Requesting "Full-field" Match Video for Webcasts from FIRST

[David Brinza]

Perhaps it's time to send a message to Bill Miller, Director of FRC, regarding a desire to change the video feed used for webcasts of FRC matches:

Dear Bill,

For years, FRC members have expressed frustration on Chief Delphi with the video feed provided for webcasts from FRC events. Currently, the webcast feed is the same as the video shown on the big screen behind the field. For the live audience near the field, close-up views of individual robots, drive teams, etc. on the screen are fine, because the field is right in front of them. The live audience can view the entire game, while the big screen offers exciting, close-up shots of some of the action. However, the big screen video feed is not well-suited for watching the game if you are not in the audience.

Many members of the FRC community are interested in watching matches from events they cannot attend in person. Most are watching to see how the match unfolds: what game strategies were used, what the capabilities were for the teams involved, what were the key plays in determining the outcome. Generally, the big screen video feed cannot provide the full picture of how matches evolve because the action often occurs across the entire field. The game announcer audio often describes action not shown in the video, which is disconcerting to viewers.

The under-signed members of the FRC community request a "full-field" camera view of the field for webcast while matches are in progress. Other camera views can be shown during team introductions, after the match is completed and during field reset (including sponsor recognition slides, scholarship offerings and pre-recorded videos). Please consider this suggestion when working with Sargent Production Services for future FRC events.

Thank you for your attention and for all you do the make FRC a success!

Signed,

(List of FRC members supporting this suggestion)

Please provide comments/suggestions regarding the above message.

Indicate in your reply whether you want to have your name and FRC Team number to appear on the message sent to Bill.

Suggestions are welcome for the timing of sending this message to FIRST - next month, next fall, after Kick-off??

[kjolana1124]

I do agree that full field footage is a very good idea. After all, field reset/field delay time blocks are perfect for those close up shots. I would say that this causes an issue for getting them on TBA, but the match footage record this year there is so limited anyway that it doesn't even really seem to matter. I also feel that close ups on driver faces, while sometimes interesting, are not vital to the match, and that time could be more affectively used getting more match footage. As a potential film studies student, I kind of see where they're coming from. But as a FIRST student, the more robots the better.

I would at least send it after IRI. Let this season close up, then move on. And yes, my name and whatnot is fine

[Sunshine]

Add my name to the letter, I agree totally!

Dennis Skurulsky
Team 2062

[viperred396]

Count mean in!

Bryan Fisher
Team 2240

[Isaac501]

While I can definitely understand the desire for something like this from a team standpoint for scouting, etc.. I believe the viewing public would be completely bored and tune out after 15 seconds if all they can see is the whole field, no details, no real action shots. The feed was as you suggested many years ago, and it was tedious to watch a whole match, let alone any length of matches.

Which brings me to a question - Are you suggesting NASA *only* feed the full-field, or that they have full-field in addition to the regular feed?

I think a more apt suggestion would perhaps be to work with the production staff more extensively on the game, how it's played, and what makes valuable close-up time; having a commentator for the webfeed itself, separate from the GA/MC, would also be another possibility.

[Alex Dinsmoor]

I completely support this idea! It would be great to see webcasts in this way. Although (I know I'm getting advanced here) it would be awesome to see the whole field, and in a small display in the corner display the action. I personally enjoy the action shots, but also the full field so I can see what happens.

Although, I do see FIRST's purpose in displaying the action of the matches, since it's more entertaining than the full field.

Alex Dinsmoor
Team 201

[jblay]

I am still not over 67 being left out of the last seconds of Einstein finals match 1. That was the most amazing moment of the season and it was left out of the video. However I think that the problem isn't really that the camera isn't focusing on the full field, I think its that the camera guys this year were consistently focusing on the wrong thing especially at the end of matches much more than years in the past and I don't understand why.

As a strategist I agree and count me in. But to be honest, as a viewer, it is my opinion that FIRST just needs camera men that understand the game.

Joseph Blay
Team 694

[cziggy343]

add me

Chris Zeigler
Team 343

[kjolana1124]

Originally Posted by Isaac501

While I can definitely understand the desire for something like this from a team standpoint for scouting, etc.. I believe the viewing public would be completely bored and tune out after 15 seconds if all they can see is the whole field, no details, no real action shots. The feed was as you suggested many years ago, and it was tedious to watch a whole match, let alone any length of matches.

Which brings me to a question - Are you suggesting NASA *only* feed the full-field, or that they have full-field in addition to the regular feed?

I think a more apt suggestion would perhaps be to work with the production staff more extensively on the game, how it's played, and what makes valuable close-up time; having a commentator for the webfeed itself, separate from the GA/MC, would also be another possibility.

I see the argument here. Maybe something else they could do is have two separate webcasts going? One like normal, and the other for full field with some close ups in between like I mentioned before. Isaac's right, we need to make sure fans are engaged.

[Leav]

Sign me up!
Leav Oz-Ari
Mentor FRC-2630

[cziggy343]

Originally Posted by kjolana1124

I see the argument here. Maybe something else they could do is have two separate webcasts going? One like normal, and the other for full field with some close ups in between like I mentioned before. Isaac's right, we need to make sure fans are engaged.

but i think that most of the people you are trying to bring to FIRST would already be at the competition. wouldn't you rather take them to a competition rather than watch one on a webcast? the atmosphere is part of the lure of a FIRST event.

most of the people that watch webcast (in my opinion) are probably die hard FIRST fans already. and i think most of them (myself included) would rather see a full field match in order to see how the game plays out.

[Steven Sigley]

I know a lot of families back home are disappointed when they sit to watch the webcast and can't see their kid's robot.

If you want to make FIRST more popular you have to make it understandable by the audience. Making the scoring system simple was one way of handling this, but now you have to make it easy to understand what's happening in the matches. A full-field camera would help that.

[XaulZan11]

One thing to think about: is the webcast/video quality good enough that you will be able to tell what is going on? Will you be able to tell which team is which or will the full screen just show blobs moving around the field?

[cziggy343]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

One thing to think about: is the webcast/video quality good enough that you will be able to tell what is going on? Will you be able to tell which team is which or will the full screen just show blobs moving around the field?

that would be a potential issue... but maybe a solution to that would to zoom in just a little. because in all of the full field shots that i have seen, they have some periphery outside of the field in the shot. if the shot contains just the field, even with a not so great webcast you should be able to tell whats going on.

[cbale2000]

This idea was brought up in another thread, but I think it would be great to have a "Frame-in-Frame" view, where you can see the entire field all the time, but in one corner you had a spot for the close up shots and the sponsor slides between matches (or vice-versa).
Granted the suggestions of making sure the camera people actually know what to watch is good too, but you'll always have someone who wants to see one part of the match in full field and someone else who wants a closeup, so why not have both?

For that matter, what would be REALLY nice is to have direct output feeds for each camera (not necessarily for the webcasts) in addition to the current output, it would allow teams to choose what views they want to record, and if they choose to record multiple views, would allow them to edit the different views together later for use in promos, match records, or use on sites like TBA.