THE BUILDING BLOCKS
OF LIVE IP WORKFLOWS
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.
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rather than being stuck with enormous (and outdated) equipment investments years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: http://new.tk/BroadcastMinds2016)
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.
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
BREAK THROUGH
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.
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.
MIX
TriCaster Mini
HD-4
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!
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
SDI
TriCaster Mini
HD-4
NDI
GFX
Sienna
WebNDI
Adobe
Premiere
Pro CC
LAN
AJA KONA PC
NAS
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: 2ND 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.
SDI
TriCaster Mini
HD-4
NDI
LAN
TriCaster Mini
HD-4
SDI
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
SDI
TriCaster Mini
HD-4
NDI
NDI Scan Converter
SDI
NewTek Connect Pro
LAN
NDI Video Monitor
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.
© 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.