Broadcasting

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Casal on November 10, 2010 at 6:10am

Best image in, best image out...

I can't speak to media hosts, but as a former broadcaster, traditional and web-based (I started in 1997 with the Progressive Networks Player, the precursor to the Real Player) the equipment is key. You don't need to go crazy but the better the camera to capture the action the better the stream will be.

Depending on your budget get a nice digital camcorder. An HD camcorder may sound like over kill, but again, best in best out. And HD cams are relatively cheap (especially compared to when I was still in broadcasting).

Same thing with audio, get a nice quality mic and plug straight in to the camera to get the best audio.

Webcams are great these days, and very budget friendly, but you might not get the image or audio you want from a sporting event with one.

What is your budget?

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Permalink Reply by Brandt Schneider on November 10, 2010 at 6:38am

My budget might be $2000.

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Casal on November 10, 2010 at 8:51am

If it were me I'd call B&H Photo Video here in NYC. Tell them what you are trying to do and what budget you have and they are great setting something up (I've spent a $100 there, I've spend $40,000 there, always helpful and always able to get me the most bang for my buck).

Here are a few pieces I would probably go after if I were working with your budget and wanted flexibility to shoot various events:
Canon VIXIA HF21 HD camcorder - internal flash memory, memory card slots, mic-input, hdmi, etc - listed at over $700, B&H special at $549 - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/682488-REG/Canon_4060B001_VIX...

Tripop - $59.00 - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/504402-REG/Pearstone_VT2000_V...

If the Canon camera can support this, it is a great, inexpensive light which is always a good thing to have, $95.00 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/631400-REG/Barber_Tech_LL36P_...

This is a great all-purpose mic for $200 - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/534023-REG/Sennheiser_MKE_400...

Some of these accessory kits are great too, combining tripods, bags, lights, etc
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Accessory-Kits/ci/6248/N/4294548283

Those few basic items are roughly $1,000. That leaves the extra $1,000 for memory cards, extra microphones (maybe a wireless option), maybe a small mixer ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/601120-REG/Peavey_00512000_PV... ) if you want to use more than 1 mic at a time, extra batteries, extra cables, $$$$ for a streaming host, basic video editing software (iMovie is free if you're Mac based, Final Cut is better but costs a few hundred) etc...

Poking around B&H got me all nostalgic for my broadcast days, I loved shooting & editing video....


Hope that helps give you an idea...

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Permalink Reply by Grace Gorman on November 10, 2010 at 5:44pm

You can live stream to 1000 on School Tube free. They give you directions on the site. Never used it myself though but I know that videos on there stream better than You Tube.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Rollison on November 11, 2010 at 7:46am

If this is for a school, check into ihigh.com. Not only free, but you can actually make money. Not sure if it's popular all over the country, but in the midwest, almost every high school is on it. Easy to setup, easy to run. Equipment can just be a firewire camcorder, or if you can use a $100 device that converts video to usb.

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