TV Search Engine?
It appears that Google and Dish Network are working on a TV search engine. Check it out:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2010/03/google_dish_network_test_tv_se.html
DS
Fundraiser Tech Tale
February 9th came and went, and…We Did It! The funds will be in our collective mitts in a matter of 2-3 weeks. It is then, oh yes then, that we’ll be purchasing gear and tweaking out about The Claymore Live Internet Sketch Comedy Show until its launch in the Spring. Lots and lots and lots of research and practice up ahead, but we’re excited and ready for it.
As a means of documentation (so as not to forget), and to fill in any like-minded creators as to how we accomplished the Live Online Fundraiser Event from two seperate filming locations, here’s a quick rundown:
First things first, TEST EVERYTHING! As seen in the post below, Matt did a hell of a job testing the XHA1′s interaction with Ustream, and finding a way to embed the feed into a WordPress post. Tyler Smith, of Claymore fame, and I tested the internet connection at The Playground Theater, deciding ultimately to use an Ethernet cable to link-in as opposed to risking the feed on a wireless signal. Brian Hurwitz, also of Claymore fame, setup a fresh lookin’ page on Claymore’s website to include the live feed, chat function, and a social media stream so that viewers from Twitter and Facebook could interact with the show and its audience, in real-time! These additive functions are found in Ustream’s Dashboard.
So, 20 minutes before the event, we linked the Canon XHA1 up to a MacBook Pro laptop via firewire, patched it through a software program called CamTwist (because of incessant crashing), and the feed was recognized immediately by Ustream. Our audio was a little more tricky. Connecting a lav and/or shotgun mic to the camera could not be recognized by CamTwist. Instead, Matt fashioned the purchase of an XLR to quarter-inch cable, thus linking the audio directly into the Line-In on the side of the laptop. Ustream was able to recognize this audio source, along with the firewire video feed, and combine the two for the broadcast.
The shotgun mic we ended up using at The Playground Theater was hung from the rafters over the center of the stage, about 10 ft. from the ground. Since it’s unidirectional, it didn’t do the best job picking up the entire environment, but informed us of its capability in preperation for the Spring. The camera/computer were positioned behind the audience, roughly 30 degrees off-center, stage right.
Along with the footage from the main camera, we were able to position 4 other cameras in the theater. I held a second Canon XHA1 while sitting in the front row in order to get medium and close-up angles, indicative of the showcase from an audience members perspective. Our lav was connected to this camera, and will be a good alternative source of audio for us to analyze and use during editing. A third camera, the Canon XL1, was positioned in the audio booth at The Playground Theater, roughly 55 degrees off-center, stage left, all the way in the back. This is the highest point in the venue to film from, so we kept the perspective wide and angled downward toward the center of the stage. Our 4th and 5th cameras were crowd-centric. Dan Sullivan held a mini-DV camcorder while sitting just off stage right getting close-ups of audience reactions during the show. To accompany that notion, we duct-taped a Flip Mino HD camera to an angled wall off stage left and positioned it toward the center of the audience. Luckily, it was black and blended in with the wall, so no one noticed it.
Our second film location occurred on a whim and on the fly. Due to reaching our fundraising goal, Peyton Brown of Claymore, got a tattoo to commemorate the event. While Dan manned the live feed at The Playground Theater, Matt and I grabbed the XHA1 that I was shooting with, the attached lav, and a second MacBook Pro laptop, and followed Peyton to the tattoo parlor down the road (keep in mind it was snowing like mad, and about 12am). As soon as we got in, we obtained a wireless signal, connected the camera via 8-pin firewire, logged into Ustream, switched feeds, and started recording. This all happened in a matter of 5-6 minutes.
While we recorded from the tattoo parlor, everyone at The Playground Theater was able to watch on a projection screen connected to an in-house desktop computer. All of this happening LIVE!
I believe that about covers the majority of the tech setup and execution. As stated before, we’re really excited to get our hands on the new gear so we can take this event to the next level. Primary concerns include the fluidity of the live stream, enhanced audio production, and dynamism of the broadcast.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we go.
Ss
Regarding “test!”…
If you ever find yourself with nothing to do and, for some reason, want something to do that feels like you’re doing nothing….try getting wordpress to host your ustream feed. I’ll admit, I know next to nothing when it comes to coding websites (which is a shame because that’s what my boss does for a living) so I may very well have just been making things way more difficult than they needed to be, but this is what worked for me: direwolf online!
Mr
Tuesdays with Norman (this is how I spent my afternoon)
Norman Stettler took a sip of his coffee. He felt some loose coffee grounds sneak down his throat. Initially, the little bastards had disguised themselves with the Hazelnut creamer he had found in the fridge, but once they reached the back of his throat, they had tossed off their cloaks and rode merrily down, scratching their claws into the walls of his esophagus and causing him to gag.
“Fucking Becky,” Norman muttered under his breath.
He looked out of the kitchen and saw her plump figure rolling down the hallway; a purple bowling ball filled with small talk and quiet condescension. He saw her stop mid-stride to talk to Rick, and wondered how long until a massive moving force such as herself coming to sudden halt would cause severe damage to either her ACL or MCL. He did not know what either acronym stood for, but he watched enough ESPN to know that each were parts of the body that A.) could be damaged and B.) were located in or around the knee.
Becky was by no means a bad person: she went to church, she obeyed most traffic laws and she sometimes gave her spare change to the homeless. Yet Norman could not stand her. His blinding hatred for this disgusting mass had nothing to do with the fact that Norman had overheard her refer to him as “creepy,” or that she always spoke down to him, but rather was the result of her one overwhelming flaw: she made terrible coffee.
Norman dumped the coffee that was swimming dangerously in his favorite mug into the sink, and watched as an army of small, black coffee grounds marched slowly down the drain. Norman’s hand began to quiver slightly. He imagined taking the pot of coffee and throwing it in her face. The scalding liquid would eat through her flesh, causing her to look like Stephen King’s version of the Kool-Aid man. He smirked at the thought of her writhing in pain as the little coffee grounds infiltrated her wounds. For a brief moment, Norman’s hand began to reach for the pot of coffee, but the sound of footsteps stayed his hand.
“Good morning, Ron,” a woman said from behind him. It was Becky. Norman’s temples throbbed with anger as he turned quickly to face his sworn enemy. “Oh, I’m sorry, Norman. I thought you were Ron. Ever since you’ve gained all that weight, it’s hard to tell you two apart. Will have to get you name tags.” Becky’s last comment was followed by a high pitched chuckle.
“What did you say?” Norman took a step towards her, his muscles taught with rage.
“Oh, I was just making a joke,” Becky said as she took a sip of her disgusting coffee. “Are you ok, Norman? You don’t look so good.” Norman was, in fact, sweating profusely, and he could feel his shirt clinging to his back. But that didn’t matter to him. What mattered to him was that this was it; this was his chance. He had the pig cornered, now he just had to make his move. Norman lurched forward and grabbed for the coffee pot, but in the excitement he misjudged his aim, and burned his hand on machine.
“Oh God why,” Norman shrieked at the top of his lungs. The burn was not very bad, and would clear up in two days, but Norman had never had much of a pain threshold.
“Norman, it’s just a little burn; you’ll be ok. Just calm down,” Becky said while obviously suppressing her laughter.
He stared into her greasy, squinty eyes and saw nothing but pure evil. Norman raised his right leg, and brought it forward swiftly. Unfortunately, Norman’s conscience would not let him kick a defenseless woman, so his leg’s momentum was slowed half-way through it’s descent, and by the time it reached Becky’s meaty shins, it lacked serious force, and caused little more than a slight wince in the victim.
Becky began screaming in anger immediately and Norman knew that his boss would not accept his explanation. He looked up and saw the concerned faces of his co-workers popping up over the tops of their cubicles. He looked down and saw Becky’s round face contorted oddly with anger. He looked down at the floor, and saw his favorite mug shattered across the tile.
“Run,” Norman heard himself saying. “Run!” Norman pushed passed Becky (which was no small feat, especially given his weakened condition) and sprinted through the exit, down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk of the business complex. Norman looked up at the sky for a brief moment before hopping on his bike and smiled.
“Fucking Becky.”
Netflix
Netflix just released their Q4 numbers for 2009, and there was an interesting statistic regarding online viewership. According to their numbers, 48% of their 12,268,000 total subscribers watched more than 15 minutes of a movie or TV show online between October and December of last year, which is a 20% increase over the same time period in 2008.
Full article here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Netflix-Announces-Q4-2009-prnews-1477006141.html?x=0&.v=1
While it’s no surprise that people are watching TV and movies online, it’s impressive to see a 20% jump in online viewership for a company as large as Netflix. Combine those numbers with sites like Hulu, individual network sites, etc., and the notion that the internet is the wave of the future for TV seems obvious. At Direwolf, we hope to cut out the middle man of this equation and simply stream a show live via these here internets. This is the future of broadcasting, and we’re excited to be part of it.
DS
The future remains right where it is…for now.
This is it! It’s here! Not only is it being hyped as something that maybe might possibly save publishing, most likely probably will heartily compete with existing portable gaming devices (though probably not), and will defintely, definitely, definitely sell like crazy…the new Apple iPad will, in it’s own extra special way, extend it’s magical grace upon us: Direwolf!
Dear lord are we excited for this thing. Not really because of what it is, but what it MEANS. The iPad seemingly ensures another injection of Apple design ideals into our culture as well as delivers a product aimed at providing web browsing and video as it’s primary function, which only bodes well for us here at Direwolf. We expect to continue making content (of which you’ll be privy to very soon), and it’s invigorating to see today’s leading consumer technologies share some of our own thoughts: video will eventually become what text is today…omnipresent. Best get cracking.
Mr
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