THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIVE IP WORKFLOWS

Transcription

1 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIVE IP WORKFLOWS

2 How to create your live IP workflow (affordably) today. As the IP video future starts to shape up, it s becoming an increasingly more important concept to people at all levels in the business of video production, not only the big producers. After all, even professionals and organizations without deep pockets need to advance their productions, gain a competitive advantage, and avoid sinking money into expensive gear. Most importantly, they continually strive to maximize the value they get from their current network and their existing production equipment. These were big investments, after all, and they have to just work. This is the reality that producers face, every day. As a consequence, they re asking lots of practical questions that have to be answered right now and simply can t wait for some distant vision of the future. Questions like: Who s actually moving to IP and why? What is needed in an IP production workflow? What about my current equipment and facility setup? Can IP workflows be spread far apart? Does IP necessarily require really high bandwidth? And perhaps most importantly, how can I get started? With just a few easily affordable, immediately attainable building blocks in place, the video workflows you envision can become a reality at any budget level. This guide will answer these questions and show you how.

3 Who is actually moving to IP and why? No doubt about it: right now, there are lots of big thinkers, big manufacturers, and big broadcasters out there helping to set the course for the future of IP video production. That s because IP production takes maximum advantage of standard IT components and networking technology that can advance and scale with today s innovations rather than being stuck with enormous (and outdated) equipment investments years after their useful lives. As recently as April 2016, panelists on the NAB Show Super Session entitled Broadcast Minds discussed a wealth of tangible, workflow benefits to be gained by moving from traditional broadcast hardware to LAN-based production and beyond, including: Access to video everywhere, all the time Reduction of wiring and cabling Increased availability of feeds Compatible delivery to consumer devices Avoiding multiple conversions Acquiring user-generated content Testing new programming ideas easily Purchasing more affordable equipment Advancing new skills in the workforce Experimenting with new workflows (Watch the Broadcast Minds NAB Super Session on-demand here: Panelists included leading operations executives responsible for live IP production for such brands as Turner Sports, NBA Entertainment, and The X-Factor digital experience. The good news? The benefits of IP are in reach for producers at every level, not just big broadcasters. Independent video producers, live production and event businesses, enterprises, educational institutes, houses of worship anyone can achieve these same dramatic goals. The difference is that you can do them without the formalized budget cycles, years of planning, enormous investments, and integration headaches that typically go hand-in-hand with major broadcast technology advancements. And if you re a NewTek customer, chances are you already have what you need to get started.

4 What s needed for an IP video workflow? The workflow how-tos in this guide all begin on a 3-part foundation to give you the essential video path, connection capability, and new workflow possibilities for IP. With this powerhouse trio, you can attain the same objectives shared by the broadcast networks all enabled by NDI technology, NewTek s open protocol for allowing bi-directional IP connectivity between production devices and working hand-in-hand with your current infrastructure, giving you the maximum advantage of a hybrid SDI-IP environment. MIX It starts with TriCaster, for the multicamera production capabilities required to input, mix, output and publish video from any source to any destination integrated in one system, rather than investing in all the components to equip an entire production studio. CONNECT Connect to a Gigabit LAN, or build one with a network switch (even a compact one that combines the functions of an internet connection, router, firewall, switch, and Wi-Fi access point) and at least Cat5e Ethernet cable. GigE is suitable for a small to moderate production say, if you want no more than 10 sources mixed in your show. The more sources you want to add, the higher bandwidth you ll need to invest in, which means upgraded switches and cables. BREAK THROUGH Launch it all into IP with TriCaster Advanced Edition, a softwareonly enhancement for TriCaster that unlocks the additional control, capability, and connectivity needed in the system. It provides the NDIenabling technology that s the key to going from merely connecting to a LAN to gaining visibility and access to every available source, frameaccurate IP mixing, and high-quality encoding over the network.

5 TriCaster Mini HD-4 MIX CONNECT NDI LAN BREAKTHROUGH The above will be the Base Configuration for all your IP workflows, whether you use a TriCaster Mini (either SDI or HDMI) with just a keyboard and a mouse to control it, a flagship TriCaster 8000 with the full-on companion broadcast control surface, or any TriCaster Pro Line model in between. Then follow each how to to customize the workflow that suits your specific vision, equipment, and production purposes. And that s it!

6 Can I use my existing facility, equipment, and infrastructure? Yes! Having an IP workflow doesn t have to mean leaving your current investments behind and with them, years of perfecting your processes. Done properly, both traditional and new systems can co-exist and even enhance each other. It s not uncommon in the industry to think of IP as the replacement of coax and HD-SDI infrastructure with an Ethernet-based infrastructure, generally adhering to the same way of working. But simply augmenting your current solution with IP is enough to allow producers to do new things and create programs that they could never ever have envisioned in the past. Later in this guide you ll see how common, off-the-shelf computer devices like laptops and workstations can be made IP-video ready with NDI software, and added into a live production workflow alongside SDI (or HDMI) cameras connected to TriCaster. With NewTek s hybrid SDI-IP workflow, that s just the beginning. There are already more than 1,000,000 NDI-compatible broadcast and production devices currently deployed in production environments. Odds are you have some of them in your workflow today; they include storage, teleprompting, video cards, monitoring, cameras, production graphics, newsroom systems, and more. REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE: COMMON PRODUCTION DEVICES Combining NDI with the baseband production systems you have in place makes it easier than ever to design new IP productions, quickly and inexpensively and then replicate them or change them if you need to. You can add IP workflows without disruption in two ways. 1. Keep the SDI connections intact while exploring new devices and applications to add over IP. Cameras, routers, and playback devices can be plugged directly into the TriCaster s I/O connections. With TriCaster Advanced Edition, you can include fresh, new IP sources not typically included in basic live production, such as post-production systems, telestration, or an iphone camera, all made IP ready with NDI. 2. Even easier: since TriCaster Advanced Edition also adds 4 new inputs, you can simply make your production bigger, instead of designing unconventional uses. If you have production devices that support NDI, they can connect to your system over the network from anywhere on site, expanding your workflow throughout your facility or location. REAL-WORLD SETUP: Base configuration: TriCaster + Advanced Edition + Gigabit LAN Add: your current SDI production systems and cameras Add: any NDI-compatible external components that can connect to your network, including: o your graphics system, from ChyronHego, Compix or Vizrt o any ipad, running a web browser with Sienna WebNDI o your editing workstation running Adobe Premiere Pro CC o a mastering station with AJA KONA capture cards installed o NAS based on Archion EditStor Velo shared storage

7 SDI TriCaster Mini HD-4 NDI LAN GFX Sienna WebNDI Adobe Premiere Pro CC AJA KONA PC NAS

8 Can IP workflows be spread farther? Yes! The thing about IP that truly illuminates its potential, and the possibilities for boundary-pushing programming, is that IP is available everywhere. That means you don t have to design and install a broadcast-specific studio; you can do your production anywhere there s a network. Anywhere can be your TV station. Why? Two words: No cables. That advantage alone is enough to make the most conventional, setin-their-ways broadcasters change their minds about IP. What s the one thing that typically defines where video production traditionally takes place? The location of the action: it has to be close enough so that cameras can physically connect to the switcher. So what happens when you eliminate the need for a cable that can only extend so many feet before the cord ends or the signal degrades? You dramatically expand your possible locations. Now you can access different sources in different places, have different teams staffing the production in those places, and different crew positions on those teams, all working together but in a dispersed environment. REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE: 2 ND TRICASTER S INPUTS With IP production using NDI, the cameras you re acquiring footage from can be anywhere in the building, on the lot, across the campus anywhere, in fact, that s still on the same LAN. Yes, you still need to use a cable to send the video feed from the camera to the switcher. And you can still operate within an SDI infrastructure. However, with NDI, instead of figuring out how to find, connect, and lay down hundreds of feet of coax, you can just put a second TriCaster there and attach them, while the production sits in another location. With both locations on the same LAN, the main TriCaster can mix any of the remote TriCaster inputs and outputs over IP into the main SDI program as easily as if they were in the control room together. What s more, the second TriCaster can use the main TriCaster s inputs (and outputs), too with no impact on the primary program switching. REAL-WORLD SETUP: Base configuration: TriCaster + Advanced Edition + Gigabit LAN Add: a second TriCaster to gain additional remote inputs Add: Advanced Edition on the second TriCaster Add: cameras or other video feeds into second TriCaster s inputs Bonus: TriCaster Advanced Edition also adds inputs to each TriCaster it s installed on so both systems on the network can increase their switchable sources.

9 TriCaster Mini HD-4 SDI NDI LAN TriCaster Mini HD-4 SDI

10 Does IP necessarily require really high bandwidth? No. Most independent producers, small businesses and non-profit organizations don t have the money to put in a second network. If IP video is going to be the revolutionary force that NewTek envisions, it s got to work on Gigabit networks. Some manufacturers would have you believe that the promise of IP is limited to mimicking point-to-point SDI connectivity. If that were the case, an HD workflow would require dual-10 Gigabit Ethernet networking to accommodate just a few sources up to 3Gbps per video stream in many cases. With NDI, you can achieve many video streams on a GigE network. NDI is incredibly efficient, offering 8 to 10 streams simultaneously. The advantage however, is that since you only use bandwidth when needed, you can often support even more sources. Best practices dictate a closed, isolated video subnet, to avoid any interference from traffic or noise outside of your production, as well as attain a more secure and reliable delivery. But if these don t concern you, your production is small enough, and your venue s existing LAN has high capacity say, 10 Gig or more you might experiment with it first, to find the ideal number of devices you can reasonably access without coming close to bogging it down before building a video subnet for your production. REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE: NDI PRODUCTION TOOLS For switching small productions with 8 to 10 max live video feeds, it s easy to add devices and sources where you need them, without the full studio capabilities of a second TriCaster. NewTek NDI production software allows you to bring standard computer components into the video workflow, and transform them into frame-accurate, high-quality video sources over your LAN. Imagine a conference, where you intersperse presenters on-camera discussion with their slide decks on the big screen; then feed in the motivational keynote from the next room while you switch it live. TriCaster Advanced Edition makes this possible with just one TriCaster system, plus NDI sources connected throughout the venue. To do this, you can set up a minimal LAN configuration around your TriCaster, with only connections enough for the NDI devices you want to access and keep it separate from the venue s LAN. REAL-WORLD SETUP: Base configuration: TriCaster + Advanced Edition + Gigabit LAN Add: studio cameras connected to your TriCaster inputs Add: a laptop with slide presentation, running NDI Scan Converter Add: a workstation in the other room running NewTek Connect Pro Add: cameras or video devices, connected to workstation via I/O cards Add: a laptop with NDI Video Monitor or NDI Connect Webserver, so you can view IP feeds NOTE: make sure the total number of connections including devices, PCs, cameras and TriCaster is no higher than 10

11 SDI TriCaster Mini HD-4 NDI LAN NDI Scan Converter NewTek Connect Pro NDI Video Monitor SDI

12 How do I get started? Use the building blocks. As a video production professional, getting started with the basics of an IP video workflow is made far easier by augmenting the foundation of SDI with the proven, widely supported, integrated TriCaster systems enhanced with Advanced Edition software, than by grappling with standards adoption, configuring codecs and synchronization methods, and wiring to replace outright the bandwidth of an SDI infrastructure. In fact, many independent and live production pros already have a handle on the network basics to build a small LAN for their setup or even the advanced networking techniques required if they have to share a more complex networking environment with their organization. If you do prefer the DIY route, you can download free and paid NDI applications from NewTek to install on your existing workstations and experiment with the video sources and processes you have on hand. But not everyone who s an expert in video is comfortable with IT and not surprisingly, vice versa. Together with your reseller, NewTek can help you ensure your success with expertise in IP technology and workflows, including non-standard installations, workflow design, systems engineering, and automation programming, as well as production development, project coordination, on-site training and assistance, and more. NewTek and our resellers address these questions for our customers every day, opening up new possibilities for them to tap into the potential for IP video s future, today.

13 2016 NewTek, Inc. All rights reserved. TriCaster, TalkShow and LightWave 3D are registered trademarks of NewTek, Inc. NDI, 3Play, LightWave, ProTek, and Broadcast Minds are trademarks and/or service marks of NewTek, Inc. Details and technical specifications subject to change without notice.