Creative COW: NAB 2013: NewTek

Creative COW by Debra Kaufman

At NAB 2013, NewTek debuted 3Play 4800, a multi-camera replay server for live sports production. Among its features are real-time capabilities, redundant capture, enhanced visual effects, live replay switching, high-end slow motion, and social media publishing within a single, turnkey system, available now for just under $40,000 (international pricing may vary).

3Play 4800 is intended to provide affordable access to the replay server technology that has remained out of reach for many stadiums, colleges, teams and leagues, enabling many more sports producers to add instant replays, slo-mo and out-of-the-box integration with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube among other outlets.

"This is the most complete solution available for replay," said a NewTek spokesperson. "This is the latest entry to the design, which started in 2009 with the 3Play 330 and, two years ago, added the 3Play 820 and then the 3Play 425. With the 4800, we are now concentrating our efforts on sports broadcasting."

The 3Play 4800 toolset includes redundant capture of up to 4 live video sources, which doubles up ISO recordings and protects all media assets; live animated, 3D-warped visual transition effects for switching and in-program editing, and the ability to import branded graphic elements; Live Replay Switching to monitor all angles during replay, and transition between them video-switcher style; clear slow motion playback with HD or SD cameras, via a high-resolution algorithm for motion and still images; and easy social media publishing to multiple sites in one pass, even during live production. read more...