Although I am not streaming a great deal, I do tinker from time to time with Wirecast, in case your not sure what Wirecast is or does – then head to there website for the full low-down. The last time this software broke was in Version 3 when Apple updated Quicktime and it just so happens that Quicktime recently had an update. I Started Wirecast today and was met with the Watermark, this only happens in the Demo Version by chance. I checked my Preferences and sure enough, there is no Serial listed:

Re-adding the serial

I dug out my email with the serial listed, tried to add it and this came up:

Not a problem I told myself and I removed all traces of Wirecast from the machine, I even went into the registry and removed all traces of my serial number (found it in two places), got rid of any wirecast stuff in ‘Program Files’ and local profile. I tried it again but the above screen just came back up – this meant the key was hidden someone else but I am not sure were.

Anyone else have this problem or just me? I have logged a support call and made a forum post - lets hope they get back to me soon with a fix.

A Long time coming and sitting for a couple of months in Beta, it is finally out of the doors for the general public – Wirecast 4. Thsi software allows you to turn your computer into a Studio to produce the kind of video effects normally seen with a Tricaster but at a fraction of the price and runs on either a Mac or a PC. Wirecast software lets you produce professional-looking live events with just a camera, an internet connection and a computer. Stream or record live internet shows, broadcast breaking news or sporting events, stream live concerts, transmit church services, corporate meetings, lectures and much more.

Two Versions

Now Wirecast comes as two versions, the normal version and the Professional Version. The normal version which will suit most people costs $449:

• New intuitive user interface with shot editor
• Improved integration for Blackmagic capture cards
• New titles (lower thirds)
• Improved Flash Encoding: Main Concept H.264 and On2 (VP6)

The Professional version is an eye watering $995 but adds to the mix:

• Professional-looking 3D virtual sets
• Enhanced audio controls with sync delay
• Integrated scoreboards for live sports broadcasts
• Additional source support for IP cameras and Telestream Pipeline video capture devices
• Input support for HDV cameras ($99 value)

What has changed?

A more open approach to laying out shots in that you can build up sets and inside this have everything you need such as camera’s, audio devices and so forth on an unlimited basis. There is a demo to download and try before you buy, this is watermarked but will allow you to try this out to see if it works for you.

You can stream to Justin.TV, Ustream and many other streaming services to not only give you high resolution output but a more professional look as well as combining desktop grabbing from any computer on the network (including Linux if you run Desktop presenter under W.I.N.E.).

As ISP’s provide faster bandwidth speeds, webcams get higher resolution and computers get faster and more core’s – it begs the question – can you now stream in full HD resolution to offer the best video possible as well do it on a free service? I recently watched what was claimed to be full blown HD Stream but after making this full screen and seeing ‘jaggies’ on the diagonal lines (such as the nose for example) – I questioned if this was really HD and what was at fault.

Bandwidth requirements

• 720p60: 1280×720 gives 0,92 megapixels per frame. If we take a 24-bit color value per pixel (RGB), this means 2,76 MB data per frame, which multiplied with the 60fps gives 1,3 Gbps or 165 MB/s.
• 1080i60: 1920×1080 means a 2 megapixel frame which translates into 6,2MB per frame. The interlacing cuts the bitrate in half: 6,2MB x 60 / 2 = 1,49 Gbps or 186 MB/s.
• 1080p60 is obviously double the throughput of 1080i: 2,98 Gbps or 373 MB/s

Hardware

I am using the Logitech 9000 Pro and going from the spec’s page:

• High-definition video (up to 1600 X 1200*) – * Enhanced from native 2-MP sensor.
• 720p widescreen mode with recommended system

Now when I tested this HD mode – I need to add that it was dark and only had one light on – that means the camera had to work harder and probably make the image worse that it could have been.

The testing enviroment

Using the Core i7 machine armed with Flash media encoder 3.1 – I set the input and output to 1280×720 at 25fps, the bandwidth to 950 for video and the total bandwidth needed was 1014kbps. In theory I have 1500kbps – so I should have some headroom.  I also recreated the same settings on Wirecast and go to work recording some content and taking some pictures.

The first thing I noticed on Wirecast broadcasting was it was not as crisp even on preview and if you click the picture above to get the full resolution you can see that there is jaggy lines on the cup, the laptop and the words are not that clear.

Now let is turn to Flash Media Encoder 3.1 – straight away you should notice the much sharper picture, the lack of jaggies on the laptop, how easy it is to read the text. The lines you can see running through the picture is the camera trying hard to compensate for low light.

Thoughts

Wirecast will probably get better in Version 4 – as of now it downgrades the quality of either a webcam or a screen capture (a game for example). FME on it’s own of course cannot do camera swtiching live or capture the desktop but armed with the right programs, you could go so way to get them features.

The bottom line is just because you *think* you are broadcasting in HD does not mean the end result is true HD Quality. The stream above for example is still worse in Quality than a proper 720P Movie – streaming has a long way to go yet.

Wirecast got updated to 3.5.7 – fixes include:

• Improved MPEG-2 decode filters
• Fixed sync issue when recording mono AAC audio to disk
• Fixed issue with firewall blocking Wirecast built-in Darwin streaming server
• Fixed issue for aspect ratio being saved for a shot as s a new device is connected
• Being able to restore aspect ratio that is saved in a document

Ustream have finally released there butchered version of wirecast which works only on Ustream. To put this in a nutshell, Wirecast is a $450 piece of software that works like a software tricaster and looks like they have been working with Ustream to make a version just for them. The Free version works better then the Test version of Wirecast, no annoying “This is a test” or Watermark and the pro version basically is Wirecast but for $199 cost – that’s half the price.

Desktop presenter

The full version of Wirecast comes with a separate program called dekstop presenter, this allows you to run it on another machine (or the same on as well) and grab a piece of the desktop. The version online is stuck at 1.04 but this version has built in that program, so it runs at the same time. If you do “about” you will see it is version 1.05 and it now has the ability to specify what area you want by dragging handles about (much like manycam and the like). Already a user of wriecast? Install Ustream presenter on another machine, grab the desktop presenter and the dll and overwrite your own – your good to go until Wirecast catch up.

Cost difference?

The real thing (Wirecast) can stream to a handful of services such as Justin and the like while this Pro version of Producer misses out Chromakey and can only do ustream. They have built in a chat though and a viewer count.

Better then manycam

If you are a ustream person – head over and get this, it will beat ManyCam and the like easy, even in the free version.

Some pictures

A company by the name of Telestream make a whole line of products for both Windows & OSX, one such product is called Wirecast and this is best described as a low-cost Tri-Caster running in software. If you are into streaming to any of the services and have moved past the hobby stage – then the money outlay for this software is worth it for the end result – read on for a complete overview of this software.

What does this software do?

The program allows the input of Webcam’s, FireWire CamCorder and via means of a internal  card, HD Camcorders which operate on HDMI for example. The other aspect of this is to set up shots with transitions as well as placement of Titles, Logo’s and Audio tracks as required. Using the extra download from the site, you can run “Desktop Presenter” on any machine on your network (both Windows & Mac) and bring the entire desktop or part of the desktop into the shot along side your webcam etc.

Normal Shot – Composing

When you add a new shot (by clicking the + Sign) you are presented with the above screenshot. The tiles can be broken up to include up to 3 parts (A + B + C). Each of these parts can be a Webcam, a Desktop Presenter or an Image with the ability via the CTRL or ALT Keys to control the size and angle of each shot – this allows as per the screenshot to put a webcam image inside a virtual TV set. The Title layer can embed a Title on top of the shot (names for example). Foreground can be used for a Logo image, Background to go behind all the shots and Audio if required.

Pre-Planning your shots

Although the software can be re-adjusted very easily on the fly, the goal is to work out what shots you require before hand. Set them all up as best as possible and once you go into production, have them on hand to quickly switch to various views. Unlike WebCamMax or CamTwist – saving your shots saves a lot of time later.

The other Tabs

As you see on the main screen – it also has Audio, Foreground, Background and Title. Seem strange for these to repeat outside of each shot? Well the answer is no, as this allows a person to have a shot with say two webcams in there and then have a separate Title shot with the name of the show. Then when you switch to a different view (say the desktop), the title stays over the top of the shots.

GreenScreen (Chromakey)

It is possible to have a green screen using this software, inside the channel. A Tab is availiable  for this very feature, allowing you to pick a colour via the mouse cursor.

Streaming Services

You can stream to the following services from the Wirecast UI:

Justin.TV

Livestream

Ustream

LimeLight

AKAMI

A Flash media Encoder is built right inside Wirecast and can stream high quality on both the Mac and PC. This is the only way I know to get FME quality via a Mac. Adobe do not have a Mac Version of Flash media encoder.

The Cost

Now you may head to the webpage and see that magic figure of $450 (UK £254). To a lot of people this is may be too much for a mere broadcasting program but you would be overlooking the obvious. It can record to disk, stream to most streaming services and gives you a professional look. The other solution is to buy a Tri-Caster for $10,000, I know which I would choose.

The complete overview

Plug-in your camera. Prepare your shots. Broadcast live.

Wirecast is a live production tool that allows everyone to easily broadcast live events and create professional webcasts from any location – all you need is a computer and an internet connection. With the intuitive and fully integrated streaming capabilities, Wirecast makes it easy for anyone to share live experiences and build a global community. Wirecast lets you stream multiple live cameras while dynamically mixing in other media such as movies, images, sounds, etc. Features including Chroma Key (blue/green screen), transitions and built-in titles allow you to create beautiful, professional broadcast productions for live or on-demand distribution on the web.

Head off to http://www.telestream.net/wire-cast/overview.htm to get the full details. Try the product for FREE to make sure it works on your system and does what you need, The free trail has a watermark and a voice every so often but it is still possible to see what it can do before you buy this great product.

Apple recently brought out both iTunes V9 & Quicktime 7.6.4 and you may well be tempted to download this, updates are good right? I was eager to update and went to the site to grab my copy (64bit Version) and update. The look of iTunes had gone from Black background to white and had a few new features. This will be no problem if you do not run Wirecast but if you do? Then you may be in for a shock.

Updating iTunes

When you update iTunes, it updates Quicktime and takes this from 7.6.2 to 7.6.4 and if you run and use iTunes (as I do), then it will update your Music library to the new format. All seems well until the next stage – you try and run Wirecast.

Wirecast Crashes

Upon running Wirecast, it tells me the program has failed and is looking for a solution with no visible reason why it has failed. At this point I wondered if I had installed a Windows update, did WebCamMax kill it or has my WebCam Driver been updated for example? Looking into the event Log helps:

Faulting application name: Wirecast.exe, version: 3.5.4.1, time stamp: 0x4a8beecf
Faulting module name: quicktime.dll, version: 3.5.4.1, time stamp: 0x4a8bee8e
Exception code: 0xc0000005

Now it was clear, Wirecast needs Quicktime to run and as they have updated in some way the windows version, wirecast will fail every time.

The Solution…..

First thing I did was export my playlist to XML format from iTunes V9, I then add/removed both Quicktime & iTunes. I had on my drive a copy of iTunes V8.2 and re-installed this – at which point it told me my library on iTunes was in the wrong format. I deleted the folder in “My Music” and it re-created a fresh one then I exported the XML back in. I now ran Wirecast and this ran straight away.

Does it kill the Apple version?

Rob from Corndog Computers did a quick test and it ran fine – so all Apple users are happy to update no problems. People may well blame windows here but it was Apple who wrote Quicktime so …..

Will it be fixed?

I have emailed a few people inside Telestream so they are aware of the issue, made many people aware in the streaming community and posted a forum post on Wirecast side. I am sure the Programmers will issue a fix soon as it could effect a lot of people – at least a handful know about this now.