The Site Walk & Advance Home Work

I just finished a live video stream for the USHCC in Washington, DC.  It was an annual legislative event designed to support and share valuable information with Hispanic small business owners. I was impressed with the quality of sharing and, frankly, found most of the broadcast sessions to be informative for any and all business organizations. The small "workshop" sessions covered subject matters such as working capital, the new health insurance initiatives and job growth in the food & service industries.

That being said, USHCC required live video streaming of the event from more than one location inside of the host hotel. The challenge was even greater because hotel connectivity via a central T1 line would only allow one MAC Address be recognized via a central server for the broadcast. With that key parameter in mind, moving an encoder (with the key MAC Address) from location to location within the hotel ment that portability was a key requirement. I choose to use a Teradek Cube to encode the broadcast for two reasons. One, its portability - and two, its preprogrammed parameters. Once the Terakek is set up, it simply becomes a one button operation. And it is small and light enough to move from location to location with very little effort.

I've titled this post "Site Walk & Advance Home Work" because I can't stress enough the importance of being at the venue well in advance of the live broadcast and getting all the surprises out of the way. For example, this particular event was held in a hotel where the conference and meeting rooms were not all on the same floor. I did not learn that until I walked the site with the client the day before - even though I checked the hotel facilities on line, their presentation showed all meeting rooms gathered together on one floor. That was not the case! Connectivity was fast enough. I was assured by the hotel IT department a minimum 5mbps up, so dropping another line in for the broadcast was not required. But once I was on site, it was a four hour effort to set up connectivity even though the hotel was 100% cooperative. I learned that all connectivity service was provided and managed by a 3rd party. Working with that 3rd party required the hotel's audio/visual department to provide proprietary connections that where unique to say the least.

Bottom line, visit and test everything well in advance of the event. Each one is different. Each one provides its own challenges.

Online Video Ad Trends for 2012

Every year we see a whole host of predictions as to what trends in pop culture, lifestyle, politics & economic changes we will see for the coming year. I have no plans on addressing all of the above, but I would like to look at online ad video trends.

Most of the evolution of online video viewing is based on trends developing since 2009, which has increased by 33%. The majority of viewing has been in what is called the "short clip" category.  But, we have seen dramatic movement toward full-length TV & movie views in the past year due to the proliferation of sites like Netflicks & Hulu. The demographics of online video viewing is also moving up due to better access speeds and video capable portable devices. However, sharing of video is declining. I believe what we are starting to see is the perception of online video now being accepted as a reliable media source.

 Older demographics are less likely to "share" video and are also far less receptive to ads associated with online video content. They are driving instead to more professionally produced video and also more likely to accept brand recall and relevance associated with the content they are watching. So, if what they've seen on TV now appears online associated with something they're viewing, it becomes far more relevant in terms of brand recall.

Marketers would also do well to head toward information & education bucket in 2012. Online is truly a multimedia experience, and with older demographics now moving toward acceptance of online media, now is the time to do more than just sell your product. In a recent survey conducted by Yahoo!, they discovered that 57% of online viewers preferred to watch video that enhances or explains a concept or product. And if the video is professionally produced, it enhances brand awareness.

Inventive Idea - Entertaining Presentation

The video and film community is no longer in the background - now you can find members easily on the web, and on video, sharing knowledge and sometimes hawking wares for sale. The video I have posted today is no exception. It's a great idea - already in use by many adventurous videographers, and it finds a happy middle ground between full-on Steadycam and Hand-Held for long periods of time.

That's all I'm going to say. Watch and be amazed.

Web Video Streaming - Pt. #3 (Encoding)

Codecs are the technology that compress and deliver video streams to the web.  They also establish how your video stream will be viewed by users at the other end. In other words, what software (or browser plug-ins) the user will need in order to "decode" (or play) your streamed video. There are a lot of codecs on the market and it can be confusing as to which way to go when making a choice. Keep in mind that most users on the web are going to be using either Windows based or Mac based internet browsers. Knowing that, and also understanding that your hosting solution has already taken these variables into consideration, your job suddenly starts to get a bit easier. What you want is a encoder solution that reliably delivers the quality you expect at a price point you can afford. If you are streaming for something as simple as family and friends (not a critical audience), there are plenty of free software solutions available that will get the job done. But if you are looking to reach a mass audience  and play on a professional level, the game changes. Viewers will have expectations and not want challenges receiving your video stream. Making a codeck decision to this end is critical. 

If you have $10 to $20 thousand dollars available in your budget, then your solution is easy.  Buy a Digital Rapids or Kulabyte encoder and your job is done. The truth is there are plenty of high-end encoders out there that are reliable and give you plenty of options for variables that come into play for most broadcast location challenges. Unfortunately most budgets don't allow for encoders in this price range, so your alternatives are still wide and plentiful but also limiting. It's the software tied to these lower priced encoders that is the key to success. You'll also want to see technical support to assist you when you need it, along with a company that is always working to improve their encoders through firmware and software updates. Always do your research on any brand that you are considering for a encoder purchase. See if they have a forum available on their website for advice and challenges from a neighborhood of users. If they do, it's probably a good bet in terms of access and technical support.

Whatever encoder you decide to go with, make sure it gives you basic control options:

• Bit Rate
• Output Resolution
• Frame Rate
• Input Supported Resolution
• Latency Adjustment

These are key factors that can make or break the success of a live video stream. Obviously there are also more advanced options that many encoders include and can fine tune the look and feel of live stream.

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Steve Jobs passing affected me deeply this morning. His vision to redesign computers centered on the idea of a desk top, icons, double click & the drag and drop feature made these machines much more human. These four basic concepts are the root to everything that Apple has built since. He said that he wanted to "make a dent in the universe." He did that. The dent he made is genius because the concept is simple, user friendly and is now the accepted standard for all software design for PCs & MACs.

It was the MAC that dragged me into the digital world. My entire career has been in media. Most of it spent in radio. I remember the day that Scott Chapin (primo producer) and I talked our chief engineer at WGTR (Miami) into installing a MAC Plus into the air studio so that we could record and edit phone calls from listeners quickly and efficiently. We used a program called Session. It replaced two giant reel-to-reel machines, and also replaced the need to buy large quantities of quarter inch tape, razor blades and grease pencils. The engineers called it a toy. We took a lot of shit for having that MAC in our studio. I believe we were the first in the country to do it too. But it was that little MAC plus that became responsible for the format and sound of the morning radio show (Herman & McBean - WGTR) we put on the air five days a week.

Here we are years later, and it's Apple that still leads the way for creativity in media. Steve Job's vision to design and build computers that allow humans to be creative and even reinvent themselves is a gift. I know this because it is Apple that has delivered that gift for me. I am grateful for that, and forever in debt to Steve Jobs and the remarkable tools he and Apple have given us. If you are a Apple user and opening up a session (video or audio) today, please, just look at the screen for a moment and take in the wonderfulness that is there in front of you. It truly is extraordinary.

Don't be fond of rules - Have zero respect for the status quo - Change things