[Linux-aus] Request for creation of "Video Recording and Streaming" subcommittee

[Silvia Pfeiffer]

Standardisation of equipment and software is a nice aim to shoot for -
however, reality usually catches up with that goal far too quickly.

For example, video recording hardware gets reinvented roughly every two
years, so buying something now in the hope that future LCAs can make use of
it is likely not going to work. Works for components, but not, for example,
for cameras and recording devices (unless they are cheap and can be
replaced in 2-3 years without loss).

The situation for software is even worse: I expect that within 1-2 years we
will see a lot of video software run from browsers (video element, WebRTC),
because they have better cross-platform support than anything else out
there. Yet, right now, it's a little too early to run with it.

So, while I support the goal of standardisation, just be careful not to
become too inflexible to pick up new things.

Just my 2c worth.

Cheers,
Silvia.

On Tue, Mar 26, 2013 at 2:21 AM, Euan de Kock <euan at dekock.net> wrote:

> I've been watching the discussion around video and streaming for a while
> now... I know the conversation has strayed beyond the original topic -
> that of setting up a subcommittee to manage all of this - but if we are
> questioning the whole value proposition of video recording and streaming
> it does impact on the subcommittees viability, so here's my tuppence worth:
>
> It appears that we have a common agreement on the value of recording the
> conference for later download. From this perspective alone it is
> worthwhile having a well tested and repeatable process for setup and
> processing - we do spend far too much time reinventing parts of the
> system for each conference as well as locally amongst the various LUGs.
> But apart from just having a repeatable process, we do also need to keep
> moving with technology. Most (all) of our recording is still done using
> standard def format video, and our audio chain is still very chaotic and
> non-standard.
>
> Ideally we should start incubating and developing some newer
> technologies to get to HD video and audio levels. Tim has some
> interesting projects in the pipeline on this front, at PLUG we are also
> trying out some new ideas, and some commercial products are starting to
> gain momentum with Linux support. There really is a perfect storm of
> opportunities brewing on this front.
>
> As regards streaming, I agree with James (Bromberger) that the cost
> (technically) to do this is minimal, and it can be offloaded to
> sponsors. In terms of personnel, we could start small and scale as we
> get better at it - why not just stream one channel at our next conf
> (2014), coupled with some interviews and filler excerpts from other
> areas? This could easily be setup with just a few people rotating with
> other volunteers, and gives us huge scope to build out an extra channel
> of communication on what's coming up and public notices etc -
> effectively a TV channel during LCA. This will not tax the network
> infrastructure much - we ran streaming successfully during the TBL talk
> during LCA2013, and PLUG regularly stream their talks using very little
> resources. There will always be an element of effort involved in doing
> this - every aspect of LCA (or any conference) has a human cost - it's
> just how we budget our team based on what we are trying to deliver
> during the conference.
>
> As to whether streaming will detract from real attendance, I seriously
> doubt anyone would compare the experience of being at a conference and
> all the added value you gain from being there with that of sitting at
> home watching a youtube quality stream. However my opinion on this is
> just an opinion much as anyone else's is - I think we'd have to measure
> the impact from a real conference to gain any true insights.
>
> We'd probably need to instill some basic codes of conduct to discourage
> people from sitting in a presentation watching other talks via streaming
> on their laptop, but this is part of a process of experimenting and
> finding the right balance.
>
> Regards,
>
> Euan de Kock,
> President - Perth Linux User Group (PLUG)
> Organising Committee Member - LCA2014
>
> On 03/25/2013 09:37 PM, Steve Walsh wrote:
> > On 03/25/2013 07:33 PM, James Bromberger wrote:
> >> The cost of streaming (versus recording) is almost nothing (indeed,
> >> its easy to get this sponsored).
> > The monetary cost of streaming externally is almost nothing.
> >
> > The cost of streaming to the conference itself is (from a people side)
> > quite high. This is unavoidable, but needs to be remembered and
> > considered. Even with a committee taking it away from the conference
> > team, streaming will still impact other parts of the conference team to
> > varying degrees (ie - the network team, the rego area, the organisers
> > themselves, etc).
> >
> >
> >
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