Coordinated Regional Video Archiving..

[Joel J]

Hey, as far as I'm aware regionals each have a drop where teams can plug-in VCRs or cameras or computers to record video. That is, whether or not a regional is webcast, the footage from that competition can still be saved and put onto SOAP108's website, or somewhere similar. What I'm wondering, and I guess I'll bump this in a few months, when it actually starts to matter, is if there could be a coordinated effort here, to ensure that every single regional has video footage put up on SOAP, for scouting purposes?

The idea:

- You volunteer to record a regionals feed.
- You bring a VCR, a camera, or a computer, and plug it into the production company's drop..
- At the end of the competitions, you send the video tape, or a CD, or something like that, to a group of people willing to go through and seperate the long stream into individual matches.
- The individual matches get posted for everyone to watch (on SOAP?)

I also wouldn't mind having the regional scoring system database put online, for scouts to be able to look at the match data (get original scores before penalties, etc..), but that's for a different thread, and is reliant upon a solid enough scoring system weeks 1-5.

Just planting the idea at this point.

Who would be interested in plugging into FIRST's video drop and recording the official feed? Who would be willing to parse each video to have individual matches ready for upload? What are some ideas as to how these two processes can be made as efficient as possible (that is, as easy as possible)?

[Joel J]

Hey,

I see votes, awesome!

If you are interested, then can you please reply to the thread stating what competitions you are interested in recording..

[Koko Ed]

I'm definately doing FLR's video recording and if we go to Buckeye (we're pending) I'll record that one too.
Unfortunately our video computer blew up so I may not be able to immediately download it (that's why I haven't downloaded the Rah Cha Cha Ruckus Pieings).

[Rob2713g]

I'd be interested for the VCU Regional - I'll ask my team.

Someone may be able to write a program to parse the video into matches. For example, based on the beginning buzzer, a certain screen, or something else. Not sure exactly how to do it, but I'm sure there are a bunch of really good programming people in FIRST who could figure it out.

I'll ask the programmers on my team on Monday about parsing.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

This might be a large project to undertake, but couldn't this all be done in software?

1 - Direct feed from capture card/FireWire/USB Camera
2 - Figuring out when matches start and end (Operator to say when matches start and end, and/or direct input from FIRST field control system, and/or sound recognition to signal match start and end, and/or ripping match status from radio signals.)
3 - Apply buffer to start and end to ensure whole match is captured
4 - Save video file to hard drive
5 - Encode to WMV/Xvid/Divx/h.264

[Jonathan Norris]

I would totally be willing to record matches from any of the three regionals I am going to, BAE, Waterloo, or GTR. I would need some help figuring out what output they will give me, and I would prefer to record it to an external HD (like the nice big 500GB one). I have a large amount of experience in video encoding, I would probably output it to mp4 or divx. But the recording input would be the hardest part, how much memory will recording a full day of matched into mp4 take up?? I love going back an looking at matches during the season.

[Joel J]

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

This might be a large project to undertake, but couldn't this all be done in software?

1 - Direct feed from capture card/FireWire/USB Camera
2 - Figuring out when matches start and end (Operator to say when matches start and end, and/or direct input from FIRST field control system, and/or sound recognition to signal match start and end, and/or ripping match status from radio signals.)
3 - Apply buffer to start and end to ensure whole match is captured
4 - Save video file to hard drive
5 - Encode to WMV/Xvid/Divx/h.264

I like the idea.. I don't know how well the actual parsing algorithm would work, however. If you can think of something, then great. I guess I'm trying not to be overwhelming. Recording and sending in video might sound more doable than something elaborate.

[Sagar Vyas]

I think its a great idea, i'd be interested in recording one of the three regionals i'm going to (GLR, Waterloo, GTR). Although, as Jonathan said.. I'm also curious to know what kinda output they'll give, using a HD sounds like the most effective way to record, perhaps a DVD-RW recorder w/HD?

[Koko Ed]

Can we just send the recorded tapes to the good folks at SOAP to put on their site?

[Jonathan Norris]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

Can we just send the recorded tapes to the good folks at SOAP to put on their site?

We could, but I wouldn't want to be the person to go through 20-30 tapes of regionals, and split it up into individual matches. I think the idea here is to split up that work and get more regionals recorded and posted on the internet.

How about this idea, we could try and do it all through google video, which will remove the problem of people recording it different formats. Google video also has the option to download the files to your computer. With FIRST's connection with Google... maybe we could do something here. Then maybe make a page which links to all the matches from the different regionals.

[SamC]

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

This might be a large project to undertake, but couldn't this all be done in software?

1 - Direct feed from capture card/FireWire/USB Camera
2 - Figuring out when matches start and end (Operator to say when matches start and end, and/or direct input from FIRST field control system, and/or sound recognition to signal match start and end, and/or ripping match status from radio signals.)
3 - Apply buffer to start and end to ensure whole match is captured
4 - Save video file to hard drive
5 - Encode to WMV/Xvid/Divx/h.264

I just had a thought that people could possible take to there regional planning committee. What if each regional had say 2-3 cameras setup around the field. And when a match starts (or 1-2minutes before) a person at the scoring table would press a "start" button to make the cameras begin to record, then at the end of the match it would be on for another 1-2 minutes (and then have the final score displayed on the video. Just another idea to simplify/make this effort easier.

[ChuckDickerson]

Originally Posted by Joel J.

Hey, as far as I'm aware regionals each have a drop where teams can plug-in VCRs or cameras or computers to record video. That is, whether or not a regional is webcast

Really? How have I missed this all these years?

Originally Posted by Joel J.

... plug it into the production company's drop...

If this is the case then why doesn't the production company(s) just sell a copy of the whole regional video on tape/DVD at the end of the regional? Wouldn't the production company own the rights to the video even if you just tap into their feed? I guess I was always under the impression that SOAP either recorded their own video or had permission from NASA to archive and distribute the NASA feed.

This sounds like great idea though. I will be looking for that video drop in New Orleans!

[Donut]

I have to echo Deep Water's post; do all the regionals really have this? Prior to last year (when it was webcasted) I don't ever remember cameras at the Arizona Regional other than what teams brought with themselves. I think if this was true we would have seen footage from more non-webcast regionals around CD, and that there'd probably be regional videos either for sale or being given out for free.

That said, we've been recording every match at Arizona for the past 2 years, and prior to then we did a large porition, so I think we could get them all and send them along anyway.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Donut

I have to echo Deep Water's post; do all the regionals really have this? Prior to last year (when it was webcasted) I don't ever remember cameras at the Arizona Regional other than what teams brought with themselves. I think if this was true we would have seen footage from more non-webcast regionals around CD, and that there'd probably be regional videos either for sale or being given out for free.

That said, we've been recording every match at Arizona for the past 2 years, and prior to then we did a large porition, so I think we could get them all and send them along anyway.

If there's a large screen showing action on the field then there is a live feed and you can attach your VCR to the feed and record what's happening.
I just looked at pictures from previous years at Arizona and I see the big screen so that means there are the means to record the action. Ask the AV guy to help. They're nice guys.

[Donut]

Wow, how did I not realise that? Thank you.

In that case, we will get all the matches from Arizona for certain, either ourselves or through their feed or both.