NewTek™ rettet den eGaming-Produzenten LocalGames vor dem Absturz durch COVID

— We work with international esports companies like Riot Games (developer of League of Legends, among others) and LVP (professional esports tournament promoters for Fortnite, Free Fire, League of Legends and other top eGames) to produce live eGames tournament broadcasts —

SAN ANTONIO, TX–May 25, 2021— In 2020, Latin American video production company LocalGames realized their traditional workflow for producing live broadcasts of eGaming tournaments was completely unworkable during COVID-19 restrictions. Gaming tournament broadcasts, which are the company’s lifeblood, would continue, but all competitions would be virtual. No spectator-packed venues, no competitors on-site, international borders closed. The company was given just over a week to adapt to that change.

“Because all our content is on network, we require a workflow that allows us to efficiently stream video to the network,” says Bernardo Pizurnia, CEO of LocalGames. “And that’s why we chose to go with NewTek. Their products are designed with livestreaming in mind.”

Enter NewTek - The Ultimate Streaming Solution

To accomplish their post-pandemic goals, LocalGames purchased a TriCaster^® Mini 4K live production system. The TriCaster puts an entire suite of media production capabilities at a creator’s fingertips. The TriCaster Mini is easy to transport wherever needed and powerful enough to handle even complex productions. For LocalGames, purchasing their TriCaster was more than just a workflow efficiency decision. It also made financial sense.

“We are competing against traditional production companies with traditional workflows for these production jobs,” Pizurnia says. “With their old technology, their end-product is very expensive compared to ours, and ours is much more versatile because the workflow is already designed to stream. That’s one reason we’re as successful as we are.”

Many staff members at LocalGames came from that legacy world of broadcast production, but as Rodrigo Cotiart, broadcast engineer and Chief TriCaster Operator for LocalGames said, “I found the TriCaster to be very easy to learn. And I’m not the sort of person who likes to read manuals. I’m much more of a doer. That’s the way I learn. So, I just got in there, sat down at the TriCaster, and got my hands dirty. I found it to be very intuitive. That’s how I learned to record macros, create camera pre-sets, modify the Multiview, and build buffer animations. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get your hands dirty. I still haven’t read the manual.”

3Play^® Makes Replays Easy

Just like any other sports broadcaster, replays are an important production tool in LocalGames’ production arsenal, and the company has made use of NewTek’s 3Play^® to produce instant replays for their eGaming programs. The reliability and versatility of the 3Play was one of the reasons LocalGames felt so comfortable turning to NewTek when the pandemic hit.

„Von früher war ich es noch gewohnt, EVS oder K2 für Wiederholungen zu verwenden“, berichtet Cotiart. „Die Umstellung auf 3Play ging wirklich leicht vonstatten. Das Einzige, das anders ist, ist die Position der Tasten. Und ehrlich gesagt finde ich, dass 3Play viel vielseitiger und dynamischer als die anderen Geräte ist, und das zu einem viel niedrigeren Preis. Unsere Erfahrungen mit 3Play sind durchweg positiv."

Spark and NDI^®: A Unique Use

LocalGames makes extensive use of NDI^® (Network Device Interface), a revolutionary software standard developed by NewTek that enables video-compatible products to communicate, deliver, and receive high-definition video and audio over a computer network in a high-quality manner suitable for switching in a live production environment.

“Even before we bought our first piece of NewTek gear, we were using NDI under the free protocol,” Pizurnia said. “And since we knew the power of NDI, it made sense to go with NewTek products when it was time to make upgrades.”

Das Unternehmen ist zudem im Besitz von vier NewTek-Spark-Plus-Einheiten, die ganz entscheidend für die neu ausgerichteten Produktionen sind. Mit Spark-Plus-Konvertern können Produzenten Videos von Digitalkameras und anderen Geräten drahtlos oder über ein Ethernet-Netzwerk überspielen. Die Spark-Einheit wandelt HDMI- oder SDI-Videoquellen in NDI um und macht sie so als Videoquelle verfügbar.

While many Spark owners use their units to integrate remote cameras anywhere on their network into a TriCaster, LocalGames found a unique way to use the versatile devices. After purchasing their TriCaster Mini 4K, the company had legacy, non-NDI equipment they needed to continue to use. Plugging that legacy equipment into a Spark device allowed LocalGames to continue to use this old equipment and still utilize all the technological advantages their TriCaster offers.

Kontinuierliches Wachstum in der COVID-19-Ära

Nur wenige Tage nachdem die Welt auf den Kopf gestellt wurde, übertrug Local Games mit dem neuen TriCaster Mini 4K die erste neu gestaltete Sendung.

“That first broadcast was accomplished with video boxes over a graphic background,” Cotiart said. “Then we realized we could do more, and that’s when we started adding virtual sets using NewTek’s Virtual Set Editor.”

That capability was easily accomplished as it’s natively built into the TriCaster. The next week, the broadcast featured its hosts sitting on a freshly designed virtual set. The clients liked what they saw and pushed LocalGames to expand their productions even more.

„Es mag seltsam klingen, doch die COVID-19-Pandemie hat uns tatsächlich zu einem stärkeren Unternehmen gemacht“, berichtet Pizurnia. „Sie hat dafür gesorgt, dass wir neue Tools finden, virtuelle Sets verwenden, und die Unreal Engine einbinden. Sie hat uns in die Zukunft katapultiert und uns dazu gezwungen, das Beste aus den neuesten Technologien zu holen.“

“The growth of our company has been exponential. I don’t honestly know where we can get to in the future, but we are rolling at top speed and a whole new world of possibilities has opened up to us.”

Über NDI

NDI is a brand of Vizrt Group. NDI software is in the hands of millions of customers worldwide and allows multiple video systems to identify and communicate with one another over IP. NDI can encode, transmit and receive many streams of high quality, low latency, frame-accurate video and audio in real time. This benefits any network-connected video device, including cameras, converters, video mixers, graphics systems, capture cards, and many other production devices. #SDVS #NDIcentral #NDI.tv

About NewTek

As the leader in IP video technology, NewTek is transforming the way people create network-style television content and share it with the world. From sporting events, Web-based talk shows, live entertainment, classrooms, and corporate communications, to virtually any place people want to capture and publish live video, we give our customers the power to grow their audiences, brands and businesses faster than ever before.

The NewTek brand joins those of Vizrt and NDI under the umbrella brand of Vizrt Group. The NewTek brand is 100% committed to its Channel Partners as its route to market.

Clients include: The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, New York Giants, NBA Development League, Fox News, BBC, NHL, Nickelodeon, CBS Radio, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports, MTV, TWiT.TV, USA TODAY, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Celebro Media, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Charles University in Prague, Pinsent Masons LLP, and more than 80% of the U.S. Fortune 100.

For more information on NewTek please visit: www.newtek.com, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr or connect with us on Facebook.

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• NDI, TriCaster, 3Play, TalkShow, Video Toaster, LightWave 3D, and Broadcast Minds are registered trademarks of NewTek, Inc.
• MediaDS, Connect Spark, LightWave, and ProTek are trademarks and/or service marks of NewTek, Inc.
• All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.