I've recently had a chance to teach a couple of courses on the new 860 and 460 software upgrades on the Tricaster professional line.  Wow, what an upgrade!  They have implemented much of what's in their 8000 model.  So many of the concerns I usually get teaching TriCaster have been answered quite well in this release.

The big news is that you can now store and playback short animated graphics from the frame buffers.  For that matter, there are now 15 buffers (5 can hold animation) that can be implemented anywhere on the switcher.  We discovered that a computer on the network could be allowed to store graphics directly into a frame buffers for live updating on the air.  It's great for remotely accessed scores and election returns.  

There's also the capability to record, edit and fire off switcher macros.  I've always found ways to do innovative things with macros, so I look forward to implementing some cool new ideas.  Add to that the much needed capability to set keyframes for virtual camera framing.  

What's also pretty cool is the ability to record an output and have access to the clip while it's still recording.  That way, we can knock out a quick instant replay of a sports scene or pull a soundbite off of a live feed.

I worked with a local news station who is using the TriCaster 860 to enhance their social media by interfacing with YouTube.  Looks like YouTube is supplying the free bandwidth.  Very nice.  We used the title templates to update the text on screen and the animated buffer to cycle the logo "bug" in the corner.  The station was also impressed that they could send a clip from the TriCaster to their FTP site without interrupting the broadcast.  

At a second location, I taught a class on the TriCaster 460, their 4 input device.  This client does corporate communications and training for their organization.  We built custom virtual sets using Lightwave and Photoshop and brought them into the system.  The virtual set editor application allows you to position live sources on top of a graphic.  On the live application, keyframes are set of different camera framings. The operator can slew between the keyframes as needed.

Keep an eye on these folks at NewTek. The product improvements are significant.  For an all-in-one box, this gear is unbelievably powerful.  

Please post some questions and I'll give them a shot.

--Gary Lieberman