Lack of Match Footage Before 2007

[artdutra04]

Technology (especially with computers and the Internet) is rapidly evolving, and sometimes we forget how only a few years ago, certain things we now take for granted were not easy for the average person to accomplish.

Remember, YouTube was only invented in 2006. Prior to that, it was really difficult to share video on the Internet - there really weren't any easy ways to share video online unless you uploaded a WMV or Quicktime video file to your own web server. The videos that were shared generally were only online for a season or two before they were deleted from their team's web server* for one reason or another.

On top of that, videos recorded from a camera on a tripod at the event were likely recorded on MiniDV or Hi8 tapes in the pre-2007 era. Capturing video from these formats to digital required a Firewire connection and video editing software, and was a time consuming process. Capturing webcasts then was also not likely to yield useful video, since most webcasts were only streamed at 240x160 or 320x240 pixels with awful compression due to bandwidth and computer processor (for transcoding) limitations.


* Before The Blue Alliance, there used to be a lot of match videos on the SOAP 108 website in WMV format, but the last of its various incarnations went offline several years ago.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by artdutra04

* Before The Blue Alliance, there used to be a lot of match videos on the SOAP 108 website in WMV format, but the last of its various incarnations went offline several years ago.

Does anyone have the SOAP matches to reupload? I have a random smattering of 2004 & 2005 matches that I downloaded when SOAP was still live, but does someone have a hard drive with the full complement sitting around on it?

[Mike AA]

To those watching this tread,

I am Mike Aalderink, I own and operate firstvideoarchive.com. I have been in FIRST for 14 or so years and nearly every year as a computer techie and knowledge seeker I have record edited and saved as much information off websites, involving archived data and videos from first. Most of the data i have hidden but as much video as I could get is available online. I stored first on my personal webserver at home. Once the cost to operate my dedicated sDSL line outweighed the cost to buy usage of a server in a server farm I uploaded and still in process of uploading as much as I can to the website that is up now. If its been around available online it's likely on there! Obviously youtube has lots more video than my host would allow but i have most of the original higher quality videos of matches.

[KelliV]

If you played WildStang from 2003-2006 I more than likely have footage just let me know and give me time to sift through years of matches.