Portable Multimedia Lab

PHOTO OPTION

The Current Standard: Newtek Tricaster

•The Tricaster has been popular with educational productions due to it’s low-cost and turnkey nature•The most equivalent Tricaster is the Tricaster Mini (previously only available in HDMI)•New version will feature SDI inputs

The Current Standard: Newtek Tricaster

• Source: www.bhphotovideo.com – 5/6/16

Tricaster Mini Pros:•Much cheaper than “professional” studio switching/recording gear•All-in-one turnkey “studio-in-a-box”•Built with educational use in mind (not necessarily the depth of knowledge/skill of TV professionals)•Includes built-in streaming encoder software

Tricaster Mini Cons:•Existing models of the mini are HDMI only (SDI coming with next model)•All-in-one box does not allow for user expansion (adding internal hard drives to a non-hard drive model voids the warranty)•Software driven switching/encoding can be prone to issues/crashing/etc.•Pay a premium for a turnkey solution with little expandability

Our Alternative: Build our own!

•Portable multimedia lab built around the Datavideo SE-1200mu switcher.

Faculty Development Day – 10/17/15

Winter Commencement– 2/7/16

Wilmusic Fest– 4/30/16

Multimedia Lab Pros:•Price! Less than half of the cost of the nearest equivalent Tricaster Mini•Modular construction allows for upgrading/expanding/servicing/replacing parts if needed•Professional SDI workflow (but includes consumer HDMI options if needed.)•Hardware-based workflow provides greater reliability (Software is limited to control interface)•Firmware updates and features still being rolled out

Multimedia Lab Cons:•Learning curve – significant time and knowledge is needed for assembly and configuration•Different components all from different companies if tech support is needed•Datavideo switcher supports only up to 1080i•Modular components take more time to troubleshoot as compared to all-in-one turnkey solutions•No native network (IP) camera support•Limited internal audio controls

Cost BreakdownDatavideo SE-1200MU 6 Input HD Digital Video Switcher* $1,469.00

X-Keys XK-60 USB Programmable Keyboard $191.00

8U Ultimate Strength Series Roto-Rack $155.85

DAC-70 SD/HD/3G-SDI Up/Down/Cross Converter (2x) $980.00

Patch cables - 6x 1.5 foot & 10x 3 foot $86.80Universal patch bay w/ 16 knockouts $36.0010 SDI jacks $45.504 HDMI jacks $51.76HDSDI video distribution amplifier (1 in 8 out) $170.00Atomos Ronin HDSDI recorder $970.00Sandisk 480gb Extreme Pro SSD $266.98Teradek VidiU Live Encoder** $699.00Furman Power Conditioner $54.00

*This switcher needs to be controlled by a PC**There are other, cheaper live encoding options as well

$5,175.89

Multimedia Lab vs. Tricaster Mini

•Similar functionality (chromakey, DSK, still store, HD recording, SDI workflow)•Tricaster Mini has more functions (network camera inputs, built-in live streaming, robust audio mixing, built-in digital media players)•Multimedia lab is a hardware-based workflow using traditional, professional grade gear.

Multimedia Lab vs. Tricaster Mini

•Cost-comparison – Our solution is less than half of the cost of the most comparable Tricaster Mini: $5,175.89 vs. $11,995•Features are comparable, especially considering WilmU use-cases.

Someday…

$499…but backordered.

Thanks!