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(TriCaster 8000 only) In high-end broadcast applications and multimedia production environments, it can sometimes be quite important for redundant TriCaster systems to be operating synchronously.
FIGURE 296
The Options menu (Live Desktop Dashboard) contains the item Control System(s) Remotely. Selecting a suitable TriCaster 8000 unit in this menu checkmarks it; subsequently, the all command operations given to the local unit are echoed to the controlled TriCaster, which will follow along submissively.
Tip: Mirrored systems should be running identical software versions, specifically Rev.1c or better.
For most purposes, media content and all initial control states of both local and controlled systems must be absolutely identical in order for remote control (a.k.a., ‘mirroring’) to work as expected. Thankfully, achieving this ‘twinned’ state is not that difficult.
1. Configure the first TriCaster:
o Create a new session in the desired format.
o Go on to configure cameras, Proc Amps, media content, Audio Inputs and Mixer settings, M/E configurations, etc., just the way you want for your production.
2. Exit the session, and use TriCaster’s Backup Session feature (see 5.3.3) to back it up, gathering all media assets in the process.
3. Click the Shutdown icon on the Home Page, and select Administration Mode.
4. From the Administration Mode screen, Exit to Windows, and locate the session backup file you created.
5. Transfer the session backup across the network to the remote system.
6. Use the Restore Session Backup feature (see Section 5.2.2) on the Home page
of the remote system to open the backup session file, and launch the session.
7. Re-launch the original session on the controlling system, and enable remote control over the second system using the Options menu item as described earlier.
That does it as far as configuring TriCaster goes. Obviously too, though, mirroring normally calls for upstream distribution amps to multiply camera feeds, attention to matching up audio routing, and so on. Likewise, in most cases, attention must be given to output routing (and sometimes, ‘failover’ device planning and connection).
In yet another approach to all of this, you might consider using an outboard network drive as the Session Volume for both systems.
Note: Normally, TriCasters operating under remote control retain autonomous local control response. You can actually enable bi-directional remote control by configuring two systems to control each other. This can be very desirable, such in cases where different operators are responsible for certain aspects of the production process.