NBA TV, the National Basketball Association's 24-hour cable
network, announced Wednesday that it will use the TriCaster HD portable
production system from NewTek to produce seven live game broadcasts of the 2010
NBA Development League Showcase, which starts on Monday, Jan. 4 in Boise, Idaho
and runs through Thursday, Jan. 7.
The NBA has used the compact TriCaster system, which NewTek
bills as a "production truck" in a box, since last season to produce live
Webcasts of every D-League game that are available via NBA Futurecast on
NBA.com/futurecast. But the Showcase event in Boise will mark the first time NBA TV has
used the system to deliver a live television broadcast, and the first time a
live HD sports broadcast has been produced with the new TCXD300 model, which
Newtek began shipping earlier this month for a base price of $14,995.
NBA spokesman John Acunto says the league has been happy
with the NewTek product's performance in streaming D-League games, and that
using the new HD model for the D-League Showcase was a more cost-effective way
to deliver the games from Boise's
Qwest Arena than renting a full-fledged mobile production truck. The Showcase,
which provides exposure for D-League players and coaches to NBA general
managers and scouts, includes all 16 NBA D-League teams each playing 2 games.
The games that aren't broadcast live by NBA TV will be streamed live for free
on NBA.com/futurecast, and the games that are broadcast will be available in
on-demand form the day after air.
The schedule of live D-League Showcase games on NBA TV is as
follows:
Monday, January 4, 2010
Rio Grande Valley Vipers vs. Albuquerque T-Birds 1:00 p.m. EST
Los Angeles D-Fenders vs. Maine Red Claws 3:45
p.m. EST
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Maine Red Claws vs. Sioux Falls Skyforce 1:00
p.m. EST
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Reno Bighorns vs. Erie BayHawks 1:00 p.m. EST
Bakersfield Jam vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers 3:45 p.m. EST
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Albuquerque T-Birds vs. Tulsa 66ers 1:00 p.m. EST
Erie BayHawks vs. Los Angeles
D-Fenders 3:45 p.m. EST
