[Jef Kethley]

Our production division has been using TriCasters for years. We have quite a bit of BMD gear also. If you want a seasoned piece of gear with more options to make your productions a level above and shine then go with a TriCaster 425, 855, or 8000. If you just need basic video switching then the BMD might be the ticket. In all our events we have had many more issues with BMD gear than EVER having issues with a TriCaster.

There are many times more to the issues of TriCaster reliability than the box itself. Many times improper operation is a bigger issue than the reliability of the TriCaster. Sorting out a proper and functional workflow with TriCaster is very important. Even then it is still up to the operator to make sure he follows the proven workflow instead of taking shortcuts.

My production dept just returned off a 3 week tour doing Professional Tennis Tournament broadcasts. 3 weeks straight of daily 10-14 hour broadcasts. TriCaster did not fail on us a single time. I can’t say the same for some BlackMagicDesign gear. We don’t use the BMD switcher except for small IMAG events. The feature set is just not there for our production level.

[Jef Kethley]

We used the Production Intercom AD903 to interface our 2wire ClearCom system into the ATEM converter world. After a little tweaking time, all works fantastic.

You can also use this same box to interface ClearCom 2Wire to RTS 4Wire. Not bad for a $300 ish box.