ZOOM OUT!

[Faith]

If you really, really, really want a whole field view all the time, I'm sure a team at most regionals can set up one camera so that is has the whole field in it's view the entire time. Then that can be posted (somewhere) later and everyone can watch the whole field or the other videos, depending on which they want to see.

I mean, it's just one camera, no one needs to really man it, and life is good .

[Alexa Stott]

Originally Posted by Plooshiska

If you really, really, really want a whole field view all the time, I'm sure a team at most regionals can set up one camera so that is has the whole field in it's view the entire time. Then that can be posted (somewhere) later and everyone can watch the whole field or the other videos, depending on which they want to see.

I mean, it's just one camera, no one needs to really man it, and life is good .

That would work for scouting purposes, but all of us stuck in the pits for the majority of the competition would still like to at least know what's going on during the match, instead of seeing close-ups of electronics, manipulators, drive trains, tubes, etc.

[fimmel]

why don't they get 1 stationary camera that captures the whole field and record that one along with sending it to the pits etc. then have the 2 other cameras for the big screen. then for the web cast. inlay a small video 'thumbnail' type thing in the top left quarter of the screen. and the close up shots for the rest of the screen. you don't need anymore crew. and the video mixing should be possible with their equipment. also the feed that they let you plug you VCR, DVD recorders, etc into can have 2 different outputs .... the whole field. and the web cast feed.

problem solved
/forest

[eugenebrooks]

We should stop messing around with NTSC, digital or not.
We need a 1080p record of the field, broadside. It would
provide a nice archive of the matches and probably a nice
display of matches in the pits at the champinship event.

Eugene

[KelliV]

Alright... Here is my theory... and something you all have to understand.

At Championships, the video is broadcast on NASA TV... even though FIRSTers love the full field, it does get a bit boring. Especially to a channel that is trying to get viewership and people interested in FIRST... people at home love crashing and tipping and seeing things that they normally wouldn't. That is why things like Robot Wars are so successful. Yes I do know we are not robot wars, but FIRST and NASATV are trying to gain viewership.

By showing things close up it also enhances the viewers experience by creating a bond between the machines and the viewers. It also creates a sort of anticipation to see the next camera angle, something that will keep them watching. I can tell you that my classmates who watched the NASATV broadcast found it a lot more interesting than the static shots I had on my camera.

-Kelli

[team 1094]

i really wish next year at championships you could zoom in on the feild on the live feed because i couldn't see that well.

[Pavan Dave]

Originally Posted by KelliV

Alright... Here is my theory... and something you all have to understand.

At Championships, the video is broadcast on NASA TV... even though FIRSTers love the full field, it does get a bit boring. Especially to a channel that is trying to get viewership and people interested in FIRST... people at home love crashing and tipping and seeing things that they normally wouldn't. That is why things like Robot Wars are so successful. Yes I do know we are not robot wars, but FIRST and NASATV are trying to gain viewership.

By showing things close up it also enhances the viewers experience by creating a bond between the machines and the viewers. It also creates a sort of anticipation to see the next camera angle, something that will keep them watching. I can tell you that my classmates who watched the NASATV broadcast found it a lot more interesting than the static shots I had on my camera.

-Kelli

I do not think many people protest to the fact that the best action for someone unfamiliar with FIRST would be to watch a robot up close “strutting its stuff”. What people are complaining about is that for our [FIRST veterans] purposes, the zooming in does us no good. Although these two ideas of how cameras should be zoomed/paned/tilted is something that we would like changed there is a possible solution. How many cameras are at the regionals? I saw at least two on the floor and one sitting up high in the stands. Let’s utilize our resources. If we could have a small section of the screen, not even 1/2 or 1/4 of the entire screen, just a small section of the screen that would stay consistent I can guarantee more than half of the complaints would be gone.

Example of what I’m talking about:
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Pavan.

[David Brinza]

Originally Posted by Pavan

I do not think many people protest to the fact that the best action for someone unfamiliar with FIRST would be to watch a robot up close “strutting its stuff”. What people are complaining about is that for our [FIRST veterans] purposes, the zooming in does us no good. Although these two ideas of how cameras should be zoomed/paned/tilted is something that we would like changed there is a possible solution. How many cameras are at the regionals? I saw at least two on the floor and one sitting up high in the stands. Let’s utilize our resources. If we could have a small section of the screen, not even 1/2 or 1/4 of the entire screen, just a small section of the screen that would stay consistent I can guarantee more than half of the complaints would be gone.

Example of what I’m talking about:
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Pavan.

This "picture-in-picture" would be great for TV broadcast - especially Discovery Channel HD!!

BTW, I'm 1080p ready too! I'm waiting for something special from Dave's next (big) car on Mars...

It would work well even for standard definition TV, but it might be too few pixels for webcast. Oh, that's right, we'll just have a dedicated full-field webcast channel available!

It's OK to dream, isn't it??

[Roger]

Sorry to bring this thread back up, but I didn't know I had a reputation list, let alone have comments there to my comments here. Here is a "reputation comment" about what I said here:

The professional video crew does a pretty sweet job. They may not have a complete strategic understanding of what's important in the game, but most kids on most teams don't either.

Since I don't see any good debating using PM's when we've been doing this thread in public, I'll respond here.

Yes, the video crew does a good job. That is their job, to report what is happening on the field. What the OP is saying (and I'm agreeing with) is that we don't want "artsy" video, or worse, dead air (or the video equivalent) -- just the facts, Ma'am. A shot of a quarterback throwing the ball, with no shot of the receiver making a touchdown would be deadly TV. Why can't we expect the same?

The video crew does not need a "complete strategic understanding" of what is important. Certainly no one else did. Yes, we all came to the game with an idea of what we thought works. Then the cold clear reality of Thursday's practice day shows what really is important. If the video crews weren't at one of the many regionals, they at least had Thursday's practice day to watch the game and realize (or, hopefully, were told by someone at FIRST) that A, B and C may or may not happen, and keep a camera on them. Or, like I said above,

... they should be practicing like the rest of us, understanding the game, learning where the good camera shots are, knowing how to present a fast moving robot to people that don't want artsy photography.

Hopefully the person in charge of hiring the video crews will read this thread and decide that maybe we have a good point and repeat it to the video crew. And as they are professionals, they will understand what is needed and adjust accordingly for the next time.

[sanddrag]

Watching the webcasts, this is a problem once again this year. I don't want to see the drivers' faces. I don't want to see joysticks moving back and forth. I don't want to see a single robot in a corner of the field for 15 seconds. I want to see all the action, at the same time. Please, PLEASE ZOOM OUT!

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

I want to see all the action, at the same time. Please, PLEASE ZOOM OUT!

Not to call you out, but I'm pretty puzzled as to why some people are still replying to this thread without reading it first. If you want to see all of the action at the same time, you should be sitting in the stands. The video crew is being paid to produce video catered to people who can *already* see all the action at the same time. It shouldn't be surprising that the webcast doesn't give the full picture of what's going on, but when I can't be at an event in person, I think it's great that I'm still able to get some idea of what's going on.

[smurfgirl]

Originally Posted by jgannon

Not to call you out, but I'm pretty puzzled as to why some people are still replying to this thread without reading it first. If you want to see all of the action at the same time, you should be sitting in the stands. The video crew is being paid to produce video catered to people who can *already* see all the action at the same time. It shouldn't be surprising that the webcast doesn't give the full picture of what's going on, but when I can't be at an event in person, I think it's great that I'm still able to get some idea of what's going on.

At our regional today, they zoomed in on a single label on our robot labeled "pressure relief". It took up the entire screen for quite a while... not exciting, even to people who can see the whole field. I find drivers, broken robots, and other close-ups of any teams/robots to be great... but a single label? Not so exciting.

[David Brinza]

Originally Posted by smurfgirl

At our regional today, they zoomed in on a single label on our robot labeled "pressure relief".

Maybe the cameraman thought your robot would "blow off some steam"??

[sanddrag]

After watching this year's webcasts so far, I feel the need to bring this thread up again. I don't recall which events specifically, but some were downright painful to watch. The scoring is on each end of the field. Don't show me the middle, don't show me a robot spinning in circles, or bashing itself into the wall in a lack of control. I want to see the scoring, and I want to see the defense. It does me little good to see a ball kicked but not where it ends up. So, once again, for 2010,

ZOOM OUT!

This is a game that really lends itself to a view of the ENTIRE field. There are not really very many intricate or interesting mechanisms or manipulations going on here. The positions and movements of all the robots on the field is far more interesting than what one particular robot is doing at an area not anywhere near a goal. If nothing is happening anywhere on the field, fine, zoom in for two seconds. But to miss 5/6 of the action to show one robot spinning its tires is ridiculous.

Anyone agree?

[BJT]

Yes, I have always been disgusted by the video of these matches. there is so much more going on that they miss.