Category: Podcast

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.