Making the connection – NewTek LiveText User Manual
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2.3 MAKING THE CONNECTION
LiveText is designed to play an important role as an integral component in a live production suite.
In this configuration, the LiveText workstation is connected to the live switching unit (such as a
TriCaster™) across a network.
A peer-to-peer network connection can be established between the two units using a crossover
cable. Often though, the LiveText workstation will be a client on a larger LAN (local area
network), which network also includes the live production system. (In this configuration, displays
from additional networked systems may also be available to the live production system as video
sources via NewTek’s iVGA utility.)
Naturally, the existence of the network connection is critical if you wish to use LiveText in a
‘direct-to-air’ application. A ‘hard-wired’ Ethernet connection is preferred – and ‘the faster the
better’ (Gigabit networking is strongly recommended, especially for more demanding use such as
long animated scrolls or crawls. For HD sessions, it should be considered mandatory.)
Note that the LiveText host and networked live production system must be on the same local
subnet. Also, if your LiveText host is protected by a firewall, you will need to either disable the
firewall, or configure it to allow LiveText access to the network.
Network throughput can be quite variable in some environments (such as a corporate or
tradeshow network.) To the extent you can ensure non-essential network traffic does
not interfere with LiveText operation during live production, you will enjoy more peace of
mind.
In most cases, at this point your network connection is correctly established and you are ‘good to
go.’ (If you should happen to run into a connection issue, see Appendix C – Networking Notes for
information on diagnosing network problems).
Otherwise, you can skip right to the next chapter – Titling Tools.
Performance Note: Realtime playback depends on several factors. For example,
previewing a scroll in the edit window could cause another scroll playing Live to skip on
some systems. To be safe, it’s always wise to test prior to important live events.