Telestream’s Wirecast Gets New Update With Production Capabilities

Telestream announced a new release of their live streaming and production software for Mac and Windows, Wirecast. The latest release features built-in PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) control for robotic cameras in Wirecast Pro, support for the X-Keys Wirecast Control Surface, paired encoding contribution with Facebook Live and more.

Paired encoding to Facebook Live allows videographers and freelancers to target and stream content to Facebook pages for clients, customers, and their brands without requiring admin passwords or credentials for the main Facebook account. This is particularly useful for pages with multiple contributors and cross-promotional streaming.

To enable sophisticated multi-camera productions without adding extra staff and cost, Wirecast Pro now supports built-in PTZ control. Optimized for the PTZOptics camera line using the VISCA-over-IP protocol, this provides added flexibility and speed when generating alternative camera angles and framing from PTZ cameras without leaving the Wirecast interface.

Support for P.I. Engineering’s X-keys Wirecast control surface enables rapid, responsive operation of Wirecast in fast-paced live production environments. The new Wirecast control surface offers instant access to 12 sources on each of the five layers in Wirecast.  The status of each layer and source is indicated on the controller via a light behind the corresponding key. One button triggering of saved scenes, outputs, and transitions puts the most frequently used features literally at the operator’s fingertips.

The X-keys for Wirecast Controller will come FREE with any new purchase of a Wirecast Gear 230 system through the end of June and is the first Wirecast upgrade since the release of version eight which marked a change in how Wirecast software is sold and upgraded for existing customers. As of version eight, users now get frequent free updates as part of their yearly support subscription. This differs from the previous “paid upgrade” model that was in place prior to version eight.

“As of Wirecast V8, we changed the model to bring more frequent updates to our users as engineering develops them,” says Tom Prehn, senior product manager at Telestream. “This allows us to react more quickly to customer requests and push out new functionality whenever it becomes available. With this new support subscription model, we no longer need to hold features until we have enough to warrant an occasional paid upgrade.”

With each purchase of Wirecast 8 or later–whether it is an upgrade purchase or full license–customers receive an included Standard Support subscription for 1 year from the date of purchase.