ON-TOPIC Video/Audio Thread

Since that other video thread quickly deteriorated into Tastes-Great/Less-Filling, I wanted to start a new thread where people could post RELEVANT, HELPFUL information about possible video and audio feed. As in, should I go out and party on Halloween, or is there going to be a video stream that I could stay home and watch before I go out and party? Hurray for Central Time Zone...

What audio and/or video possibilities exist for us exiled Faithful?

Robb,
In addition to Cornell's audio via the RealONE Pass, I believe W. Mich's audio will be available for free. The video is still uncertain as far as I know; i2sports website is showing Cornell vs W. Michigan as featured but unlike there other featured programs, there isn't a hyperlink associated with Cornell vs W. Mich (leading me to believe that the details are still being worked out). The W. Mich audio link and i2sports link are available at [www.frontiernet.net] , which site I'll try to keep current.



Post Edited (10-28-03 18:46)

Cornel Athletics has announced that all 16 home games will be broadcast on i2sports.com. The fee is $60 for the season or $5 per game.

[cornellbigred.ocsn.com]

Out of curiosity, is there a way to see a sample before one shells out for a broadcast?

Josh Herman '99 wrote:

Out of curiosity, is there a way to see a sample before one shells out for a broadcast?

I'm watching a recording of a LeMoyne soccer game now--to check out the quality. It's not ESPN via satellite, but it's significantly better than hockeycam or last year's at-Colgate broadcast. Don't know if the recording process has degraded quality from the original live broadcast.

Go to the link below and click on an event to give it a look.

[www.i2sports.com]



Post Edited (10-28-03 19:30)

You can check the samples of the other events they have posted.

Or you can part with a hard earned $5 to see the first game and decide to shell out after then. Maybe they'll give you $5 off the season package if you ask nicely, they seems fairly responsive based on some emails I've had with them.

Nothing official as far as I know though.

I can think of two questions...

1) how many people can they stream at once?
2) will the audio be Wodon?

At $60, if the sample that I am watching is any indication, it will be a good deal. But I think I may just pay one game first and then decide.

Chris

crodge2k wrote:
2) will the audio be Wodon?
Chris

The CornellBigRed announcement says it will be Adam.

wow, the video is better than hockeycam? i thought hockeycam was really good quality.

crodge2k is right, archived video no indication of how the video will be live. although, i'm inclined to believe that if they handle streaming video for all these other events, they must have some infrastructure set up.

1) how many people can they stream at once?

I don't know, but there are email addresses for the Chief Engineer (a prof at Syracuse U.) and other members of the staff you could try to ask.

2) will the audio be Wodon?

According to the Cornell Athletics announcement linked above, yes.

The Oct. 17th Ferris St. vs. Colgate game is archived on their site, and you can watch it to see and judge the quality of a hockey game broadcast from Starr.

What's frustrating is that if I want video, but I also want to be able to get the away games _at all_, I've got to shell out $6.95/month for the real networks sports pass plus $60/season for i2sports, rendering the real networks content useless for all home games. There should absolutely be some sort of less expensive combined setup.

Well, I've been saying for almost a year that they should use the proceeds from the video to subsidize a free audio-only webcast.

Is it safe to assume that if there's a home playoff series, that will also be on the hockeycam? I'm planning to attend two weekends in person, so that leaves 12 home games, which is exactly the break-even mark for single-game vs season subscriptions.

These i2sports people used to be known as www.trackmeets.com I remember them doing some indoor track meets broadcast from Barton Hall at Cornell a few years back (during my time on the hill and on the track team). The video quality was pretty good, however, I doubt there were as many people watching the track meets versus how many might tune in for a hockey game.

See [www.i2sports.com] and just search within your browser for "Cornell" and you'll find some of what I'm talking about. The video quality of the archive is comparable to what I recall was live.

Also, it seems that they're a bit outdated on the "system requirements" page...as it lists the configuration for Windows Media Player 6.4, when version 9 is already out.

Colgate seems to have its Office of Alumni Affairs sponsoring the broadcasts...we ought to see if ours would do the same!



Post Edited (10-28-03 22:17)

I'll just offer this warning. The hockeycam could have looked much better if the video source weren't crap. Athletics uses this ancient, crufty camcorder with a burned-out CCD and typically manned by someone who probably isn't sure which end to point at the ice. Unless that changes, don't expect it to look anything like the Colgate broadcasts, which actually use multiple, decent cameras.

Well, the release says they will have two camera angles, so it sounds like at least something is changing.

Thank you for all the info - and for staying on-topic!

Let's Go Red!

Robb

I saw in todays Ithaca Journal that the fee for the video feeds is $5 per game or $60 for all 16 home games.

I just checked on [www.i2sports.com] and the link for the Western Michigan game is now active, and the "Purchase Pay-Per-View" link now works.

Sorry, I put an OT comment in this thread. I copied it to the "video feed?" thread.



Post Edited (10-30-03 07:37)

John T. Whelan '91 wrote:

I just checked on [www.i2sports.com] and the link for the Western Michigan game is now active, and the "Purchase Pay-Per-View" link now works.

For those wondering about the logistics of the pay-per-view, here is a message that I received from the I2 major domo (and chief engineer).

You receive a password as soon as you enter your credit card information. It is all automated. You can purchase anytime you want, and use your
password to watch the game beginning at 6:30pm.

Wow, I just watched the 'Gate feed from 10/15 -- it was a solid A.

Granted, it was canned and the live feed will have X simultaneous viewers, but hey -- we are getting there. Another ten years and the technology will be perfect. Even now, it's certainly worth the money.

Don't forget, though, that that feed was from CUTV, so the production value might be a bit higher than we're going to get.

I am hopeful, however. But I am sure I'll be in the chat because something will go wrong with my connection/software/whatever.

Chris

(Catching up on the archives after a two-week vacation) What was the verdict on the WMU broadcast quality? Beyond "worth $5", was it objectively good?

bigredapple wrote:

(Catching up on the archives after a two-week vacation) What was the verdict on the WMU broadcast quality? Beyond "worth $5", was it objectively good?

Pros:
Better CCD that the nasty team camera Age had available for the HockeyCam. 2nd Camera angle made game more watchable and made broadcast feel more professional.

Cons:
Stream embedded in popup was a very very clunky interface
WMP codec was generally clear for following players and reading numbers but following the puck itself was tough. Can't really compare it head to head, but if memory serves the sorensen codec in QT didn't have this problem. I didn't really have major issues with rebuffering, but I heard a few other people did.

Overall, I'd say the feed is worth it; I won't be purchasing a season pass but I'd estimate I'll probably pick up one game passes for about 50% of the games at Lynah. Frankly, I think HockeyCam could have been a much more polished, user friendly product if Athletics had put their support behind it instead. However, I'm quite pleased that Athletics has provided an acceptable product to the eFaithful given the quagmire we had at the end of last season.

(Note: all these comments relate to watching the game on a hardwired homebuilt AMD K6-2/400 w/ 256mb ram running Win2k, IE and WMP9. With the release of WMP9 for OSX, I'm gonna try dumping the stream into my TV via s-video from my 802.11b equipped iBook so that I can watch the game while sitting on the sofa. I'll keep everyone posted on how well that works in a couple of weeks.)