Achmea, Netherlands gets a new lease on life with NewTek’s TriCaster® and NDI®

With a system built around NewTek’s TriCaster alongside free Video-over-IP protocol NDI, the team at Achmea’s Learning and Development department was able to develop a solution that allows it to create and deliver educational content in broadcast quality as well as support multi-user communication across widely distributed corporate locations. This innovative video production system, equipped with hundreds of advanced capabilities, allows users to create, switch, live stream, and record 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition) video. This proved to be essential, particularly when the COVID-19 pandemic caused face-to-face communication and in-person learning to be suspended.

BACKSTORY

Achmea, an insurance company in Netherlands has over 10 million customers through its multiple brands such as Centraal Beheer, Interpolis, Syntrus, FBTO and Zilverin Kruis. With roots dating back to 1811, the company offers health, life and non-life insurances, income protection insurance products and pensions to a diversified client base that includes consumers, small businesses, listed companies and government organisations. Achmea is also the holding company for a group of strong, successful insurance brands in countries like Greece, Turkey, Slovakia, Canada, and Australia. 

THE CHALLENGECONNECTIVITY, FLEXIBILITY AND SCALABILITY

It was important for Achmea to give access to learning and development resources across departments and geographies. The learning and development department wanted to transform and unify its communications and needed a solution that would reflect and support the demands of such a distributed business. “We saw the pressing need of sharing knowledge in a scalable manner, but in a unique way to an online meeting,” says Yvo Verbeek, Learning Consultant Digital, Achmea. “We needed our subject matter experts to make content with the same quality standards, at home.” Such versatility and the need for broadcast quality called for something more sophisticated than an everyday online web-chat service. The concept developed further and the idea of creating a recording studio to serve Achmea’s learning, and development needs was born.

In addition, Achmea wanted the ability to easily change the look and feel of the live shows, to support the multiple brands which have their own corporate identity. Achmea had explored the use of a green screen, working with the Chromakey facility to isolate the presenter for a video presentation. However, there was no internal facility to deliver lessons and presentations over live streams. For previous events, an external company had been hired to support live streaming.

PARTNERING WITH LINES BROADCAST

Verbeek and his team worked in partnership with NewTek reseller, Lines Broadcast, to address the challenges. The learning and development department was already familiar with the TriCaster system for recording live interviews to camera as well as video editing. They decided to further explore the capabilities of the TriCaster system with NDI. 

UNCOMPROMISING ALL-ROUNDER

With the TriCaster, a tried and tested all-in-one video production system and NDI technology for IP-based workflows, Achmea was able to capture, create and communicate video in better than broadcast quality. Each source can be monitored in real-time as TriCaster supports an array of customizable multiviewers, configurable windows and workspace layouts. Operators see everything happening during the production and can switch inputs simply and rapidly, keeping the production dynamic. TriCaster 2 Elite can record multiple channels of full-resolution video to QuickTime or H.264 files, so all these sources can be saved together for archiving, post-production. Live streaming is made possible by two streaming encoders, while user-friendly presets for a choice of new media platforms, including social media let even nontechnical users easily deliver platform-specific content live and to on-demand audiences.

ENABLING VIRTUAL REALITIES

Achmea was now able to save on studio and set expenses with TriCaster’s ability to turn a simple green screen room into the venue for a professional virtual studio set. With TriCaster’s integrated LiveSet technology, live performance is combined with professionally designed virtual environments, complete with multiple angles, virtual camera movements, real-time reflections, specular highlights, animated lens flares and stunning augmented reality effects that blur the line between virtual and reality. Operators can quickly and easily create composite scenes from live video, graphics and virtual sets for reports, presentations, demonstrations, and more.

FLEXIBLE VIDEO OVER IP STANDARD

With NDI Webcam Input, NDI sources are recognised as standard Microsoft Windows video and audio sources, making it possible for Achmea to use the existing video communications setup without increasing the complexity or supplementing it with new hardware. Any remote contributor, anywhere in the world, can become part of the production – using NDI Bridge, NDI Remote, Live Call Connect, or the built in SkypeTX channels, SRT streaming, and more. The TriCaster 2 Elite system enhances the real-time interaction with broadcast-quality video and audio, allowing videoconferencing conversations, interviews or reports to become another production-ready source — regardless of the caller’s device.