TriCaster Q&A graphics: put audience questions on air with LiveLink or NDI

Richard Frantzen, founder of AskTide · Updated 2026-11-04

TriCaster Q&A graphics used to mean typing questions into LiveText during the show. Today you can bring a web-based question graphic into the switcher and key it on a DSK, either directly through a LiveLink web browser buffer or as an NDI source with alpha from a separate PC. This guide covers both routes and how to choose.

Short answer: To show audience questions on a TriCaster, load a transparent question output URL into a buffer with LiveLink (Buffer, +, Media Browser, Web Browser) and assign the buffer to a DSK, on models and software versions that support HTML buffers. On any NDI-capable TriCaster, you can instead render the page in OBS on a PC and send it as NDI with alpha.

Two ways to get web graphics into a TriCaster

Vizrt (which acquired NewTek) introduced LiveLink in September 2022 so that TriCaster users can take "HTML sources directly into their production": whole web pages, web video or HTML5 graphics as direct switcher sources (Vizrt press release, checked November 2026). The launch named the TriCaster Mini X first, describing "HTML rendering directly in the switcher" (Vizrt, TriCaster Mini X).

Support depends on model and software version. Vizrt's partner Flowics says you need to be on "Rev 7-9 or higher for the HTML Buffer/Live Link option" (Flowics: TriCaster through LiveLink). Older systems, or a TriCaster that is not updated, won't have it. The route that works on any NDI-capable TriCaster is to render the page on a separate computer and send it over NDI.

Sources checked November 2026. Menu names below come from Vizrt and partner documentation; labels can differ slightly between software revisions.

What the question graphic is

The examples use AskTide, which is free during the beta. Each session gives you three outputs at 1920×1080 with a transparent background: Display (/display/SESSION-ID: the question on air, polls, name tags, QR code), Flow grid (/flow/SESSION-ID: a scrolling wall of questions from one chosen column) and Live text (/live-text/SESSION-ID: one full-screen message typed live).

The audience opens a web page by link or QR code with no app and no account. A moderator moves questions from New to Selected to On Air to Done, and only one question is on air at a time. AskTide has no audience upvoting, by design: an editor decides what goes on screen.

Route 1: TriCaster LiveLink web browser buffer

To change the URL later, hover the buffer slot and use its web (globe) control rather than deleting the buffer, so the DSK assignment survives.

1. Copy the Display output URL. In the AskTide manage view, click Share and copy the Display view link (https://www.asktide.com/display/SESSION-ID). Never use the manage or audience page in the switcher; they have solid backgrounds.
2. Add a web buffer. Open the Buffer tab, click + on an empty buffer slot, and in the Media Browser click Web Browser. Paste the URL and confirm. In Vizrt's Viz Vectar Plus guide, which uses the same buffer system, only the first ten buffers support HTML, so use one of those (Viz Vectar Plus: Buffers).
3. Assign the buffer to a DSK. Use the DSK's Source drop-down and choose the buffer. A DSK sits after the main switcher, so the question stays over every camera cut.
4. Check the alpha. Put a test question on air and look at program. The Vectar guide lists "alpha transparency for HTML5" for those buffers. If you see an opaque box instead of your camera, your model or revision isn't passing alpha from that buffer; switch to Route 2.
5. Fit and position. Hover the DSK thumbnail and open the gear icon's configuration panel to crop or reposition if needed. With a 1920×1080 page on a 1080p session it should already line up.
6. Take it on and off. Use the DSK's transition (for example Fade) to show or hide the layer. Since the output is transparent when nothing is on air, many operators simply leave the DSK on all show and let the moderator control content.

Route 2: NDI with alpha from a PC (works on any NDI TriCaster)

This is the route that certainly works, because NDI carries an alpha channel and every current TriCaster receives NDI. The PC does the web rendering, the TriCaster just keys a source.

1. Install OBS and DistroAV. On a PC or Mac on the same network as the TriCaster, install OBS Studio and the DistroAV plugin (formerly obs-ndi) along with the NDI runtime, as described in the NDI documentation. On Windows, reboot after installing.
2. Add the question page as a browser source. In OBS, click + in the Sources dock, choose Browser, paste the Display URL and set Width 1920, Height 1080. Keep the default Custom CSS, which makes the background transparent.
3. Send that source over NDI with alpha. Right-click the browser source, choose Filters, and add a Dedicated NDI output filter with a clear name such as QA-DISPLAY. Flowics documents this method for sending a browser source over NDI with its alpha channel (Flowics: OBS through NDI). Using a per-source output instead of the main output keeps your OBS canvas background out of it.
4. Select the NDI source on the TriCaster. On the TriCaster, choose the NDI source by its machine and source name as an input, then use that input as the DSK source. Its alpha is used for keying, so no chroma or luma key is needed.
5. Add a second output if you want. Add the Flow grid as another browser source with its own dedicated NDI output for a full-screen question wall on a separate input.

Use wired gigabit Ethernet for the PC, give it a fixed name you will recognise in the source list, and disable sleep and automatic updates for show day.

DSK keying tips for TriCaster Q&A graphics

• Put questions on a DSK, not on the main program bus. That way camera cuts, transitions and replays never affect the graphic.
• Reserve one DSK for the Display output and keep it there. Name tags, polls and the QR code live on the same output, so you don't need separate keys for each. See free lower thirds and name tags for readable name tags.
• If you also run LiveText or other lower thirds, give each its own DSK and agree positions in advance. AskTide has nine screen positions and four corners for name tags, so you can keep layers from colliding.
• Style in the web editor, not in the switcher. Layout (card, lower third, ticker, minimal, full screen), font size, background opacity, shadow and animation are set in AskTide with a live preview, and changes reach the switcher in a fraction of a second.
• Avoid scaling the DSK above 100 percent. If text is too small on air, raise the font size in the editor so it stays sharp.

Flow grid tip: a full-screen question wall that is light on the switcher

For a dedicated Q&A segment, the Flow grid makes a strong full-screen look: a calm, scrolling wall of the questions in one column, typically Selected, so the audience sees that their questions are in the queue. Choose a solid background to use it as a full-screen source on the main bus, or a transparent background to layer it over a background video or wide shot.

We optimized the flow grid to be light: it renders each question once instead of redrawing a long list every frame. That matters when the page runs inside a TriCaster buffer alongside other HTML sources, and it keeps the CPU calm on the PC in the NDI route too. Put the Display output on a DSK above it, and when a question goes on air it appears on top of the wall.

Running the show: who does what

The TriCaster operator is busy enough. Hand question selection to a moderator: from the Share menu, choose Copy link and password and send both. The moderator view is password protected and shows only questions, so they can edit, shortlist and put a question on air from anywhere, while the operator keeps the DSK up. Putting a new question on air returns the previous one to Selected, and moving it to Done clears the screen.

For the full producer workflow, read how to moderate a live Q&A, and for in-room audiences see QR codes for audience questions. The same outputs also work in vMix. Our TriCaster guide is the short version of this page.

Troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Can a TriCaster show a web page as a graphic?

Yes, on models and software versions with LiveLink HTML buffers: add a buffer, choose Web Browser in the Media Browser and paste the URL. On other models, send the page from a PC as an NDI source.

Does TriCaster LiveLink support transparency?

Vizrt's Viz Vectar Plus guide, which shares the buffer system, lists alpha transparency for HTML5 in the first ten buffers. Test on your own model and software version; if alpha doesn't come through, use NDI from a PC, which carries alpha.

How do I put audience questions on a TriCaster DSK?

Assign the web buffer or the NDI input carrying the question output to a DSK via its Source drop-down. Leave the DSK on and let the moderator put questions on air.

Do I need LiveText for TriCaster Q&A graphics?

No. A web-based question output replaces typing each question into a title. LiveText remains useful for other graphics.

Is AskTide free for TriCaster productions?

Yes. AskTide is free during the beta with unlimited sessions and all features, and OBS and DistroAV for the NDI route are free.

Read next

• Show live audience questions on a TriCaster
• vMix Q&A: put moderated audience questions on air with the Web Browser input
• How to show audience questions on screen in OBS (transparent overlay, no chroma key)
• How to moderate a live Q&A session: roles, columns and on-air rules