So many Missing Match Videos
 

Now, I know that I am not the only one to notice the HUGE lack in match videos for 2010 on the Blue Alliance, but I am amazed that we literally watch every match, with multiple angles and distances, yet there are few to no videos for most of the regionals on TBA. I am positive that there is a simple way to record the output of the matches and to save them somewhere, because it has obviously been done.

I, personally, am not worried so much about the scores of the matches, or the different angles. As a prior scout, the most important thing to me is how the team plays, not what the score is at the end of the match.

For those of you who do not notice this, or do not keep track, much like myself:

2010 Blue Alliance Videos

1659 Match videos

55 total regionals (including district events and championship divisions)

33 regionals with no videos at all (including district events and championship divisions)

6 out of the 22 regionals with videos have less than fifty vidoes


2009 Blue Alliance Videos

2375 Match videos

52 total regionals (including district events and championship divisions)

21 Regionals with no videos at all (including district events and championship divisions)

5 out of the 31 regionals with videos have less than fifty videos


I thought this would get better after the 2010 season, but now it is almost the beginning of next season and still no videos.

I fully understand that SOAP is gone, but can we create some kind of collaboration to record at least most of the regionals, even if it is one stationary camera. This would help so many teams, and would allow for a greater FIRST experience overall so we can show our sponsors, parents, and friends what we spent 6 weeks after school working on.

I would be willing to give a few kids in the stands the simple job of recording the match when it starts, and stopping when it ends for regionals that we go to. We have done it in the past so I am sure our mentors would be fine with it.

Any input would be greatly appreciated! :)

-Phil

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

Without organisation or a responsibility to post match videos, it's very easy to delay, procrastinate on, and eventually forget to post match videos. One of my teammates has all but 2 or 3 matches from Curie field in 1080p, but I simply haven found the time to grab them off his laptop to my EHD, and FTP them over to tba. It's the simplest of issues. If there were some way to assign the procurement of match videos to various volunteers, perhaps two per event at best, then I think that would solve the problem entirely.

(I feel kinda bad now.. I should do that)

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

The people running The Blue Alliance have plea'd before to have people help them out with videos. It's a lot of work to get those videos posted on to their website, let alone to have to record the matches, break them into their respective match numbers and THEN upload them.

This THREAD was started by Greg Marra, who runs The Blue Alliance, and it has some discussion on this topic already.

It is definitely something worth working hard for, it is just going to require quite a large collaboration to pull off.

-Brando

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

I understand this, and that is what I am talking about. I would be more than glad to work with those guys with these videos, and I would love to set up some kind of group effort for the sake of the FIRST community. I'l contact TBA guys and will see what I can do.

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

We *had* videos of the complete Virginia regional, and it was simply ignored, procrastinated and eventually lost to student 'lack of doing it'. I tried several times to simply get the 40 GB of data these represented onto some storage device I could control, but it never happened. Part of that was because the data was on a Mac, and I live in Windows.

Very frustrating. (need banging-head-against-brick-wall icon)

I want to change that this year. Not sure how. Willing to work at it though.

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

Thats good.

It seems like the videos are out there, they have just been lost in procrastination or forgetfulness. It is really unfortunate that this happens because TBA is a HUGE resource for all teams.

From scouting, to showing sponsors what they donate to, TBA is completely irreplaceable. I would hate to see this amazing resource dwindle as it is. I will make sure that we record and send the videos of our matches to them.

I will probably contact our regional directors and ask if we could possibly get a spot somewhere in the stands where the scouts and video kids can sit without getting kicked out. Maybe this could be somewhere in every regional... :rolleyes: Wouldn't that be nice!

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

There are video drops offered at most events. If you can hook into that it will include the live score and other information at the bottom.

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

There are some... steps being taken this year that Greg and I have discussed about recording the main feed at EVERY regional this year. Some of the ideas/plans include a Pinnacle at every regional to mail around with a USB drive to save the files onto. Then we will upload the large raw files to a central location where individuals can re-download the files and split them up. I am working on a website that will show who has what files to split up and who is working on recording. I have been in the whole regional recording thing for years and last year is the first we did not have more videos than the previous. Like others have said much of the issue was lack of wanting to split up the videos.

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

Great! Is there anything we can plan as a group, or any way Anyone else cal help at the moment?

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

I'd be interested in helping out with that, like if its get mailed a USB flash drive to record onto and mail it back to you guys or something. that would totally be worth my time. But I don't have a camera. Mail me that too :P

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

Brandon, you would hook into the feed from the field. Show Ready Events provides all the cameras.

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

As the number of flex events increases, being able to count on using house video for recording will get harder, because it won't be consistent between events. People who want to record will probably have to coordinate with the regional planning committee to find out what type of capabilities are available. For example, at the Arizona regional last year, there was just a single connection available, which was used by the web-cast. It's possible more connections could have been arranged if there was advance notice, but it can't be assumed that the standard setup will always be available.

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

I'd be willing to help out at some of the Michigan events. Are team is going to be at Kettering and Troy District events and we usually try to make it to a few of the other ones on other weekends as well.

I wanted to get our team to do this last year but did not have a device that was capable of recording the feeds. I also did not know who we needed to contact at the event to get access to plug in and capture the feeds.

I'm pretty sure that it was Code Red last year that webcast all of the feeds for Michigan. I'm wondering if they also recorded them or not? I can help with splitting the video files up and sending them over if someone has them. Just let me know and I will send you an external hard drive or give you a place that you can upload them to.

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

So we have some support, and with a little bit of begging, maybe more. :p Now what exactly do we plug into? Is it a usb, or fire-wire, or network connection of some kind? Basically, what would we have to do to, "Hook up," to the system and obtain the videos?

Re: So many Missing Match Videos
 

From what i've read in some of the other posts and on the wiki the system at the events is an a/v distribution box that has a bunch of composite(RCA) outputs. You would have to hook your encoding device into one of these outputs.

My question is what are the options for power near one of these devices and are they right on the tables next to the field making it so that your going to have a hard time monitoring your device?