For a Microsoft Windows client system copy the VGA or VGA PRO application from the Extras folder inside C TriCaster to the sending computer a readme in the folder explains why you might choose one version over the other in your environment For OS X client systems copy the appropriate VGA dmg zip to your Mac system Unzip it by double clicking it mount the disk image dmg file in the same manner then drag the VGA program icon into Applications 2 Connect TriCaster to the client computer via the local network 3 Double click the VGA icon on the second computer to launch the ap
5. Arrows Set In Point for current Playlist Item Clip or Audio file hre Set Out Point for current Playlist Item Clip or Audio file ooo 78 A 7 GRAPHICS 1 Autoplay On Off Shift u U Loop On Off Shift quotation Single On Off Shift 1 Q A 8 GRAPHICS 2 Ctrl 1_ lower case L Go to previous playlist item Go to next playlist item Ctrl semi colon Autoplay On Off Loop On Off Ctri apostrophe Single On Off A 9 GENERAL A 9 1 SELECTION AND NAVIGATION Select All First Last Item Home End Navigate through Playlist items Up Down Left Right Arrows Select All Previous Following Items Shift Home End Playlist select to Top Bottom Shift Home End Playlist add to selection Up Down Shift Up Down arrow A 9 2 MISC Cut Delete Key 79 A Add Ons 70 Administrator Mode 45 Apple AirPlay 50 B Backup TriCaster See TriCaster Backup D Defragment See TriCaster Defragment E EULA See TriCaster Register F Files Export 64 67 Import 67 IMAG 74 Images Stand in See Live Desktop Media Player Title Pages VGA See Network Live Desktop 12 Audio Mixer 42 Output 44 Phones Output 44 Program Output 44 Stream Output 44 VU Meters 43 Grab 37 Media Browser 32 Add Media Location 33 Filter 33 Menus 33 Media Player Autoplay 32 Presets 30 Single 31 Speed 32 Title Pages 34 Editing 34 Stand In Images 35 Options Menu
6. Browse Web Files on Disk Settings Region and Language Advanced Keyboard Date and Time Configure Network Display Fonts System Name System Utilities Register TriCaster Update TriCaster Defragment all Drives Backup or Restore System Shutdown Exit to Windows Back to TriCaster Command Window Swap Primary Monitor Figure 73 Administrator Mode options are grouped under several headings as discussed next BROWSE e Web Opens the default system Internet browser e Files on Disk Opens a system file window SYSTEM UTILITIES e Register TriCaster TriCaster shows a watermark on output before registration so we encourage you to register early Among other reasons doing so will serve to identify the unit to NewTek as yours in case of theft and will also allow you to check for software updates that may have been recently released The steps in the registration process were outlined back in Section 2 2 so we won t repeat them here 46 Update TriCaster NewTek may periodically provide software updates for your TriCaster Updates can enhance performance security or even add useful new features If TriCaster is connected to the Internet clicking Update TriCaster will automatically check for a more recent software version and offer to install it This way you can be sure the very latest release version of the software for your TriCaster is installed Alternatively you can go to the NewTek web site cl
7. You can halt an incomplete transition by clicking Auto again For BKGD transitions the Auto will be completed the next time you click the button Re initiating an incomplete DSK transition that is past its midway point completes it otherwise it is reversed Note BKGD layer transitions are controlled in the Transitions section at left so local Take and Auto buttons are not provided i THE TRANSITION BIN Transition bins Figure 34 for each layer allow you to pre select the effect that will be performed next the active transition is displayed with a gold border The left most effect is always Fade 27 TRANSITION CONFIGURATION Select an icon in the Transition Bin and then click the Configure Transition gear button at right above to configure the transition The first time you click Configure the only entry in the drop down menu may be Browse Selecting it opens a Media Browser to let you choose a transition see Section 3 5 for Media Browser details The options that appear differ depending on whether you are configuring a Background Transition BKGD layer only or an Overlay Transition DSK layers Figure 35 Note BKGD Transitions and Overlay DSK Transitions are slightly different BKGD Transitions have Reverse and Ping Pong options Overlay Transitions always Ping Pong so do not offer direction controls Duration menus appear beside the local Auto buttons You can make a Duration selection from the menu d
8. Finish and TriCaster will re start 2 2 2 TRICASTER LICENSE AND REGISTRATION Register TriCaster On launch TriCaster presents an End User License Agreement E O orem ee dialog After you accept this the Registration dialog shown in 1 Enter your 15 digit Serial Number Figure 3 is presented found on your registration card and also on your TriCaster case 094X22123716984 Note the following Product ID If necessary enter the unique TriCaster Serial Number and Product ID for your system TriCaster s video output will show a watermark until the system is registered and unlocked by If your TriCaster is not currently connected to the intemet please visit entering the registration code http register newtek com on another computer or at a later time Click here to visit register newtek com and get a registration code Enter your Registration Code Figure 3 Hint If the Serial number doesn t appear automatically and you can t find it on your unit you can obtain it from the registration webpage mentioned in the next section or from NewTek s Customer Support Desk open seven days a week You can register and obtain your registration code either by telephone or online directly from TriCaster or another system connected to the Internet as described next 2 2 3 ONLINE REGISTRATION If you have connected TriCaster to a network with Internet access simply click the button under Step 2 to visit the Re
9. Live Desktop drag to adjust the value click to type directly into the field using the keyboard or press keyboard Shift and then double click to restore the default value for that preset 41 Note Some LiveSets e g double box sets do not support zooming In such cases the Zoom Presets and the Zoom T Bar are inactive Figure 68 The Zoom T Bar is located beside the Zoom Presets Dragging it vertically adjusts the virtual camera distance for the active LiveSet between 0 100 When you click a Zoom Preset the T Bar updates to the new zoom level displayed numerically above Conversely though adjusting the T Bar does not change the value for a preset When the current T Bar position does not correspond to any presets none of them are shown with a white border INPUT POSITION We discussed the Position controls for video Inputs A and B back in Section 3 8 1 It s worth adding here that these controls when active do affect the scale rotation and position for LiveSet video inputs this is another unique advantage of this LiveSet implementation You will find that you can often use Position controls to ensure a good fit and natural appearance of talent or other source appearing in your virtual sets greatly reducing the need to fuss with physical camera positions to do so ANIMATE ZOOM NewTek gt City Loft gt Center 00 20 00 5 00 20 00 00 10 00 F 00 05 00 K Figure 69 As noted earlier you
10. Tabs Follow Preview Row 44 Tabs Follow Preview Row for Virtual Input 44 Overlay Position 27 Record 59 Switcher 25 Take 24 LiveSet 39 Source Positioning 41 Sources 40 Zoom Presets 40 Zoom T Bar 41 LiveText 63 64 Standalone 50 Network 3Play 50 Connecting 48 57 60 VGA 7 23 48 73 Port Forwarding 60 Testing 60 Pause 76 Play Pause amp Stop 76 Presets Export 30 Import 30 Pull See Streaming Pull Push See Streaming Push R Register See TriCaster Register Restore TriCaster 71 See TriCaster Restore S Sessions Backup Restore 68 Shutdown 47 Exitto Windows 47 80 Spell Check 34 Startup Screen Export Media 67 System Utilities Restore TriCaster 71 Stop 76 Streaming Bitrate 58 Capture 59 Flash 75 Port Forwarding 60 Providers 52 57 Pull 57 60 Push 57 58 WME 75 Support 75 Technical Support 75 Titlebar 21 TriCaster Backup 46 Defragment 46 Register 9 45 Restore 46 Virtual Input Overlay 38 Position 38 Sources 38 Windows R 47 81 CREDITS Acknowledgments Tim Jenison Jim Plant Engineering Andrew Cross Alvaro Suarez Bennie Pierce Bob Peene Brian Brice Cary Tetrick Charles Steinkuehler Dan Fletcher Greg Heine James Killian Jan Uribe Jarrod Davis Jeremy Brosius Jeremy Wiseman John Perkins Karen Zipper Kevin Nations Kevin Rouviere Kirk Morger Kristen Perez Mahdi Mohajer Masaaki Konno Menghua Wang Michael
11. Trademarks NewTek TriCaster TriCaster XD TCXD850 TCXD850 Extreme TriCaster TCXD850 Extreme TriCaster 850 Extreme TriCaster Extreme TriCaster 850 TCXD450 TCXD450 Extreme TriCaster TCXD450 Extreme TriCaster 450 Extreme TriCaster Extreme TriCaster 450 IsoCorder TCXD300 TriCaster PRO TriCaster STUDIO TriCaster BROADCAST TriCaster DUO iVGA SpeedEDIT 3PLAY 3PLAY 820 3PXD820 LiveText DataLink LiveSet LiveMatte TimeWarp VT V T5 Video Toaster Toaster 3D Arsenal Aura LightWave LightWave 3D and LightWave CORE are trademarks of NEWTEK All other brand names product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders 82 TriCaster is a trademark of NewTek Inc Copyright O 2013 NewTek Inc All rights reserved
12. TriCaster will send the stream to this is supplied to you by the service provider The Stream ID may or may not be provided depending on the service provider in some cases you can simply enter a custom ID number Many service providers will supply you with a streaming profile in the form of an XML file for use with Flash Media Encoder If this is the case click the Import Settings From File button navigate to and select the XML file and TriCaster will automatically import the Location and Stream ID values for the Connection Note By design the Import feature does not automatically change the Resolution profile you have selected at left You should ensure that this setting is compatible with your service A related function involves the ability to directly import a custom Resolution profile You might create such a profile for a specific purpose using either the Adobe Flash Live Media Encoder or Windows Media Encoder application installed on your TriCaster The Browse item at the top of the Resolution menu Figure 86 allows you to select an appropriate file in a system file explorer which is then copied to the correct location for it to be listed in the menu for your use Figure 86 in future 57 Note the nearby Delete button allows you to dispose of unused imports of this type The default Resolution profiles cannot be deleted however Adobe Flash Player Settings Privacy 7 Allow cdn1 ustream tv to access y
13. a 0 oe 4 H ti Figure 44 TIME DISPLAY A timecode field displays the Current Time for the item Right click the timecode to choose current time or remaining time Reverse Direction enable Warning Colors or Playlist Duration Or click the timecode type a value and then press Enter to jump to it Hint With Warning Colors enabled ten seconds before the end of play for the current item the digits in the time display turn amber When five seconds are left the digits are red TRANSPORT CONTROLS A simple set of controls beneath the playlist pane provides all playback related functions e Previous button go to previous playlist entry e Stop clicking Stop when already stopped goes to the first frame e Play e Next button go to next playlist entry e Not shown Double click an entry in the playlist pane to begin playback at the start of that playlist entry e Loop repeat playback continuously respecting the Single switch state SINGLE Media Player playback is normally playlist style each item playing back in succession until all are played In Single mode playback stops when the Out Point of the current playlist item is reached unless Loop is also enabled Figure 45 32 AUTOPLAY The Autoplay switch has several important effects First it automatically initiates playback when the associated Media Player is placed on Program Out by a Switcher operation or by displaying the Media Player in a DS
14. a session it s just as if you were continuing the earlier event Thus if you return to the same venue another day under more or less similar conditions simply re open your prior session and you are virtually ready to go Of course it s the course of wisdom to test everything before actually beginning the event Naturally you can create and store multiple sessions and re load your sessions to continue working with them CREATING AND LAUNCHING SESSIONS The primary Startup screen the one encountered first after launching TriCaster is the Home Page which is dominated by an icon ring Figure 5 When you click an icon it advances to the front position For example the first thing you will likely do on launching a new TriCaster is create a session Clicking the New icon updates the Figure 5 right hand pane of the Home Page to show session options Figure 6 multi standard TriCaster options shown Hint You can also use the keyboard s left and right arrows to cycle through the icons Select your local video standard multi standard model select NTSC PAL or NTSC J and session format 1080i 720p etc Multi standard models offer PAL format equivalents You will see a default name for the new session above the options pane click the name to edit it 12 Beneath the name is a field labeled Volume Use the menu at right to f Session Name choose which hard drive the session and its associated content is Ent
15. a sort of blind hand off between external clients your viewers and a local transaction port which you manually specify The router will pass requests to view the stream through to the TriCaster without exposing the internal IP routing 61 To enable port forwarding you need three pieces of information e The login information for the router Your router s manual will have this information which typically involves entering a specific IP number into your web browsers URL field and perhaps also a password e The specific IP local number that the router has assigned to your TriCaster You can read this right from TriCaster s Location display It will comprise the entire string of punctuated numbers before the colon the colon separates the port number you chose for your stream e The port number just mentioned the part after the colon Although the steps vary a bit by brand and model generally you would proceed as follows Log into the router so it shows its control panel in your web browser Select the port forwarding page of the router controls These options may be found in an obscure place such as the router s Applications and Gaming page since online gaming often requires port forwarding 3 Enter an Application name if required this is for your own recognition purposes so use anything you like 4 Enter the Start and End port values you can use the same port number in both fields but of course it mus
16. as above to use the system file explorer instead 8 4 2 VIRTUAL SETS e To restore the default LiveSet in a Virtual Input tab click the ellipsis button to the right of the current LiveSet name to open the Media Browser Click the NewTek heading beneath the LiveSets heading in the locations list at left Click the A over B icon in the Default group in the file pane at right e An optional user friendly tool called TriCaster Virtual Set Editor is available This tool makes it easy to modify LiveSets to suit your specific needs A demo version of this tool can be accessed from TriCaster s Startup section by clicking the Add Ons icon 73 8 4 3 STREAMING The streaming profiles shown in the drop down Resolution menu in the Configure Stream Connection panel are drawn from the folder C TriCaster Streaming Profiles These files are organized according to whether they are WMV or Flash profiles NTSC or PAL versions Multi standard models only and finally 4x3 16x9 Standard Definition profiles and HD Note that profiles in the various sub folders only appear in the Stream Type List for the corresponding session type The easiest method of creating a custom profile is to modify an existing profile and then store it using a new name using either the Windows or Flash media encoder as appropriate Note It is possible to create streaming profiles that place very high demands on system resources or are impr
17. field above the viewport always displays the current URL web page address A second URL field labeled Home is located below This is the Home Page for the current Connection To copy the address for the currently displayed webpage into the Home field for the Connection click the Return button at right of the Home field Figure 81 Afterward clicking the Home button in the navigation contro group at upper center will return you to this location 5 3 CONNECTION OPTIONS The process of configuring a Connection preset begins with clicking New to create it This opens a dialog entitled Choose Configuration Type The options available are as shown in Figure 82 chon Type Figure 82 After selecting a Connection Type and clicking OK the Name field in the main Configure Stream Connection panel is highlighted to encourage you to supply a descriptive name for the preset 55 5 3 1 BROWSER BASED The basic Browser Based connection option can perhaps be considered the least demanding approach to streaming in terms of learning curve for the new operator The only local setting required beyond the initial Connection Type selection is the URL of the Home field see Section 5 2 for the streaming service you intend to use Note The steps involved in creating an account with a streaming service provider and configuring the stream vary widely and cannot be dealt with in depth here Generally though providers offer step by step informatio
18. image the image is a stand in Click stand in images to open the File Browser allowing you to select a replacement image file Insert Image Here You can find out which if any images are unlocked stand ins and which are locked and toggle the status of any image Hold down the Shift key while rolling around inside the Title Page With Shift depressed a red border is shown around any locked image under the cursor Stand in unlocked images display a green border on roll over when Shift is depressed To toggle Figure 53 the stand in locked status for an image left click it with Shift depressed Right click images to access a menu providing optional methods of fitting the source image to its frame Choose Stretch to completely fill the frame Fill Area retains the interested image s original aspect cropping if necessary Show All Image also retains the original image aspect but may result in pillar boxing or letter boxing within the target frame 3 6 RECORD GRAB Located immediately beneath the Program monitor are Record Stream and Grab buttons along with their respective Configure buttons We ll discuss streaming further on but ler s consider Record and Grab here 00 00 04 23 Figure 54 TriCaster provides a great deal of flexibility when it ESSEE comes to capturing your production This is very HS useful for immediate post production purposes or 2006 for playback during a live production The C
19. internal Figure 70 External audio connections and configuration were discussed back in Section 2 3 2 These sources include controls for the two analog audio inputs Input 1 and Mic along with controls for both Network inputs such as an Apple AirPlay source Besides external audio sources sounds played from TriCaster s internal storage volumes including removable media such as external hard drives or thumb drives via the Media Players can be added to the output mix Separate sub panels are provided to control audio added to TriCaster s Program Output mix by the DDR and GFX players 43 3 9 1 AUDIO LEVELS TriCaster s analog audio conforms to SMPTE RP 155 The maximum input output level is 24 dBu Nominal input level is 4 dBu 20dB FS and the sample rate is 48 kHz Levels above OdB are shown in red in the VU meters to caution you that overly high levels can result in clipping in recordings Hint An error message appears in the Status Bar above the main Program output monitor to warn you if clipping Occurs VU METERS AND GAIN A large portion part of both audio mixers is devoted to VU Volume Unit meters These displays vary depending on the source type For Input 1 the meter displays the levels for the two analog input channels controlled by a single Gain knob with a Balance control above Other sources may display a single channel VU meter Figure 71 Confusion can sometimes arise because differ
20. of an unforeseen problem We strongly encourage you to protect against any unforeseen occurrence by using the Backup feature soon after registering TriCaster Please refer to Section 8 3 Backup and Restore for details Command Window Open a system command line window allowing you among other things to use advanced commands to manage your system and network settings Swap Primary Monitor reverse the monitor assignments currently in use for TriCaster s interface and Multiview displays 47 e Regions and Language Open the system language control panel e Advanced Keyboard Open the system keyboard controls panel e Date and time Open the system keyboard controls panel e Configure Network Open the system network controls panel e Display Open the system display controls panel useful for configuring multiple monitors among other things e Fonts Open the system font management console to add a new font e System Name It can be very useful to rename your TriCaster especially when more than one TriCaster might be on the same network The System Name feature opens the System Properties console s Computer Name tab Click the Change button to modify the current name e Exit to Windows Leave the Administration Mode screen and display the standard system desktop e Back to TriCaster Exit Administration Mode reboot and return to TriCaster s Startup screen and the production environment 48
21. takes is affected by numerous factors It is generally unwise to commence a file export shortly before a live event since you cannot launch TriCaster s Live Desktop during export 7 1 4 BACKUP SESSION Clicking the Backup Session button opens a file explorer that you can use to assign a storage location for the backup files Backup operations can take some time depending on the amount of content in the session For obvious reasons then it would be wise not to begin a major backup operation shortly before a scheduled live production A progress gauge is displayed during processing and if necessary you may Cancel the operation Of course the session to be backed up is the current session to back up a different session return to the Home Page and Open a different session The backup operation feature will determine whether all media used in the session is local i e located in folders named for that session or whether some content is external stored in other places on your system and included in the session using Add Media Location or from folders belonging to other sessions If all session media is local the backup proceeds without further interruption When external media is used in the session a dialog is presented stating The following files are external to the session Would you like to import these files The optional actions in the dialog are e Backup without importing e Import and Backup e Cancel Backup 69 7
22. the numerous sources the video seen on Program Out of one or even more Virtual Inputs TriCaster s Background layer often shortened to simply BKGD is always the base for the video composition displayed on Program out In addition to BKGD three additional primary layers can contribute to TriCaster s final Program output 26 e Two overlay layers DSK 1 and DSK 2 are composed above the BKGD layer on Program output DSK 2 appears in front of DSK 1 that is closest to the viewer e FTB Fade to Black constitutes a final overlay layer one that obscures all other layers when applied Hint DSK is short for Down Stream Keyer DSK layers are typically used for graphics titles etc Program Out With video layers clearly understood it s easy to comprehend the Transition and Local Layer controls We ll e Program e Preview consider the latter controls first 3 4 2 LOCAL LAYER CONTROLS These tools provide control and configuration options individually for three of the primary video layers BKGD DSK 1 and DSK 2 Source menus are located next to the Take buttons for each DSK layer Figure 34 Pressing the local Take button for either DSK 1 or DSK 2 displays or hides the corresponding video layer shown on top of the BKGD layer The local Auto buttons for each layer perform similarly but use the transition settings configured at right for each layer to accomplish the operation
23. 2 LIVE FILE OPERATIONS It is preferable to import content for use in a live session while off the air to avoid interfering with TriCaster s vital access to system resources In a pinch however remember that you can import media files directly into Media Player playlists even during live production as described in Section 3 5 1 We do not recommend importing large video clips either across a network or from external drives 70 8 CARE AND MAINTENANCE nnn This chapter will help you keep your TriCaster in tiptop shape always ready to provide peak performance As well as covering some utilitarian information you ll find a few helpful tips in its pages A number of useful tools and features are located on the Home page in TriCaster s Startup section Others are located in the Administrator Mode screen see Section 3 11 1 8 1 HELP Figure 95 Select the Help icon to reveal links to open TriCaster manuals Documentation for optional Control Surfaces and Add ons appears here as well Click the License Agreement link to review the TriCaster license requirements or the About TriCaster link to list software version information credits and acknowledgments 8 2 ADD ONS As time goes on NewTek offers additional software to extend the power of your TriCaster Add Ons Animation Store Creator Virtual Set Editor Figure 96 The icon labeled Add Ons on the Home Page provides access to these tools When you selec
24. 5 3 4 Windows Media PUSH as 59 5 3 5 Bandwidth CONE UNA o 59 5 3 6 AU CAU e E E lios 60 5 3 7 a O A A O A ET EAEE A 60 Se CPUN NESC TT 60 5 5 Diagnostics and Troubleshooting o cinerea E A E A A E i 61 Peo Te EVO TE aN THH 61 5 5 2 POM Zele T 61 5 5 3 Firewalls a A ieee tnd hates atte Sieh e hates eat 4 ties ela es 62 554 Finding Your External IP 15T efe TTT 63 6 IVETE os 64 Gol Proe FES iaa 64 6 1 1 SESSIONS Projects ana DISPO TTT 64 6 1 2 LA A IN 65 6 1 3 Naming Stand AMM Sd A A A A A Siecle bend deus 65 7 Files and File Management iii iaa aid 67 FL AMAN E AAA AAA AAA AAA AS 67 7 1 1 BEEE E E E E O 67 7 1 2 MPO e TTT 68 7 1 3 o A AN 68 Telde Backup Ses ON ns 69 ES UA e Te LT 70 8 Care ane WialntenanCe T HT 71 Be lt T lt SRO RE EOE ERE RS NTP EPA PORE nO ee A ee CP ee TE eA EE RN Nr ae 71 Sed ACUDA SADA A AE A AOS 71 GS SBGCKUD GONG RC SOMO iii 72 Ss Create User Backup DIV tdi 72 8 3 2 Restore TriCaster s system Drive sees eee eee eee 72 od PICIE VIDS oa 73 8 4 1 Usera 73 8 42 E cictcesadiaceeved cose zo anes tecbaaeeadi sue sed sauedeetsameeb eciatce sauttcwor ei mseoetoneea anaes tee 73 8 4 3 SETTI H nc eamea toc ssetecndesaeevncsi seine N Oueecestecnuasencutes 74 OA INCLWORK SOUCO Sere ii A A A E deals Sattld Vent t Madina dad duel ie 74 8 4 5 TE EK Tas atencion eUitonro Lies 75 846 AMPI SOUL Wal Cat os ces atet erect apt aica cco atarn cus asseesecoi A ndaeo 76 Bo CONTACTING C
25. A and B Selection is made using buttons in the lower part of the tabbed panel corresponding to TriCaster s Switcher sources When a Virtual Input is displayed Input A appears above or if you prefer in front of Input B by default If Input A is fully opaque it completely hides Input B However when LiveMatte settings for Input A result in transparency or the Input A source has transparency by virtue of being a 32bit file or its active Position settings mean it does not completely cover Input B then Input B will appear through transparent regions in the result 3 8 1 POSITIONER E Position controls for both Input A and Input B appear at right of their respective rows Figure 61 Click the double headed arrow button to open the Positioner The panel that opens is identical to the DSK layer Positioner discussed back in Section 3 4 2 Figure 61 3 8 2 OVERLAY Take Auto 0100 Figure 62 Another switcher style source selector labeled Overlay is situated right above the Input A row At right Just above that you will also see local transition controls that are quite similar to those found in the Switcher s Transition pane Really the Virtual Input Overlay feature matches the DSK channels found in the Switcher s main Transition section in almost all respects Unlike the DSKs though its inclusion in Virtual Input tabs make it a pre Switcher video layer along with Input A and B This means that the Overl
26. Area Network You can find this number in several ways For example your router will display it as its IP Address in its Status page Or you may want to use one of several handy websites that will quickly supply your current IP number one such is http www whatismyip com Simply go to the website in your browser and read the IP number from the screen Append a colon and the port number you are using to this number and you ve got everything you need for your viewers to connect 63 6 LIVETEXT LiveText is a powerful title and CG application allowing you to create title pages for use in nnn the Live Desktop s Media Players Title pages can be still or motion pages including scrolls TC and crawls LiveText is a full blown powerful professional character generation program also available as a standalone application It has its own complete manual which can be accessed from the Help icon in the Session page of the Startup Screen the source pdf files are located in the C TriCaster Documentation folder in case you wish to print them out In this section then we will review matters specific to LiveText when running in as an integral part of the TriCaster environment 6 1 PROJECT FILES Project Name No LiveText Projects in Session New LiveText Project Enter Project Name Graphics R Figure 89 LiveText projects are launched from the Session Page in TriCaster s Startup Screen After creating a new ses
27. Joiner Michael Watkins Mike Murphy Nathan Kovner Naveen Jayakumar Robert Sitton Ryan Hansberger Shawn Wisniewski Steve Bowie Todd Bryant Troy Stevenson Design Consultants Kris Gurrad Additional thanks to NewTek Marketing and Sales NewTek Customer Support NewTek Business Development This product uses the following libraries licensed under the LGPL license see link below For the source and the ability to change and recompile these components please visit the links provided Freelmage libraryhttp freeimage sourceforge net LAME library http lame sourceforge net FFMPEG library http ffmpeg org For a copy of the LGPL licence please look in the folder c TriCaster LGPL Portions use Microsoft Windows Media Technologies Copyright c 1999 2008 Microsoft Corporation All Rights reserved VST Plugin Spec by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH This product uses Inno Setup Copyright C 1997 2010 Jordan Russell All rights reserved Portions Copyright C 2000 2010 Martijn Laan All rights reserved Inno Setup is provided subject to its license which can be found at http www jrsoftware org files is license txt Inno Setup is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY of FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE All other software with the TriCaster not expressly noted as free is proprietary and subject to NewTek s copyright rights or those of its licensors
28. K channel or Virtual Input The reverse transition occurs automatically as the end of play approaches In similar fashion for a media player with Autoplay enabled performing an Overlay Effect automatically begins playback Note The reverse Overlay Transitions do not occur automatically as the end of play approaches Finally if the media player is in Single mode the play position advances to the next playlist item when playback stops 3 5 2 SPEED The DDR provides a Speed control which supports playback at speeds from 25 to 400 certain compressed video formats cannot successfully be played back faster than 200 Figure 46 Speed can even be adjusted during playback Drag left or right to adjust the Speed value or click the slider to type a new value using the keyboard Hint Press Shift while double clicking Speed to quickly reset to the 100 default 3 5 3 ADD THE MEDIA BROWSER Media Browser Clips Click Add or double click in an empty part of the NewTek PAL Playlist pane to open the Media Browser Sample CN uis x i de This tool is available anywhere in the Live Desktop Heer gt za ded that you can select content transitions or effects The MM t Media Browser layout is comprised of left and right e panes we ll refer to as the Location List and File Pane WN F HotRod respectively G Monarch Hint To jump to the system file explorer rather than a Add Media Location the custom Me
29. Layer Controls Figure 33 3 3 1 THE PROGRAM AND PREVIEW ROWS From top to bottom the three Switcher rows are labeled FX Program and Preview Clicking a button in the Program or Preview row selects the active video source for that video layer e The Program row selection determines the dominant video stream of the Background BKGD video layer the bottom layer of the composition on Program output e Normally the Preview row selection determines what is queued up for display in the Background layer by the next BKGD Take or Transition operation Note The Program and Preview rows are extended with buttons labeled V1 to either V4 These control display of output from TriCaster s Virtual Inputs Section 3 8 3 3 2 THE FX ROW The FX row selection supplies an auxiliary internal video channel which can serve in a variety of ways For example it can supply the The Background BKGD layer background scene for a Virtual Input or be assigned to an Overlay or i o re E p 8 y supplies the bottom most video DSK channel see Section 3 4 layer seen behind any other layers 3 4 TRANSITIONS shown on Program Output At any given moment BKGD may 3 4 1 VIDEO LAYERS consist of a mix of video streams from Program and Preview rows or The concept of video layers is central to understanding how even a more complex composition TriCaster s Switcher and Transition controls work together to supply formed from
30. Live Desktop is your heart of your live productions We ll discuss its features later Chapter 3 but for now we ll just visit briefly Until you configure input devices or add content the Live Desktop appears a bit barren The first thing to do ina new session is to configure your external connections 13 Figure 8 2 3 2 CONFIGURE SOURCES TriCaster s supports many different live audio and video source types Let s consider how to configure these see Section2 1 for more information on connecting audio and video sources Figure 9 Generally you choose settings for TriCaster inputs and outputs se in panels that you open by clicking conveniently located Configure buttons identified by a gear icon Figure 9 These MA buttons brighten when you move the mouse near them 10801 Component Enable Proc Amp Move your mouse over the monitor for Camera 1 at upper left Proc Amp White Balance on the Live Desktop Notice the Configure button which appears ee ee at right in the monitor s titlebar Click this button to open the settings panel for Camera 1 Figure 10 Click the Connection Type menu to select the proper format for the camera you connected to Input 1 You can freely choose SD l s x Figure 10 or HD options in any session 14 Below this you ll see Proc Amp controls that let you adjust the color characteristics of this source Every TriCaster video source has independent controls just like t
31. TEO 480 4 3 O 1080 24p 720 24p Figure 4 With TriCaster registered the Startup Screen appears This is where you configure and manage TriCaster sessions other Startup features are discussed later in this text as they arise 2 3 1 ALL ABOUT SESSIONS When working with TriCaster you provide certain information about your production environment 11 e What broadcast standard is used in your locale Is it PAL common in Europe among other places or perhaps NTSC standard throughout North American regions e Are you using HD or SD cameras or a mix of both e How are your cameras connected As you continue you may make other adjustments e You might calibrate your cameras using the Proc Amps e For any greenscreen sources you will adjust the LiveMatte settings for optimal keying e You will select output device connection types and settings e You might create playlists in Media Players During the course of your production you may add to the media content available e You could grab a series of still images from Program Output e And capture the network Stream output as a file The list of adjustments activities and assets involved in a specific production goes on but the point to grasp is that the session is comprised of all of the above Best of all if you do not delete the session you created before a production all of your media and your session settings too are ready for immediate recall When you re open
32. TriCaster live production system You ll discover how to get both audio and video in and out of the system and to adapt both input and output to suit your production environment and needs File management features appear in several locations in TriCaster Since content is generally associated with a specific TriCaster session see Section 2 3 1 the Session page of Startup provides a number of related features A few added file tools appear in the Live Desktop and also the Administrator Mode screen see Section 3 11 1 7 1 MANAGE We considered the Home page in Startup much earlier when learning how to create a TriCaster session but skipped over the Manage icon on the Session page s icon ring when doing so This is where TriCaster s principal file management tools are located Click the Manage icon to reveal the menu list show in Figure 91 Figure 90 aon 7 1 1 BROWSE Under the label Browse you will see links to the folders Browse for Clips Stills and other content associated with the Clips Stills session Clicking a link opens a file pane which lets you use familiar features Cut Copy Paste Rename Delete and so on to manage the session content Titles Sound amp Music Figure 91 Hint You can open several folders simultaneously and navigate to other locations as well This method can be used to copy captured still images or video files to portable or networked media for external use Seve
33. USTOMER SUDDON TE sisi cuca A AAA A 76 A KeYStroke Shortcuts siii aio curada 77 AL SWIC 7 quences saianaceiekeiSanseacees ias 77 A2 C e GAS PSE PEROT OPE O APC PENT NPPT ETN IE SPREE EO A A TOA A 77 L O e e ee aneridiatGaeansieaess 77 BA RECOM GOD Be MP acid 78 AS A Poe Rn aS PR Ese aR MR 78 Pus A A ee se ca ees ores T gee em ca saa esc cee 78 A Grap e o e E E AS 79 O 79 AJ CONC AAA AAA in eaehedaee 79 AL Selection ana Navia aaa 79 A 9 2 MISE raid 79 1 INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing this NewTek product Your TriCaster 40 belongs to a large family of video systems and software with a remarkable heritage NewTek is very proud of TC its record of innovation design excellence and product support and we want you to enjoy the very best experience and value we can offer TriCaster sets the standard for portable live production systems It provides a powerful reliable and efficient platform for live production and web streaming yet requires very modest space and can be operated by one person No matter what your live broadcast ambitions might be TriCaster can help you l l l VIDEO IN VIDEO OUT fulfill them You can produce and distribute ES 3 2 La 9 E live video programs from diverse sources y and materials in both Standard and High La 9 y ma Definition 3 a a d La l o TriCaster Use multiple cameras recorded digital video PowerPoint presentations on networked laptops
34. VGA to show either desktop monitor when you have more than one attached using the Monitor 1 or Monitor 2 options in the menu e The Options list contains settings for Open at Login Remove from Dock and Show in Finder e The Video Source menu allows you to choose between monitors on a dual screen system e You can also decide whether or not to Show Mouse Cursor in the display e Inthe older VGA version you can set the transfer speed your network can safely handle directly VGA PRO lets you handle this using the quality setting in the menu that opens when you click the gear icon Gigabit network connections provide the best transfer rates Slower connections may drop frames and should be considered unsuitable especially for HD sessions in extreme cases where network capability is low or unreliable because of other traffic iVGA would still be useful for static displays 50 Hint The original VGA application has a Lower Hardware Acceleration option that may help in cases where a client application uses display technology that would otherwise not work with VGA e In VOGA PRO s Region mode use the marquee to magnify an area of the Windows display which helps when fine detail is important for an application display on the screen If you want your zoomed view to move with the mouse cursor you can unlock the marquee position using the Follow Mouse switch in the VGA PRO control panel or toggle it with a hotkey Right Ctrl Nump
35. actical for streaming over most networks The default profiles are suitable for most purposes and should not interfere with other operations IMPORTING A CUSTOM PROFILE USING BROWSE Flash Media Encoder profiles are XML files while Windows Media Encoder uses a prx file extension for its profiles If you already have a prepared custom profile and wish to import it follow these steps 1 Open the Configure Stream Connection panel by clicking the Configure button gear next to the Stream button on the Live Desktop 2 Click New Connection 3 Select the option appropriate to the profile you wish to import in the popup Choose Connection Type panel 4 Click the Resolution drop down menu and slide the pointer all the way down to the bottom to select Browse 5 Navigate to the custom profile select it and click Open 8 4 4 NETWORK SOURCES e If you have multiple TriCasters connected to your network it is very helpful to give them unique names See Section 2 2 1 for details Although iVGA is highly efficient it does require significant system resources Do not to install and run the iVGA client software directly on a TriCaster itself VGA benefits from the fastest possible network connections between remote clients and TriCaster wherever possible use gigabit network connections e When connecting TriCaster to a network the operating systems sets the connection to one of three types Home Work and Public AirPla
36. ad 9 e Privacy mode allows the client some discretion if they need to check e mail or perhaps view or arrange something without risk of the audience observing When selected this will display a large Privacy Mode banner in TriCaster s preview monitors so the operator is aware this source is temporarily off line The client icon also has a P across the face to remind the client that privacy mode is active 4 2 LIVETEXT As noted earlier a companion workstation on your TriCaster network with LiveText standalone installed can serve as a dedicated CG and title solution for your live presentations When running and connected the LiveText client will be listed in TriCaster s Net 1 and Net 2 drop down menus similar to an iVGA source For more information on installing and using LiveText please refer to its manual 4 3 3PLAY 3Play s Output A and Output B are available as Switcher sources to TriCaster They appear in the source selector menu for TriCaster s network inputs as 3Play A and 3Play B where 3Play is the name for the system fal Receive 3Play1 B LiveText CG MyLaptop Conveniently the output includes embedded audio freeing up multiple TriCaster a v inputs for other purposes Figure 75 4 4 AIRPLAY AirPlay is Apple s protocol for getting audio and video from here to there specifically from an AirPlay source which may be an Apple computer or a m
37. apping the on off icon o Available Wi Fi networks appear under Choose a Network o Locate and tap the Wi Fi network that TriCaster is connected to e By default the Windows Firewall is disabled on TriCaster If your AirPlay device does not recognize TriCaster after enabling AirPlay make sure the firewall has not been inadvertently enabled If you must use it have your network administrator set up an exception for it using the information in the table below Port Protocol Name 443 TCP HTTPS 3689 TCP DAAP 5353 UDP mDNS Bonjour 554 TCP UDP RTSP 52 5 STREAMING Live webcasting has dramatically altered the broadcast landscape Information can be shared among audiences around the world with very small transmission costs providing many creative and profitable opportunities When it comes to taking advantage of this new medium TriCaster places you in the forefront of all the excitement Internet streaming connections involve a wide variety of attributes At times too account login details may be required for your streaming service or CDN content delivery network Hint One of the best approaches when beginning to stream your productions is to establish a relationship with a commercial streaming media provider A good provider can guide you past firewalls provide public addresses for everyone to view your stream and provide no end of valuable guidance And it may not be as expensive as you think Some serv
38. are sent to the session folder inside TriCaster s main Clips folders The content of motion pages cannot be edited in the Live Desktop When you select Send All Pages to Live each page in the project is exported in turn to the appropriate format and location This means they are readily accessible in the Live Desktop s Media Browser afterward for easy addition to a Media Player playlist Title Page icons will appear grouped under their project names in the Media Browser s File Pane when you select the session name in the Location List at left 6 1 3 NAMING STAND IN IMAGES Among other things the Title Editor in TriCaster s Media Players DDR Still and Titles allows you to substitute a different image for stand in or placeholder images in Title Pages cgxml exported from LiveText 65 When creating title pages for this purpose in LiveText you may find it saves you time to add the string placeholder somewhere in the filename of images you prepare for this purpose For example you might name an image headshot_placeholder png or _ PLACEHOLDER crest jpg Images named in this manner will automatically appear as stand in images unlocked in the Title Pages you export to TriCaster using the Send to Live options in LiveText s File menu Hint Working with stand in images is discussed in Section 3 5 4 66 7 FILES AND FILE MANAGEMENT This chapter will tell you how to connect configure and register your new
39. ay is applied before that composition is sent to the Switcher Thus content in a VI Overlay appears beneath anything displayed via the two Switcher DSK channels The Overlay selection and Position controls work just like their Input A and B cousins discussed earlier see Section 3 8 1 39 3 8 3 LIVESET VIRTUAL SETS This brings us to the LiveSet section of the Virtual Input tab LiveSet allows you to achieve the look of a large sophisticated studio setting Figure 64 within a very small studio space Figure 63 without the need for external equipment Figure 63 A O eee Figure 64 LIVESET SELECTION An information line at the top of the Virtual Input tab lists the current LiveSet if any for this Virtual Input The default LiveSet simply composites Input A over Input B if any part of the image assigned to Input A is transparent Input B will show through Hint Many virtual sets require LiveMatte settings to be applied to Input A Input B does not support keying To select a different LiveSet click the Add button at the right hand end of this field line opening a custom Media Browser Figure 65 Add Media Location Figure 65 The Location List of the Media Browser lists any installed LiveSet groups under the heading LiveSets Select an entry beneath to show thumbnail icons in the Browser s File Pane 40 VIDEO SOURCES Virtual Inputs provide LiveSet with a new standard of flexib
40. ay port on TriCaster s rear panel You might use this output for subsidiary monitoring purposes or perhaps to supply a projection system Controls in the tabbed panel determine what display is shown and what resolution is supplied to the output The Screen Layout menu provides a number of optional displays including Program Preview and FX monitors along with a number of useful multi bridge layouts and a large highly visible Waveform Vectorscope option Set the VGA Output Resolution for Multiview to the native resolution of the external device you plan to connect TriCaster s audio input and output streams are individually configured using control groups located in the Audio Mixer tab Figure 21 MEDIA PLAYERS All three Media Players in TriCaster 40 DDR GFX1 and GFX2 support playback of common audio file formats such as MP3 or WAV The DDR also plays video clips with embedded sound Each player has its own control group in the nternal Audio tab The controls and options for internal sources are similar to those we discussed when considering Internal Audio Section 2 3 3 so we won t repeat that information here 20 STREAM The audio control group labeled Stream lets you control the audio you send to an online audience There is a Source selection menu at the top of the Stream control group This allows menu you select individual Media Players by name Internal a mix down of all Media Player output All identica
41. be LLC Terms of Use Privacy Policy Help Community Guidelines Contact e The uppermost contains controls for creating and managing Connection presets along with familiar web browser navigation tools e The large viewport beneath displays the current webpage if any e Finally the panel s footer contains a status line and OK button Figure 77 Hint If you like once you have configured your Connection s you can collapse the header to a compact view using the up down control to the left of the connection name field Figure 77 5 2 WEB BROWSER A simple set of navigation controls Figure 78 is provided above the Web Browser viewport Figure 78 Easily recognizable Backward Forward and Refresh buttons operate just like those on a typical web browser The URL field allows you to type in a webpage address and access it using the Go button at right e The operation of the Home button varies a bit from standard browser usage and a little explanation might be useful Figure 79 54 E i A eee H RA e of 3oservice youtube ipassive tni Go Figure 80 Recall that this is not a general purpose web browser It is here to let you access the main account page you use for a specific Connection rather than a landing page for everyday browsing The Home Page for one Connection will often be different than that of another Unnamed Connection New Delete EE vceLogin uilel 38 i Figure 81 The URL
42. can use the Zoom T Bar to manually zoom in on most LiveSets even when displayed on Program Output The Animate Zoom switch makes it possible to easily perform this realtime zoom automatically with a single click With Animate Zoom enabled simply clicking a preset automatically zooms from the current position to the virtual camera distance represented by the preset A built in ease in out is applied to ensure a smooth zoom 42 The duration for the animated zoom is controlled by a menu beside the Animate Zoom switch This works just like the similar Duration menu buttons in the Switcher s Transitions section providing instant access to three preset durations Alternatively click and drag in the neighboring numeric field to set a custom duration or click the field once more to enter a value directly using the keyboard The maximum duration for an animated zoom is 120 seconds Hint LiveSets each zoom in on a predetermined target A given group of LiveSets may offer variations on the basic set that allow you to zoom in on an actor at center stage or a virtual monitor situated on a desk beside the talent or something else entirely You will find many creative uses for the different versions of the LiveSet 3 9 AUDIO CONTROL The Audio Mixer tab Figure 70 is home to all of the controls required to manage both audio input and output Controls are for each individual audio input source or output stream whether external or
43. cessing or editing Important note F4V format files written by Adobe Flash Media Encoder are incompatible with most video playback applications even those from Adobe The developer has explained the situation at the URL below 60 http helpx adobe com adobe media server kb mpeg 4 f4v files recorded html Unconverted FAV files imported will not play in TriCaster s DDR either Conveniently TriCaster can automate the conversion for you to a degree If you locate the folder named Media Clips sessionname SavedStreams on your primary session drive you will see the raw unprocessed streaming file s and a batch file bat that can be used to convert all files in that folder Simply double click the bat file to initiate processing Note that processing can take some time so don t do this just before a production Output files will be placed in the same folder after conversion Hint The bat file supports several additional features if employed with command line switches A readme file located in the same folder provides details of these alternatives If you prefer to perform this post processing on another computer you can transfer the raw files to it and use the Adobe F4V Post Processor tool available from the URL below requires an account to login https www adobe com cfusion entitlement index cfm event custom amp sku FS0000522 amp e fms35 5 5 DIAGNOSTICS AND TROUBLESHOOTING Video streaming can involve a lot of dif
44. dia Browser from a Media Player hold bows keyboard Shift while clicking the Add button Cancel r Figure 47 2 LOCATION LIST The Location List at left is a column of favorite locations grouped under headings such as Clips Titles Stills and so on The Media Browser is context sensitive so the headings shown are appropriate for the current task 33 A list of sub headings under each main heading in the Location List corresponds to sessions or groups of content Select a sub heading to populate the right hand window the File Pane ADD MEDIA LOCATION BROWSE ee a tocation Clicking Add Media Location opens a standard system selector The folder you Browse choose is added to the Media Browser s Location List under the heading My Media Locations Figure 48 Hint File recursion for listings under My Media Locations is limited to one level below the current sub heading Recursion is deeper infinite for TriCaster s default locations Click Browse to substitute open a system file explorer rather than the custom Media Browser FILE PANE Icons appear in the File Pane for content inside the sub heading selected in the Locations List Files are grouped under dividers named for sub folders Figure 49 FILE FILTERS The File Pane is automatically filtered to show only relevant content For example when selecting LiveSets the browser only shows LiveSet files vsfx An editable filter appears abo
45. e talk source to dominate very useful for public address announcements Enabling Solo for a source sends its post fader sound to the Headphones output This will also remove all non soloed sources from that output Solo i e all currently soloed sources is also an optional source for the Stream output Note Soloed sources are not affected by Mute except on Master output The Solo switch state does not affect Master or Stream audio output E E MONO AND BALANCE Mono and Balance controls appear for Input 1 and other multi channel sources Enabling the Mono switch centers the audio source on both channels Center the Balance knob to apply gain equally to the left and right channels Sliding the knob to the left decreases gain applied to the right channel channel 2 and vice versa PAN Pan A Pan slider is provided for Input 2 only Sliding the Pan knob left or right actually moves or pans the audio between audio channels on output Figure 17 Hint In the default center position the Pan control has exactly the same effect as clicking a Mono switch would produce this is why a Mono switch is not needed for Input 2 Figure 18 TriCaster s network source features are very powerful You can use NewTek s VGA client to include displays from networked computers selected NewTek 3Play instant replay systems or an Apple AirPlay source such as an iPad or iPhone in your productions Or connect to a net
46. ed Source permits you to choose which video stream to capture TriCaster provides two source options PGM Program output and AUX a particularly flexible option since it can be set to a variety of input sources and formats in Output Configuration Note that direct input selections result in a recording that respects the actual input format where possible even if that differs from session format Hint The FX Source option for Aux is particularly useful in connection with the use of a TimeWarp control surface for instant replay applications ENCODING The Encoding option menu allows you to choose between encoding formats for the recorded file For many purposes the default Quicktime R 4 2 2 format is the best choice and enjoys wide cross platform compatibility with other software Note that several options create a separate MP3 audio file in addition to the audio embedded in the captured clip 37 In some cases limitations of third party software may require you to choose the 4 2 0 setting In addition TriCaster supports two H 264 quality options Note that the entry designated Web Quality invokes a fixed standard definition 2 Mbit sec capture profile suitable for online sharing i e this format is always encoded in SD resolution even in HD sessions DESTINATION Select drives or other storage volumes as targets for the different D 636 GB recordings using the Destination drop down menu Figure 58 3 7 GRAB At ti
47. eding allowable values are clipped uniformly assigned the maximum value resulting in audible issues The Audio Headroom setting In Record Configuration allows you to offset input signal levels to provide a safety margin This greatly reduces the possibility of clipping in captured files Beyond this use Trim and Gain controls judiciously to avoid over modulation MUTE Notice that one or more speaker icons appear in the header of each audio control group Figure 16 These Figure 15 brighten when the mouse pointer is near clicking them toggles the sound for the associated channel on and off Figure 16 FOLLOW Enabling the Follow switch for an audio source directs TriCaster to track switcher operations for the related video source This results in the audio for this source being completely muted until the associated video source is displayed on Program Output whether as the Switcher s Program row selection via Overlay or as Input A for a Virtual Input Audio Inputs 1 and 2 track Switcher operations affecting video Inputs 1 and 2 when Follow is enabled Hint When Follow is enabled for a video source not displayed on Output the VU meter display is a grayscale rather than full color TALK AND SOLO For input two the control group includes Talk and Solo switches Talk is an abbreviation of Talk Over Enabling Talk causes the level for all other audio sources to drop off by 20dB allowing th
48. ent calibration scales are common in various audio realms and even for different device types and software Typical analog mixers show levels on VU scales indexed in dB VU which places the nominal operating level at OdB In contrast editing software and digital devices commonly display levels in dBFS Full Scale indexing with OdBFS the maximum signal that can be recorded at the top of the scale TriCaster s VU meters have user configurable indexing and default to showing analog inputs using a traditional dB VU scale and meters for digital sources calibrated in dB FS The calibration shown for any individual meter can be changed to suit a need or preference Click the label above the current scale to open a small menu offering three options as follows e dBVU most familiar to users of typical analog audio mixers e dBFS dB Full Scale the digital standard see notes under the heading e dBu based on a voltage of 0 775 VRMS a shy scale rarely seen in public supplied for completeness comparison and the amusement of audiophiles Whatever scale you choose to use for your different VU meters the key thing is to use Volume controls and for the Mic input the Gain control to avoid over modulation OUTPUT CONTROLS Each of the audio sources discussed earlier provides its own contribution to TriCaster s audio output mix Settings in the output control panels in take effect downstream from all sources further govern
49. er Session Name created and stored on Volume Media D Note External hard drives are not recommended for use as session drives Video Standard NTSC NTSC J FORMAT AND OUTPUT CONSIDERATIONS Resolution Remember that for live production TriCaster can supply SD output for O 1080i O 720p O 480i 16 9 SD sessions or both HD and SD in the case of HD sessions The format of A Ea Ada E y l 1080 24p O 720 24p video signal on Program and Aux outputs varies according to the session type e For all HD sessions Program Output 1 output is HD For SD sessions Program Row 1 output is likewise SD Figure 6 e Aux Output 2 For an HD session Aux output can be configured after launch as either 16 9 or a cropped 4 3 display SD sessions can be either16 9 or 4 3 aspect and Aux output respects the SD session format in that case Hint The session settings determine the video format captured by TriCaster s Record function when capturing Program output the Aux video stream is independent of session format Also note that progressive formats are best suited to web streaming purposes Having chosen session settings click the Start Session button at lower right to advance to the Session Page This page has a new icon ring with three icons Live Graphics and Manage Click Live and then click Start Live Production at right to launch TriCaster s Live Desktop THE LIVE DESKTOP TriCaster s
50. esolution sent from the TriCaster to the native resolution of the projector e Try supplying the projector with analog video e Certain projectors provide a low latency mode to disable features of the unit that carry a heavy toll in latency e Some cameras include features that add extra latency such as image stabilization Disable anything of that sort that you can e Latency may be slightly lower for progressive sessions 75 8 4 6 THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE TriCaster is not a general purpose computer The installed software suite is finely tuned to provide reliable performance and amazing features Anything you install apart from official TriCaster updates places these important goals at risk Doing so is strongly discouraged e Some third party software such as Adobe Flash Live Media Encoder is preinstalled Do not update these packages to newer versions manually It is quite likely that doing so will have unintended results e Virus and malware protection applications can dramatically impact system performance You should always take sensible precautions to avoid introducing infected files into TriCaster by rigorously virus checking media you plan to connect or import beforehand If you really feel you must install virus protection switch all active scanning operations off Then only when you need to do so perhaps on a daily or weekly schedule perform a manual scan e Regarding codecs TriCaster supports the vast
51. ferent standards and diverse environments TriCaster gives you the necessary tools but there are still some common problems you may encounter 5 5 1 TESTING YOUR STREAM When it comes to using your TriCaster in a live production environment failure to test beforehand is not merely unwise it can be professional suicide Keep in mind that onsite testing under real world circumstances can be very revealing is most useful when performed well before zero hour Set up and enable a test program stream from your TriCaster Can someone outside the local environment connect to it over the Internet Remember that if you are simply Pull streaming from behind a router the IP number shown in the TriCaster s Location field will only be valid for other systems behind the router You will need to derive the true external IP address to pass to your viewers or service provider Hint Again consider Push streaming with the aid of a Content Delivery Network a commercial service as this is generally free of firewall and router woes that often require a friendly system administrator to resolve otherwise For Push streaming you will also need to enable port forwarding on the router as discussed next 5 5 2 PORT FORWARDING If you are streaming from behind a router to preserve a reasonable level of security while allowing outside computers to connect to your system you will need to port forward your router Port forwarding permits
52. fy the text Press Enter or click outside the box to complete the editing operation Edit Title Keystroke shortcuts are available to help you edit a selected Arial 72 Restore Defaults text object e Any character s the current text is replaced by the new character s e Home cursor before the first character of the current text e End cursor after the last character of the current string e Delete text input box opens empty e Spacebar original text replaced by a space character Slicky McFirmhair e Backspace last character deleted cursor at the end e Tab next field Shift Tab prior field e Upor Left Arrow key cursor between the last two characters e Down or Right Arrow key cursor at the end Figure 51 Hint A red line under a character or word indicates the spell checker is questioning its spelling Right click to open a menu showing various suggested alternatives Edit Title Arial Ta Restore Defaults Figure 52 The titlebar of the Title Page Editor holds an assortment of text attribute controls These include a Font selector drop down menu numeric Size control and Bold Italic and Underline switches See Chapter 6 LiveText to learn about custom graphics and title page creation 35 STAND IN IMAGES Images embedded in Title Pages may be locked or they may be editable stand ins When you roll the mouse over an embedded image and a yellow border is displayed around the
53. gistration page http register newtek com in the Customer Care section of NewTek s website where you will find further directions Otherwise you can visit the registration webpage from another system with Internet access In either case after registering on the website enter the resulting registration code into the field provided at Step 4 of the dialog 10 Hint It s a good idea to record the login name and password you choose for your website profile in a safe place Jot down registration code too it could come in handy if you ever need to restore the TriCaster software to its as shipped state without access to the Internet Check your personal area of the site from time to time afterward among other things you ll be able to download any free software updates that are made available going forward 2 2 4 REGISTERING BY TELEPHONE NewTek s Customer Care center also handles registration requests by telephone if that is more convenient when opportunity permits you should still visit the website to set up your account allowing you to access to software updates Please have your Product ID from the Registration dialog mentioned earlier handy when you call The phone numbers for Customer Service follow Telephone US 1 800 862 7837 Outside US 1 210 370 8000 Fax 210 370 8001 Note For Customer Support contact information please see Sections 5 2 3 STARTUP AND CONFIGURATION J PAL 480 16 9 1080 30p
54. his Of course internal sources such as Media Players do not require a Connection Type setting Hint Network sources are selected right in their monitor s titlebar for quick access WHITE BALANCE The White Balance controls in the Proc Amp group make it easy to quickly achieve a pleasing color balance e The U portion of the video signal carries the blue and yellow color information Rotate U Offset clockwise to shift the signal toward blue and counter clockwise to shift the signal toward yellow Figure 11 e The V portion of the video signal carries the red and green color information V Offset clockwise to shift the signal toward red and counter clockwise to shift the signal toward green To automatically white balance click and hold the mouse button over the Color eyedropper button and then slide the pointer over the monitor for the corresponding source Release the mouse button over a part of the image that should be white LIVEMATTE AND CROP The Input Configuration panel has a second tabbed pane labeled LiveMatte and Crop This tab contains settings for TriCaster s powerful realtime keying feature LiveMatte Every video source has similar controls and can optionally be keyed then displayed over other content Using LiveMatte is easy Click on the Pick Color button in the Matte section of the panel and keep the mouse button depressed Drag the eye dropper pointer over the green background in the DDR s mo
55. ices based on an advertising model will even host your stream free 5 1 STREAMING CONFIGURATION PANEL VOLUME 3 NUMBER 4 The State of the Internet 4th Quarter 2010 Report ZATIONS 13 640 293 207 change above daily average The Akamai HD Network ry new approach to Figure 76 TriCaster s Streaming Configuration panel Figure 76 lets you store configuration settings for a Connection in a preset that is easily accessed afterward from a convenient drop down me This panel also has a built in web browser permitting you to both view your stream from the remote site just as your audience will see it and use webpage based controls as required To open the Configure Stream Connection panel click the Configure button gear beside the Stream button just below the Stream on off button monitor The panel is arranged in three horizontal bands 53 Flash 15fps 320x180 384k You Tube Search Browse Upload Sign in to YouTube Join the largest worldwide video community Get full access to YouTube with your account You Tube Google e Upload and share your own videos with the world Sign in to YouTube with your e Comment on rate and make video responses to your favorite videos YouTube OR Google Account 2 W e b e Build playlists of favorites to watch later Username Password Browser Y Stay signed in Can t access your account Don t have an account Sign up for YouTube 2011 YouTu
56. ick My Account and use the login details you provided when registering your TriCaster to access your personal product page Click the my downloads link at the top of the page and check the list shown If you find an update you can install it manually as follows 1 Locate a suitable update in downloads and click on it 2 Atthe dialog popup choose Run 3 Comply with any onscreen prompts that follow Advance software releases are also sometime posted on the downloads page for manual download and installation The versions listed as Latest on the web page will be newer than the automatic update version and although not yet approved for final release might be well worth trying if you encounter a software issue Hint If you wish you can instead access the same webpage from a second computer connected to the Internet then transfer update files to TriCaster using a network connection or perhaps a USB thumb drive Defragment All Drives Over the course of lengthy use the section of TriCaster s internal storage devoted to audio and video storage can become fragmented Eventually this can degrade playback performance Defragmenting corrects this condition Hint Defragmentation can sometimes take considerable time so it s not something you want to begin just before an important event Backup or Restore System A complete set of Backup and Restore features are available to help in the event
57. ility allowing you to easily and flexibly assign inputs from the Virtual Input tabs without Switcher involvement Hint One special case is when you select FX as a LiveSet input Conveniently this allows you to use the Switcher to change the input without either interfering with other common Switcher operations or accessing the corresponding Virtual Input tab Figure 66 Virtual sets in the LiveSet system display video from either one or two different TriCaster sources It will not surprise you that these correspond to Input A and B the primary video sources we discussed earlier Again as you might expect Input B is often assigned to secondary purposes such as to supply the display for a monitor in a virtual set ZOOM PRESETS Unlike earlier LiveSet implementations LiveSet does not need multiple LiveSets to mimic different virtual camera distances for a single camera angle Making a single selection populates four Zoom Presets just below Figure 67 Figure 67 Initially these four presets represent default stops between the maximum and minimum distance for the specific set the closest view is 100 Click a preset thumbnail to jump to the camera view it represents An active Zoom Preset is shown with a gold border a white border tracks your cursor when selecting presets Notice that a numeric slider is provided above right for each preset These work the same as other numeric sliders in TriCaster s
58. ing and high voltage 2 1 1 MULTIVIEW TriCaster s Multiview output serves for subsidiary monitoring purposes or perhaps projection applications Connecting a display device to one of the unused monitor connectors on TriCaster s backplate is usually all that is needed for the system to recognize it A variety of Multiview layouts can be selected at any time in the Output Configuration panel in TriCaster s Live Desktop Note Only two of the monitor ports on TriCaster s backplate can be used simultaneously The port type options available for Multiview will depend on which connection you used previously to connect the monitor the UI For best results configure Multiview Output to the native resolution of the external display monitor or projector connected 2 1 2 NETWORK TriCaster can include screens from networked computers running NewTek s iVGA client software network output from applications such as LiveText or Apple Airplay media in your live productions As well an internet connection can serve for registration and updates and of course for live streaming purposes 2 1 3 A V 10 TriCaster lets you live switch up to four HD or SD cameras or other analog inputs along with internal and network connected sources You can even mix Aa y y ERL j amp SD and HD sources In addition multiple external Pa C TA 3 Y audio sources can be added to your program TriCaster _ Audio and video
59. ing a Take operation with the current source selections Note that the use of a TriCaster 40CS control surface allows multiple sources to Figure 27 be switched simultaneously using its Delegate buttons The Preview monitor display respects multi delegate selections too We ll discuss Preview again momentarily in the context of switching Section 3 3 The Preview monitor shows interactive Proc Amp etc indicators when appropriate too just like those we discussed back in Section 2 3 2 23 Beneath these primary monitors are Stream Record and Grab buttons along with their Configuration gear buttons and time counter fields we ll look at these features in Sections 3 6 and Chapter 4 respectively A convenient Master Volume knob appears under Program too Figure 28 By default the monitoring section at left provides individual monitors for all available video sources including camera and network inputs and output from the internal Media Players The header of the monitor for the source currently selected on the Switcher s Program row is highlighted in red The titlebar for the Preview row selection has a green tint while the FX source titlebar is blue 3 2 1 CONTEXTUAL TOOLS We mentioned the yellow green and blue titlebar switches Proc Amp LiveMatte and Crop previously see Section 2 3 2 Additional controls pop up when you move your mouse pointer over the onscreen monitors The controls provided vary accordi
60. ing audio levels sent to TriCaster s different output sections including headphones and the Internet stream 44 MASTER AND PHONES The main Program outputs labeled PGM on TriCaster s faceplate are controlled by the Gain knob and Balance control in the Master sub panel located at far right in the Audio Mixer tab Just above this is a simple level control for the Phones output Hint Shift double click Gain knobs to restore their default values OdB STREAM The Stream sub panel provides a method of independently adjusting stereo audio levels sent to the network when streaming is enabled An important addition to this control group is the Source drop down menu This allows you to supply sound to the Streaming output exclusively from one of the following selections e DDR audio from the DDR output is sent to the streaming output e GFX 1 or 2 audio from the corresponding player is sent to AUX output connectors e Internal All internal audio sources combined e All a supplementary program output channel with independent level control e Solo only sources with their Solo switches enabled are sent to the streaming output 3 10 DESKTOP OPTIONS Several very useful options are presented in the Desktop Options menu Open the menu by clicking the gear button at extreme right just above bt the large tabbed panes occupying the lower third of the Live Desktop Y Tabs Follow Preview for Virtual Inputs Enable Tab
61. ite the C partition only on the existing system drive from the disk image stored on its hidden Restore partition This procedure restores your system drive C to its as shipped state The D drive which holds content and sessions won t be modified However any TriCaster software updates possibly including optional TriCaster expansion packs will be overwritten so use this function only if you truly find it necessary a call to NewTek s excellent Customer Support first may often be fruitful see Section 8 5 When you do restore remember to update the TriCaster software afterward Note If you restore TriCaster to factory defaults as opposed to a custom user backup made after system registration the Windows system software must be re activated To do this you will need the operating system serial number which you will find on a sticker affixed inside the front panel of your TriCaster 8 4 TRICASTER TIPS 8 4 1 USER INTERFACE e Hold down the keyboard Shift key and double click most controls to reset the associated value to its factory default Numeric sliders often offer increased precision 10x if you hold down the Ctrl key while dragging the mouse pointer over them e Remember that the Desktop Option menu provides some settings that can make life easier during live operations Section 3 10 Double click a blank spot in the Playlist pane of a Media Player to open the Media Browser Shift double click
62. k an icon or click the Play button to begin playback Note that still images and static title pages added to the playlist are given a duration the default is 15 seconds This can be adjusted singly or en masse for multi selected icons Hint The duration shown is the play time after any trimming operations and thus may at times be less than the file length on disk In and Out markers on the Scrub Bar below the playlist show the effect of trimming and can be dragged with the mouse to edit the n Out points 30 Another very useful feature shared by TriCaster s Media Players is the Preset Bin which provides quick and convenient access to multiple playlists Presets also store the state of various Media Player controls 4 r 7 a keyin Export Import Delete Figure 42 To display the preset bin roll the mouse pointer to the edge of the screen in a tabbed Media Player or the Audio Mixer tab When you change playlists it s almost as though you are accessing another media player To populate a new preset simply click a blank preset icon Presets are named and conveniently display a thumbnail image To modify the name right click the preset icon to open a menu and select Rename Other menu options include Delete Export and Import the file will be saved with the extension pst FILE OPERATIONS e Click Add to open a custom Media Browser e Drag appropriate type file s from one module s playlist to anothe
63. l to the Master mix or Solo a mix of all soloed sources only Other Stream controls are the same as those discussed earlier and are familiar by now Figure 22 MASTER AND HEADPHONES The Master volume slider and associated VU meters relate to TriCaster s main audio output level Just above these you ll see a Balance slider and above that again a knob controlling volume of audio sent to the Headphone jack Generally the Headphone audio mix is the same as Master but as discussed earlier it is replaced by the Solo mix when any sources have that switch enabled Figure 23 2 3 4 INTERNET STREAMING One of TriCaster s great strengths is its direct support for streaming your productions to the Internet and in turn to a potentially unlimited audience Online broadcasting can be a simple matter or more complex depending on your needs Rather than give this important topic short shrift here we ve devoted the entirety of Chapter 5 to the topic 21 3 THE LIVE DESKTOP a TriCaster s Live Desktop is really the production hub home to the all of the controls displays modules and tools you will use to create and broadcast your live productions in realtime as events occur 3 1 OVERVIEW 1 Monitoring 2 Live Control 3 Tabbed Modules TriCaster s Live is divided into three horizontal bands e All live inputs including any network and and internal sources 2 Live Control e Switcher
64. les 5 3 7 OTHER RESOURCES If you re still struggling with the differences between Push and Pull streaming methods you can find lots of online resources in addition to excellent information available in NewTek s user forums The popular web resource Wikipedia hosts many articles on the subject notably these two http en wikipedia org wiki Push_technology and http en wikipedia org wiki Pull_ technology Microsoft even hosts an animation on the subject at www microsoft com windows windowsmedia knowledgecenter wminaction streaming pushpull asx Ignore the detailed discussion of configuring the encoder and just enjoy the pretty pictures your TriCaster makes that part easy for you 5 4 CAPTURING THE STREAM Enable the Archive File switch in the Server control group and supply a file name in the adjoining field A folder is automatically created at D Media Clips sessionname SavedStreams to receive the captured stream file Note this option is not shown for Browser based connections since archival service is commonly offered by the CDN in that case Hint If you re not intent on live streaming but wish to capture a live switching session you would likely record at full resolution using the Record button rather than Stream The high quality captured files can then be used later in TriCaster s DDR edited in SoeedEDIT or even be transferred to another computer even on a different platform for external pro
65. live web pages digital photos and graphics and much more TriCaster also supports Apple s AirPlay protocol allowing compatible off the shelf mobile video devices such as iPhone and iPad to stream content wirelessly to TriCaster Your presentations can simultaneously be displayed by video projectors television monitors broadcast by traditional means and streamed in high quality on the Internet TriCaster includes Animation Store Creator an immensely powerful add on application as well as an integrated version of LiveText which lets you prepare great live editable title and graphics pages for your productions In addition a number of other great products from NewTek including both add on software and hardware control surfaces can extend and enhance your productions NOTE Some features described in this Guide including Animation Store transitions Animation Store Creator LiveText progressive session formats the Export module some recording formats White Balance scopes certain Multiview layouts and Aux output options and still more are exclusive to TriCaster 40 Version 2 Version 1 users can contact their reseller or NewTek Sales to inquire about upgrading 2 GETTING STARTED This chapter will tell you how to connect configure and register your new TriCaster live production system You ll discover how to get both audio and video in and out of the system and to adapt both input and out
66. majority of popular image audio and video formats Ifa file you would like to use does not play back well or at all consider converting it to a friendlier format using TriCaster s Import Media feature Section 7 1 2 8 5 CONTACTING CUSTOMER SUPPORT Visit the NewTek Website at www newtek com and click the Support link in the main menu at the top of the page This page lists the hours of operation and contact details In North America contact Customer Support Monday to Friday from 8 30am to 7 00pm CST or Saturday and Sunday from 10 00am to 2 00pm CST at the phone numbers or email address below e Telephone US 800 862 7837 Outside US 1 210 370 8452 e Fax 210 370 8001 24 hrs day e Email cs newtek com 76 A KEYSTROKE SHORTCUTS A 1 SWITCHER FX Row Inputs 1 to Input 9 Alt 1 0 F2 and Shift 1 2 Take Overlay 10n 0ff 0 Select Transition prev next and comma and period Toggle Reverse Transition On Off feo o A 2 T BAR Halfway T Bar Take A 3 VIRTUAL INPUTS Activate Zoom Preset 1 for Virtual Input selected on Alt F1 Program Activate Zoom Preset 2 for Virtual Input selected on Alt F2 Program Program 77 Program Preview Preview Preview Preview A 4 RECORD GRAB STREAM Grab still image H A 5 TABS A 6 DDR Goto previous playlistitem o Uoo Autoplay On Off S NT On Off O Single On Off On Off Navigate through Playlist items AER
67. mes all you really want to capture is a still image from the current Program Output video stream This is the purpose of TriCaster s Grab function Click the Configure button gear next to Grab beneath the Program Output monitor to open the Grab Still Configuration panel The options presented are similar to those of Record Configuration though a bit simpler Again enter a Base Name The name you supply which will be numerically Figure 59 incremented as required Enable the Add to Graphics 2 Playlist switch to automatically include newly captured clips at the end of the current Graphics 2 module playlist ready for immediate playback during the live production Grabbed image files are stored in a folder named for the session inside the main Still folder Hint During a session the grab counter situated beside the button keeps track of the number of images stored for the current base name entry 3 8 VIRTUAL INPUTS Virtual Input buttons sit on TriCaster s Switcher rows just like other video inputs but in fact they possess very powerful features Much like the M E Mix Effect rows of a traditional video switcher they permit a multi layer composition to be prepared from multiple sources In addition to the two sources just considered nputs A and B Virtual Inputs provide an integrated Overlay channel as well 38 Figure 60 Virtual Inputs support two primary video sources These two sources are labeled Input
68. mission to the service provider and ultimately beyond to your Internet audience is performed by an applet running on the website As mentioned before however this arrangement often doesn t give you as much control or as many options as you might want Other Connection Type options are more hands on in this respect but require you to manually select related settings as discussed next for each type 5 3 2 ADOBE FLASH TriCaster can encode and stream using Adobe Flash and this is Choose Connection Type a very popular choice When you select Adobe Flash as the Connection Type the controls presented in the header of the Configure Stream Connection panel update accordingly Figure 83 56 Flash 15fps 320x180 384k Figure 84 The first thing you might notice is the Resolution menu at left beneath the Home field Figure 84 This selector lets you choose from a list of streaming profiles labeled to show their respective frame rate fps resolution and bandwidth settings Server Import Settings From File E g Figure 85 At right is the Server control group Figure 85 where you enter the parameters required by your streaming service or CDN Content Delivery Network Let s consider the information you need to complete this successfully The Username and Password are supplied to you by the streaming service and are specific to your account Location also referred to as the Server Address is the address
69. n and support And of course NewTek s own TriCaster forum membership can generally be relied upon for helpful hands on experience and advice Many of the organizations providing streaming services offer free accounts with limited capabilities and options This can be just what you need to get started with live streaming Many providers also offer paid for accounts with benefits including removing ads and advanced streaming options such as higher bitrate and resolutions or multi bitrate streaming two way live chat and so on Once configured on the remote site audition your streaming broadcast by pushing the Test button in the Configure Stream Connection panel After leaving this panel the Stream button underneath the Program Out monitor on the Live Desktop toggles streaming on and off note that when you start streaming with the Test button then close the Configure Stream Connection panel streaming continues uninterrupted Hint If you do not wish to archive your test stream disable the Archive File switch located in the Server control group beforehand but remember to re enable it later if desired Also note that some services may show you what they are receiving from TriCaster when you press Test or Stream but do not actually broadcast that stream until you indicate that you are ready to go on air using controls on the website For Browser Based streaming the encoding of your program into a stream for trans
70. ng into the pre arranged web address using the username and password you provided The streaming service then re transmits your stream for all to see 5 3 5 BANDWIDTH CONSIDERATIONS You ll often hear the term bitrate in connection with streaming video This refers to data throughput per second measured in Kilobits per second or Kbps For reliable performance try to ensure the potential upload bandwidth from your system to the net is around twice the bitrate you choose You can broadcast at a rate closer to your actual ceiling but reliable performance cherishes headroom Even if you can supply good output bandwidth flow may be constricted elsewhere such as by the download connection of your audience A safety margin of around 1 5x the stream bitrate is desirable This may mean you need to consider using a lower resolution or lower framerate for your stream but doing so when required will generally deliver a smoother result nothing turns viewers off quicker than a stuttering stream 59 5 3 6 AUDIO HEADROOM TriCaster provides an Audio Headroom setting that provides the ability to choose how far below OdB FS the maximum allowable digital level to set the nominal level for your streaming audio Figure 88 This lets you customize your streaming audio headroom level separately to make sure your audience hears sound at an appropriate level while still eliminating any possibility of audio clipping in captured streaming fi
71. ng to the source Figure 29 type represented by the monitor Camera monitors show Freeze and Configure buttons in the titlebar on mouse roll over Other controls appear if you roll over the onscreen monitor for a Media Player Stop and Play buttons are supplemented by Previous and Next playlist item buttons As well a timecode field is conveniently situated below the monitor label for Media Player modules Figure 30 Right click on to open a menu allowing you to Reverse Direction for the time counter show or disable Warning Colors or use the entire Playlist Duration for the timecode rather than just the time for the current item Figure 30 Roll the mouse pointer over a Network monitor and click the triangle button to list available network video sources The menu might list displays from other computers on the network via iVGA an AirPlay stream or perhaps the output from a LiveText workstation Network sources are considered in more depth in Chapter 4 Figure 31 24 3 2 2 INTERACTIVE CONTROL The small video source monitors are actually interactive click an unselected monitor to send it to the Switcher s Preview row Click it again to perform a Take swapping it with the current Program row selection and sending it to Program Output Or Shift click the monitor for the Preview row source to perform a Transition 3 2 3 WAVEFORM VECTORSCOPE NewTek TriCaster Figure 32 A further and ve
72. nitor and then release it This establishes the primary key Color and turns the Enable LiveMatte switch on Adjust the Tolerance slider value higher or lower to include more or less of the key color in the matte transparent region Figure 12 15 The Smoothness control lets you blend the foreground smoothly into the transparent background Dill SUDDPTESSIO When overlaying the keyed source on another image this helps produce a seamless composition The Spill Suppression controls work in similar fashion but operate on key color that is unintentionally reflected or spilled onto the foreground subject It s very common for a little green spill to occur on the shoulders of a person in a greenscreen shot for example Figure 13 It is also very common for a greenscreen shot to have unintentional inclusions that remain after the base chromakey process is applied but which need to be removed along with the background Common examples include microphones or lighting fixtures dangling from above or perhaps a harsh crease blemish or tear in the background screen Hint Keyed sources are useful in the DSK Down Stream Keyer channels on the main Switcher or as layers in Virtual Input compositions These features are discussed in Chapter 3 The Crop tools in this tab can be used to remove such unwanted garbage from the scene or for other creative purposes The four numeric controls in this group allow you t
73. numeric controls below click to enter a value by typing if you prefer Hint DSK layers automatically appear temporarily on Preview when the Position panel is open This frees you to tinker with Positioning without disrupting Program output 3 4 3 MAIN LAYER CONTROLS Generally TriCaster s main Transition controls Take Auto and the T Bar behave just like their local sidekicks Use the T Bar to control transition progress manually Figure 39 FTB FADE TO BLACK Remember that FTB Fade to Black is effectively the final video layer before output and will hide all other layers when active Click this button to enable or disable FTB Note As a reminder that FTB obscures all other output the button pulses when FTB is active 3 5 MEDIA PLAYERS Figure 40 TriCaster s Media Players permit you to use clips stills title pages and sound files in your live presentations You can display files sequentially as a playlist or singly on demand Media Players can even play stop and advance automatically in response to your Switcher operations 29 Three different Media Players the DDR Graphics 1 and Graphics 2 are located in tabbed panes at the bottom of the Live Desktop The main difference between Media Players is the file formats they play Supported media types include e Video clips including animations e Still images photos graphics etc e Title Pages live editable CG pages
74. o define independent margins for the frame Simply drag the mouse left or right on the number fields to adjust them or double click the field to type a new value Notice that enabling Proc Amp LiveMatte or Crop settings for any source results in an indicator being illuminated in the titlebar of its monitor Click these lights to toggle the feature on or off without opening the larger configuration panel Figure 14 Configure all connected external video sources in this manner Afterward you should be able to view them on their respective input monitors Audio input configuration is similar Click the Audio Mixer tab to access the controls for audio nputs 1 and 2 along with other audio sources Generally consumer devices such as a CD player or inexpensive audio mixer deliver line level audio TriCaster s Input 1 representing the two RCA a k a cinch plug inputs on the front panel is devoted to this type of audio source 16 The Mic controls govern the microphone unbalanced mic level 14 input For this source a Trim knob is provided allowing you to adjust the nominal level for different microphones Note that the sound from this input is mono ed sent to both internal audio channels by default After establishing benchmark input levels use the Gain slider knobs next to the vertical VU meters to maintain suitable volume for your needs Note In digital audio systems signal levels exce
75. obile device such as iPad iPod or iPhone to a second device You select the AirPlay icon at the top of the Source menu for Net 1 or Net 2 just as you would select an iVGA or LiveText source Unlike iVGA embedded audio with level control is supported for AirPlay sources TriCaster identifies itself as a network client for AirPlay apps applications and you can then designate TriCaster as the output device for content played on the device AirPlay streams audio video or both from the device to the local network and on to TriCaster 51 Here are a few hints that may help if you encounter issues in connection with using AirPlay sources e The first time you connect to a network with the TriCaster you must choose a network location This is a standard Windows process that automatically configures appropriate firewall and security settings for the type of network that you connect to You will be presented with 3 options Home Work and Public If TriCaster s active network has inadvertently been set to Public AirPlay will not connect Be sure this is set to either Home or Work e Make sure you are connected to the correct network especially for Wi Fi iOS connects to known networks by default If multiple Wi Fi connections are available it may connect automatically to a previously known network For a wireless AirPlay source such as iPad follow these steps o Tap Settings gt Wi Fi If Wi Fi is off turn it on by t
76. onfigure button gear located next to the Record button es Figure 54 opens the Record Configuration panel l QuickTime 4 2 0 Figure 55 orl ote MPEG 2 4 2 2 MPEG 2 4 2 2 Figure 55 MPEG 2 4 2 0 MPEG 2 4 2 0 MP3 3 6 1 RECORD CONFIGURATION The Record Configuration panel allows you to select AVI 4 2 2 which source to capture along with other settings H 264 High Quality H 264 Web Quality MP3 audio only 36 The first thing you may want to do is enter a Base Name for captured files this name increments numerically when you start and stop recording ADD TO DDR Figure 56 Enable the Add to DDR Playlist switch to automatically insert newly captured clips at the end of the DDR playlist These clips are available for immediate playback during your live production AUDIO HEADROOM In digital audio systems signal levels exceeding allowable values are clipped uniformly assigned the maximum value inevitably entailing audible issues TriCaster s Record Configuration panel provides an Audio Headroom setting that Figure 57 lets you choose an offset value in decibels between OdB FS the maximum allowable digital level and the benchmark alignment level Hint When playing files located in TriCaster s default capture folders the DDR adjusts the audio level automatically to produce an improved level match in playlists that include imported sounds or music SOURCE A drop down menu label
77. or typically used for a microphone You might supply the RCA connectors from an external mixer or other audio source such as a CD or MP3 player AUDIO OUT The connectors in Audio Out are similar but you ll note that the jack is labeled PHONES hinting that it is intended for a set of stereo headphones suitable for monitoring sound 2 2 REGISTRATION 2 2 1 STARTUP AND WINDOWS ACTIVATION Turn on the computer monitor and push the Power switch on TriCaster s faceplate The Power LED will illuminate and the hard drive activity light should flicker as the device boots up If this does not happen check your connections and retry Click Next at lower right Choose your time zone Accept the license agreement Enter your 25 digit key on some models the sticker is on the bottom of the case Decline automatic updates by clicking not right now ee SS Give TriCaster a distinct computer name for networking You can authorize your Windows installation by network or by telephone If you have connected TriCaster to a network see Section 2 1 2 with Internet access this provides the fastest method of activation 1 Click Obtain IP and DNS automatically Agree to activate Windows This activation is permanent and you won t see these screens again Registration with Microsoft is optional 3 Assign a name to the administrator account You may type your name company or perhaps simply TriCaster A Click
78. our camers and micophone Allow O Deny v Remember Figure 87 5 3 3 WINDOWS MEDIA PULL If you are streaming internally to people in your building or inside your own corporate firewall Pull streaming may well provide the easiest approach Be aware that since your stream may be constrained by lower bandwidth than a commercial streaming service typically offers Pull streaming may falter when more than a few users are viewing the stream For a Pull Connection Type the Location field attempts to automatically display the Internet address you would provide viewers or your streaming service provider This the IP Internet Protocol address of your computer on the network This information will be provided as punctuated numeric value IMPORTANT NOTE To avoid malicious external access routers mask the details of systems connected to them If TriCaster is connected to the network by a router the IP number in the location field is only valid for viewers on the same side of the router as your TriCaster This is a local number assigned by the router not accessible to the world at large To find out how to provide external access to your stream in this configuration please see Section 5 5 Diagnostics and Troubleshooting for information on routers and port forwarding You can provide your clients or streaming providers this address Entering this address into the File menu of Windows Media Player using copy and
79. output options are also quite varied Aside from Network inputs Section 2 1 2 all external media inputs along with Program and Auxiliary audio and video outputs are conveniently located on TriCaster s faceplate Figure 2 Input and output connectors for upstream audio and video sources are conveniently mounted on TriCaster s faceplate Figure 2 Connectors are grouped and labeled making it easy to see what should be connected and where VIDEO IN Cameras or other analog video sources are connected to inputs in the VIDEO IN group Connectors are organized in four columns supplying Switcher inputs numbered 1 4 Optional connection types for SD video source include composite Y C S Video and component Y Pb Pr For HD sources an HD component connection is required VIDEO OUT Two independent video outputs are supplied These are numbered 1 and 2 in the VIDEO OUT group and supply TriCaster s Program PGM and Auxiliary AUX video outputs respectively Connection types available for Output 1 PGM are identical to those for video inputs according to the session HD or SD The forma t for Output 2 AUX is separately configurable In SD format its connectors can be configured to supply composite Y C or component video AUDIO IN Connect your audio sources using the RCA cinch plug and 6 35 mm TRS jacks in the Audio In group on TriCaster s faceplate The TRS jack also known as a phone jack is a mono connect
80. pasting it into the Open URL window will direct the player to show the stream from your system on client computer system s connected to the Internet 58 Hint Most web browsers can be also configured to invoke a compatible player when required as well but using WMP directly in this fashion may save some steps Beyond this simply select a suitable profile from the Resolution menu for your need Once you set up the connection click OK to close the panel Your live program stream will be sent continuously to the network while the Stream button is enabled 5 3 4 WINDOWS MEDIA PUSH A Push Connection Type is often the most convenient method especially in cases where TriCaster is connected behind a firewall as when you need to stream from major venues such as corporate offices hotels or convention centers The program stream passes quietly out through any firewalls or routers between the facility and your streaming server Also once your streaming provider has provided you the connection specifics you can resume the stream at any time without intervention from the server When a Push profile is chosen the Server control group updates to allow entry of the pre arranged host web address Location Username and Password Note The publishing point is placed at the end of the URL following a forward slash i e http 225 21 1 4 8080 NewTek Enabling the Stream button then pushes the stream from your location loggi
81. please call Customer Service to obtain direction before proceeding with an internal drive replacement 8 3 2 RESTORE TRICASTER S SYSTEM DRIVE We firmly expect you will never need it but isn t it good to know that a complete TriCaster Restore function is available in the event of an unforeseen problem You can use one of two methods to restore your system depending on your situation To restore your TriCaster system software after the system launches normally 1 Click the Shut Down icon on the Home Page of the Startup Screen 2 Click the Administrator Mode link at right to exit the TriCaster environment 3 Inthe Administrator Mode screen select the link labeled Backup or Restore System and follow prompts If TriCaster should ever fail to boot up properly you may need to try a different approach to restoring your TriCaster system software as follows 1 Select the menu item labeled Backup or Restore TriCaster from the black boot screen that appears shortly after powering TriCaster up If this screen does not automatically appear reboot and press F8 a few times in quick succession say once per second immediately after powering up 72 2 Follow prompts to complete the process a If you have previously created a custom backup drive image on another hard drive you can select Restore System Partition from User Backup Drive b Otherwise the option Restore System Partition to Factory Defaults will overwr
82. plication After agreeing to the NewTek license and a moment or two for the network connection to be established the name of the remote computer is added along any other networked systems with VGA running on them to the VGA client list Note Gigabit networking is highly recommended and should be considered mandatory for HD sessions in particular 49 Figure 74 When TriCaster recognizes qualified network sources it adds them to a drop down menu for quick selection Figure 74 4 Move your mouse pointer over a Network monitor in the All Monitors tabbed view 5 Click the triangular menu button above the monitor to select a networked source or change the current selection from the menu that appears Hint VGA places a red green blue status icon on the client system For a Windows based system the icon is in the task tray on Macintosh systems it is shown in the dock This indicates this computer s display is ready to send to TriCaster The icon is animated when iVGA is selected as the active Network source in TriCaster Right click the iVGA icon on the OS X dock or Windows Task Bar to open a menu with several options as follows e Engaging Privacy Mode prevents the client display from appearing when you don t want it to e Keynote Mode allows the iVGA client to update the screen even if Keynote is running This also can be used with some games though the framerate may be quite low e You can set i
83. provide video output but it s possible that a given monitor may not display it correctly 6 1 2 FILES FILEBIN LiveText s file dialogs for File gt Open File gt Add File gt Save and Save As have pre configured QuickTabs pointing to the following default paths for the current session Note the Quicktab links refer to session dependent paths thus are not permanent That is for a given session the path the Quicktab refers to is established at launch time For this reason the TriCaster version of LiveText does not support user added Quicktabs LiveText s File menu has two special items Send Current Page to Live and Send All Pages to Live These take the place of other export options appearing in the standalone version of LiveText As you would expect these functions creates files for use in the Live Desktop automatically storing them in the correct place s for easy access Titles prepared in LiveText can be either still or motion pages When you send a still page to Live it becomes a Title Page file with the characteristic filename extension cgxml Title Page files can be edited in the Live Desktops Media Players Send Current Page to Live will automatically store these files in the D Media Titles sessionname projectname folder Motion pages scrolls and crawls that you send to Live are stored as bitmap animation files with an avi file extension suitable for playback in Live Desktop s DDR These
84. put to suit your production environment and needs 2 1 CONNECTIONS AO gt A word about UPS devices Modified sine wave UPS devices are lani popular due to low manufacturing Begin by connecting the A C power cord to the three prong costs However such units should connections on TriCaster s backplate and plug the other end into an generally be viewed as being of low external power receptacle see Hint below Continue on to connect quality and possibly inadequate to the mouse and keyboard to USB ports fully protect the system from abnormal power events Connect the monitor you plan to use for the interface to a port DVI or HDMI to suit your monitor on TriCaster s backplate For a modest added cost consider a pure sine wave UPS These units can be relied on to supply very clean TriCaster s interface requires a minimum screen resolution of 1680x1050 or 1600x1200 power eliminating votential As for any mission critical system consider connecting your TriCaster and related gear using an uninterruptable power supply UPS Likewise consider A C power conditioning especially in situations where local power is unreliable or noisy Surge protection is especially important in some locales Power conditioners can reduce wear on TriCaster s power supplies and other electronics and provide a further measure of protection from surges spikes lightn
85. r module e Right click in the playlist pane to show a context menu with relevant items from the following list e Cut e Clone e Copy e Set Duration Stills and titles e Paste e Edit Title e Remove e Set Audio Level e Rename Standard system Cut Copy Paste and Delete keystrokes are supported Un playable missing corrupt or unsupported file icons are ghosted Hint A speaker overlay on the icon s bottom right corner indicates a clip has audio You can click this control to set the level ona per clip basis too Rename creates a local alias or playlist nickname It does not actually change the name of the file on your hard drive Roll the mouse over the Alias in the icon header to see the filename SCRUB BAR Just beneath the playlist pane is a full width Scrub Bar Its width represents the full run time of the selected item Drag the knob left or right to change position in the file 31 Figure 43 Initially In and Out Point handles at opposite ends of the Scrub Bar mark the full limits of the file on disk Dragging these handles edits the In and Out points multi selections are ignored The trimmed duration is displayed in a timecode field just to the right Hint For longer durations holding SHIFT while dragging In Out handles increases precision CONTROLS Transport controls and related features are located directly below the Scrub Bar Pa mi PA fa e C Fie 8 He T ee linet
86. r ports on the rear See iii es Section 2 1 for more detail on making connections Aux Configuration settings for all three outputs are located in the Output Configuration panel accessed by clicking the gear icon at the top right corner above the main Program monitor Preview 1920x1080 16 9 OUTPUT 1 PROGRAM We mentioned earlier that the video standard multi standard model and format supplied by the Figure 20 Program output is determined by the session setting you decided on see Section 2 3 1 For an HD session the only suitable connection is Component However SD sessions do support several optional connection types The SD Analog Connections control group in the Output tab allows you to choose either Composite Y C both can be active at one time using the appropriately marked connectors in the VIDEO OUT group or alternatively a single Component connection AUX Toward the middle of the Output tab you ll see controls that let you choose the source screen aspect and connection type for the Aux output labeled Row 2 in the VIDEO OUT connector group on TriCaster s front panel 19 The Format menu determines what video format is supplied by the Aux output connectors This setting is independent of session format and allows multiple formats to be transmitted and recorded simultaneously MULTIVIEW The Output Configuration panel has another control group labeled Multiview These settings govern the secondary displ
87. rag the mouse pointer left or right over the numeric display to set a custom time or click the numeric field and type a value TRANSITION TYPES TriCaster provides two main categories of transitions Standard transitions are simpler mostly 2D effects that employ transparency and in some cases motion to accomplish the scene change Animation Store transitions have full color animated overlays built into them along with individual sounds for transitioning in and out transition sounds are optional also audio level control is provided in the Audio Mixer tab These special transitions are loaded into Transition Bin slots in the same way as their Figure 37 standard cousins using the Browse feature Numerous Animation Store transitions are included with TriCaster With the included Animation Store Creator add on application you can generate custom transitions of your own ASC has its own manual click the Help icon in Startup to view it THE POSITIONER En CL 1 00 a O 06 DSK layers have independent Position settings Click the button marked with a double headed arrow to open the Overlay Position panel Position settings are de tits P organized into two sections Position and Scale Figure 38 28 Drag the double headed arrow to relocate the DSK source vertically or horizontally within the frame Constrain movement to one axis by holding down the Ctrl key before dragging or by dragging on either of the two
88. ral other important features are found in Manage including Import and Export Media 67 7 1 2 IMPORT MEDIA Clicking Import Media opens a custom import panel offering batch import of files for use in TriCaster s Media Players lt even allows you to transcode files to appropriate high quality TriCaster friendly file formats at the same time if you wish Import Medias quick processing makes this the fastest and most convenient way to pre load a session with production assets Import Media Add Transcode globe avi Importing hdfireworks avi Importing bluflare avi Importing BIKEJPG Waiting BLOCKS JPG Wai Close Figure 92 Click Add to open a file window and select or multi select items to build a list in the Import Media file pane Some highly compressed video files may not be well suited to live playback Enable switches in the Transcode column for files you wish to convert to a friendlier format on import Re order files by dragging entries up or down or removed them from the list by highlighting them and clicking Remove Once the batch import list is prepared click Import to complete the operation Files are processed quickly and are automatically added to their proper locations according to type for easy access during live production 7 1 3 EXPORT MEDIA The Export Media function allows you to create a list of video files for export select a new file format for these exports to be converted to on a per file basis and de
89. rows FX Program and Preview e Transition controls T bar Take Auto and video layer configuration and control 3 Tabbed Modules e Media Players Virtual Inputs and Audio controls 3 1 1 TITLEBAR TIPS The Live Desktop titlebar provides useful data and tools Displayed info includes e Session Name and video format e Switcher Memory amount of graphics memory consumed by virtual sets and transition effects e Timecode from the system clock may include optional Start End displays and Timecode Configure button gear 22 Scan this code to view the TriCaster user guide Figure 24 e QR Code Documentation click this button and scan a QR code with your mobile device such as an iPad or Android tablet to download documentation e Eject removable storage media and x Exit button STATUS BAR Figure 25 Figure 26 An information display below the titlebar displays system including any cautionary indications 3 2 MONITORS By default the upper third of the Live Desktop is covered with monitors Large full time Program and Preview monitors occupy the right half of the upper monitoring section Let s discuss them first The Program monitor at right in Figure 27 displays the video output TriCaster is currently sending to downstream devices and ultimately to your viewing audience The Preview monitor at left in Figure 27 displays the output that would result from Hot Topics perform
90. rstone merino 25 3 MESITA nee eee een ee meee ee ee en ener er eee ee 25 3 3 1 The Program and Preview ROWS ccccccccccsescscnsscccsescecnsscecsesseueseneessseuessecesseuucsseusseseueseneueseeeueseueuss 26 NRO roba 26 E TON OG arses ceca PPPO NU 0PP Po O 26 sAr PS roo ESE OO A 26 3 4 2 Loca La Ver CORTO atando 27 3 4 3 Main Layer CONOIS tabaco 29 3 Mea VET e R EA EEE E EAA AAE AAAA E A A EEA AA 29 3 5 1 COM OI US E E E S E E 30 Sarees sir eee eps A ee oO o AA 33 353 Add the Media Browser rra deus 33 R E 1 A A yu A ee Ce ee eee 35 BG RECO GOO tc ncnitne 36 3 6 1 Record CON ASUS iaa 36 O lt c 0 A A A 38 300 VUNDUS tritio dieran iodo 38 3 8 1 PO ONE A E O O A NTE 39 2O V2 2 1 gm ee eno a ene ne ee ee ee eee 39 3 8 3 EU Tra RT Bes cy Ce oa nen a e a Ne e Oe ee ee do 40 39 Audo erc Te O E A ie I i ose faba A lacs falcon el Oe 43 3 9 1 O AA A TPT ete eared ee ena aT Oe ae 44 3 10 EET R o o O 45 3 11 A DOWI R 45 SL GUISE ALON MOS er ea eN e o To 46 NetWork TTT c cid ib 49 7a BA A EEEE TO 49 4 1 1 AE A a aaa a a tee teen ahs 49 42 AAA IN IN A TEAT cr ea ET TE O OTET T 51 Ae O LOSA A E O O A ON ANE 51 A a a a aa OTS CST Ea oor ene er 51 3 9 T 1 UIT isso pia 53 Duk SUeCAMING C ongura Uon pane SAA A ay de eeaties 53 52 WV OD BLOWS ED sire certo sa e caa es a ne o ep at te sth dt e cea 54 533 VECORNECTION OPIO Sisi Aid 55 5 3 1 DO WS CRD e dr A a o 56 5 3 2 Adobe a ATT 56 5 3 3 WindoWsMedia Pall 0 e e e e o 58
91. ry valuable monitoring tab option is Preview Scopes This selection presents a full color source video monitor along with Waveform and Vectorscope displays A drop down menu at upper left lets you choose whether the current reference source for the scopes and full color monitor is Preview Program or the FX row selection Hint When set to Preview the two scopes and the associated monitor refer to the current Look Ahead Preview composition including any delegated DSK channels or FTB as source The Program setting likewise monitors the entire Program Output composition not merely the Program row selection The scopes and monitor permit you to judge the effect of Proc Amp adjustments The titlebar for the video monitor shows a Configure button gear when appropriate Click it access Proc Amp controls for the current source Titlebar controls above the scopes let you adjust the Brightness for their display Right click inside the monitor display for either scope to show a menu that allows you to view the trace in full or solid color 3 3 THE SWITCHER The central band of TriCaster s Live Desktop between the upper monitoring section and the tabbed modules below is taken up by the Switcher and related controls These include the Main Transition controls Local Layer Controls and associated configuration features Figure 33 25 Switcher Transitions Main Transition Controls FX Program Preview Selectors Local
92. s Follow Preview Row for All Inputs to cause the tabbed control panel for all appropriate sources V DDR GFX etc to be displayed automatically when the source is newly selected on the HBUEE ne Switcher s Preview row When Tabs Follow Preview for Virtual Inputs is checked the tab shown updates only when you select a Virtual Input on Preview Hint Control surface operations can sometimes result in a tabbed module that you want to view being obscured because related Desktop Options are enabled Press the corresponding control surface Delegate button again to re display the tabbed pane you are interest in 3 11 SHUTTING DOWN When your production has ended click the Close X button at right in the Live Desktop titlebar This returns you to the Session page where you can manage content from the session or click the large back arrow to return to the Home page 45 Once on the home page click the Shutdown icon and you ll be shown a few options at right including Shutdown TriCaster and Restart TriCaster which need no explanation Another option labeled Administrator Mode provides a number of important functions discussed next 3 11 1 ADMINISTRATOR MODE Selecting Administrator Mode from the Shutdown menu on the Home Page icon ring exits TriCaster s live production environment reboots and takes you to a new screen that offers various functions and settings having to do with TriCaster system maintenance and management
93. signate where to send them Clicking the Export Media button opens a new pane Preset L A gpm es T a RA T T ee ae 3 gt 1 Apple Final Cut Pro movw Figure 93 The file pane is a table It lists all files in the current batch in its first column and settings for each file in other columns Click the Add button at upper left to open a custom Media Browser You may use either the Duplicate and Remove buttons to clone or delete selected files from the list Duplicate is useful for exporting to multiple file formats in a single operation 68 TARGET PRESET amp DESTINATION Having prepared the file list click the triangle button in the Target field to open a drop down menu listing categories of device or application targets to choose from Then select a specific encoding Preset in the next column Export presets vary according to what is appropriate for a given session format Target Figure 94 Note When presets that do not natively support HD are selected during an HD session output is automatically scaled as required to fit the selected file format This is a convenience but be sure to select a Preset suitable for your ultimate needs The Destination button opens a system file browser to choose a location for file output Each exported file can have its own Target Preset and Destination settings Click the Export button at the bottom of the dialogue to begin batch export processing Hint The time an export
94. sion or opening an existing one click Graphics on the icon ring This reveals options and links at right 6 1 1 SESSIONS PROJECTS AND DISPLAY LiveText uses the current session settings for output to TriCaster s video outputs new projects created within the LiveText File menu or from the Session Page and bitmap file exports If you use the File menu to Open a project whose settings do not correspond to the current session settings TriCaster will attempt to display it on its hardware video outputs if possible Hint LiveText sends output from the canvas to TriCaster s outputs continuously while running For this reason the Live Display pane and associated tools that appear at upper right above the Pages panel in LiveText standalone do not appear in TriCaster s integrated LiveText interface When LiveText is running TriCaster s video outputs rows 1 3 will all conform to the session format That is if the project is HD the SDI outputs will all be HD and the analog outputs will be Component HD 64 Likewise when the project is SD the SDI outputs will all be SD As there are multiple connection options for analog SD video please refer to the following table in this case Row Number SDI Analog BNC 1 Analog BNC2 Analog BNC 3 SD Y Pb Pr fe SD Composite Y C Note It is possible to use LiveText s File menu to open a project that does not correspond to the current session settings TriCaster will attempt to
95. t be the one you set in TriCaster s Port field 5 If possible select Both for Protocol or select UDP 6 Enter the full punctuated numeric local IP address shown in the Location field of your TriCaster after you enable the stream 7 Checkmark Enable Some routers may have other security settings that need to be modified for your Pull stream to be visible from the outside For example Linksys routers may have a setting in its Security page named Block Anonymous Internet Requests While this may be a great idea normally it s not going to help much when outside computers want your system to let them Pull the stream There are countless makes and models of routers for information on various models and a great deal of help on port forwarding generally we can recommend the following site http www portforward com english routers port_forwarding routerindex htm 5 5 3 FIREWALLS You may also run into software firewalls Generally these can be configured in similar to permit exceptions to the firewall policy permitting specific ports or applications to be opened to the world Information on exceptions in the Microsoft Windows Firewall can be found in its Help system 62 5 5 4 FINDING YOUR EXTERNAL IP NUMBER Again the numbers assigned behind your router only work locally In a Pull scenario you need to supply the true external IP number and port for your TriCaster to viewers outside the LAN Local
96. t it links are displayed for installed software applications allowing you to launch them for example Figure 96 shows links to Animation Store Creator and the Virtual Set Editor demo application 71 8 3 BACKUP AND RESTORE This feature provides substantial protection against software issues and even hard drive problems TriCaster ships with a complete hidden restore partition permitting you to return it to as shipped state at any time In addition you can create custom backups on another hard drive you connect effectively cloning the entire system drive A user backup drive of this type can be accessed by the Restore feature later to copy this drive image back to the internal drive should you wish 8 3 1 CREATE A USER BACKUP DRIVE The Backup and Restore system permits you to create a bootable clone of TriCaster s system drive on another same size hard drive connected externally for this purpose The clone operation includes e The hidden factory prepared Restore partition e The complete C partition uncompressed e The D partition and its content uncompressed Afterward the backup drive can be disconnected and stored to be used later if necessary to i restore the internal drive should or ii in the case of a catastrophic drive failure to be connected internally by an authorized technician to completely replace the original drive Note Since opening TriCaster s case is a breach of warranty
97. ve the File Pane Only files matching criteria you enter are shown For example if you enter wav the File Pane would display any file with the filename extension wav WAVE audio file format but also wavingman jpg or lightwave_render avi CONTEXT MENUS Right click a Location listed under My Media Locations to show a context menu with just one item in it Remove de lists the location but does not delete the folder and its contents from the hard drive Note this menu is exclusively for use in the My Media Location section and is not available for other headings in the Location List 34 Right click a file icon to open a menu providing Rename and Delete options Delete really does remove content from your hard drive 3 5 4 TITLE PAGES TriCaster title pages can be used in any of the Media Players other than Sound of course Media Players can also display bitmap files exported from third party graphics applications However TriCaster s native title pages can be edited even while displayed live not possible with a simple bitmap image Title page icons display a configuration gear button when you move the mouse over them Click this button or select Edit Title in the context menu to open the Title Page Editor Figure 50 When you move the mouse over text in the Title Page Editor a white bounding box appears Click to select the text object for editing An edit field opens to let you modi
98. worked laptop running LiveText NewTek s powerful realtime title software letting you assign CG duties to another person Note Gigabit networking is highly recommended and should be considered mandatory for HD sessions in particular TriCaster supports two simultaneous network sources When TriCaster recognizes a network source it adds it to the Source menu located above the Net 1 and Net 2 input monitors Move your mouse pointer over the header of a Net monitor and click the triangular button to select a network source To receive an AirPlay source select the first item marked by an AirPlay icon 18 NETWORK AUDIO Some network video sources notably 3Play output and Apple AirPlay video clips can include embedded sound The Net 1 and Net 2 control groups in the External Audio tab discussed a bit earlier in this section let you the settings for these audio sources 2 3 3 CONFIGURE OUTPUT We discussed video output connections back in Section 2 1 3 but as for input sources ho TriCaster provides configuration controls for its outputs right in the Live Desktop Figure 19 Output Configuration TriCaster provides several outputs downstream from the Switcher SD Analog Output Connections These are Program Aux and Multiview The first two of these are connected to BNC connectors in the VIDEO OUT group on TriCaster s front plate Multiview is a supplementary monitoring e Fc option supplied by one of the monito
99. y will not connect when the network has been set to Public Choose either Home or Work See Section 4 4 for more tips NewTek s optional LiveText standalone titling software offers a great way to offload management of titling chores to a second operator using a satellite workstation and can even connect directly to many sports scoreboard systems 74 NewTek s 3Play instant replay system can send output directly to TriCaster s Switcher across a network freeing up analog video inputs for other purposes e Some antivirus software can interfere with certain VGA PRO features In such cases try disabling your protection briefly If the problem goes away consider using a different anti malware product If iVGA PRO s connection to TriCaster seems intermittent make sure only one network path exists between the two systems to prevent the PC from switching back and forth between connections Some systems deliberately restrict access to system sound for DRM reasons preventing the system Stereo Mix from appearing as an audio source option for iVGA PRO Several workarounds exist as a starting point try an Internet search for terms like audio loopback software 8 4 5 IMAG AND LATENCY IMAG is a compression of the expression image magnification Typically in modern IMAG applications video cameras supply live imagery to projection systems magnifying performers to give audience members in large venues a better view

- B&H Photo Video Digital Cameras, Photography

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents

- B&amp;H Photo Video Digital Cameras, Photography

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents

- B&H Photo Video Digital Cameras, Photography