SAN ANTONIO - May 4, 2010 - NewTek, manufacturer of industry-leading video and 3D animation products, today announced that the WNBA and NBA Development League (NBA D-League) - the National Basketball Association's official minor league - will use newly launched NewTek TriCaster TCXD850 high definition/standard definition (HD/SD) portable live production system, to produce and deliver a full season of live games, online in HD for the first time, on WNBA.com and NBA.com/dleague. TriCaster TCXD850, which NewTek unveiled and received multiple coveted awards at the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, is the latest addition to the TriCaster line of products.
"TriCaster has provided us with a cost-efficient tool to produce and deliver NBA D-League and WNBA games to multiple distribution platforms," said NBA Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, Steve Hellmuth. "The architectural advances in the new TriCaster TCXD850 will allow us to facilitate expansion as our needs dictate."
NewTek TriCaster has been used to produce and live stream events from the 2010 NBA All-Star Jam Session Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown in Dallas, as well as full seasons of NBA D-League games, since 2008. The NBA also used the award-winning NewTek 3PLAY HD/SD slow motion replay system, during 2009 NBA D-League All-Star practice events in Phoenix.
"The NBA Development League's Futurecast webcasts represented the first time that an entire professional sports league made their full season available online, for free," said NewTek Senior Vice President of Strategic Development, Philip Nelson. "With the success of Futurecast, we are excited to expand our relationship to the WNBA and help bring their games in HD to a larger audience, both on the Web and on broadcast television."
From May 11-June 9, NewTek brings portable live production to schools on its TriCasts America: Varsity Tour, to host free, live demonstrations of TriCaster TCXD850 and 3PLAY, a multi-channel HD/SD slow motion replay system. Interested attendees can sign up at www.varsitytour.com to be one of the first to see the benefits of this appliance that is like having a giant live HDTV truck that fits in a backpack. The tour, featuring what could be the world's smallest, HD live television production vehicle, will launch in New York City making stops in Syracuse, NY, Boston, Hartford, CT, Raleigh, NC and Charlotte, NC.
The latest addition to the TriCaster line of portable live production systems, TriCaster TCXD850 is a 22-channel HD/SD live production switcher in a rack mount form factor, with redundant power supply and removable storage; eight external sources, eight virtual/mix channels; live HD virtual sets and advanced matte generation; overlay with rotation, positioning and scaling in 3D plus animated effects; HD live streaming; increased media player capabilities; and multi-view monitoring of all inputs and outputs.
With TriCaster, anyone can simultaneously produce, live stream, broadcast, project and record HD and SD network-style productions. A single operator or small team can switch between multiple cameras, virtual inputs, and live virtual sets, while inserting clips, titles, and motion graphics with multi-channel effects. In addition to the WNBA and NBA Development League, TriCaster is used by sports organizations, schools, broadcasters, houses of worship, government agencies, and others, to provide a new level of extended programming and content to their audiences.
Now preparing for its 14th season, the WNBA is the most successful women's professional team sports league in the world. At the conclusion of the last NBA season, 20 percent of NBA players had NBA D-League experience. For more information, visit www.wnba.com and www.nba.com/dleague.
Pricing and Availability
The TriCaster family of products in NTSC is available in North America starting at US$4,995, and multi-standard internationally starting at US$5,995. Educational pricing is also available. For more information, please visit www.newtek.com, or call NewTek Sales at 800-368-5441. International callers dial +1-210-370-8000.
TriCaster Upgrade Guarantee
Buy any TriCaster portable live production system, now through June 30, 2010, and trade it in for the full purchase price towards TriCaster TCXD850.
About NewTek
Benefiting producers and artists with cost-effective and groundbreaking technologies, NewTek is a leader in portable live production, video editing, 3D animation and special effects tools, including the TriCaster product line, 3PLAY and LightWave 3D. NewTek has won numerous industry accolades, including two Emmy Awards.
Clients include: NBA Development League, New York Giants, NHL, ESPN X Games, MTV Music Group, Fox Sports, CBS Radio, ESPN Radio, Fox News, BBC, Nickelodeon, "Furious World," The Steve Harvey Morning Show, USA TODAY, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NewTek products have been used in blockbuster films and television shows, including "Avatar," "Repo Men," "Angels and Demons," "Battle for Terra," "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man," "Tropic Thunder," "V," "FlashForward," "Lost," "Fringe" and more.
NewTek is privately owned and based in San Antonio, Texas. For more information, please visit: www.newtek.com.
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The TriCaster product line includes TriCaster, TriCaster PRO, TriCaster STUDIO and TriCaster BROADCAST, which are trademarks of NewTek.
3PLAY, DataLink, TriCaster VM, TimeWarp, LiveControl, SpeedEDIT, VT[5], iVGA, LiveSet, LiveMatte, LiveText, 3D Arsenal and LightWave Rendition are trademarks of NewTek.
LightWave and LightWave 3D are registered trademarks of NewTek.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
