Corner Geeks 9: Live Streaming setup for Ran8adidas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:18 — 30.0MB)

Show Notes

What we wanted

Live streaming of the event
Video
- multiple cameras if possible
- perhaps one overview shot
- one on-the-go camera following events like the Twitter hunt. Follow contestants around “Amazing Race” style
Sound
- clean sound from the mixer for opening ceremony / speeches
- also want to capture atmosphere/sound around the camera
Internet
- need for streaming
- simplest of them all. 3G dongle
Master control at the laptop controllilng the stream / switching audio and video accordingly

Mobile video

DSLR / camcorder approach:
- Possible but need wireless transmitters making it cumbersome
- DSLR sensor limited time
Keep-it-Simple-Stupid approach:
- Use smartphones with Wifi and cameras
- Small, simple, only need wireless access point if needed
- Possible to attach external microphone to device for interviews
- Advantages
  - Can move around freely
  - Requires no additional hardware for video capture hardware on computer.
  - Fairly cheap and easy to setup if you already have the devices (more people have smartphones now)
- Disadvantages
  - Latency
  - Lower quality?
  - Potentially unreliable connection vs wires? Wireless inteference. Network going down?
  - No zoom!
- Mobile Video apps
  - IP Webcam
    - Android
    - Free
    - Starts a webserver on camera device. Accessible from any computer on the network. View and listen in a browser
  - PocketCam (Desktop software)
    - iOS / Android
    - US$4.99 / BND$6
    - Windows or OS X software to be installed on the host
    - Creates video and audio device driver on host. Once connected access like a webcamera and USB mircophone
    - Audio lag!
  - WebCamera
    - iOS / Blackbery / WinMo / Symbian
    - US$2.99 / US$19.95 / US$19.95 / US$9.95
    - Works similar to PocketCam: Windows or OS X software to be installed on the host
    - Used iOS version that can take video and photo from camera and it will send it to host computer
  - There are other apps for Android and iOS but many do not provide audio which is what we wanted
- Multiple Camera feasibility study
  - IP Camera: separate VLC instance for each video and each audio for each camera. Gets complicated very fast
  - Pocket Camera / WebCamera: only one PocketCamera / Webcamera host software allowed to run at one time on one machine
  - Not possible to use multiple cameras using only one app. Mixer and match is possible
  - Needed proper communication between in-the-field camera user and master control

Sound

Input from mixer via line-in on laptop (not don’t have get a USB sound card)
LadioCast for audio mixing and piping of audio. Can even monitor sound without sending it to live stream

Internet

Needed wireless coverage
Used iPod Touch as a WiFi signal monitor. Activated voice control, tap the wireless signal to hear the strength level (probably there is an app for this but did not explore)
To forgoe a 3G router: OS X Internet sharing (Connetify.me for Windows)

Other things we used

Phone holder to tripod mount
- Can get the at a shop in the Mall, near Netcom. Can’t remember name
- Others options at DealExtreme
Tripod: can place camera in certain places. Can extend tripod to get different angles
Charging cables! Must remember to charge mobile devices. iPod Touch 4G lasted about 2 hours of streaming

Final Setup

iOS Webcamera easiest to work with
CamTwist to add overlays
Ladiocast to pipe audio. Connected to mixer when needed. Add microphone from the mobile cameras when interviewing / asking questions
Tripod to place camera so no need to be there
uStream to send out stream and record it

Other Considerations

Phone upgrades:
- External microphone using Steel Series Headet adapter (Kiulap) which gives headphone output and microphone input. can be used for better interviews
- Battery packs
- Stablizers / Lens
  - Owle Bubo
  - SLR Lens mount Photojojo
- Other Links
  - External Microphones for iPhone 4, iPad and iPod Touch Audio input
  - Handheld Hollywood: Site for using things like iPhone and stuff for content creation.
Have a sign that says, “we’re streaming live”. While recording I was thinking of the implications of this for privacy
Have a dedicated chat room to interact with the viewers. At least had a screen of some hashtag that we could sometimes show on twitter.
Get better upstream for better video and audio
Have a dedicated screen / projector / laptop on our booth showing what’s streaming.