El otro  día  mientras recorría los caminos del oeste penínsular (también conocida como   Extremadura)  un compañero ccu me habló del TriCaster que no del Trincaste. Se trata de un aparato poco más grande que una caja de zapatos al cual se pueden conectar hasta seis cámaras, mezclar, rótular y crear un decorado virtual entre otras muchas facetas.

Fabricado por la conocida casa NewTek, el bicho mide 39 de largo, 21 de alto, 26 de ancho y pesa 9 kilos la criatura. Se trata de un auténtico control central que como bien decía mi compañero, puedes instalarlo en el mismo puesto de comentaristas ya que tan solo se necesita una pantalla y una interface para manejar el invento.

Hay dos modelos disponibles; El modelo Broadcast y el modelo para alta definición TCXD300 aunque este último solo tiene entradas para tres cámaras. Parece ser que las principales televisiones y productoras anglosajonas ya lo están utilizando, así que en breve nos habituaremos al «parato»  que va a sustituir al hombre orquesta pues permite hacer de todo y prueba de ello, estas fotos:

Una rápida explicación, lo dejo en inglés porque sé que no necesitaís traducción:

1) LIVE PRODUCTION provides control of an entire multi-channel HD production. Connect up to three HD or standard definition (SD) cameras, digital or analog audio, and go live with simultaneous output to video, projector and the Web.

2) LIVE VIRTUAL SETS in HD give you the flexibility of expansive, professional sets even though your location may have limited space. With live, multi-camera smooth zooming, show your talent in a network-style studio without the need for a camera operator or expensive motion control system. Sets include double box effects with options for stand-up and one or two presenters.

3) ON-SCREEN MONITORS let you select shots with confidence. Displaying cameras, clips and iVGA™ networked computer inputs, TriCaster TCXD300 allows you to send all monitors to a second display, and enlarge your workspace.

4) PREVIEW AND PROGRAM MONITORS let you display titles or a transition on-screen, while showing what source is up next. Innovative color Waveform Monitors and Vectorscopes ensure perfect signal quality for your live production.

5) ADVANCED VIDEO SWITCHER gives you unprecedented control over all inputs. Select a live output on Preview, and use either the on-screen T-bar or the optional LiveControl™ LC-11 hardware to transition easily from one source to another. Versatile production tools such as Virtual Inputs and dual downstream keys provide the ability to easily create dynamic overlays and graphics.

6) VIDEO TRANSITIONS add interest and impact to your live production. Use any of the 200-plus HD broadcast-quality effects to transition from one source to another and fly titles and inserts on and off screen.

7) LIVE TITLES give you a broadcast look with graphics, titles and animated overlays on top of your live video. Lock a title or bug to a camera or virtual input and set the in and out motion for each.

8/ ONE-BUTTON INTERNET STREAMING allows you to use Adobe® Flash® or Windows Media® to deliver a live stream directly to the Web, in 720p HD and other streaming profiles with simultaneous archive for later viewing. ONE BUTTON RECORDING captures your live production as a full HD resolution video file.

9) AUDIO MIXING gives you complete control over microphones, line inputs and clip playback levels, you can also adjust input trim levels for the best possible audio. In addition, TriCaster TCXD300 provides both AES and embedded digital audio for pristine sound.

10) DDR allows you to easily add video clips to your production, as well as auto-insert clips captured during a live event for immediate playback. HD and SD resolutions are supported in a variety of popular file formats.

11) VIRTUAL INPUTS provide five customized inputs to configure virtual sets, layer live elements, assign titles, set upstream picture-in-picture elements and much more. These settings can be used as templates for easy creation of other mix effects and are instantly available in the playlist along the left.

El futuro ya está aquí. Más información detallada en la página web de NewTek dedicada especialmente a TriCaster:

http://www.newtek.com/tricaster/index.php

¡¡Con mis mejores saludos!!