By Bob Lowe, chair CoSIDA Technology Committee
The New Year always brings great promise. Here’s hoping these few technology tips for 2009 will help your department’s efficiency. There are three tech topics covered in this story: home page media links, video streaming graphics, and mobile press boxes.
Not coincidentally, these features are all related to recent legislation by my conference: the USA South. We’ve mandated member institutions to provide live stats and/or webcasts for many home contests.
This legislation was pushed by the conference SIDs for good reason: we are key consumers of the information.
-Media Links on Home Page
My first wish for 2009 is that all sports information professionals will place links to in-game media on their athletics home page.
As athletics media relations folks, we know how frustrating it can be to dig 5 or 6 clicks to uncover the live stats or webcast URL. Imagine how difficult that can be for people less familiar with computers and newbies to your web site.
If your hyperlinks are not already prominently on your athletics home page, look at adding this feature. Whether it be an icon or just a hot link to media for the day’s games, this addition will be appreciated by fans, fellow SIDs and new visitors to your web pages.
-Brief UStream Update
UStream is one of the free hosts for video streaming. We selected then for this reason, because their other content was appropriate, and the advertising unobtrusive.
Well, the later has changed. Obviously, UStream is looking to add revenue to cover the cost of all its streamers. Suffice to say, a lot has changed in one year and some may find the ads too much.
If you are looking to get up and running with UStream, check out this story from last year:
http://www.cosida.com/news/2008/1/9/0109084324_8957.aspx There are other similar options. CoSIDA Technology Committee member Jim Junot of Virginia State uncovered another possible web host: Streamwebtown.com
This venture offers a straight Windows media feed, rather than UStream’s Flash. Users can test and the free setup at:
http://www.streamwebtown.com/index.php -Turning Your Videocast into a High End Production
There’s one big weakness of many of the videocasts I’ve seen: the lack of a scoreboard or graphics. This is especially troubling if the game announcers do not offer score and time updates regularly. There are some very expensive options for video graphics, but let’s focus on doing graphics on a shoestring budget.
At Greensboro College, we’ve used Ustream.tv or our game casts. UStream offers an “overlay” that allows you to update in-game details. During football and soccer games, we simply update the score on the overlay. This should be great for lacrosse, baseball and softball in the Spring.
As mentioned before, media links should be readily available if you have live stats in addition to the webcasts.
Just like with media icons on your home page, video scoreboard graphics appeal to today’s consumers. Some folks might not be able to tune into the entire game. Others may scan a number of broadcasts. Having scoreboard overlays appeals to many.
-PinP Offers Solutions
During basketball games, we’ve added a new feature to the video production: a picture-in-picture capture of the Statcrew scoreboard within the screen.
-Option One for video webcasts
The Webcammax software allows other sources for the picture in picture option. We purchased an external webcam and focused it on the scoreboard. This is the best solution we have tested.
-Option Two for video webcasts
Instead of using webcam, highlight the scoreboard part of the Stacrew live stats and you’ve got graphics for your broadcast. You accomplish this by selecing the computer “screen” option form the pull down PinP selection area.
The one drawback of this application? Statcrew live stats tend to have a lag time. Minimize them in the settings, but quick scoring might be displayed promptly.
-Option 3 For Ustream Graphics
Ustream also has chat rooms for your broadcasts. One option we’ve tried is to have a staffer update the basketball score in the chat room. This is a very effective way to inform your audience.
-The Mobile Press Box
Another USA South conference mandate (also pushed by the SIDs) was to mandate Internet access at our football press boxes. This was a conundrum for Greensboro College since we play at a leased off campus site, with no Internet.
A colleague recommended a broadband router from Cradlepiont Technology (www.cradlepoint.com). We ordered their best model (MBR 1000/$250) and it has been a great purchase. Simply plug your air card into the router and you have a network. The unit has Ethernet ports and wireless antennas.
Of course, such a network’s success is contingent on your connection. With that in mind, we were able to video webcast numerous football and soccer games this Fall with varying success.
A bonus of the Cradlepoint, however, is being able to complete post game reporting duties at the off campus site, rather than needing to head back to the office. Additionally, the router is also used at our basketball games. We plug an Ethernet line in and our press row has powerful hard
line and wireless connections.
However, our connection/drop out was not satisfactory for one visiting team’s radio setup. They use a Codec system from Tieline technology which has the ability to run off of a phone line, an Ethernet cable or wireless. Due to the drop offs, we’ll probably need to push them to a regular telephone line in the future.
-Summary
I hope these tips help for the New Year. Changes in technology occur rapidly. Please share your ideas with your sports information brethren here or on the SIDBoard.com. Have a great 2009.