Hola techies! This is an exportory thread for practical (not pie in the sky wish someone would do it) discussion of building the infrastructure to provide webcast and delayed "mask cam" video for those of us who can't be there. Until reality TV finds scenario paintball (read Peaches and Castro)
we'll have to do this ourselves. So in the software parlance of agile development here is the customer story:

You can't make a game because you have to ____________ at home. Wishing you could be there you go to a website and one or more streaming webcams are available to see ______________ either from the main staging areas, bases, or hot points on the field. (Note opposing generals should not cheat and use this intel....)

Additionally some players with maskcams have periodically uploaded raw footage for the mission firefight experience.


So lets explore some broad techical requirements and personal requirements and how to acheive each in a manageable fashion.

1) Have to have internet from the field. The base equipment pack should be able to support edge card ($) or dialup. So someone with a data plan can either act as transmitter to colocated streaming server with a dongled BB or cell phone or an edge card directly.

2) Equipment:

A) Internet point (see above)

B) Some webcams that have some wireless ability. While watching people get air for a hour may be interesting no one would watch reruns. Getting base action or several battle point overlooks would be ideal. Cable to reach these points (ugh) or an extended range video abilty is required.

C) Card reader (cheap) for DV conversion or video capture utility to hook to A)

D) Software: lots of shareware and under 100$ stuff available. Trick is making it work and play well together

E) Some server to send it to and server as streaming point.

F) Something to power all the on field stuff.

3) Webcast crew: The setup has to be out of box workable. From tanking I can say on doing other s*&^ going over 2 hrs per on game days it sucks. Think about what is needed to be able to deploy in several hours early Friday and take in less than an hour to pack up on Sunday after awards. (I hate being last to leave).

So Friday is connectivity setup and Cam deployment. Checkout of mask cams and suitable volunteer schedule. Needs to be on automatic by drinking time.

Saturday break volunteers turn in maskcam videos and crew uploads for viewing. Needs to be simple enough Scott could do it while drinking.

Sunday game over onfield equipment is returned to its shipping container. After last prize everything is gathered up. (Imagine that night seeing your number not winning a marker cause you left early...)

We may have to start small with just one cam or just maskcams (tankcam..my interest) videos uploaded at breaks. but we'll need to start someplace or we'll never get there.

Ok. The plan. Keep posts doable, concrete... software, items with links. I think a reasonable target would be early next spring. (hell we could test it anywhere, any time). Interested parties need apply. We'll need an overlap of skills to cover the season. Donations. What will all this cost. I have some stuff to donate and some time but even some web techies can help put different pieces in place. Integration can take time.

Oh yeah. This thread is a not debate to do it. This thread is TO DO IT. Think out loud so we can narrow down a plan, delegate the chunks, maybe find a sponsor and have fun bringing what we love to others.

Interglacials are short and then we enter the nasty brutishness of the glacial periods.

http://www.blackhearts.net
http://smartcorps.smartparts.com
http://www.nexosports.com

I know here @ PBC we have broadband avail, and the staff may be talked into allowing someone to piggyback during a scenario, your still looking at someone having to manage all the fun on site. Monotoring all the streams, uping the mask cam's, tank cams, etc. changing out batteries, as the day goes on. Almost really need a team. I thought about camera damage, does anyone have/use a mask cam? what's the durability like on them? The stationary cameras can be protected with Plexi/lexan and just have someone 'clean' it once in a while. Cameras would need to be stationed in areas with near constant activity, using PBC as an example, 1/2 in the villiage or castle area, etc. Not much use for them in the back 40.
Server access? Hows Junkies Bandwidth? This could definitly be a draw for visitors as long as the site can support it. At one point didn't Locountry Paintball run Live cams? Not on the net but viewable from the pro shop?
I seem to remember lots of wires...
How would the stream be handled? Multiple streams "Click here for Villiage", "Click here for Castle", or just one stream with a "director" changing the camera inputs? All in all I would love to see this happen and be a part of it.

"Government is not a solution to our problem[s],
government is the problem." -- Ronald Reagan

Forget broadband, there isnt enough upstream available to do streaming. Unless someone wants to sit there and upload video over and over again.

You would need like a T-1 at each site and i doubt anyone is going to pay for that.

We wouldn't stream for broadcast from the field. Just upload the stream to the server for distribution. 100kbps would do.

Interglacials are short and then we enter the nasty brutishness of the glacial periods.

http://www.blackhearts.net
http://smartcorps.smartparts.com
http://www.nexosports.com

i see what this is... your wanting to justify a bigger tailor by having Mr.Wizards Tank Garage AND Communications Hub. I think your just getting bored of working on tanks. lol

Seriously though, i have thought of this before and its a great idea.

Ross
"Don't be afraid of the machines scenario players build... only fear what we would do if we didn't have paintball."

List of NEEDED Things for a Scenario Game
1) Mask 2) Gun 3) Money 4) Goldbond
5) Man Wipes (wet/baby wipes, but with a manly sounding name... we need em to!)
6) Pepto-Bismol

talk to these guys: iTV360 : The Premier Live Webcast Prodcution Company for Action Entertainment

they might be able to point you in the correct direction.

how much of a delay are you willing to accept? You still have X ammount of data to move to an offsite host. If you have six 1 hour streams to upload. Thats a lof of bandwidth.

If not who is going to be editing these multiple feeds instead of playing?

An idea i had last time i drove Ron's tank-
Have a cannon with the end shielded, and use that at the first person view. of course the cannon would be off to the side and useless, but it would catch every gun fight and cannon shot.

Ross
"Don't be afraid of the machines scenario players build... only fear what we would do if we didn't have paintball."

List of NEEDED Things for a Scenario Game
1) Mask 2) Gun 3) Money 4) Goldbond
5) Man Wipes (wet/baby wipes, but with a manly sounding name... we need em to!)
6) Pepto-Bismol

im not a vid tech or web guru, but this is what i would like to see in a live webcast of a game.

1. multiple player cams -have to be on aggressive players. campers could be boring.

2. tank cams. -how you going to keep the paint from obscuring the view? even if its shielded, one broke paintball and the view is useless. unless you just like to sit and watch paint drip. you would have to be able to commo with the tank crew and have them wipe down the area.

3. hot spot and base cams. -especially covering the initial break/start. it would be nice to know some of the hot spots relevance to the game. like what team has an objective there. ex. team a: objective point. time remaining: 1:25. team b: retrieve bomb codes. time remaining 1:25

4. coverage of awards ceremony and post game recaps.

awesome idea i cant believe its not been done already.

it could get pricey. someone would have to take responsibility for it all and be compensated. you would need ppl who would voluntary sacrifice their playing time to monitor the feed and equipment operations. it would be a great promotion tool for field owners. someone could start a small buisness with this idea geared directly for paintball. i bet the bigger field owners would sport the cash to make their field compatible.

i will be uploading video of the bearclaw game when i get back.

Southern Discomfort East Tennessee Scenario Paintball

"Descend into my sights, your fallen walls."
-Tom Araya

my above idea for mounting the camera on a tank in a hollow "cannon" would work. rare chance it would get shot, and even if it did, i can have someone run a microfiber over it (or pull it in and do it myself).

Ross
"Don't be afraid of the machines scenario players build... only fear what we would do if we didn't have paintball."

List of NEEDED Things for a Scenario Game
1) Mask 2) Gun 3) Money 4) Goldbond
5) Man Wipes (wet/baby wipes, but with a manly sounding name... we need em to!)
6) Pepto-Bismol