Next steps for Podcasting

Where does podcasting go from here? One major effort will be to further simplify procedures for podcasting. Programmers and designers are at work on systems that will provide one click or one button systems that will record, and distribute audio or video files. In education this may often mean lectures, such as a the project underway at Duke University (North Carolina, USA). http://www.duke.edu/ipod/ Duke originally distributed iPods as a exploratory concept without any focus other than a hope that something interesting would happen. Now they are moving to iPod integration just for those who have special projects going that are curriculum and content driven. The model of one-click podcasting though has application to all types of institutions.

A second major effort will continue in making access to podcasts of all kinds of media as mobile as possible. Smartphones are going to drive this. Quicktime is scalable portable across cell phones and major phone providers are already incorporating quicktime.

There is much speculation about a smart phone and/or a Videopod device coming from Apple. Nothing firm at this time has been announced.

RSS 2.0 authoring

Thing of these as mark up languages for syndication: RSS, Atom, ICE, OML, OPML, SyncML (CDF was early form that is no longer used). RSS 2.0 has enclosure capacity.

A fun blog site is "How to do stuff" which is podcast based.

See http://davidwarlick.com/podcasts/ Connected Learning Podcasts

NCState - http://wolfcast.ncsu.edu/ have a web generated way to post and generate RSS feed.

Authoring Apps,

There are many ways to deal with creating RSS feeds. FeedForAll (both Mac and Win versions). Also see the review on FeedforAll. Software Garden (open source) is another example. There are also web site "garages" that will check any feed design that has been personally created and check it for errors.

I find it a much simpler approach for beginners is to simply use one of the free blog services by Blogger.com, MSN Spaces or Yahoo 360 which allow blog postings to become feeds or not at the blog creators choice with the click of a check box and the insertion of a feedlink.

Enhanced Podcasts-synch media

What if one wants to add other media?

Dave's scripts for iTunes.
http://www.grandfenwick.net/Dave/AppleScripts/

PDF adder and dropper

http://www.makezine.com/blog/ has some cool things.

Duke Univ is syncing audio to slides. What tools are they using? Do I have to use Powerpoint to do this? They invested in an expensive system to get typical user to get going with one button and it automatically records what they are doing, encodes audio and video. Then have register web screen, enter a couple of fields and file name and the file is in place.

Aha! After the workshop I found that Apple has 2 great website links for podcast composers. See right column for authoring links using Garage Band podcasting and to sync not only images but web pages to audiocast using command line tool that is a free download called Chapter Tool Can also do this work with Quicktime Player Pro 7 but must pay the annual quicktime upgrade tax) to get it. These appear to be great Geek tools, but not for many in the crowd of folks stampeding to blogging. Here's hoping for a Garageband elegant interface for the enhanced podcasting concepts. It would also be hot to build a cool interface into QT Pro for enhanced podcasting so Windows users can buy in.

iTunes 4.9 and Podcasting

iTunes is podcasting aware.

It can also handle video. Since version 4.8 onward, iTunes has been able to put movie into iTunes library and then it will activate the appropriate player from there. Cannot make this syndicated but can play it. It will play a thumbnail of the video in the place that album art shows and there is a full-screen pop-over button.

With iTunes 4.9 look for the Podcast button. Management provided to keep all received postings or just the most recent postings, say last 2 or 5.

By going to music store can find link to Podcasts and then subscribe.

Duke is creating podcasts behind password requiring student ID or Duke ID and streaming video available thru podcasting system.

Note that View Options let you define tags to make it easy to search items in the iTunes library whether music or podcasts. Important to know these tags if you are the creator and tag publications appropriately. Can edit this "library" info on podcast files that have been received.

Has a Chapter Tool, which is command line only, and can set up chapters on a lecture to allow jump to certain major points in content. Expect a GUI or graphic version of this at some point. Download from Apple's web site.

Y0u can generate bookmarkable files. That is, can leave a bookmark if you want to come back to same place later. But this ability to go to a bookmark is only in iTunes, not other mp3 players.

Podcasting

Adam Curry created iPodder script, an enclosure that was extended by Dave Winder to handle other media. Many podcast files are in mp3 but does not have to be so. Francis downloads hours of podcasts and listens as he is driving.

Need computer, internet connection, software to play mp3, podcasting software like iPodder, an audio card, speaker, headphones or a portable mp3 player like an iPod. You choose how much will be downloaded and move to iPod to listen or listen at your computer workstation.

Podcast making requires computer, microphone, audio editing software and then place to upload for others to listen. Can upload to Apple's index of podcasts; can use a web site.

See Shepherd's Art&CreativeNews blog. http://www.carolinafcpug.org/forum/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=10&

Netnewswire is a fine blog posting reader for the Mac, e.g., news aggregator. Can drag and drop a blog's feed icon or type in URL of blog with this reader. iTunes can handle this too.

I prefer Apple's new version of Safari, which enables me to run only one application when web browsing to find standard web pages and grab any blog postings that I have syndicated.

Vogging

Vlogs/vogs, syndicating video feeds, which will work well with iChat on Mac platform. The Sony game machine might become a cross-over product.

Use Ant as video-reader. Look for a tag and drag and drop tag into aggregator or blog reader.
Screencasting, as in screen movie is great to cast.

I have one problem with iSight. You can't podcast with it. The iSight hardware is great for creating video, but what a mistake it is to not make the microphone capacity of iSight to be useable for podcasting work. Currently the mike function only works for videoconferencing. I wonder how that came about.

Citizen Journalist

Blogging and wiki design is erasing long standing boundaries in our thinking between creator and audience. The concept of citizen journalist means that everyone is a witness and journalist with the right technology, with immediate capacity to share.

I am also seeing this talked of differently in education. The citizen journalist is in parallel to the education concept of the read/write web.

Podcasting and iPod

So, what tools do you need to make a podcast?

Podcasting Input thoughts:

The hardware

Griffin has a $15 lapel mike that makes sound quality much better but works with iTalk device for $35 that plugs into an iPod.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/italk/index.php

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/lapelmic/index.php


Starting to see Flash chip recorders (no moving parts) instead of in audio space with great quality; they are expensive but expect prices to fall. This includes two devices: the Marantz PMD 660 or 670 (see review and pictures ; see Froogle search for costs); the Edirol R-1 (about $425) or see Froogle search for costs. You can carry several Flash chips to increase your storage capacity. A 1 GB chip (currently around $100) has a capacity of 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Battery life can also be an issue with recording. A wireless microphone is a good investment, but there is a potential for interference from other kinds of wireless signals putting snap, crackle and pop into recordings.

Podcasting is syndicated media delivery:
audiocasting, narrowcasting equals podcasting, but don't need iPod to play the game.

Becoming Buzzword compliant

blogging (wiki, blogs, audioblogs, photoblogs, and moblogs)
Podcasting - "TIVO like" radio, time shifted narrowcasting.
Video blogging or vlogging or vogging - syndicatecd video feeds.
Screencasting - screenmovies using QT or Flash files.
RSS - Real Simple Syndication (XML), the engine for "casting", pull not push technology. The great thing is that it is relatively easy and with some programming skills can take it much further.
moblog - mobile blogging with whatever media capacity the phone can handle, video, text, audio, photos.

Wiki example on this topic- http://en.wikiipedia.org/wiki/Blogging
Go explore the wiki. Some wiki pages can be syndicated also.

Shake 4-3D compositing

http://www.apple.com/shake/

Shake is major award winner used widely by the professionals. Can move camera around a 2d object. It has Final Cut Pro integration, just drop them in. Can build render farms. Has smoothcam feature; optical flow retiming.

Unifed 2d/3d compositing, advanced image processing, industry open standards so can reach across platforms; editing and effects integration, customizable architecture. Can mix frame sizes and bit depths; set 8, 16 and 32 bit float processing per node; infinite workspace with no clipping; in-context editing allows viewing final results at all times.

32-bit keylight and primatte keyers

3d multiplane compositing: composite unlimtied layers in 3d space; add and animate multiple cameras; import maya compatible camera data; openGL use. Shake requires a 2 or 3 button mouse. A node is a layer, not a point.

Production toolset: variable soft-edge rotoshapes; corrective paint brushes including clone and reveal; rotopoints an paint strokes can be tracked.

Smoothcam, automatic image stabilization, lock down wobbly shots; smooth bumpy pans or dolly moves; full-frame image analysis for accuragte results; revive unusable handheld shots.

Warping and morphing toools, create fantastic shape-shifting
Auto-align, combine images into seamless panorama

Can open from Final Cut timeline; can run shake image processing distributed as a client on every computer in the lab.

Scripting, Macros, and Developer Kit, customize to your needs; script every operation from Mac terminal; free network rendering acrossa rack of Xserve or Power Mac G5 systems; create and manage clusters; schedule use of computers during off-hours; manage both Shake and Maya rendering from one render queue.

System,10.3.9 or later 1 gig single or dual Power PC G4 or faster, $3000 (upgrade, $999). Check with Apple rep on education costs. Annual Maintenace cost. Complete series of books and can be certified pro at different levels in all of these applications. Can take a course and get the book or work it out from the book itself. Can find books in many places including Peachpit Press for volume discounts and get one to professors as evaluation copy. "Books are awesome"

JMU in Harrisburg VI, certified training and testing center, using these books in their coursework. NC School of the Arts and Elon University looking at becoming certification centers in NC.

Shake is deep unix, runs "scripts" instead of projects; just terminology or something deeper behind this language?

Uses a node tree to manage/control elements of video scene.
Saw segment from Lord of the Rings. Gave one example of some 2 dozen composites or layers using Shake; higher learning curve.

Blender is free 3d tool; love that open source.
http://www.upperfold.com/blender.shtml
http://www.blender3d.com/cms/Home.2.0.html
http://blenderblog.com/

Soundtrack Pro

http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/soundtrackpro/
Sound design audio sweeping program; but not a Music Studio.

For film projects. Precision audio control; powerful sound desig; coprehesnive toolset; integrated workflow. Can deal with hmm from air conditioner, or squeal from lights.

Can go to bottom level of sample rate and tweak it. Can compound effects on top of each other.
Action based editing. Non-destructive editing, never overriding original file. Will automatically generate cross-fade if overlap audio clips.

Intelligent find and fix. Hear clicks and pops and cut them out or many kinds of environmental sounds.

Time Stretch audio, without effecting the pitch.
Over 50 pro plugins, high-quality effects, 5,000 loops and sound effects done at Lucas Studio.

Royalty free soundtracks, don't have to buy huge libraries to get past copyright. Can add your own effects. Wrok simultaneously with video projects.


Played movie of creating sound effects, starring Walter Murch? sp. Can we get copies of this video clip? Where is it located if so?

To encode need G5 level machine though can play back on G4.

Motion

Motion - animation eye-candy
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/motion/

30 day trial view for version 1.0 and 2.0 trial version is coming, check web site. It has advanced animation, instant gratification, and especially cool for performance artists with MIDI interface. The new 2.0 version supports 32 bit support float, and can handle high-def.

Replicator, animation module, take 1 graphic element and have it multiply. Has amazing math expressions.

MIDI behavior support - demo.
Filter and effects, enhanced keyframing
FxPlug architecture - developers can write their own, such as Boris effects, did podcast of interviews to Apple of all vendors supporting Apple, including Boris himself.

real time design engine, advanced animation, breakthrough effects, pushing the OS
powerful intuitive user interface that integrates commands with FCP; seamless workflow.

realtime design engine
designing while animation is in motion, filim qality 16-32 bit,

can do natural motion without having to do keyframe for everything, natural physics simulation, can add attractor filter for pulling towards something. Through effects in real time on top of existing action, which will generate key frames on the fly.

Text Behaviors. Over 150 text behavior presets, adding effects to animate type.

Enhanced keyframes - using mouse to drag across screen and it figures out keyframes and curves. Nice particle effects, can take a single graphic have it repeat in patterns across the screen.
130 filters and effects, inclding basic 3D (but Motion is not true 3D - other tools for that)
All kinds of 3rd party plug-ins.

Project from scratch. Behaviors become objects that can be transferred to other animation graphic objects.

Word of warning - technical requirements, really taxes your CPU. CPU performance is on steady incremental increase; big jumps in GPU (graphics performance) and have huge impact in motion. Get fastest videocard you can. CPU will have with multilayers; work is hardware rendered. Real time stuff is being done at hardware level, RAM, hardware and CPU intensive. The stock card that comes with the system

He considers 2 gig as basic point; finds 4 gig of RAM eliminates any delays.

Final Cut -multilayer & animation

Quick overview

Nice alpha channel, multi-layer image, all standard things that can be done in multilayer Photoshop image editing can be done here. Drop shadow, etc. can be key framed. Hundreds of filters to apply to anything.

What is the significance of key framing an effect? It is to set animation points, and then the software will handle the tweening. Saw demonstration of simple animation.

But cannot think yet of replacing Flash, even though can handle animation.

I should look around for others who have pushed animation capacity of FCP to see how far they can go in introductory animation issues. Any thoughts?

Final Cut 5

http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro/

Apple bought Final Cut, DVD Pro, Spruce Tech, Shake, SoundTrack from eMagic and so on to support great work flow. In the pro space everything is about workflow and not being held up.

Motion and After Effects work well together.

Could have 20 or 30 projects open at any one time. Tools also work with 2 button mouse. Have 5 or 6 different ways to do everything.

Can customize keyboard layout to a file and then place on USB drive to make fast move to a new computer system.

Is a book, Final Cut for Avid editors.

Cool feature - button list. If want to do color correction, can drag different window views to timeline window so can jump to different views.

So, highly flexible setup.

Can have 99 layers of video and 99 layers of audio. Is a 2d compositer, bring in multilayer photoshop file and Final cut can see all layers in that file and edit within them as well. All photoshop effects work in FCP.

No render bars; playing in real time.

Easy to work with and powerful, open, extensible. Hmm, those are too often in conflict. Test before committing.

Native Editing. DV, HDV, DVCPro HD native), capture, export natively without any transcoding. If add effects in creates those effects as new frames; does not transcode.

Panasonic p2 cards, 8 gb gets you 32 min of DVC pro, 16 min of DVCpro 50
8 min of DVCpro hd. As of July 2005, about $1000 a card.

Uncompressed HD is 4:4:4 space. Color space is depth of color universe with an image and is highest quality, film resolution. HDV is lower quality, good, but will fall apart on higher end compositing.

Goal is film look with video. New starwars movie shot with uncompressed HD, all digital, as footage is all going to get enhanced with special effects.

Cinema Tools 3 (film Cold Mt. all done in final cut), handles transition between 24 fps film for final cut editing.

FCP is rendering in RT (real time) for editing but will still be render at the end for final version. This is about fast work flow.

Once a multicam view is set up; can play all at once, and click between video streams and have it automatically make cuts to timeline.

New With Pro-Apps

The highlights

Final Cut Studio (shepherd@apple.com)
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/

real-time editing, stuning graphics, new audio tools,
Fianl cut pro
DVD studio pro 4, etc.

Final Cut Pro 5
native IMX format (Sony XDcam, coming out HD cam)
mpeg format for high-def space now native with final cut.
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro/

Native HDV, seeing cameras with Flash support with no tape in camera, will hit market by Christmas, $6,000 price, can get camera flash tech. Cameras are also backward compatible to older DVD footage, but shoot in new format. Supports of to two 8 gig card. Card just shows up as hard drive, no need to capture to your hard drive from camera.

P2 support.

Multichannel Audio, 24 channels of audio, channels can be manipulated inside of Final Cut

Multicam editing within Final Cut, have 128 sources of video.

Dynamic RT Extreme

Enhanced Xsan Support, storage area allows group to work on same files in the same space (collaboration enhanced) and new editing tools.

iChat & HDV

Doug Steinhoff, Richmond, Virginia. NAB demo had editors in LA and NY and brought in 3 more, sent feed to another iChat. Then did editing session online on big conference screen; worked well.

I wonder does this imply remote desktop interaction is coming so the Help desk can see my screen and show me something?

iChat uses jabber protocol which is cross-platform.

Will it work with Tandberg or Polycom right now since they use H.264 protocol too?

Is open source for Tiger.

H323 systems, there are bridges that are coming or available. Some folks are Fedexing iChat to people for videoconference interviews.

Apple announced support for native HDV editing inside of iMovie, Final Cut Express HD. $4,000 range for HD camera (not lens changeouts) but high quality, that price used to be pro-sumer equipment. Film festivals already seeing new cameras being used for footage.

Wrote the DV FAQ - http://adamwilt.com/

TV market is morphing rapidly.

Quicktime Pro

Quicktime Pro 7 is here. Can do movie recorder directly inside of the player. Auto detects any firewire camera, simple quick capture. Can it grab stills too? Recognizes any device?

h.264 is a new codec in QT and AC3 audio.

DVD standards still emerging, Blue-ray, HDTV conflict, but Apple supporting both and on both committees.

Showed an example in QT gallery (wildlife gallery) at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/hdgallery/

By Christmas this year will see HDTV DVD players, big move to get everyone to it on set top box. Past standard problem meant losing what you already own before going to new, so we now have backward compatibility in the new HDTV standard.

On the computer means 5 gig on DVD that can burn now, but now will have 15-20 and talk of 100 GB file sizes.

Intro to Tiger - HDTV tools are here

Francis Shephard, Media Engineer, from Cary, NC will lead the presentation.
Apple reps Ross and Fred present as well.

Tiger leverages access to core routines, making it easier to do high level work. Quicktime builds on this, adding H.264 video compression codec; better image in less file space.

There is a demo reel that takes cuts from the many examples on Apple's demo site. Apple's CEO Steve Jobs says this is the year for HB, in part because of FCC timeline requirements for high-def TV rollout. Content is going to arrive before delivery mechanism. Content tools are here now. Must see demos on Apple's site and scale them to see how smooth the changes are, looking great in all sizes. Amazing.

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/hdgallery/