Tutorial: How to Produce Broadcast-Quality Events with the NewTek TriCaster 40, Part 1

In two tutorials I’m going to show you how to create broadcast-quality live production with the NewTek TriCaster TC40. In this first installment, I’ll show you how to select and configure the inputs. In the second, you’ll learn how to mix and stream the show itself.

During these tutorials I’ll explore only a fraction of the TC40’s overall functionality, but I’m sure you’ll be convinced that if you’ve got a live production planned, TC40应该在您的实时视频切换器的候选名单上.

无可否认，广播质量的定义相当模糊. In the example I’ll use in this tutorial I’m producing a webinar that will include full-screen video, 画中画视频, 另一台电脑上的ppt幻灯片, 全屏和低三分之一的图形, 基于磁盘的视频, 节目前后的广告和演职员表, 所有元素和的过渡, 当然, audio.

浏览TC40接口

Let’s start with a quick tour of the relevant portions of the TriCaster 40 (TC40) interface (下面的图1).

图1. TC40接口, showing all the components of the webinar we’re producing: full-screen video, 皮普, 幻灯片, 全屏图形和低三分之一, 基于磁盘的视频, 保险杠和学分, 转换, 和音频.

The TC40 has 14 switchable input channels, all reflected in the program and preview buttons shown in 图2(下面).

图2. The TC40’s 14 switchable input channels represented by program and preview buttons in the UI.

There are four video inputs (represented by the first 4 buttons on the left in 图2). I’ll use two: one cropped to 4:3 for the picture-in-picture and the other at native 16:9 for the full-screen view (下面的图3).

图3. The 16:9 full-screen input (left) and the cropped 皮普 input (right) in the TC40 Monitors panel.

Fifth and sixth from the left in the buttons panels (图2) are two 网work inputs that can accept audio and video from any Mac or Windows computer on the same 网work as the TC40 or from any Apple device via AirPlay. Just to the right of the 网work inputs (shown in 图2) is a digital disk recorder (DDR) that I’ll use for opening and closing credits and to play a short tutorial video. 紧挨着DDR的右边是两个图形输入, 我在全屏和低三分之一的游戏中使用的是什么.

The TC40 also supports four virtual inputs that let you combine content from different sources (last 4 buttons on the right). 稍后会详细介绍.

Note that I’ve customized some of the names of these three rows (图2). 例如, 前两个视频输入是1和2, but I’ve changed that to Full and Crop by right-clicking the button and entering the new name (下面的图4). The first 网work input would be Net1, but I changed that to PPT for PowerPoint. Similarly, the first virtual input would be V1, but I’ve changed that to 皮普. All this makes it simpler to choose the right button during the live event.

图4. Renaming the buttons to make it easier to choose the right one when switching live.

All of the external and 图形 inputs have their own preview windows, 哪些在界面的顶部, 上面的程序和预览行按钮. 在右边, 程序监视器显示当前播放的输入, while the preview window shows the input cued to appear when triggered via the Transition bar (T-bar) with the equivalent keystroke or command on the control surface (下面的图5).

图5. 在过渡中预览窗口，程序监视器和t条.

尽管我将在下一个教程中更详细地介绍这一点, 接收任何输入, 只需单击“程序”行中的输入. 提示正在预览的输入, just click the Take or Auto button (shown just to the right of the T-bar, 在图5中, 虽然他们可能很难看到), 或拖动t形条.