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TriCaster 850 and TriCaster 855 Side by Side
This is my quick review of the NewTek TriCaster 855 (model TCXD855). Pictured on the left is a TriCaster 850 installed in the inner shell of my flight case. To the right of it is the TriCaster 855. You will notice the form factor and for the most part the front plate design is identical. What has been changed aesthetically is the font used to spell “TriCaster”, from a futuristic italicized font to a sans serif Helvetica type font. The TriCaster name is also much smaller on the 855. The model number to the bottom right of the plate has changed as well. At the back of the unit, all connections are identical if you can a second generation or later TriCaster 850, but the IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port has been replaced with an eSATA port if compared with the original TriCaster 850. Other than the font change and the I/O connection at the back – the machines are outwardly identical. (Those around here who know the difference between mauve and fucia [or how to spell it] tell me the blue grill in the front vent is of a darker hue – but I don’t know if that’s by design or just natural variation in production runs).
Okay, so now for more technical details. Internal components are identical between the newer TriCaster 850 and the new TriCaster 855. Changes from TriCaster 850 1.0, however include double the ram (from 3Gb to 6Gb), a beefier GPU, a Sandy Bridge i7 2600 CPU, and the ability to pass through audio and video in the event of a system failure (any source placed in input 8 will loop out from program output), however, this feature can be turned off if you have more robust fail-safes in your production environment. Also, it seems quieter. I believe the fan speed is variable in the new box – likely due to a different motherboard than can accommodate variable fan speeds for the system fan. Two great low-tech additions are a sticker behind the front bezel for writing your NewTek unlock code, and another sticker warning the user not to transport the extra recording drives while still installed in the 4-drive bay.
In feature set, the TriCaster 855 most resembles the TriCaster 850 Extreme. Extreme model features, such is ISO recording (the ability to record each camera/video input simultaneously, audio groups, custom animated transitions, a compressor and equalizer on every channel, and alpha channel previews are all features borrowed from the Extreme. The most significant new feature, however is the new recording default to Quicktime using a new encoder. Unlike the 850 Extreme, which limits Quicktime recording to 4 sources, the TriCaster 855 natively records Quicktime in a 4:2:2 variant for all 8 sources. Other differences from the Extreme model include the ability to live switch and capture stereo 3D video through an anaglyph effect, increased throughput speed to reduce latency in IMAG applications, and 3D transwarp effects (created with the included Animation Store Creator).
You can find upgrade information on DigiTek Systems website or in earlier posts on this blog.
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