facebook pixel
XR Session 3: NewTek TriCaster Driving XR

XR Session 3: NewTek TriCaster Driving XR

In this session, Nicholas Smith, VP of Technology at Exertis Broadcast, is at the Unilumin facility in Orlando, FL running tests on their XR walls, and discussing the two main categories of XR stage content types – volumetric and backgrounds.

NewTek TriCaster 2 Elite

TriCaster TC2 Elite from NewTek, is the easiest and probably the most common configuration we think people are going to use.

Volumetric XR is when the participant is completely immersed in LED and we’re doing pixel replacement to emulate that person being in a whole different universe, for example, all while they are actually inside a completely virtual space. This is sometimes referred to as “the Cyclorama” or “Cave” style XR stage.

Background or “Window” XR stage is the more film style type of XR where there is a single background LED wall behind the person, and relevant, interesting content is being driven to that LED backdrop – replacing the green screen.

Let our experts find a solution for your project!

For the simple background instance, we need to consider where we have this backdrop, what type of content we want to drive, how we want to drive it, and what all does that require to achieve.

To produce a real world XR stage, we need to have the camera, the content, and the screen all in sync or genlocked together.

If we’re driving content such as video or virtual sets, we can use a software like Chryon, Disguise, or VizRT to do that for a simple background.

The TriCaster TC2 Elite from NewTek, is the easiest and probably the most common configuration we think people are going to use. With the TriCaster, you’re driving your Virtual Sets onto the LED wall, or you’re creating content through the TriCaster – so you get a playback device simultaneously. We can bring the camera in on another ME and record the final composite. Then, add additional graphics to it – making a very nice compact footprint for creating an XR stage to perform elegant green screen replacements.

So again, we need to have our wall, our TriCaster, and our camera all synchronized over genlock – allowing for a seamless XR production experience.

Learn more about XR solutions at ThePowerOfXR.com

Don’t hesitate to call us at Exertis Broadcast. We’re here to help.   415-256-2800

XR Session 2: LED Floors

XR Session 2: LED Floors

There are a few types of XR production. One of the most common is the traditional backdrop – greenscreen replacement. Another type of XR staging is a full immersion experience that completely envelopes the talent or the actor in dvLED – including the walls behind and the floor below.

XR floors are made with LED panels that have a special surface coating that allows talent to walk on it.

When considering the full immersion XR set up, we must factor in the software that’s driving the dvLED walls and creation of the content we’re putting on it. The video content for the XR Stage might just be

flooring or textures, or we might be completely enveloping the talent in a whole other universe. Either way, when looking at LED XR staging, a few things to consider are: the area in which we’re putting all this LED, the content we’re driving on to it, and the software, of course, that’s going to run it.

Let our experts find a solution for your project!

With an added motion tracking system and virtual set software, you can take your production beyond single-angle shoots and completely immerse your subject in whatever environment you wish. This technique is called XR, OR EXTENDED REALITY.

Your set can be extended beyond the physical limits of your stage as well, as many XR software solutions include live tracking of subjects (and props) that occlude the screen. Your talent will be able to see set extensions and 3D objects on the LED walls (also called faces) around and below them if the wall you choose has an LED floor.

Learn more about XR solutions at ThePowerOfXR.com

Don’t hesitate to call us at Exertis Broadcast. We’re here to help.   415-256-2800

XR Session 1: Unreal Engine & 3D Tracking

XR Session 1: Unreal Engine & 3D Tracking

XR video walls are where modern film and television production are going with the use of an LED backdrop, rather than a green screen backdrop.

Green screen technology has been used for years to create all kinds of special effects where we can take an actor and put them in any place in the world that we want. However, with green screen, we have after effect compositing that we must deal with such as green spill or blue spill, depending on what kind of wall using.
A lot of work goes into creating green screen effects, but with an XR video stage, like the examples in the video, it’s instantaneous – in real time.

Let our experts find a solution for your project!

Unilumin Unano
Unilumin Unano

Narrow pixel pitch for rental or fixed installations. The built-in edge protection allows for rapid and durable assembly and disassembly. The purposeful 8:9 aspect ratio frees up the designers for optimum creativity and flexibility in implementation. The Unano is available in 1.3mm and 1.8mm pixel pitch for best possible imagery in any installation.

In this video, we show a Unilumin Unano video wall being powered by Unreal Engine and tied to the Vive tracking system. This set up has transmitters and a gimbal that is the receiver to tell the Unreal Engine where the camera is so it will shift the video background accordingly.

We realize that many people won’t use this specific set up. If you are in a corporate setting, you probably won’t want to put your CEO in an icy tundra or on another world. In other videos, we’ll explore some alternative solutions, such as the NewTek TriCaster, as well as software elements that can be used to make the wall interactive.

In summary, XR video production enhances the filming experience for everyone involved, and it is also extremely relevant for any corporate environment that you might find yourself in.

Learn more about XR solutions at ThePowerOfXR.com

Don’t hesitate to call us at Exertis Broadcast. We’re here to help.   415-256-2800

Vimeo Enterprise: Your Single Solution for Video

Vimeo Enterprise: Your Single Solution for Video

Vimeo Enterprise has three pillars of offerings to understand.

Vimeo’s Lee Reemsnyder shares the “three pillars” to know and understand when it comes to Vimeo Enterprise:

1. Internal Communications
2. Exertnal Communications
3. Content Management

In this video, Lee will share some fun and interesting use cases to help you and your customers understand the value proposition of the Vimeo Enterprise solution.

Let our experts find a solution for your project!

Meet Vimeo Enterprise

Get every teammate aligned on one secure, reliable video platform.

Vimeo empowers video creators and businesses of all kinds to tell exceptional stories and connect with their audiences, customers, and employees. More than 90 million members already use Vimeo to manage all their videos in one place, save time with seamless collaboration, drive engagement, and track performance.

The best of Vimeo, now for your business

From secure company all-hands to employee training and marketing events, we’ve got you covered.

 * Centralize videos on one secure platform
 * Deepen viewer engagement
 * Get the help you need when it matters most

MEET VIMEO ENTERPRISE PDF

Don’t hesitate to call us at Exertis Broadcast. We’re here to help.   415-256-2800

NEW! NewTek NDI®|HX PTZ3 Camera

NEW! NewTek NDI®|HX PTZ3 Camera

The NEW PTZ3 from NewTek is the first PTZ Camera to offer NDI®|HX 3.

Offering advanced flexibility and simplicity, the PTZ3 will be the first camera on the market to use NDI’s latest development.

Users can select NDI®|HX 3 as an option for better video with reduced latency – using a fraction of the bandwidth. Also unique to the PTZ3, is professional-level audio connectivity, raising the bar for audio quality in PTZ cameras everywhere.

The PTZ3 is an affordable, IP-based, pan-tilt-zoom camera that delivers high-quality, high-definition video to the network and interoperability with any of the thousands of applications that support NDI. With single cable connectivity, the PTZ3 allows everyone, including video professionals, technology managers, and A/V systems integrators to explore new ways to expand, grow, and evolve productions using their network, while simultaneously streamlining integration and installation by incorporating power over Ethernet.

The all-new PTZ3 is the very first NewTek camera to offer Professional XLR audio connectivity as well as tally, control, power, audio, and video all using a single cable. The new PTZ3 will ship with ceiling and wall mounts and is available in black or white to better match where the camera is needed, whether it be for a studio, classroom, hospital, corporate meeting space, or live event venue.

The PTZ3 is priced at $2,795 US MSRP – International pricing may vary.

Let our experts find a solution for your project!

PTZ3 Camera – Our Product Review

NDI PTZ cameras are everywhere. Every manufacturer has joined the trend and is producing a camera that has NDI built into it. However, this wasn’t always the case. First, NewTek had to build a codec specifically for the embedded camera market – since camera-based processing can’t typically support the full NDI codec.

About a year after NDI came on the scene in 2016, NewTek introduced NDI HX – a codec specifically built around the processing available in today’s PTZ cameras. HX introduced PTZ control to the NDI stream so you could see and control the cameras. HX itself has gone through some changes over the years. In 2019, HX2 was released – boasting better compression and lower latency.

NewTek is now introducing HX3. Which moves the HX needle ever closer to its Full NDI older sibling. Better compression and lower latency are to be expected from a new NDI variant. To separate it from its cousins, HX1 and HX2, they dubbed it NDI|HX Ultra.

HX Ultra is not the only feature that makes this camera different. NewTek added soft starts and stops to camera movements to make the camera even more useful during production.

PTZ3-features

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

ZOOM: This is a 1080p60 camera with a 20x Optical and 2x Digital zoom. The digital zoom is a first for a NewTek Camera and should be used sparingly, but it does allow you to get up close when needed.

POWER: The camera is POE+ powered or can be used with the included power supply.

OUTPUTS: It has both SDI and HDMI outputs, as well as serial control for ‘old schoolers’ who like to run a lot of cables.

AUDIO INPUTS: The biggest change is in the form of the Mini XLR input on the back panel of the camera. There is still the line input, 3.5 mm input, but the inclusion of a mini XLR allows users to rethink how they treat audio in their NDI workflows.

Imagine sending a PTZ3 camera down to the CEO’s office. You won’t need to send a full sound board to deal with audio. You only need to plug in your mic with the included adapter, and the audio will be embedded into the NDI stream in sync to its final destination. ( Check our Audio Bridge podcast )

SOFT START/STOP: Okay. Now, for the really important new feature – soft starts and stops on PTZ presets.

Most PTZ cameras on the market today support presets. This is a predefined location that, with the touch of a button, the camera will move to. Most often the only control you have in these presets is the speed at which it makes the move.

As you can see these moves tend to be rather jarring and not entirely usable in production – unless that production is Blair Witch 11. The camera’s only goal is to get to its position as quick as possible.

NewTek’s PTZ3 has an added ‘Soft start and stop’ feature. The camera speed ramps up into a preset move and ramps back down into the finish of that preset position, so the move can actually be used during production…

No speed cam footage here. No camera whipping about wildly while on air.

COLORS: The reason to buy NewTek’s PTZ3 camera are black and white (also the new colors choices).

Our take is that the new audio inputs, HX3 codec, and smooth movements should be the real reasons to grab these cameras and place them in your next design.

PTZ3 in white or black

Don’t hesitate to call us at Exertis Broadcast. We’re here to help.   415-256-2800

Remote Testing Lab with Vimeo

Remote Testing Lab with Vimeo

We can see that Remote & Hybrid Learning are likely to continue in some form into the future, and we still have some issues to resolve when it comes to student assessment.
Science labs, medical labs, electrical and automotive assessments, and many others, require instructors to be able to see their students perform “lab-style” tasks successfully. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible or practical to have students and teachers in the laboratory or facility at the same time.
Now, as we often do at Exertis Broadcast, we came up with a solution in the form of a video workflow that we’re excited to share with you.

SOLUTION

Remote Testing Lab Workflow

Featured Products:

Epiphan Pearl-2™ brings the pro features and processing power required for the most demanding live events including 4K streaming and recording, live switching, NDI support, and chroma keying.

Lumens VC-A50P PTZ Camera uses H.264 video compression for a highly efficient stream and incorporates 3G-SDI and HDMI ports to deliver video, audio, power, and control over IP.

Yamaha RM-CG Ceiling Array Microphone utilizes four beams to automatically track voices within the room simultaneously, allowing for lively conversations to be picked up and delivered clearly to the far end.

Bluefin V Series Player has proven the value of a light, dedicated player for most situations. Play SD-card based video files with support for push buttons or touchless buttons, or display from compatible devices with included HDMI® connectivity and optional integrated touchscreens

Vimeo Enterprise benefits

Vimeo Enterprise is a full video delivery platform designed to take all of the headache out of video recording and streaming.

Unlike platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo Enterprise removes all ads, suggested videos, and other distractions, leaving only the content you want to show to your students.

When a student walks into the lab, they’ll be greeted with a video explaining what their instructions are and how much time they must complete the task.

If your school is using a Kaltura, Yuja, or Panapto system, you’ll be able to schedule the lab assessments ahead of time, but if not, that’s ok. All the student needs to do is press the streaming button on the LCD display, and they’re ready to go.

The stream will go directly to Vimeo, where the instructor will be able to watch in real-time if they so desire. The student’s voice will be recorded by the Yamaha RM-CG, and Vimeo will automatically transcribe everything that they say while they work through the lab.

Once they’ve completed the lab, they can end the stream by pressing the button on the Epiphan Pearl 2. The transcription and video replays will be ready for the instructor to review not long after the assessment has been completed. Whenever the instructor is ready, both the instructor and the student can go over the student’s work together by watching the replay of their assessment on Vimeo. Vimeo can handle 3 live streams at a time, so you’ll never have to worry about conflicting schedules or videos not getting recorded properly.

This workflow is perfect for colleges and universities, but could easily be scaled to any educational facility that requires students to be able to take lab assessments at times that are convenient to not only themselves, but to their instructors as well.

If any of our new workflow sparks your imagination for how your school could use this technology, don’t hesitate to call us at Exertis Broadcast, we’re here to help.   415-256-2800

Let our experts find a solution for your project!