# Tricaster export



## mstaylor (Dec 1, 2010)

We have installed a system that includes two LED boards, a tricaster and two cameras. Everything is good except my boss wants to take the camera feed out to remote TVs in other parts of the building, concession areas and lobbies. The TVs are fed by the secured county network and I need to interface the two systems. How do I get the signal out of one closed system into the other. IT is telling me it has to go to a web address first to convert the streaming video to a format the TVs can read. Help.


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## Footer (Dec 1, 2010)

Is the same image going to the LED boards or can you feed different content to each? Does he want the same image that the LED gets and send that out? Finally, does he just want to pipe JUST what is coming into one of the cameras and dump that into the TV's around the building? What is feeding the TV's around the building?


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## mstaylor (Dec 1, 2010)

He wants to be able to switch from ads or menus to a live feed. The TVs curently are fed from the county server system to a appliance with imbedded Xp to the TV. Right now they are being fed coming events, "You are here" maps and concession menus. They want to be able to add the live feeds that is being sent from the cameras. In the booth will be the camera and LED board mixing and a computer that is tied to the county system that controls the TVs. 
IT knows the county system and the video guy knows the video side but neither seem to be sure how to get together. Somehow I get to figure the solution. Again I tell them I am a lighting guy and a rigger.


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## Footer (Dec 1, 2010)

Yuck. So, there is no real way to do this the analog way that we all like. It is going to have to go IP, and more fun its going to have to go streaming IP. I would give NewTek a call on this one, for the 10-20k you shelled out for the tricaster, they should be able to give you a hand with this. You should be able to create a new feed pretty easily on the tricaster, blast it out to the TV controlling computer, and use it as an input on that computer. How you do that.... ya.... I have touched a tricaster twice and have never gone through the setup process. You need to get a guy that knows the tricaster and a guy who knows the video system in one room and don't let them out till they get a stream out of the tricaster that the TV computer can understand. Good luck.


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## mstaylor (Dec 2, 2010)

I did that yesterday but I was unable to attend. My boss says they came up with a solution but the way he said it didn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling so I thought I would get an independant opinion. You think I don't know much about sound, my video knowledge is zip.


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## dvsDave (Dec 2, 2010)

blackbox.com has a pretty big list of Digital Signage tools.

Not sure what your budget is, but take a looks at their Sedao SWEP digital signage players. (also, request a catalog if you don't have one already, it's a treasure trove)

Update: I would look for an IP Video Balun (IP is key as I am assuming that a direct CAT5 connection between the two spaces isn't an option)


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## mstaylor (Dec 2, 2010)

If you mean between the tricaster and the network computer, then yes, a direct cat5 connection is possible. IT tells me that it wouldn't give the computer anything it could read. Now I do have access in the area to a cable modum if that makes a difference.


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## dvsDave (Dec 2, 2010)

Okay, here's the real question. This network computer, what CAN it accept in terms of an incoming signal? Does it have a TV tuner that you could take advantage of?


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## mstaylor (Dec 2, 2010)

I will have to check to make sure, I know it takes most types of JPEGs, Excel and other types of presentation formats, both Mac and Windows. It does trailers and a few other tricks but other than that I will have to find out. I know it can accept RSS feeds also.


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## Chris15 (Dec 3, 2010)

Exactly what sorts off resolutions are expected at the display end? If it's anything like HD you will probably need to install a hardware encoder that spits out MPEG or H.264 or the like depending on what the display clients can decode.

I've been embroiled in an IPTV rollout the last few months so I can probably answer some specific questions on or off line but I think the real key to getting it working will be to find out what streaming codecs the STB or embedded client can handle, the resolution people are expecting to be delivered and the bandwidth available to support that...


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## mstaylor (Dec 3, 2010)

I talked to the video guy this morning and he said the connection between the two is simply a cat5, which is what I contended all along. What happens after that is going to be the IT guy to handle. I have not talked to him yet. They think they have the solution but I am not holding my breath.


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## SHARYNF (Dec 5, 2010)

THe issue you are likely to run into is that you need to not only get the feed from the tricaster as content on the network server (which from your explanation is NOT live streamed, but stored and then I would GUESS is fed as a standard tv signal to the tv's, and you then need to be able to get to control the server... I would suggest that you look at a different approach, and have a switch/mixing system DOWNSTREAM from the server which is providing the stored content, and have your Tricaster feed the live video to this switch/mixer so in that setup you need to determine what is the format of the feed to the tv distribution system.

Sharyn


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## mstaylor (Dec 6, 2010)

Your solution, while good, will never fly with my IT guys. I believe it is live streamed, but as it is explained to me the appliances can't read a live stream unless it is fed through http location. The network is a closed secured county network and all the feeds to the TVs go through the server. They have used a security camera fed to a web address and funneled it to the TVs. 
They feel they have it solved. I talked to the video guy and he can't tell me what the solution is, which is weird because he is the one that schedules and produces the content presently be used. I would think he would understand what IT has in mind.


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## mstaylor (Mar 21, 2011)

Well, we are at the end of March and to my knowledge, they have never made it work. I keep getting told I don't need to know the system but I keep getting the calls when it doesn't work. 
We have had other problems with the video boards. The company that supplied them sold us a system that the signal was fed by fiber. When they came in it was all Cat5. We fed it with Cat5 with understanding it would be switched out for fiber. We have blue lines running through it, which I thought was a byproduct of of the Cat5. They switched it out the other day and all they did was feed most of the run in fiber and switch it at both ends. The lines are still there. Then we had a strip of modules that would come and go, mostly go. It would either be a block of red, a strip of multity colors or straight black. Turns out the power terminations inside the sign were loose. I have not been happy with this system. Just providing an update.


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