NewTek Unveils All-NDI, 4K-Capable TriCaster TC Mini
With today's announcement of the next-generation TriCaster TC Mini, NewTek delivered a host of new features to the Mini's target demographic of EDU and school sports producers, as well as in-house corporate production staff and pro AV crews by unleashing the first 4K/UHD-capable, all-NDI model in the popular Mini line.
Designed to bring "software-defined visual storytelling (SVDS)" to the broadest base of TriCaster customers, the new TC Mini features the same compact form factor as previous Mini models, positioning it as a solid choice for on-the-go producers who prize mobility, adaptability, and quick setup in any venue in which they're tasked to shoot and stream. Its small size and light weight allows storytellers to take it to virtually any location, set up, and start streaming and recording quickly.
"One of the things that we're really keen on with a system like this," says NewTek Product Marketing Manager Matthew Allard, "is keeping it simple to operate and simple to install." The plug-and-play setup of TriCaster Mini aims to help new video producers to get started quickly, and easily work their way up to creating more sophisticated programs, in resolutions up to 4K, for delivery to all of today’s screens. The TC Mini "comes with a quickstart guide, a quick series of videos inexperienced users can download" to help them get started, Allard says. "We want to get people up and running right away."
TriCaster Mini’s 8 external video inputs supports any combination of compatible sources in resolutions up to 4K UHD--essentially, any source connected to the network. TriCaster Mini’s four plug-and-play NDI connections with power-over-Ethernet (PoE) makes video, audio, tally, power, and control available by plugging in an Ethernet cable. Two included input modules with PoE directly connect the user's existing HDMI devices, instantly upgrading them to NDI-compatible sources. Also included are hundreds of entry-level and advanced production tools like built-in virtual sets, animated transition effects, replay for sporting events, streaming, recording, projecting, one-touch social media publishing, and much more.
The arrival of the TC Mini also marks the debut of NewTek Live Panel in the Mini line, availing Mini users with growing production skillsets of the ability to configure custom UIs, including presets for particular shooting environments, or a series of recurring shows with consistent features or production elements. This browser-based control system enables users to run live productions from a laptop or tablet located anywhere on the network.
The new TC Mini also features Live Story Creator, introduced at NAB 2019, which enables users to build a script in Microsoft Word with triggers for actions, load the document into TriCaster, and run an entire show driven by the script.
Another highlighted feature of the TC Mini is its suitability for PTZ and mobile device production. TC Mini users can access up to 8 NDI-connected PTZ sources as inputs, and control the cameras from within the software as well. Exclusive to the new TriCaster Mini is the NDI|HX Camera Application for Mobile Devices available as a download from the Apple store. This allows video, up to 4K UHD from an iOS device, to transmit over Wi-Fi as an NDI source and connect with TriCaster Mini systems on the network, so now you can pull shots in from your teams iPhones, seamlessly.
The TC Mini also comes equipped with 2 streaming encoders and a 1TB SSD for live recording, enabling users to make ISO recordings of individual (isolated) feeds or program feeds of complete shows. With an eye to streaming to mobile devices, Instagram, and the like, TC Mini supports streaming square or vertical images. "Outboard to a mobile world is simple and easy," Allard says.
Going all-NDI with this Mini model was a conscious decision driven by NewTek's sense of the Mini demographic as differentiated from, say, users of the higher-end TC1, a hybrid system which retains its SDI inputs. When designing this Mini model, Allard says, "We think about when it goes into a middle school or high school, they don't care about SDI. They hear about NDI, the network-connected box, they want to use that."
Pricing for the TC Mini starts at $8,995.
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