This week, group presentations started. Group 1's presentation was on companies using streaming media to enhance business.
With presentations, I always find it hard to try and learn the information, if people are talking. If its presented the practical way, like this group did, I felt I learnt much better. The group made a streaming artefact showing how companies online are using streaming media to advertise, or entertain the audience.
Even though this artefact went on a long time, I learn alot about streaming media online. Before this presentation, I obviously knew there was streaming media online, but I didn't realise how much streaming media was used, and how the streaming media was used to aid the business.
Websites are much easier to produce than making a tv advert, or making a magazine, and a good example of this is NME magazine, where all the information is online, which is handy if you can't buy the magazine.
Streaming can be used in many ways, and one of the best of these ways, is live streaming, like the live 8 concert. People that could not access tv's could just watch the concert through their pc and internet.
The increasing content of streaming media on the internet and the increasing demand of it, means that more and more businesses will make the switch from paper to the internet, to help promote their product. As time goes on, more and more users will look on the internet, rather than go out shopping for information. Information will become much easier to find, and be suited for more people. As long as the information is displayed in a format everybody can access and view, then streaming media will become very big in the future.
Friday, 31 October 2008
Friday, 17 October 2008
Week Two
In this lecture, we watched a streaming event on the University of Wisconsin website. They explained what streaming media is. Streaming media can be a live event where users tune in. The equipment needed is a camera, a video encoder and a server. It explained the difference between Unicast and Multicast. Unicast is the secure method and each owner had its own stream. It requires alot of bandwidth and a large network connection, and can have a large audience. Multicast is where data is sent in all directions and thus using less bandwidth.
Live events can be academic (used for coursework etc), research (uni functions and addresses by officials etc), admin (addresses by officials and for people who work at home), students(awards ceremonies or sporting events etc). Technical requirements needed for streaming media involve an encoder, which turns data into accessible data for the server to store. The server provides and splits the data to the users. Audiences need to access the stream, through a link on a website online. This then launches a player and connects to the server. They can also find out about the stream through email or phone. And the stream can be private or public. Media such as radio can be broadcast on a modem. But media such as video MUST be broadcast on broadband, on such rates as 256kbs (low), 800kbs(medium), or 1mbps (high + therefore a live broadcast). Broadcasters must realise that some users may not be able to tune in due to their bandwidth. The main format types that the data can be presented through are, quicktime, windows media player, realplayer, and nowadays, flash player (which can broadcast high quality video).
To make your own streaming event, you'd need technical staff to troubleshoot any errors, setup and provide maintenance and have experience in any equipment. You'd also need to provide the servers and the network. Altogether this would be pretty costly! Another way round this to contact the commercial provider who is supplies the server, but you are responsible for capturing the data. In streaming live events, the staff have to be aware for unexpected faults, like room location changes, network glitches or equipment failure.
I learnt alot from this streaming event, and it was benefit to me, because even though our group streaming won't be a live event, its always useful to know for the future, incase I decide to be part of a live streaming event. The information that I benefited from the most out of this lecture, was the unicast and multicast differences. Since this is our topic for our presentation, I was anxious to know the differences. Even though we have been researching the topics, I have been very confused between the differences between them. This information helped towards our presentation, and I now feel confident in the differences.
To make your own streaming event, you'd need technical staff to troubleshoot any errors, setup and provide maintenance and have experience in any equipment. You'd also need to provide the servers and the network. Altogether this would be pretty costly! Another way round this to contact the commercial provider who is supplies the server, but you are responsible for capturing the data. In streaming live events, the staff have to be aware for unexpected faults, like room location changes, network glitches or equipment failure.
I learnt alot from this streaming event, and it was benefit to me, because even though our group streaming won't be a live event, its always useful to know for the future, incase I decide to be part of a live streaming event. The information that I benefited from the most out of this lecture, was the unicast and multicast differences. Since this is our topic for our presentation, I was anxious to know the differences. Even though we have been researching the topics, I have been very confused between the differences between them. This information helped towards our presentation, and I now feel confident in the differences.
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Streaming Artefact
Our group decided to make an artefact based on recycling for students in portsmouth. This would be done by making a short film, and for entertainment purposes, using a 1960's style. We decided this would be a good idea, because in different towns, there are different recycling schemes, and different towns recycle different things. New students or existing students coming to/or are at Portsmouth University, need to know what they CAN and what they CAN'T recycle. There is not much guidance when you arrive in Portsmouth as a student, and we thought that if this is done through an entertaining but educating video, students will know how to recycle properly and follow the guidelines of Portsmouth City Council's recycling scheme. So the genre would be edutainment, because it is educating the students of portsmouth how to recycle, but in an entertaining way. We will conduct research into Portsmouth City Council's recycling scheme, produce a short film, and create a website, containing information as well. Hopefully the council will then use this film to educate students on special recycling talks etc.
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Friday, 10 October 2008
Streaming Artefact Dragons Den
Corrine had the idea for us to come up with an idea for our streaming artefact, and present it to the class in a dragons den format.
Pitch One: Recycling video for students of Portsmouth
Our idea was:
Teaching Students Of Portsmouth How To Recycle (because each council has different regulations)
We decided our genre was:
Education/Entertainment - Edutainment
Our target audience would be:
Students of Portsmouth (18+), or anyone in Portsmouth wanting to know how to recycle.
Our technical constraints would be:
Problems with lighting, whether we'd use natural lighting, or using extra lighting to create light on our scene. We will see about this when it comes to filming, whether we will need extra lighting
When it came to thinking of financial constraints, we realised that there would be none due to the props being recycled goods. Also the editing software is free, as it is on the University computers.
There is no server costs as the University is providing us with the server and we do not have to fund ourselves.
The time constraints will be:
Only being able to rent the camera out for three days...AND...
Filming and editing on time so that it is finished in time to hand in.
The ideas we had for our artefact were:
The style should be in a 1950's style (like a public service announcement)
Filming will be done in a student's house. Actors will be friends and/or the group
The website will mainly be modern, but may also be 1950's. We have not yet decided.
For research, we will contact the council for leaflets and information on recycling. We can also watch example 1950's PSA's for help on what to film it like.
The script will be written before filming, so the actor/s will know what to say. We can add audio voice overs afterwards.
The positives for our idea are:
It is cheap to do because we are using the University resources, and recycled materials
Filming will be in a 'fun' style and be student friendly
Negatives would be:
People may not want to be told what to do
It may not interest people, or students would already know the correct way to recycle.
Previous examples would be the Pompey Recycling Scheme website, which tells you exactly what to recycle, and we could use this as our main focus of research, where we would have to contact the council first, to ask permission. Although written material is only basic compared to an edutainment video for students.
http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/AtoZ/891.html
http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/community/neighbours/beingagoodneighbour/
The class suggested that a problem that would be that because the video is to be streamed on the Internet, we must follow proper rules and regulations, and one of these is copyright. The products we use for our film must not display their labels, as showing the product manufacturer will be breaking these laws. To get around this, we all thought of the program ZZZAP that was on TV when we were kids. There was a feature where two hands would show you how to make something, or pull off a magic trick etc. In this, the products they used, just had labels, such as PAPER, or SCISSORS etc, that just popped out from the side of the screen. This was brilliant product placement! And we thought we'd love to do the same!
We decided that this was a good idea to do and we would stick at it. The class agreed with us, and thought it was a brilliant idea. We had the go ahead.
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Pitch Two - Things to do in Portsmouth
The idea:
We would produce a video aimed at students in Portsmouth, as to what to do. When students move to Portsmouth, if they have never been, or rarely know anything about Portsmouth, they won't know of the things they can do. So by us showing them exactly what there is to do, then maybe they'll go out and explore.
This video would obviously be aimed at students, moving to Portsmouth, going to the University, but in fact it could be aimed at anyone coming to Portsmouth, for example tourists, wanting to know what would be good to do in Portsmouth. The information centre in Portsmouth could even use our video to show tourists just what to do, instead of just giving them leaflets.
Students would appreciate this in their induction week, as it may help them settle into the City of Portsmouth. It would be of benefit to the audience who watch this, as they learn about the sights of Portsmouth, and helps get them out there.
Problems would obviously be copyright footage, and would need permission from the City Council, whether we can film at certain places etc. Another disadvantage would be that people would rather explore for themselves as to what they can do, rather than been told. Also, there may not be time in the video to show everything, and may miss out certain places.
Previous examples are websites with lists of what to do, but there is no dedicated website, showing what to do in Portsmouth. Some people prefer to learn visually, and this video would be of benefit to them.
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/custompages/custompage.aspx?sectionid=4529
http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/site/what-to-see-and-do
http://www.gunwharf-quays.com/things_to_do_in_portsmouth.htm
The class liked this idea, as most of them didn't know what there was to do in Portsmouth when they moved. It is like any situation when you move somewhere, you want to know what there is to do there, as it is some place new, and you want to explore. This idea was approved.
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Pitch Three: Local Music in Portsmouth
The idea:
We would produce a video or even audio artefact, on the local music of Portsmouth. There are always local bands wherever you go, and people love listening to new bands especially if they're local. Our artefact would be an alternative to a website, displaying a list of local music. We would list the name of the local bands, have a snippet of their music (for listeners to judge if they like them), how to listen more to them, give them our reviews, and maybe even display when they're playing next. We would get information mainly from Myspace, as bands seem to upload all their music there.
The advantages would be that the band would get promoted via our advert, and hopefully get some listeners, and people turn up to their gigs. Also, instead of just reading a list, watching a video with these bands, or listening to a piece, allows the user to interact more. With just a list, you cannot hear samples of the bands, but with our artefact, it'd allow it.
There would be quite a few disadvantages. If we were to make a video, we would probably have to meet up with these bands, and film them etc, to display their music. Obviously the sound quality may be poor due to the microphones used to capture them. All this anyway would need permission from the band. If we were to make an audio piece, then obviously the accessibility would affect us, with the Disability Discrimatory Act (1995), against deaf people. There is also the fact that some people may not even have speakers, and this would act against our idea completly. If we were to use the music from the band's Myspace, then the sound quality would obviously be better, but again, permission would be needed to use this. Our reviews section may include inappropriate comments about the band, and they may not like this. It would be our opinion, and generally everyone has their own opinion. Some people may take our opinion into account and not listen to them, which wouldn't be good for us.
Previous examples only include written lists. Users can generally search for music on Myspace, but with us giving our reviews, and a sample of their track, then users can maybe find a band they like as soon as possible, thanks to us finding them for them.
http://www.knowhere.co.uk/Portsmouth/Hampshire/South-East-England/info/localbands
It would be a useful idea and the class was unsure about it. This idea was pretty unlikely as there were alot of negatives rather than positives. It would be too hard to work with. The class liked the idea but thought it was basically impossible, so the idea was denied.
Pitch One: Recycling video for students of Portsmouth
Our idea was:
Teaching Students Of Portsmouth How To Recycle (because each council has different regulations)
We decided our genre was:
Education/Entertainment - Edutainment
Our target audience would be:
Students of Portsmouth (18+), or anyone in Portsmouth wanting to know how to recycle.
Our technical constraints would be:
Problems with lighting, whether we'd use natural lighting, or using extra lighting to create light on our scene. We will see about this when it comes to filming, whether we will need extra lighting
When it came to thinking of financial constraints, we realised that there would be none due to the props being recycled goods. Also the editing software is free, as it is on the University computers.
There is no server costs as the University is providing us with the server and we do not have to fund ourselves.
The time constraints will be:
Only being able to rent the camera out for three days...AND...
Filming and editing on time so that it is finished in time to hand in.
The ideas we had for our artefact were:
The style should be in a 1950's style (like a public service announcement)
Filming will be done in a student's house. Actors will be friends and/or the group
The website will mainly be modern, but may also be 1950's. We have not yet decided.
For research, we will contact the council for leaflets and information on recycling. We can also watch example 1950's PSA's for help on what to film it like.
The script will be written before filming, so the actor/s will know what to say. We can add audio voice overs afterwards.
The positives for our idea are:
It is cheap to do because we are using the University resources, and recycled materials
Filming will be in a 'fun' style and be student friendly
Negatives would be:
People may not want to be told what to do
It may not interest people, or students would already know the correct way to recycle.
Previous examples would be the Pompey Recycling Scheme website, which tells you exactly what to recycle, and we could use this as our main focus of research, where we would have to contact the council first, to ask permission. Although written material is only basic compared to an edutainment video for students.
http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/AtoZ/891.html
http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/community/neighbours/beingagoodneighbour/
The class suggested that a problem that would be that because the video is to be streamed on the Internet, we must follow proper rules and regulations, and one of these is copyright. The products we use for our film must not display their labels, as showing the product manufacturer will be breaking these laws. To get around this, we all thought of the program ZZZAP that was on TV when we were kids. There was a feature where two hands would show you how to make something, or pull off a magic trick etc. In this, the products they used, just had labels, such as PAPER, or SCISSORS etc, that just popped out from the side of the screen. This was brilliant product placement! And we thought we'd love to do the same!
We decided that this was a good idea to do and we would stick at it. The class agreed with us, and thought it was a brilliant idea. We had the go ahead.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitch Two - Things to do in Portsmouth
The idea:
We would produce a video aimed at students in Portsmouth, as to what to do. When students move to Portsmouth, if they have never been, or rarely know anything about Portsmouth, they won't know of the things they can do. So by us showing them exactly what there is to do, then maybe they'll go out and explore.
This video would obviously be aimed at students, moving to Portsmouth, going to the University, but in fact it could be aimed at anyone coming to Portsmouth, for example tourists, wanting to know what would be good to do in Portsmouth. The information centre in Portsmouth could even use our video to show tourists just what to do, instead of just giving them leaflets.
Students would appreciate this in their induction week, as it may help them settle into the City of Portsmouth. It would be of benefit to the audience who watch this, as they learn about the sights of Portsmouth, and helps get them out there.
Problems would obviously be copyright footage, and would need permission from the City Council, whether we can film at certain places etc. Another disadvantage would be that people would rather explore for themselves as to what they can do, rather than been told. Also, there may not be time in the video to show everything, and may miss out certain places.
Previous examples are websites with lists of what to do, but there is no dedicated website, showing what to do in Portsmouth. Some people prefer to learn visually, and this video would be of benefit to them.
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/custompages/custompage.aspx?sectionid=4529
http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/site/what-to-see-and-do
http://www.gunwharf-quays.com/things_to_do_in_portsmouth.htm
The class liked this idea, as most of them didn't know what there was to do in Portsmouth when they moved. It is like any situation when you move somewhere, you want to know what there is to do there, as it is some place new, and you want to explore. This idea was approved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitch Three: Local Music in Portsmouth
The idea:
We would produce a video or even audio artefact, on the local music of Portsmouth. There are always local bands wherever you go, and people love listening to new bands especially if they're local. Our artefact would be an alternative to a website, displaying a list of local music. We would list the name of the local bands, have a snippet of their music (for listeners to judge if they like them), how to listen more to them, give them our reviews, and maybe even display when they're playing next. We would get information mainly from Myspace, as bands seem to upload all their music there.
The advantages would be that the band would get promoted via our advert, and hopefully get some listeners, and people turn up to their gigs. Also, instead of just reading a list, watching a video with these bands, or listening to a piece, allows the user to interact more. With just a list, you cannot hear samples of the bands, but with our artefact, it'd allow it.
There would be quite a few disadvantages. If we were to make a video, we would probably have to meet up with these bands, and film them etc, to display their music. Obviously the sound quality may be poor due to the microphones used to capture them. All this anyway would need permission from the band. If we were to make an audio piece, then obviously the accessibility would affect us, with the Disability Discrimatory Act (1995), against deaf people. There is also the fact that some people may not even have speakers, and this would act against our idea completly. If we were to use the music from the band's Myspace, then the sound quality would obviously be better, but again, permission would be needed to use this. Our reviews section may include inappropriate comments about the band, and they may not like this. It would be our opinion, and generally everyone has their own opinion. Some people may take our opinion into account and not listen to them, which wouldn't be good for us.
Previous examples only include written lists. Users can generally search for music on Myspace, but with us giving our reviews, and a sample of their track, then users can maybe find a band they like as soon as possible, thanks to us finding them for them.
http://www.knowhere.co.uk/Portsmouth/Hampshire/South-East-England/info/localbands
It would be a useful idea and the class was unsure about it. This idea was pretty unlikely as there were alot of negatives rather than positives. It would be too hard to work with. The class liked the idea but thought it was basically impossible, so the idea was denied.
Week One
This was our 1st session for Streaming Technology, where we were put into groups for our presentation. I was put in with Helen, Becky, and Jon. The topic we chose was the difference between podcasts, multicasts, and unicasts. We were be presenting our topic sometime in November.
The session today involved completing a task which involved converting a video (AVI FILE) to a high quality file, medium quality file, and low quality file. We had to compare the differences between the 2, and it definatly showed the difference in the quality. We then had to convert the AVI to a flash file, using some software, and this surprised the most, as this was amazing quality, and much better than the other media files.
From this session, I learnt that even though converting to a high quality windows media file, was good quality, converting it to a Flash file was much better and produced much better quality. If I was to convert a video file again, I would definatly consider converting it to a flash video file, as the file size is small, and the quality is brilliant.
The session today involved completing a task which involved converting a video (AVI FILE) to a high quality file, medium quality file, and low quality file. We had to compare the differences between the 2, and it definatly showed the difference in the quality. We then had to convert the AVI to a flash file, using some software, and this surprised the most, as this was amazing quality, and much better than the other media files.
From this session, I learnt that even though converting to a high quality windows media file, was good quality, converting it to a Flash file was much better and produced much better quality. If I was to convert a video file again, I would definatly consider converting it to a flash video file, as the file size is small, and the quality is brilliant.
STRTECH Blog : WELCOME!
Hi! This is my blog for the STRTECH 3rd Year Unit at University of Portsmouth. We have been told to write a blog/journal for each week, as to what we learnt during the session. I will posting these blogs every week.
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