Well the new computer certainly helped!
Replacing the obsolescent PowerBook G4 with shiny new MacBook Pro meant there was enough processing power to run everything for Stilgherrian Live Alpha episode 4: audio without breakup, a separate monitoring mix, drop-in videos, vision mixing… and even a two-camera shoot!
Content? Yeah there was content…
I talked about Mobile Content World, the gayness of Eurovision, Miranda Devine, the Politics & Technology Forum and the nature of broadcasting. And there was a fantastic song at the end.
The live audience reached 34 people at its peak, I think. It adds an interesting dynamic, though I’m still suffering from information overload trying to keep track of the chat and doing my own vision switching.
I’ll post some further thoughts some time in the next few days.
Episode 5 will be live on the Internet on Thursday 5 June at 9.30pm Sydney time.
Hey, good work sunshine!
That actually went pretty well even if you don’t compare it to the bedlam of episodes I & III (Episode II: The Lost Sessions being, well…lost. The rest of us will never know). The shiny new computer’s obviously made a huge improvement, both technically and to your state of mind. Helps not to be under the weather as well. But it looks like you’re having fun with your two camera angles — great for asides, footnotes, change of tone, etcetera. Nice brazen plug for our favourite brewer.
One thing though: I sat up in my chair when you said you were going to talk about eighties pop, but then you just closed off with the clip. I reckon it could be a good idea for next time if there’s room left at the end of the show for some sort of discussion/analysis/deconstruction (or just good old mouthing off) about selected exhibits of former pop trash glory in all its forms. That’s what your True Fans will be taking to the water cooler the next day.
Please, for the love of all that is beautiful in this world DO NOT USE CAMERA #2 AGAIN! 🙂
The video wont load for me 🙁 Tried FF and IE
Will try again laters
@Stephen Stockwell: Glad you enjoyed it. If I’d had anything prepared to say about the music I’d have said it, but when it came to the crunch my brain was suddenly empty. Plus I realised I was out of time anyway. Yes, wordage would have been good. Next week we’ll have more time, now that technical ssues have been solved.
@NathanaelB: Camera 2 goes back to its rightful owner soon. You will be safe… for the time being.
@jason: It failed for me also this morning. I think it’s something about Ustream during peak traffic times in the US.
I’m pro camera 2. Camera 2 is not a bad thing. Getting too up close & personal with camera 2 is a bad thing, but camera 2 in and of itself is not a bad thing.
Didn’t get to watch as I’m speed capped until June 1 🙁
Curious to know how many kbytes/sec the stream was broadcast at as that determines how much of my 10GB quota would get used up
@Deanlk: But isn’t “getting up close and personal” the point of more personal broadcasting? 😉
@neerav: I don’t know what the live stream looks like from the users’ end as that’s controlled by Ustream. However the downloaded Quicktime movie after the event was 71.8MB for 31 min 09 sec, or 39kbit/sec, at 320 x 240 pixels. That’s broadly similar to the compression levels on ABC TV’s vodcasts.