18 STREAMPUNK Tool of the month
Words by Neal Romanek EASY REMOTE VIDEO WITH SPARK
Product Name: Connect Spark Company: NewTek Price: $499 for Connect Spark HDMI; $700 for Connect Spark SDI
ewTek’s products have been a boon to the streaming sector.
Its TriCaster has become a workflow workhorse for the micro-broadcaster. In 2015, the company introduced its Network Device Interface (NDI) standard, which allowed video tools to send back and forth high-resolution video through any IP network. The royalty-free protocol was quickly adopted by online video producers – to the chagrin of trade organisations trying to develop unified, non-proprietary standards. Last year, NewTek released the Connect Spark. The Spark is a piece of compact, plug-and-play hardware for delivering SDI or HDMI video anywhere over an IP network. The Connect Spark can send a digital video source to the network in HD, with NDI output and support for resolutions up to 1080p at 60 frames-per-second. Using either Ethernet or Wi-Fi the Spark can be available as an input source for an NDI-compatible device or application. Cameras, switchers and microphones only need to be connected to the network for the Spark to be able to access them. Users can monitor video, access audio and video settings and manage permissions through a browser-based control panel, and the Connect Spark can be designated as an input source for desktop video applications, such as Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Skype, WebEx and Zoom.
The Connect Spark is available in two models – one for HDMI input, the other, a bit more expensive, for SDI input. After some months on the market, the Connect Spark has had good uptake by companies needing easy and flexible ways to import video into their network. Remote productions are especially benefiting. A typical use case is the work of Brazilian live-streaming company JupiterReturn. “Our Rio de Janeiro oice was tasked with conveying the overall feel of staying at a luxury hotel along the beach in Copacabana,” says JupiterReturn executive producer/director Victor Borachuk. “The deliverable was a basic one-camera 4K stream connected directly into our TriCaster TC-1. But we felt this didn’t allow viewers to experience elements such as the hotel restaurant, the rooftop pool deck, the concierge service or the gym overlooking the beach. Using NDI and Connect Spark boxes, we chose a few locations within the hotel, put them on a VLAN, and gave viewers a live tour of the hotel and a bit of the neighbourhood.” The plug-and-play usability of the Spark makes it appropriate for non-
professional use. “The Connect Spark allows us to walk around our entire campus, using our Wi-Fi network to send live video from our cameras back to our studio,” says David R Burgess, director of the digital media production department at a private school in Florida. “It has simplified our set-up for live sports coverage. We no longer have to spend hours pulling fibre optics to cameras.” The most recent version of the Spark includes a Virtual PTZ feature, which allows users to select and create multiple shots from a single, full- resolution video signal. The selections can then be stored as presets. The feature oers live virtual zoom and pan control throughout the frame. A Multicast Mode has also been added, which allows multiple destinations to receive the Connect Spark video source without having to establish individual point-to-point connections, resulting in thriftier consumption of network bandwidth. The latest iteration also oers an external LTC time code reference for embedding time code into the Connect Spark video signal for synchronisation with other NDI video signals.
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