How FERNE Uses the Internet: The Hows and Whys of Videostreaming

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How FERNE Uses the InternetThe Hows and
Whys of Videostreaming
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• Adam Schlichting
• Research Associate
• Department of Emergency Medicine
• University of Illinois at Chicago
• Associate Director

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The Case

• This meeting is being recorded on a digital video
  camera
• Videostreaming will allow these lectures to be
  accessed 24/7 from anywhere in the world
• How is this done???

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Why Videostream?

• Educational lectures can be viewed
• Anytime
• Anywhere
• By anyone with a computer

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What Equipment Is Necessary?

• Video camera (digital or analog)
• Fast computer with
• An audio/video capture card
• Lots of storage
• Lots of memory

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FERNE EquipmentThe Camera

• Canon XL1 DV Camera
• Excellent sound, excellent picture

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FERNE EquipmentThe Server

• Why buy our own server?
• Speed
• Needed a computer with fast processor, lots of
  memory for videostreaming
• Storage
• Videostreamed files are big 20 Mb
• Intermediate files are huge gt 1 Gb
• Cost of off-site server
• About 20/month for 100 Mb

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FERNE EquipmentThe Server

• Dell PowerEdge 1400
• Osprey Video
• capture card
• Audio card

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FERNE EquipmentThe Server

• Osprey Video capture card
• RCA inputs, same as the back of your TV, VCR
• Good audio card
• Standard in computers, not in servers

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FERNE EquipmentThe Software

• Microsoft VIDCAP32
• Video Capture Tool
• Intermediate step
• (Package deal Osprey video capture)
• Capture from camera playback
• Saves as .avi
• Import .avi into Premiere for editing

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FERNE EquipmentThe Software

• Video Editing
• Adobe Premiere
• Professional video editing software
• Mouse driven
• Cut/Paste
• Crop
• Drag/drop
• Possible to capture directly from camera, import
  all standard audio/video file formats

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Thus Far

• Ability to record audio/video
• Edit audio/video
• Export as standard media
• avi
• mpg
• pic
• wav
• MP3

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Storage Issues

• .avi or .mpg files are big
• 20 minutes is gt 1 Gb
• Entire file must be downloaded onto viewers
  computer to watch
• Multiple hours
• Necessary to condense

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Videostreaming

• Progressive downloads
• Video files must be downloaded somewhere on the
  viewer's computer in order to play
• Streaming video
• Arrives to the viewer in "real time
• Viewer doesnt have to wait for it to download
  before being able to view it
• Jump to different areas within video
• Dynamically adjusts to Internet conditions

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Videostreaming Formats

• Several options available

More PC Based
More Mac Based
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The Choice

• Im a PC Guy
• Before I came on board
• First FERNE course was videostreamed using Real
  by University of Virginia via FERNE Board Member
  Stephen Huff
• Subsequent FERNE courses videostreamed at
  University of Illinois at Chicago
• Center for the Advancement of Distance Education
  (CADE) videostreaming lab

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Real

• RealPlayer
• New version RealOne
• Available for free http//www.real.com
• Link to download from FERNE webpages

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RealSystem Software

• RealSystem Producer
• Software that allows conversion of audio/video
  into RealMedia formats for streaming
• RealSystem Server
• Software that allows media streaming media to be
  hosted on server, live or on-demand

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Target Audience

• Specify connections of anticipated target
  audience for best compression
• Create multiple files for
  up to 8 different
  connection speeds
• Encode (and link) to
  single file
• RealSystem optimizes each viewers connection

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Example 1

• Streaming of Audio and Video

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Thus Far

• Ability to record audio/video
• Edit audio/video
• Export as streaming media
• Who wants to watch a video of someone talking for
  20-30 minutes?

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Syncing Audio With Slides

• RealPresenter Plus
• Allows for narrating MS PowerPoint shows
• Add-in to MS PowerPoint
• Intended for use with microphone
• We trick it using audio input from camera
• Watch video for timing of when to change slide

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Features

• Fast-forward
• Pause
• Allows viewers to jump to
• Desired slides
• Desired time

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Example 2

• Streaming of PowerPoint Slides
• with Audio

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FERNE Links

• Web pages on a server in Jupiter, FL
• http//www.FERNE.org
• 100 Mb storage
• Links to our local server for large files
• PowerPoint shows
• PDF files
• Videostreamed content
• http//ferne.er.uic.edu8080/ramgen/

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Making Files Play Automatically

• So RealPlayer automatically opens
• Insert /ramgen/ into link

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Questions?

• aschlich_at_uic.edu or ferne_at_ferne.org