Every once in a while, I feel like going back to a previous meeting and reviewing what was said and discussed. As of right now, that is not possible.
I would like to propose the recording of video and audio of JaxLUG meetings so anyone can go back and watch a meeting at any time. A simple camera placed in the back of the conference room would suffice to catch the gist of what was discussed. This, supplemented by the posting of the presenter's notes online, will allow the high quality presentations to last much longer than the meeting itself. I have done some quick research and this is what I have found: I have a 720p USB camera that I believe will cover the presenter and screen well. Much of the discussion that happens behind the camera will not have the benefit of getting on video, but the audio will be recorded. Placing the camera in the very back of the room would help with that, but it may sacrifice the clarity of the presenter. It will just need to be tested on location. Ustream.tv offers a 'Ustream Presenter" software that allows for some very nice on-the-fly editing, including the multi-mix of different sources such as the presenter's screen itself. Unfortunately, the "Pro" version which supports High Quality and multiple cameras costs $200. Ustream.tv also supports the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder, which looks to support the full 720p video recording. Using a Ustream.tv solution looks to allow us to have a locally recorded 720p version (for us to decide how to distribute) and a recorded live stream online for those who cannot attend. I do not know how the quality will be using Ustream.tv's recording and playback (live broadcasts are saved for later viewing), but if it can pull off the full 720p, then we will not have to worry about distribution or anything. At worst, the online Ustream.tv version is live and a YouTube version is in full quality. I am also looking into offering multiple downloadable versions of the recording (Ogg Theora, audio-only FLAC) for those of us who wish to avoid Flash. I am all ears for suggestions. If anyone has a Firewire-based camera (that can push more than 480i like mine), then Adobe OnLocation can be used and we can really produce this (multi-camera, multi-shot, and including a recorded screencast of the presenter), but I don't even know how well it will all work at all. I am also interested in improving the audio recording of the above solution. If anyone has a higher-quality omni-directional mic, the software supports the use of the Line-in on the computer instead of the mic on the camera. The camera's mic is not bad, but it will be farther away from the presenter. I am waiting on our possible presenter, Kyle Gonzales, to get back to me with his approval and then I reckon its up everyone. Please let me know if you are aware of any other/better solutions. I am stressing the high-quality recording first with live streaming as icing on the cake. Adobe's Flash Media Live Encoder seems to fit the bill in that respect while lacking in the whole FOSS department. This would all be done on a Mac, so at least it would be produced on a Unix-based system. Michael Potts (904) 638-2914
