[PLUG-AV] DRAFT LA Grant request for AV

[James Bromberger]

>> Main point is we're asking for $5k, and they say the maximum per month
>> is $2k. Lets make it sounds good. But if they give us this money, we
>> need a few more people on list to stop lurking and start talking! Even
>> better, come along and help out! :)
> I see the limit on the LA grants page but also that PLUG has committed $1000
> to kick off so that shows PLUG commitment.
Also, previous grants exceed this figure.

>> May give these guys a call tomorrow too:
>> http://www.lotterywest.wa.gov.au/grants/faqs/grant-steps
> There is also the Perth Convention Bureau who may fund a group willing to
> build tools and a team for streaming events. http://www.pcb.com.au/Home.aspx
> There are two sides to it though. PCB wants to attract local confs (as you
> know from LCA 2003) which get people here. Remote streaming doesn't achieve
> the people getting but could be seen as a useful resource for conferences.
When we went through the Prez' box o' PLUG stuff that I have there was
an old receipt from '07 or so for PCB assistance that someone had been
working on. It looked like a provisional agreement that if LCA came to
Perth then they would help.

> Is there anyone on the PLUG list that does this work and would benefit from
> the project outcomes by moving to Free tools ?
I would hope that if there are people who do this, then they are already
here on the AV mailing list, trying to help! :)

I suspect that any group, be that professional or special interest,
community non-profit or corporate, could benefit from this.

> Who would PLUG, gear, and Free tools be "competing" with in Perth if it was
> used for more than PLUG talks ?
>
> A quick goog says:
> http://www.youshine.com.au/
> http://www.mcb.wa.gov.au/FuneralServices/Webcasting.aspx  <- a few of these(!)
> http://www.ezdigital.com.au/video-editing.htm

But at the same time, they may provide a full service (people and
equipment), while we're providing knowledge.

> Also, for the LA grant, would promoting other uses of the system detract from
> the grant objective to broadcast Linux and OSS presentations to a wider audience ?
I doubt it would detract from it, but then I doubt we'd get other uses
out of it. Thus far its been just three of us working on this. I don't
have time to also work on 3rd party's streaming events, and there's very
few people involved with even PLUG's streaming to think we could get
this working for 3rd parties. I doubt think we'd want PLUG equipment
going out the door without PLUG members with it to ensure it all comes back.

>
> In putting the application, could the system be justified by obtaining
> expressions of interest or intent to use the system from
> BarCamp http://barcamp.org/w/page/401351/BarCampPerth (talk to Matt Didcoe)
> through to Green Drinks http://www.greendrinks.org//Perth
> (someone, Julie? has replaced Wilma Van Boxtel http://o2wa.blogspot.com/)

If we have PLUG members (paid up, full members) then I think they could
borrow the equipment on condition it comes back as good or better than
it went out! Ie, if they break a $200 camera, they replace it with an
equivalent or better camera.

> If the intention is communication of only Free and OSS projects and activities
> then that can be expressed as the scope for uses of the system. LA may see
> justification for the project funding if it is used more widely than the PLUG
> talks.
I think positioning it as not "PLUG talks", but "by the "Open Source and
Free Software community of Perth", potentially?
>
> Also, if PLUG can justify a small fee for non-PLUG event streaming, would LA
> consider an interest free loan for all or part of the funds with expectation
> of recovery of funds over 5 years or something ?
There be dragons. Suddenly we're a business and we need accounts,
invoices, tax, and staff.
> I didn't see the stream but I wondered if the system could include a chat
> window on the web page so everything is available through the browser ?
> This would be more like Webinar interfaces I've used for manufacturer
> promotions etc and makes it even easier for people to participate.
yet more scope for more projects that people can get involved in. There
may already be (open?) tools like this?? I don't know. We were just
using IRC for feedback; the other option is to use mumble and we can get
audio back.

> I don't know if L3-Nautronix would provide bandwidth but could the system be
> used to gain a wider audience next month and present audience numbers to LA as
> further justification for the grant ? What concerns me is that people had the
> chance to just try the system (regardless of the content of my talk) but the
> streaming audience was small. I'm wondering if a more mainstream talk will
> attract numbers that justify not only the funding but also support the effort
> of you, the team, doing this.

We'll be trying to stream every PLUG talk from now on, I think. No
reason to stop. We've got a small audience, I agree. But that audience
is relying on us to make the stream available. I'm thinking of the guys
in Katanning, and possible other regions that may start to become
apparent that PLUG can start to reach out to. Who knows, perhaps oneday
we'll be WALUG instead of PLUG? :)
> On the technical side, Jason says the encoding only uses a single core (is
> that right?) so I wonder if getting an older laptop with single core is a
> cheaper alternative or if a project might be made of finding or modifying
> encoder software to use multiple cores. (Caveat) I know nothing about the area
> and haven't searched for more information.
A faster core is better if it is single core. Also, we could offer a
high bandiwdth and low bandwidth stream by having two processes encoding
away. Lastly, we're looking at other formats such as webm/vp8, h264, etc
to see if they can provide a better video, and go multi-core/thread.
Also, when firing up DVswitch on a single core box, it says "DVswitch 1
thread", but when I fire it up on a quad core, it says "4 threads", so
perhaps DVswitch does better on multi core.

> For the grant application, I think the DV cameras with firewire live output
> will need to be found and priced. Is there some risk for the system if only
> second-hand cameras can be used ?
Yes, that's my biggest concern. I have just spoken to
DigitalCameraWarehouse.com.au, and discussed the situation; iit seems
that live video interconnects from consumer cameras is dead; transfers
via USB are (exclusively??, not sure)  for transfer of already-recorded
video files from the camera to a host (eg, copy an MPEG MTS file), and
not for a live DV-DIF stream.

I've also spoken to JVC Australian distributor, and Canon Australia and
they all indicate that there is no live transfer from their consumer
models any more, just on their professional series.

I suspect we'll be trawling around for older cameras; until such time as
consumer cameras again permit live transfer. One person I spoke to
suggested this could happen with the advent of USB3? Who knows.

> Are Mac Books considered a better option for robustness, hardware reliability,
> cost ?
I think for their size and price, with built in firewire ports, they
look pretty convincing. Only point is that they are not in any way
upgradable via  a PCI/PCI-e card. However, they are small, light, and
come with a screen and keyboard, wereas evena  Small Form factor mini
micro tower would need a separate screen & keyboard to get started.

> I agree with Jason about documentation, if you think the software tools are
> "enough" to make a reasonably robust system then refining, automating and
> documenting the configuration and building of the system presents a better
> case to LA or another funding group. It could include site setup and operation
> of the system also for less Linux skilled people to run the system.
*nod*

> I've got to do less free. But perhaps I could help out with some documentation.

Please! Yes. I've started some rudimentary documentation onthe PLUG web
site at http://www.plug.org.au/projects/. Please sign up for an account,
and I'll give you rights to edit alll pages there. Same goes for
everyone else - let me know your usernames and you can (please) edit the
(entire) PLUG web site!!!


-- 
Mobile: +61 422 166 708, Email: james_AT_rcpt.to