[Noisebridge-discuss] streaming video, teleconferencing and more

Tue Apr 14 18:14:27 UTC 2009

I know more about what won't work than what will... sorry. Here we go:

Skype Video can only do 1 to 1 video chats. :-(

A camera with a fisheye lens and software panning won't have acceptable
resolution for a video conference unless you throw a lot of money at a high
resolution CCD and good mirror*

Stiching webcams can work. stiching 10 frames/second will take some
processing power

If hosted onsite, there are bandwidth considerations if there are more than
3 viewers or so. Imagine 10-40kbps per stream

UStream.com with a good microphone and webcam will work out of the box for a
one-way broadcast. The video archives can be converted to .flv, .wmv or .mp4
and downloaded. Maybe use skype or teleconference so offsite people can
chime in. A good camera and a camera operator will obviate the need for a
lot of software and fisheye lens et all...

Broadcasting the computer screen or whiteboard separately is important
because of the resolution needed to see things on a screen clearly. I
haven't tried but there are many promising tools out there including
* http://code.google.com/p/vnc-easy-broadcast/
* Taking a snapshot of the screen and posting it as a .png to a website
every 5 seconds could work too.
* MulticastVNC http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp
<http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=n&u=http://teleteach
ing.uni-trier.de/&sl=de&tl=en>
&hl=en&js=n&u=http://teleteaching.uni-trier.de/&sl=de&tl=en
* http://wiki.vislab.usyd.edu.au/moinwiki/VNCast
* http://www.tiffanyscreens.com/

I have a Polycom conference phone ($20 on eBay) and a Radio Shack Boundary
microphone that I can donate to the effort, but I don't have the energy to
own this process.

Christy wrote:
>Here's something more recent than 2006:
<http://securitywatch.eweek.com/exploits_and_attacks/skype_security_problems
_multiply_1.html>
>http://securitywatch.eweek.com/exploits_and_attacks/skype_security_problems
_multiply_1.html

It looks like Skype patched that vulnerability in less than 7 days. That's
pretty good as things go.

*Why did Ken have to build that mirror?!

Lee

  _____  

From: noisebridge-discuss-bounces at lists.noisebridge.net
[mailto:noisebridge-discuss-bounces at lists.noisebridge.net] On Behalf Of
Christie Dudley
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 5:58 PM
To: Praveen Sinha
Cc: NoiseBridge Discuss
Subject: Re: [Noisebridge-discuss] streaming video, teleconferencing and
more

Here's something more recent than 2006:
http://securitywatch.eweek.com/exploits_and_attacks/skype_security_problems_
multiply_1.html

--
Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total
obliteration.
- Bene Gesserit Litany 

On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 5:55 PM, Christie Dudley <longobord at gmail.com>
wrote:

You can get it set up as multi-point?  Everyone I know who has tried has
given up.  If there's something I'm missing, I'd be interested to hear it.

Security issues were reported at Black Hat Europe in 2006:
http://www.blackhat.com/presentations/bh-europe-06/bh-eu-06-biondi/bh-eu-06-
biondi-up.pdf  I know there are other discussions as well. 

Christie

--
Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total
obliteration.
- Bene Gesserit Litany 

On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 5:45 PM, Praveen Sinha <dmhomee at gmail.com> wrote:

Well ideally, to me, what I'd want is some sort of multiplexible video
conferencing thing, which I think skype has, but there may be some other
apps out there as well (thinking about client side ease of us as well as
ours) -- I hate closed protocols too, but what are some of the security
issues with skype?  

On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 5:32 PM, Christie Dudley <longobord at gmail.com>
wrote:

I am opposed to using Skype for a number of reasons, not the least of which
includes it being a closed protocol.  I just can't get behind something that
has had so many security issues, whether it effects us or not. 

I will agree that Skype is easy to set up, but it's only available as a
point-to-point connection, which prevents it from serving the purpose we're
looking to fulfill here.  If a single person can't participate, it's great.
If even 2 can't, it fails.  Same goes for the user-panned webcam.  

For more participatory events, it would be nice to have a fish-eye.  I think
a 360 one would be too much and probably make the viewer nauseous. Besides,
people who don't want to be seen online should have somewhere to participate
too.

Christie

--
Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total
obliteration.
- Bene Gesserit Litany 

On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 5:16 PM, Josh Myer <josh at joshisanerd.com> wrote:

On Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 03:29:51PM -0700, Praveen Sinha wrote:
> So my next questions to you all -- noisebridge is starting to produce some
> really cool sounding sessions and I can only make a small percentage of
> stuff I'd like to be involved in.  I don't have a lot of video experience,
> but:
>
> 1) Anyone have any suggestions/designs for some sort of rig we could use
to
> capture video/audio of events, for the purpose of streaming online?
>

I actually have the dorkbot camera guy's contact info for just this
question.  I'll drop him an email this evening asking for
recommendations (I don't believe he's on the list).

> 2) I think it would be amazing to be able to videoconference with other
> hackerspaces (or whomever) on the wall...  With the projector, and skype,
> this could be really straightforward... But are there better approaches?
My
> employer, for example, has a room called "Virtual Isabel", where the room
is
> replicated in second life, and people in the physical room talk with the
> avatars in the virtual room, and the virtual room sees a live stream of
the
> physical room...
>

I like the idea of having a better telepresence setup, though not
anything nearly as advanced as what you've got at work.  Also, I don't
currently have, and would rather not create, a SL account (call me
closed-minded and old-fashioned if you must, but, well, it's apt).

(IIRC, you and I had chatted about this for ML talks back at the
beginning of those, as far back as December.  I'd love to see us push
through it now, but haven't wanted to step into it myself just yet.)
--
Josh Myer   650.248.3796
 josh at joshisanerd.com

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