Going live on TV via Skype

CNN’s Jeffery Toobin did a live shot from a Maui hotel via Skype.

Update: KCRA used Skype to go live from a moving vehicle while covering the Tour of California bicycle race a couple weeks ago. “Our photog had a little 3CCD DV cam plugged into a Macbook via Firewire; he sent the video back to the station using Skype and a Verizon aircard,” writes Joe Rosemeyer, KCRA’s Digital Executive Producer. “Back at the station, we pulled it up fullscreen on a PC that has a scan converter and routed it through the control room.” Rosemeyer sent us a link to a video clip so you can take a look for yourself. “The video quality isn’t perfect, but, that’s really not the point.”

Adds KCRA’s Aaron Slavik, “There was a slight delay on video, but not much. The picture, because we are in HD, had to be shrunk down to keep the quality decent. The big issue with ANYTHING that mobile is the compression, the amount of motion involved and the ability to keep the data level constant. There were certain areas, because these factors, that we had a great picture from and some where we didn’t.” When you think about, there are lots of applications for this kind of technology (the Slingbox approach, too), not just for TV but also the web.

12 comments March 12th, 2008

Iger: PC replacing TV as entertainment source

At the McGraw-Hill Media Summit, Disney President and CEO Bob Iger chastised media execs “for their skittish view of the multiple-platform approach to delivering content,” reports Michael Malone in B&C. “In the years ahead, broadband on the computer will be the primary source of entertainment for kids,” Iger said. “It’s just as important to them as the TV set now.”

8 comments March 12th, 2008

YouTube wants to host your video

A big development in online video: YouTube is releasing a set of APIs that will allow its partners to customize YouTube players and functionality in their own sites at no cost. Users can upload video directly to partner sites, as well as comment on clips. Explains YouTube product manager Jim Patterson, “Any video that is uploaded through our API is treated exactly as on YouTube.com. In general if a video is uploaded to YouTube, in some cases we serve ads into that on YouTube.com. When people embed those we reserve rights to serve ads in the future.” The APIs are reserved for YouTube partners, which are already part of a revenue-share agreement.

Smart.

2 comments March 12th, 2008

TiVo to offer YouTube clips

‘Bout time. I’ve been watching YouTube on my TV via AppleTV for months. If you think such a feature is pointless, you haven’t watched your own uploaded clips in front of family and friends on your TV set. Very cool.

2 comments March 12th, 2008