FIRST IMPRESSIONS: THE NEWTEK TRICASTER MINI IS A WINNER

Videomaker by Marshal M. Rosenthal

The lobby of my apartment building is more suitable to standing around reading the mail than it is for working as a 4-camera capable, multimedia video studio outputting network-style content. But that?s what is about to happen, courtesy of NewTek?s Tricaster Mini.

I watched as Josh Rosen came in through the door carrying a nondescript knapsack ? which he told me had no issues going through the metal detector at the airport or flying on the plane with him. He pulled out the under-10 lb. TriCaster Mini and set it on the lobby?s coffee table. What I saw immediately, besides the fact that it had a side-mounted LCD screen (which can be used as a small display or to show dedicated graphics like a countdown clock) and a plethora of inputs, including Ethernet, was that the main inputs for the cameras were HDMI ? yes the same HDMI commonly found on flat panel TVs. In my head I got the idea that the TriCaster Mini had been designed for the person or company who was looking for a professional broadcast-quality device but wasn?t interested in the ?techie? world of involved and difficult setups or a long learning curve.

These musings of mine were borne out as another member of the NewTek team began to set up a ?virtual set? so as to demonstrate what the TriCaster Mini could do. Time involved: less than 6 minutes from plugging in the Tricaster Mini to setting up a green screen on stands, complete with LCD lighting and a consumer-grade HD video camera. Also brought into play were a 16:9 monitor and a wireless keyboard and mouse. The Mini includes a wired keyboard and mouse but can use wireless provided that a USB receiving dongle is part of the equation. read more...

Introducing the NewTek TriCaster Mini!
Click here for Videoguys' Guide to the NewTek TriCaster Mini HDMI Production Studio

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	TriCaster Mini HD-4i HDMI Production Solution with Integrated Display and 2 Internal Drives $7,995.00			TriCaster Mini HD-4i Educational with LiveText 2.5 and VSE 2.5 $7,995.00			NewTekTriCaster Mini HD-4i Bundle with Control Surface and custom Travel Case $9,995.00