Earlier this week, Barsham posted an idea in the project zone suggesting that live streaming coverage of rolls would be a good project for the BAA. Well, you say it, we do it! We’re trying it out for the first time tomorrow (Sunday 11/13) from 7-9am. If you’re by a computer, check it out and let us know what you think. Please forgive any technical difficulties on our first run.
http://cmubuggy.org/live
Live streaming is currently broadcast through USTREAM.tv. Join the cmubuggy Buzz chat room if you’re watching and share your comments. Are the ads super annoying? It would cost about $500 to remove them (and broadcast in HD) for the year. Let us know if you think that would be worthwhile (or any other ideas/improvements) in the Project Zone discussion on live broadcasts.
Barsham says:
I just wanted to say that, even with the “technical difficulties” in the beginning, I really enjoyed the live stream. There was a max of 10 viewers at any one time, according to ustream, and based on the number that popped into the chat room at various points, the actual number of viewers was probably a little higher (and some might have been turned off early by the lack of video). And considering this post went up around midnight, and if you haven’t read the “Projects” tab since Thursday, there may have been more interested people who didn’t know about it.
I don’t know how feasible it is to do this every weekend, but I definitely think that it should be done for the few weekends right before raceday, and maybe various other days throughout both semesters (that way the videographers aren’t stuck in the chute every day at rolls – They can choose a day every few weeks to hang out down there and stream us video). Of course, I’d love it if it were done every weekend!
I want to thank whoever was over by the camera today giving us commentary. Especially for the first part, when there was no video, but it was very entertaining throughout. I had assumed it was Sam talking, but since he ran away to take photos and there were still voices talking, I guess I was wrong. So thank you, whoever you are!
Sam Swift says:
Thanks Barsham. Yeah, I was encouraged by the numbers given the minimal warning and audio-only first 45 minutes. It actually wasn’t that hard to do either. Now that I’ve got it figured out and know how to avoid a couple of the problems we encountered today, I think it’s pretty feasible to do more frequently. I’ll run it again at least once next weekend weather permitting and then we can think about what we want to do for the spring.
We were going to mute it at first and then decided it would be more fun with some casual narration. Glad you enjoyed. Hopefully we eventually broadcast something exciting that someone didn’t mean to say publicly.
DeVos says:
I would also like to say that I enjoyed the streaming. I’m apparently out of practice waking up in time for rolls so I missed the technical difficulties. I did appreciate sound and the narration. Having sound was nice because it let you know that a buggy was coming and helped indicate how quickly the buggy was rolling. After the live stream was over, I went back and watched the parts that I missed (and was able to pause and rewind-that was a huge plus over the Raceday streaming).
After the novelty wears off, I think that the narration and the live chat really would be what brings me back. Merely watching the buggies go by isn’t that exciting (unless there’s a slide/spin/crash) but catching up with other buggy people is worth waking up.
“Hopefully we eventually broadcast something exciting that someone didn’t mean to say publicly.”
…like a RedBull parachute jump…
As a final aside, the discussion about CIA’s Conquest hitting a Fringe pusher on RD2010 amused me. That roll was all sorts of screwy with a DQ for not being at the line in time, narrowly missing a spun (Spirit A?) buggy in the chute, and then partially depantsing said pusher. As the CIA Hill 4 pusher, I was less than pleased and the driver was not particularly happy about the impromptu wheelie but I think that the mangled shorts were presented to Conquest as a trophy.
Jerry says:
Taking your tangent further, the mangled shorts were indeed presented to CIA soon after raceday, and they hang in the garage as a trophy to this day. The fact that Fringe D did not roll in 2011 was taken by CIA as evidence that Conquest, on her final roll, had knocked an entire pushteam out of existence.
jixson says:
We fear that if we put a D team back on the course, Conquest will come back and take them all out. She’ll probably come after me first as I’m one of two people remaining from that team
rlbrowne says:
Josh, I’d wear an extra pair of shorts, just in case.
jixson says:
Our D team will burn a pair of shorts as a sacrifice at the 3-4 transition to appease her spirit