September 2009 Archives

Submitted:  Hey all. I have a question that occurred to me recently. We have the ability to connect with Skype users both into our building and potentially anywhere else. We would use this capability to show "live reports" of things that are happening elsewhere.
Anyway, can anyone think of an easy way to bring a Skype feed into VC? Perhaps putting it into a virtual window (PIP) and then having it "grow" to full screen?

I'd think that VC would need to see this Skype feed as another camera source, and since you can have up to 3 cams, why not make the skype feed camera 2 or 3? 

To accomplish this though, you'd need to have a separate PC running skype, and that PC would need to have a TV-video out capability on its video card.  Let's call this computer b.  Then feed computer b into a Canopus firewire converter box.  Now connect the canopus box as a firewire device onto your computer running Visual Communicator.  VC will think this is a live cam, when it's really the skype video feed from another computer...

Make sense?  I love these Canopus firewire converters as now you can make ANY video device a camera feed in Visual Communicator!  New or old cams work, no need to find just the right firewire camera anymore...

Take a look at a very successful user of Adobe Visual Communicator in the business world.  He does a great job using the simple templates and ease of creating videos that look quite professional:

http://www.marketingbestpractices.com/

You can subscribe to receive his newsletters too.

This year we wanted to do something a bit different for our 10 minute "speech" to the parents attending the annual Open House Night at our school.  So using Adobe Visual Communicator, we decided to create a "video tour" of the units we teach in Technology Education at Amherst Middle School.

Sure we could have pre-recorded these segments, and had the benefit of starting over if we flubbed our lines, but hey what fun would that be?  We decided to perform LIVE so parents could see Visual Communicator in all it's simplicity.

Below is the 5th and final performance we recorded, and our performances became better each time we did them.  Suffice to say, this will now be an annual event for us as it went over extrememly well and was highly effective showing what we teach in our classrooms.

Production Note-- nearly all of what you see was created exclusively with Visual Communicator, except for the classroom footage which we used our handy Flip Video cameras for, worked great!

Submitted Question:

Hi I teach Spanish with web cam. I live in Germany and my students live in Eagan Minnesota, I teach all the classes with a live camera, I want to know if I can use The School TV Made Easy equipment in my class?

I'd say yes, as long as you are doing a "one-way" live broadcast.  You could use Visual Communicator's live stream capabilities, or even the SchoolTube streaming capability.  We will be doing this soon with our "Live @ 9:05" Newscasts from our school, so I will feature more blog articles when we have the knowledge of how to best accomplish this.

In any case, the Getting Started Package will allow you to use any classroom or office as a greenscreen TV studio, for both live or prerecorded projects like we do at my school.

Hope that helps, leave questions or comments below.

Just received word on this...worth looking into as we had been awarded $2,500 in both 2004 and 2006 to buy gear for Adobe Visual Communicator uses:

TO: Past Teach Award applicants and winners

SUBJECT: Best Buy Announces New Teach @15 Grants for Schools

Best Buy Teach Awards change to Teach@15 Awards - $1500 Awarded Every 15 Days

Best Buy is proud to announce the Teach@15 Award program - a new program to help schools serving students in grades 7-12 meet their technology needs. As past participants in the Best Buy Teach Award program we wanted you to be the first to hear about this exciting new funding opportunity.

Teach@15 is a feature of Best Buy's philanthropic focus on teens called @15 - our commitment to fuel teens' power to create positive change in their communities. That's why teens are the ones with the power to nominate and vote for the Teach@15 schools. The whole process is in the hands of teens, which means less work for teachers and school administrators, because there are no grant applications for you to complete. All you need to do is encourage your teen students (ages 13-18) to register online today at at15.com and nominate your school.

Teens (age 13-18) who are registered members ("Members") can nominate their schools (depending on eligibility) to win a Teach@15 Award. Teen members can vote once a day for 15 days for one nomination. Every 15 days, Best Buy will award 3 schools with Best Buy Gift Cards based on member votes. The school with the most votes will win $1,500, second most votes wins $1,000 and third most votes wins $500.

To learn more about Teach@15 visit at15.com/teach.

Submitted Question:

I would like to do a live newscast and broadcast to each classroom using Visual Communicator. I am connecting my desktop computer to a video converter which then outputs video and sound to all TV's in my school via the media delivery system. However, I do not have enough inputs to use my camera for the live broadcast. What additional equipment will I need to be able to do this?

Sounds like you already have a media delivery system that has jacks for video and audio...this is good!  You will use your computer as the "creator and deliverer" of the entire show, and out of the computer comes the video and audio for your show...

Think of it this way--camera feeds into computer (input), and processed signal comes out of computer (ouput).  This is a new workflow for most folks that are not used to a software-based solution, in other words the computer is in control of ALL, not a person on a switcher with hardware-based setups.  This is still a relatively new concept in TV production, even though VC has been around since 2001.

I developed my training DVD volume 1 to cover the essentials of setting up a studio, and review all the options you may have (cheap webcam verses decent firewire camera for example).  Start there if you are unsure what to buy.

Also look at the basics included in the Getting Started Package I recommend via JourneyEd.  Just add your own camera and computer and the rest is covered in the package.

Regarding inputs for camera(s) keep in mind that VC can handle up to 3 cameras, but each camera needs it's own firewire card installed in the PC.  You CANNOT get away with one firewire card that has multiple ports on it.  More is explained in training DVD vol. 1.

Hope that helps get you started on your way, post additional questions or comments below.

Submitted Question:

Rob, We left the system this summer and everything worked fine. Construction has permitted us from getting set up. We got it hooked up today and we can not get an output screen to work in the top left of the program. 3 of us have tried and failed. Can you please help?

Sounds like you might have the fullscreen out enabled?  Look under the setup tab--Video.  At the bottom is a checkbox that says enable fullscreen output.  If that is checked, you only see a black box on the main interface, as no video will appear there anymore.

Also, in the Settings--Application Settings area, there is a checkbox to "hide output window" which might be checked?

If all else fails, you can reset VC to all defaults again by deleting the appsettings3.xml file, see this article on how to do that:

Submitted Questions:

If I want to output live via channel one but still record the broadcast, do I
just hit record to begin the show and it will save a copy? 

Yes, that's exactly how we do it for our shows.  Visual Communicator will be recording the show while simultaneously outputting the live feed. Our school is viewing the live analog feed via closed circuit TVs, and afterwards I will publish the show to WMV format so I can upload it to our free SchoolTube channel for all to view.

Will recording affect my output?  I noticed when I clicked 'rehearse' using "live output to TV", the graphics and transitions seemed seemless, but it was a bit choppy when I hit to 'record' today with live output.

This could be an issue, especially if your PC isn't that fast, or you are storing content on places other than the local hard drive (like flash drives, ext hard drives, network folders, etc).  Things to check--make sure you've updated both the video card and audio card drivers from the manufacturers websites.  Also be sure you have enough RAM, I suggest no less than 2 gig, and ensure your video card is not too old, sometimes a $50 upgraded card will make a world of difference.  VC relies pretty heavily on the horsepower behind your video card (not just the CPU processor) to run smoothly.  Also if you are running 2 or 3 cameras, that can cause slowdowns too on older computers.  Also take note of the presets you can change.  Under the "performance settings" dialog box, you can choose what presets best describe your PC.

I purchased an audio mixer and LED meter (the one listed on your site), but
we noticed today considerable lag between the video and audio (the speaker's
lips moved then audio was delayed).  I have wireless lav mics fed into the
mixer, then into the LED meter before returning back to the camera.  When I
directly connected the mics to the camera, I didn't have as much of a problem. 
How did you manage to connect the mixer and LED meter?

Ahh yes, this can be tricky.  Understand that it is intentional for the delay you are experiencing, as the PC needs 1-2 seconds to process the audio and video coming in.  That's why it appears to be a lag.  So you are correct by connecting the wireless lavs to a mixer, and then feeding the mixer to the cameras mic input jack.  Tell VC to use the camera for all mic audio (Setup Tab--Audio).

Regarding the LED audio meter, you actually want to monitor the OUTPUT from the PC, as opposed to the INPUT side coming into the PC (which sounds like you did that).  This means that the LED meter should be connected in the pathway coming out of your soundcard.  You might consider this technique-- soundcard out to meter, then meter to speakers.  Or buy a Y adaptor so now you can connect the meter and your speakers to the soundcards out jack.  Make ssense?  A bonus here is that you will be monitoring ALL audio coming out (not just mic audio, but music too).

 
Finally, if we opt to record a show then show it over channel one, what's our
best bet?  Is it possible to play back using windows media player out the
S-Video connection or do I need to burn the avi file created to dvd for
playback?  I'm guessing I could just insert the recorded file in the VC3 tray
and play that way as well, but I never tried it.

The last one is the easiest.  You can use VC to "play" the recorded clip.  Either double click it in the bins below and it will play, or you can insert it into a try and let the timeline run as it plays.  My preference is to open a blank show, and make the only tray be the video you wish to playback.  That way, you can always scroll down the timeline and resume playback, or pause it if needed.  Otherwise the other methods you described would work too.  When your goal is to burn to DVD, publish your VC show as an AVI file so your DVD burning software can choose how best to encode it for DVD playback. 

Submitted Question:

Thanks again for the excellent workshop opportunity this summer.  I wanted to ask you a
couple of questions regarding the workshop.  I know we discussed this, but I
can't find it anywhere in my notes.  We talked about if the program isn't acting
correctly and we wanted to correct it we could do something besides unistall and
reinstalling the program. 

This is a bit of a "hack" so be aware...

You can delete the appsettings3.xml file to essentially reset Visual Communicator back to it's original defaults.  First locate this file using the Start--Find Files method in Windows.  Be aware that this is a hidden file, so you may need to use the advanced search options and be sure your PC is set to reveal hidden files/folders.  By deleting this file, it will get re-created next time you launch VC successfully.  It gets updated each time you exit out of VC too.

On a related note, if ever having troubles publishing shows, there is a pubsettings3.xml file you can delete too using same method as above.

A bit of a hack, but it works and saves you time so no need to uninstall/reinstall.  I even think that uninstalling does NOT delete the xml files anyways...

Also, if ? marks show up, you mentioned saving it to
a common location.  That didn't work for me, could I be doing something wrong?

Not to sure why you get the ? marks, unless you are attempting to save onto removeable media like flash drives or network drives.  Sometimes I find that if I replace the effect (left side of tray) all gets better--try that maybe?

Let us know your results by posting comments or questions below...

Submitted Question:

Out of interest, I noticed on a couple of your videos that you use Ultra 2
virtual sets. I also have Ultra 2.
To use Ultra 2 virtual sets in VC3 do you simply use the Browse tab in VC3
to locate and insert the virtual sets?

You are correct, I use photos and tracking shot videos I "borrowed" from my Ultra CS3 software.  We should point out that at the moment, Ultra hasn't been available since Adobe released CS3 suites, and they are working on this technology to reappear in other Adobe products...not sure that status of this but we REALLY need to see it come back!  So many are disappointed that Ultra had disappeared, but according to Karl Soule's Blog at Adobe, it should resurface (hopefully!).

Now for my workflow:

1.  Open Ultra

2.  Load a virtual set (trak shot or photo).

3.  Load an input clip that has an empty greenscreen shot.

4.  Trim the input clip down to only 1 frame of video, and set key.  It disappears completely which we want.

5.  Now under the output tab, you can choose AVI for video, or Jpeg for photos.  This will output a file that can be used in Visual Communicator (or any video editing software).

Hope that helps! 

Submitted Question:

Your video talks about S video hook up, however our computers here at the school
do not have S video output. But we are using a TV gold adaptor system which has
a S video hook up....is there a way to hook up the computer to broadcast through
this system?  We are still not able to broadcast the live feed through our closed
circuit system.  What we see on the TV, is Visual Communicator screen with all the teleprompt and effects, etc... We feel like there is just one step we're missing, to make the whole thing work together, but we don't know what it is! Is it the S video thing? 

It sounds like your computer does not have an appropriate video card.  You need a "dual head" video card that has a TV-out jack, see my recommendations HERE for a card that will work.  You likely can buy one for under $100, and if you need composite (also known as RCA or the yellow jack) you can buy an adaptor that will convert the s-video output to composite output, adaptor is less than $10 at Radio Shack (we use one!).

Hope that helps, let us all know below by leaving comments or additional questions.

Submitted Question:

I've finally convinced our school to move from an Mac based tv show to using Visual Communicator. Now all eyes are on me to make it work!!  We want to continue to use 2 cameras and output via the school's closed circuit (analog output). So far, I've not worked out if this is possible?

Yes it's possible, VC is made to do either live TV (analog) output OR live web streaming (digital).  It's perfect since you can choose whatever output you need in your situation.  Right now, we are doing the live analog output method at my school.  To accomplish this, I had installed a dual head video card that has a TV-out jack (s-video in my case).  You just need to tell Windows to run in "extended desktop mode" and VC will know to use the 2nd output (TV) for your fullscreen live analog output.  I cover this in "Presenting Live Shows" chapter 8 of my training DVD volume 1.

Also, while our new laptop has a firewire socket and Nvidia Geforce 9600 video card, I'm really confused about how to input 2 cameras into the laptop and how to get the output out! Will I need some external dual head gadget or am I just losing the plot?!! I really hope this makes sense and you can help!

In your case, sounds like your laptop has a built in firewire port for camera 1.  Now if you want to add a second camera, you need to buy a firewire laptop card.  Keep in mind that laptops are usually good for 1-2 camera setups, but I prefer a desktop PC for using up to 3 cameras.  Each camera needs it's own firewire card though, so don't be confused when you see multiple ports on a firewire card--only use ONE at a time to avoid bandwidth issues (stuttering video).  Make sense?

Good luck and let us all know here how things go by leaving comments or questions below.

Submitted Question:

I just got started with Visual Communicator and I understand everything but I can't seem to get my lower thirds titles to work the way I want. Is there anyway that I can get the lower thirds title to stay there and not disappear after like 5 seconds?

Absolutely!  Looking at any "tray" you will notice it has a left image (transition) and right image (lower third or whatever content). 

Now that we understand those parts, we can proceed.  Left click on the transition, and notice that the bottom left of the screen now gives you options under the Action tab?  You need to set the pause time to be what you'd like (default is 2 seconds).  The pause time is how long the content "hangs out" on the screen, whereas the duration is how long it takes to come in and reverse out.

I cover this in great detail on training DVD volume 2, as well as ways to use PowerPoint slides, popups, bullet lists and more as graphics in your VC shows.

Hope that helps!  Let us know below where you can leave comments.

Submitted Question:

I have a budget of $3,000. I looked at your equipment recomendations. What would you say would be the most important for 3,000?  I already have the green screen and software.

That's quite a nice budget to have I must say!  You can do a lot with those funds, especially if you already have the greenscreen and software (and computer too I assume?)

1.  First take a look at the basic Getting Started Package I recommend via Journey Education.  It does have the software, but might be good for you anyways since you might end up needing more than just one license.  This package has the basics for a 1 person studio setup, and if need be you can buy items individually (like an extra mic for 2nd newscaster).  I designed this package as a starting point, but use as a shopping list if you have items already.

2.  Look at a Mic Mixer, since you may be using more than 1 microphone.  I like an external mic mixer because then I have manual control over adjusting each person's audio levels.  See what I mean in episode 4 of Ask Mr Z shows.

3.  Look into wireless lavalier microphones, consider one per newscaster.  We have 3 lavalier sets in our studio, and one wireless handheld mic for other uses too.

4.  You likely will want better lighting, and possibly a larger pro greenscreen, details on both found HERE.

Take a look at those links and let us know your thoughts...pricing changes so use the links as I cannot quote them here (this article stays archived for years!).  You can leave comments below to continue this conversation.  Good luck!