Video and the AW

[Nnnnsic]

Dad and I are working on giving you video broadcasting for the AW and boy... are we cutting it close!

I'm going to work on some more coding tonight... if anyone understands RTMP and Flash MX Communication server, you're welcome to help!

Regardless, I'll be editing this thread later tonight with a link and if people want to waste a few moments of their time and test it out and tell me what they see, it'd be a great help.

We've got it working internally... which isn't much help to ya'll. It's externally which is the problem.

EDIT: New link! Flash Player seems to work quite well, so let's try it with chat. I've got plans to open this in a new window, but if you don't want me to, tell me and I won't bother... I'm still working out the kinks in my theme code so, if your text looks white, change the colour by use of that square near the Bold and Italics buttons!

DSLR Users.com Video & Chat

[digitor]

I see a blurry dark object, and a picture hanging on the wall behind, with a seconds counter ticking over in the top right-hand corner.

Cheers

[leek]

I can see a stack of something (Hi-fi?) and a picture hanging on the wall...

Does that help?

[leek]

Oooh err... I can see Leigh...

but I'm getting some very interesting sound effects... a sort of loop that keeps building on itself... quite intriguing actually...

[digitor]

There was some sound for a while just then, like the runout of a vinyl record.

Cheers

[leek]

thumbs up to you too...

[leek]

but this sound is getting quite disturbing...

[Glen]

Leigh, working well though could use some light, not much just a little

[Nnnnsic]

One problem at a time, please. Lol

But yeah, I'm happy. I've told the switcher to switch to my camera on the internal network and it seems to be working for video. I'll edit my post with the idea to turn the volume down on the Flash application.

So far, this is very good.

If you're not seeing me, you'll probably see half of a picture frame and some block looking audio gear... that's from Dad's desk.

However, this is a very good sign that we'll be able to broadcast from the AW on Saturday... maybe Friday, but I doubt it.

[sirhc55]

10.55pm and I see nuthin

[Nnnnsic]

Do you have Flash 7, Chris?

It's required.

You won't need to worry about it as you'll be there on the AW, but for all of those people who won't be or just want to help me out in some basic testing or even want to see my ugly mug late at night, click that link and have Flash 7. It should be working atm.

I'm quite happy. Now I just have to work out sound issues.

[JordanP]

Hi Leigh,

I have visual - but no sound

[Nnnnsic]

No sound is fine... I don't have a mic plugged in and I'm not testing for sound yet.

I was only hoping my code would work for the video and.. it has. Yay!

So far so good... are ya'll behind firewalls at all?

[JordanP]

Not behind any firewall here

[JordanP]

yep can hear now - voice not that wierd

[sirhc55]

Would suggest you cut out those nose hairs Leigh

[MCWB]

Behind a firewall here at uni and the video's working fine Leigh.

[Nnnnsic]

Excellent.

I may well be better at this computer thing than I originally suspected!

[cyanide]

sorry... not working for me... seems to get stuck on loading....

I am using IE6 and Norton's, just FYI....

[rjlhughes]

Didn't realise you were doing this when I mentioned the NASA cast.....


good luck with your experiments

[Nnnnsic]

Might be a problem with Norton, cyanide.

I've got no problems with it on IE6.

And the experiments will really pay off if you can't make it on the Saturday night and for some reason are at home.

[cyanide]

Exactly!!!

Am looking at my Norton settings atm.....

Cheers

[Nnnnsic]

Try it on a Mozilla-powered engine like Netscape or Firefox... I'd bet that with Norton, it'll happen to both IE and the Mozilla powered browser.

[cyanide]

Indeed, it does happen on Firefox as well... definitely a Norton issue.

Shall persevere.... I have 17 hours (or so)...

[Charlie Chalk]

I can see the stereo and picture, no sound (but I guess your all in bed) though.

Using Win XP, ok in IE6 (opera and Firefox ok too) behind Norton Firewall and Router Firewall.

CC

[Nnnnsic]

I wasn't in bed, but I had diverted the camera to Dad's desktop camera... which will show a wall with half of a picture frame and a few audio set-top devices.

But this is all looking good... very, very good.

[Charlie Chalk]

So what sort of time are you expecting to be 'broadcasting'?

Will I need to get my sleep patterns re arranged to enjoy it from the UK?

[birddog114]

Can we get Chanel 9 or 7 do the coverage for us?
Get the Packer and the Murdoch into the "loop"

[Aussie Dave]

Great job Leigh....well done.

If this does get up & running for the AW, I'm sure all those that are not attending the AW would appreciate a posting of relevant times for Saturday (and/or Friday) in which we can tune in and play BIG BROTHER on you all !!!

[birddog114]

Great job Leigh....well done.

If this does get up & running for the AW, I'm sure all those that are not attending the AW would appreciate a posting of relevant times for Saturday (and/or Friday) in which we can tune in and play BIG BROTHER on you all !!!

Dave,
Check the front page of the forum, there's a posting of timetable on Saturday evening.

[Aussie Dave]

Great job Leigh....well done.

If this does get up & running for the AW, I'm sure all those that are not attending the AW would appreciate a posting of relevant times for Saturday (and/or Friday) in which we can tune in and play BIG BROTHER on you all !!!

Dave,
Check the front page of the forum, there's a posting of timetable on Saturday evening.

Thanks Birdy. I wasn't sure if the entire dinner would be webcast or only the speeches/Challenge announcements ? Not sure what sort of camera is being used for the webcast, however I wouldn't imagine a wide angle view of a restaurant full of people eating would be overly captivating viewing....unless the footage was coming from a roving handicam ?!? I'm not sure how technical Leigh is getting.....

Perhaps I'll wait and see what eventuates by the end of the week !

[sheepie]

OK Leigh - looks like it may be working as well now - I'm at least getting buffer movement now, whereas I wasn't getting that far the last couple of days. The picture's black, but I'm guessing you're not up and about yet

[birddog114]

Dave,
Have I mentioned earlier that Leigh try to get Channel 7/9 into the loop?

And I think we might do "live report" on the forum.

[birddog114]

OK Leigh - looks like it may be working as well now - I'm at least getting buffer movement now, whereas I wasn't getting that far the last couple of days. The picture's black, but I'm guessing you're not up and about yet

He's still in his cubicle

[Aussie Dave]

Dave,
Have I mentioned earlier that Leigh try to get Channel 7/9 into the loop?

And I think we might do "live report" on the forum.

By the sounds of it, this thing will be "Bigger than Bathhurst"...to coin an old phrase.

If Leigh's as competent behind a webcam, as he is behind the dSLR, we'll have beautiful images of blurry, OOF, women sitting on buses ......just kidding !

[gstark]

unless the footage was coming from a roving handicam ?!? I'm not sure how technical Leigh is getting.....

Something like that is the plan, except of course for the presentations.

[stubbsy]

I'm looking at this from work. I'm using Firefox 1.0.6 and I get the simplePlayer window but just a black square with Live in top LH corner, Gary desk in bottom RH corner and 0 in top RH corner.

Not sure if this is what I should be getting ATM given you're probably snoozing!

[Nnnnsic]

Dad's feed cut out with an error from the Topfield... hmm... okie dokie.

Well, we're going to set this whole broadcast thing up with some live real-time chat (hopefully). I've bought the script and we'll hopefully be getting that into place later on tonight so you can chat amongst yourselves while you see and hear the AW on Saturday.

The testing from last night's page 1 on this thread was of an enormous help, as was Leek and my brother Michael chatting to me on ICQ and MSN telling me if the sound was working, what the stream was like, etc.

So now I have a pretty good idea of what settings to use.

Now hopefully, Flash's in-built webcam settings will just let me plug the DV cam in and away we'll go.

And if not, I've got a line of code which should do the trick.

If all else fails, Birdy, how quick can you order in a Logitech QuickCam Orbit for Saturday?!

If the DV cams don't work... which I'm not entirely sure if they will, I might go all out for this camera as it essentially can control itself.

But first, tonight, we'll see if we can get the DV's operating.

One of the things we can do is switch the cameras around by use of an application in this Flash app that let's us change cameras to the feed you see similar to what tv stations use (although obviously nowhere near as complex).

Essentially, we could get a bunch of cheap webcams, a lot of USB cabling (or a lot of expensive wireless webcams) and set them to broadcast and change the feed camera all the time giving the user a different view of the event.

That said, we decided we'd try this to primarily let users who weren't able to come to the AW hear the speeches and see the people and have a virtual attendance.

But that's not to say this technology couldn't broadcast other events...

[Aussie Dave]

hhmmmm....a virtual mini-meet @ Birdy's.....interesting

Perhaps you could hook up a D2X via NC somehow, so us less fortunate could say we've taken shots with a D2X & a 70-200 VR ?!?!? Sounds strange, but I'm sure you'd figure it out somehow !

Lovin' your work

[Nnnnsic]

Actually, I'd have to see the video output on the camera to see how it works.

If all else fails, we could attach a wireless tiny camera (something like the X10's technology) and put it ontop of the d2x's lens mount or at the viewfinder and tell you that you're shooting with the d2x.

[Aussie Dave]

imagine that.....a virtual D2X. It would almost be as good as the real thing...

Then we could all have "virtual lust" as well....but at a more attainable price !

[birddog114]

imagine that.....a virtual D2X. It would almost be as good as the real thing...

Then we could all have "virtual lust" as well....but at a more attainable price !

Dave,
Then at the end all are my sins I feel guilty then I have to confess

[Nnnnsic]

There's a $2000 Canon share-able network camera complete with zooming and panning and whatnot.

How it works is that person A connects, takes control for a minute or so, and is able to pan left and right and zoom in and out... quite impressive technology.

If we had one, we could remove the Canon exterior and stick it in a Nikon D2x shell. Lol.

Then again, I don't have a spare 2 grand to waste on video camera technology.

If I did, then buying the Quickcam Orbit for fun would be no problem, nor would buying a D2x to use for myself.

[Nnnnsic]

Okie dokie... if you tune in today and tonight, you'll be treated to my ugly mug for most of the night and then later on we'll try going mobile and you might be treated to some odd walkabout we might try, to see how this will work from the unwired connection.

Can I get a show of people who won't be attending the AW who are interested in using this technology and watching / listening to the event via this means?

[birddog114]

Okie dokie... if you tune in today and tonight, you'll be treated to my ugly mug for most of the night and then later on we'll try going mobile and you might be treated to some odd walkabout we might try, to see how this will work from the unwired connection.

Can I get a show of people who won't be attending the AW who are interested in using this technology and watching / listening to the event via this means?

Will we try it out as testing at tomorrow night?

[PlatinumWeaver]

Can I get a show of people who won't be attending the AW who are interested in using this technology and watching / listening to the event via this means?

My +1 wants to have a look if it's all up and running on the night

[Nnnnsic]

We could.

I don't know if we'll have everything set up by then but I'll be home tomorrow so I'll probably get it done.

I'm going to change the quality ratios and see if I can't get some better imaging out of these broadcasts.

[Nnnnsic]

My +1 wants to have a look if it's all up and running on the night

So what you're really saying is she wants to make sure you don't go nuts with the lens lust, right?

[Atorie]

Excellent, It's working for me.. LOL... There's some weird looking bloke with a beard on my screen

I'd love to tune in and watch this during the AW.

[birddog114]

Leigh,
Have you had dinner? It seems to me you're starving!