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Actually, I'm having problems viewing it with WMP as well... It wont work in Winamp or the DivX pyaer either... huh, I guess I'll have to give it a go on my linux box.

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Played on Knoppix fine, but without audio... nice Vid :D,

We'll be where you guys are... probably around ship day :)

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Played on WMP with no audio but winamp did not like it so much...

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I think you nailed it. I ran it on my laptop with Intervideo installed for the DVD player. I guess assuming every one has a DVD in their PC is a BAD assumption.

BTW, no audio on mine either.

So, the hype was that they can shoot a ball through the target form directly in front and manually aligned?.........

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OK.
You guys have a running robot. Nice job and congrats.
It's not ground breaking like a four speed transmition like 33 puts out (who do it quietly without thumping their chest).
In the immortal words of Flavour Flav : Don't believe the hype!

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When the common players don't work, I always go to VideoLan Client next. It can play just about anything, including this video. Audio is just a bunch of static though.

Team 888, get your fees paid for Pittsburgh! We'd love to see this bot up close.

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I have to agree, the video seems a little flat compared with some of the other great teaser videos of the past.

Just a couple of tricks for the future:
1) Get good source material. Borrow someone's digital camcorder if you need to.
2) Get lots of material. In my days of Mass Communications back at Irmo High, the rule of thumb was to shoot ten times the amount of material you think you'll actually use. (This gives you a lot of angles and such to choose from.)
3) Watch Wildstang's 2004 video (found here). They really put together a video that set the standard. Lots of match video (also note their use of old video from their Championship run), quality editing, and just the right amount of effects to spice it up. (Also note that they really didn't put too much promotion on it. Sometimes underpromising and overdelivering can pay off--but then again, there's also nothing wrong with a bit of shameless plugging ;) .)

But to get to the robot, it definitely looks good. Will the robot need to be lined up straight with the goal, or is there some sort of turret in there?

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Billfred's made a lot of great points. Buzz is best built on a good balance of self promotion and previous event performance. It usually takes a year to get it to its desired result.

Other things to note:
4.) Set a deadline and stick to it. "Soon" is too vague, but set a time that will grab the most attention (aka, avoid the last week of build - too many robot pictures will be posted to gain any sort of attention).
5.) When teasing an audience, try to avoid delays as much as possible, but if it can't be helped, don't draw attention to the delay. Drawing attention to it (as you saw in this thread) will have more of an impact on the mind as opposed to utilizing that time to get the product out the door.
6.) Don't give up. As I said earlier, it's a matter of balancing between self-promotion and event performance. If things don't work out, don't fret about it - just do everything you can to gain credibility at the events you're going to this year - whether that be through a technical award or winning an event. Doing well at events this year will make your team a "team to watch" in the following year - a time when promotional efforts are best used.

As I said in the beginning, there are a lot of teams out there - many of which have spent years building up their reputation, and having been in the situation that your team is currently in myself, getting noticed is an uphill battle. Promotion alone can not create good reputation - event performance is crucial. Best of luck in 2006, I'm sure you'll do great!

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Of course, if you are trying to "fly below the radar", the last week is perfect for posting, as many will miss it in the flurry of photos/videos being posted. It's always great to get to a competition and find that one team who is "breaking out" from the ranks. It keeps the vets from becoming complacent, and often forces teams into new areas of strategy.

Everybody knows WWBD, (Thanks, Andy Grady) but "What will the new kid in town do?" is the surprise at competitions.

Surprise us! We will enjoy your success!

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Nice video.

Was it worth the hype and wait...not so much.
Good job on being this far along in the build.

Keep up the good work.

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Like I said earlier, my intent was to have a better video, but someone (Jeff Dewberry) failed under the pressure from the cd community. Is this a groundbreaking video? Of course not. However, I haven't seen any team's teaser(and this is a teaser) show any capabilities that will win matchs.
There is a lot more strategy this year and it will be important for teams to know each others capabilities before nationals.

We can't wait to get our bot(s) to Pittsburgh and we'll also be at the shakedown competition in DC.

~~~~~~~~~~~
"Its only Rock and Roll"
Rolling Stones
Balmer, MD

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Oh, by the way, thanks guys for finding the bugs and fixes for the codecs.

~~~~~~~~~~~
"Its only Rock and Roll"
Rolling Stones
Balmer, MD[/quote]

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Yeah Well sorry guys for dropping the ball!:p I'm a video production major right now, and was not there when they made this video. But don't worry we will have some cooler stuff coming out of here soon.

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I personally loved the robot, but I think if you take that long in between shots, you will get hit. Definitely one of the fastest robots I've ever seen built that is in a final configuration.

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Ya know, I've been wanting something like this for a long time.
Thanks for pointing it out Bill!