INTERNET VIDEO DISTRIBUTION

I was one of twelve people who participated in a multi-location live video web conference. What made this particularly unique was the fact that all twelve of us had constant onscreen video and audio participation.

The technology we used is found at www.covideo.com.

Developed by Purdue University in Indiana, www.covideo.com offers a service that has tremendous potential for internet video distribution and world wide communication.

Covideo technology could help lots of business travelers stay home yet still meet face-to-face with customers across the globe.

It could enable a family reunion in spite of tremendous distance between sisters and brothers.

If you read my articles, you know I am a techno-groupie who drools at the thought of a lightning-speed video transfer delivery system.

So naturally I was really impressed with covideo and can hardly wait to use it more.

The conference I was in was sponsored by www.ActingforReal.com and the acting coach who runs that site, Thom McFadden.

Thom is a lifelong Hollywood actor. You’ve seen him a million times; you just don’t know it. When I saw his You Tube demo reel, I recognized his character from lots of classic movies and shows.

Thom is putting together an acting class for would-be internet video super stars and I was lucky enough to get his attention, so I get to participate in the initial class from which he and Internet Video Production coach Dave Kaminski will development of the final course. (Dave has fantastic video training found at www.WebVideoUniversity.com

Thom, Dave, myself, and nine other class members meet for a few hours via the covideo technology to discuss how to develop a better character and personality for web videos.

During the conference, my computer monitor looked a lot like the old Hollywood Squares TV show; all twelve of us could be seen on the screen at once. Anyone could choose to speak at any time. (When you’re NOT talking, you have to keep your mic muted so you don’t get feedback and echo, but all it takes to turn your mic on is one click.)

Being awed by technology like I am (George Jetson, where are you?) I fell in love with it all. My tiny Logitech webcam, one cable, and my high speed internet connection and there I was, meeting with folks two-thousand miles away. Beats the days when I used a 50-lb Ikagami and had to actually be there.

It wasn’t perfect of course and some of the “glitches” are inherent in the technology which might disappoint some folks who are spoiled by HD home theater systems. For example, there can be a brief time delay between when someone actually speaks and when everybody hears them. The audio can lag behind the video. Now that’s enough to make some folks slap the side of their monitor and wonder what the heck is wrong. I know it’s nothing more than that pesky physics crap…you know, the speed of sound and light.

The acting class with Thom and Dave will continue for about a month so no doubt I’ll be writing more about it soon. It’s a lot of fun.

Stay tuned!

Lorraine Grula

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