February 5, 2010

video for mobile devices

A report from Pyramid Research predicts video on mobile devices will grow 28% a year, reaching 500 million users worldwide by 2014, making it the 4th most watched medium for video behind television, movie and computer screens.
Currently, the four most common formats video formats for mobile are: 3GPP, FLV in Flash Lite, MPEG-4 and RTSP w/ RTP (source).

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January 30, 2010

photography and online photo essays

A man rents mobile phone chargers by the hour in downtown Port-au-Prince.
photo: Eduardo Munoz, Reuters

Time. "Haiti's Lines of Communications

Ciné Institute. blog.

Benjamin Lowy in Moving Walls 16, Open Society Institute.

Media Storm. "The Sandwich Generation."
Writer & Director: Julie Winokur; Photography: Ed Kashi; Producer: Brian Storm; Additional Camerawork: Isabel Kashi, Kristin Reimer, Debbie Robertson & Lauren Rosenfeld; Originally commissioned by MSNBC for Take3

The New York Times. "Laying Off at the Family Business," May 7, 2009.
Audio by Michael Luo, Photographs by Nicole Bengiveno, Produced by Catrin Einhorn.

Associated Press. "Pioneering activist, Frank Kameny, talks gays and government."

Hiroshi Sugimoto, "Theaters."

Taryn Simon, "Taryn Simon photographs secret places," TED Talks, July 2009.

Magnum Photos. "Georgian Spring." 2009.
Photographs: Mark Power; Project Coordinators: Nestan Nizharadze and Kakha Tolordava; Georgian Advisor: Natalia Kancheli; Field Producer: Dima Bit-Suleiman; Creative Director: Elizabeth Kilroy; Executive Producer: Shoka Javadiangilani; Multimedia Producer: Joe Zorrilla; Sound Recordings: Murray Ballard; Music: "LIve Paris 2002," Dato Evgenidze; Sound improved by Gramercy Park, New York.

Natural Resources Defense Council, reposted at Huffington Post. "A View to a Spill."
Photos courtesy of United Mountain Defense. Narration by Jaime Bedrin. Produced by NRDC.

National Geographic, "Enduring Voices."
Photographs and commentary by K. David Harrison and Chris Rainier. Maps by Google Earth and National Geographic.

Magnum Photos. "The Shipping Forecast." 2010.
Photos by Mark Power; Multimedia Producer: Tanya Workman, Magnum in Motion; Additional Editing and Post Production: Marco Gualtieri, Marie Schuller and Afrian Kelterborn, Magnum in Motion; Original Sound Design by Mr. Miller and Mr. Porter; voices: Brian Perkins and Charlotte Green.

A crowdsourced photo essay unfolded on the French daily newspaper Libération's reader-submitted photo blog, during March, April and May 2006.

see:
www.interactivenarratives.org
New York Times: Lens
Magnum in Motion
Libération: vos photos
MediaStorm
Nina Berman
www.nocaptionneeded.com
Open Society Institute. "Moving Walls 16.
"Time magazine photo essays

Posted by pdb at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 29, 2009

testing google voice

This is a Google voice widget. When you click on it, you will be prompted to enter your phone number. Google will call you at your number and connect you to my phone. If I pick up the call and press 4, Google records the call; otherwise a voice message can be left. Either way, the telephone audio will be e-mailed to me as a sound file. In addition, for voice messages only, the audio will be transcribed, full text transcript will be e-mailed to me, and I will receive a text message containing the first part of that transcript.

-pdb

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October 20, 2009

audacity

Audacity is audio editing software available free of charge at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download.

Tutorials for setting up Audacity and editing with it are available at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorials.html

You can use Audacity to export your edited program as an .MP3 file if you install the LAME encoder, available at http://lame.buanzo.com.ar
.

Without this encoder, you can still export edited program as a .WAV file, which you can then import into the free iTunes software player (available at www.apple.com/itunes/download) and then export as an .MP3.

Posted by pdb at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 2, 2009

Lead poisoning PSA contest: deadline Oct 1

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are sponsoring a YouTube Video Contest. The contest seeks 30-60 second educational or instructional video on preventing lead poisoning in your home or school. All submissions are due October 1.

Cash prizes of $2500, $1500 and $1000 will be awarded to the top three videos. Winners will receive an all expense paid trip to Atlanta, Georgia to receive their prize and be recognized during CDC's National Environmental Public Health Conference (http://www.team-psa.com/2009nephc/main.asp).

The complete contest rules, entry form, and promotional flyer are available at http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/videocontest.html. Employees and family members of CDC/EPA/HUD employees are not eligible to win, but can still submit and spread the word...

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August 20, 2009

Workshop: Media Production for Public Health

School of Public Health Media Producer Paul Bernhardt will lead a series of discussions designed for SPH students on using basic media production tools to craft and communicate effective public health messages and conduct cutting-edge research. Faculty and staff are welcome.

R.s.v.p. at www.sph.umn.edu/RSVP if you plan to attend or e-mail media@umn.edu with questions.

Wednesdays 10 to 11:30 a.m.:
January 20, February 17, March 17 and April 21: 2-110 Weaver-Densford Hall

links

interviews from first session of class (8:07 TT)

Our colleague Julie Wilbert produced this podcast episode about light pollution (6:28 TT).

University of Minnesota SMART Learning Commons, Walter Library.

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March 26, 2009

Blackboard and the iPhone

So, on THE Journal this morning, they wrote that Blackboard developed an iPhone application. It's a very quick article, but I'd be interested in hearing more about how it will actually be used. The commercial LMSes I find clunky and unreasonable to navigate, so I wonder if some of the old design decisions will transfer to the iPhone design.

Posted by Sara Hurley at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 10, 2009

What kind of files does Production Transcripts want for upload?

Finished Video (from Final Cut Pro):
Export --> Format: MPEG-4
Options --> Video tab
File Format: MP4
Video Format: H.264
Data Rate: 256 kbps
Image Size: 320x240 QVGA
Frame Rate: 15 fps
Keyframes: automatic
Video Options: Restrict profile to Main; faster encoding
Options --> Audio tab
File Format: MP4
Audio format: AAC-LC
Data Rate: 40 kbps
Channels: mono
Sample Rate: 44.1 KHz
Encoding Quality: better

The resulting file should be an .MP4.

http://www.productiontranscripts.com/transcripts/tutorials/h.264-from-final-cut-pro/

Posted by pdb at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 4, 2009

using free iTunes software to convert WAVs to MP3s

The instructions differ a little by version of iTunes software so I'll try to offer a generic template for doing this:

1. check import settings
launch a copy of free iTunes software and check the preferences:
iTunes menu --> Preferences --> Import Settings --> Import Using: MP3 Encoder, Settting: Good Quality (128 kbps)

2. import the .WAV file
iTunes --> File menu --> Add to Library and browse to your WAV file(s)

3. select the file in iTunes
iTunes Library (column on the left side of the window) --> Music
(Hint: if you sort your music library by Date Added, then what you just imported will be at the top of the list. If Date Added isn't a column along the top of your music library, go to the View menu --> View Options and check the Date Added box.)

4. Go to File --> Get Info --> Info button
It's important to index your work so use this to enter as much information as you can about the track. Name is the name of the song or recording; Artist is you and/or your interviewee (this will be important in step five below); Album can be used for the name of the project you're working on; the Comments field is a great place to write the date, time and location you made the recording.

5. convert to MP3
Advanced menu --> Create MP3 Version
When iTunes is finished processing the file, the .MP3 will show up in your library.

6. find the .MP3 file
You can use
iTunes menu --> Preferences --> Advanced
to see where your iTunes Music folder is. For instance, on my machine, iTunes stores music files in the default location
Macintosh HD/Users/bernh003/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music

(The Advanced tab in the Preferences window used to let me choose what data rate to apply to .MP3s and a few other options. Now, in iTunes 8, I no longer see those options, but when I check, iTunes is making smart decisions about how it converts, so I don't mind. For instance, it knows the difference between stereo and mono files.)

Inside the iTunes Music folder on your computer, iTunes has automatically made folders for each unique Artist in the music library. Look for the folder with the name you entered in the Artist field in step three.

Now you know where your new MP3 is, you can browse to it from a e-mail attachment or Web upload dialog box.

Here's a table of file size by data rate and recording time to give you a sense of size and let you double-check whether you're sending the MP3:

file format: WAV

type: mono
data rate: 705 kbps (5.2 MB/min)
60 minutes = 310 MB

type: stereo
data rate: 1411 kbps (10.3 MB/min)
60 mins = 620 MB

file format: MP3

type: mono
data rate: 64 kbps (480 KB/min)
60 mins = 28 MB

type: stereo
data rate: 128 kbps (960 KB/min)
60 mins = 56 MB

Notice that the data rate for stereo is exactly twice that of mono. Also note that an MP3 at this data rate, which produces good results with a well-recorded spoken word audio file, is about eleven times smaller than the WAV it was encoded from.

Posted by pdb at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Preparing audio + slides for the Web

Tools:
1. audio recording of lecture with slides
2. Final Cut Pro (Audacity can also be used -- free; Mac or Windows)
3. Lecturer's PowerPoint presentation file
4. PowerPoint software
5. iTunes software (free; Mac or Windows)
6. Web browser
7. JWPlayer-template [folder]
This folder has the following in it:
FLVs [folder]
index.html
JPGs [folder]
JWplayer [folder]
MP3s [folder]
player.swf
playlist.xml
swfobject.js

Procedure:
1. Open the PowerPoint file. (Note how many slides there are.)

2. Duplicate the JWPlayer-template folder and rename it with the name of the presentation.

3. Copy audio recording from device onto computer.

4. Import audio recording into Final Cut Pro.

5. Edit audio into individual sequences (best done with .PPT file open at the same time).

6. Batch export as .WAV files (PCM audio, 16 bit, 44.1kHz, mono, best quality).

7. Import into iTunes.

8. Convert into .MP3s.
a. Select all the files (Slide01 through SlideXX.wav) in the iTunes Music Library.
b. Select the Advanced menu --> Create MP3 Version.

9. Put .MP3s into the MP3s folder.
a. Find the iTunes Music folder on your computer. (Shortcut: click on the desktop, press apple + f, and search for the term "iTunes Music".)
b. Select all the .MP3s just created and drag or copy them into MP3s folder inside your named JWplayer folder. (In the iTunes Music folder, look for the folder called Unknown Artist.)

10. Export all slides from .PPT as .JPGs (800 x 600 pixels, best quality).

11. Put .JPGs into the JPGs folder.

12. Check your work.
a. Use Web browser to open the file called index.html in your named JWPlayer folder.
b. Revise as indicated.

13. Provide to Webmaster.

14. Stand by for comments from the speaker.

15. Revise as indicated.

Posted by pdb at 6:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 12, 2009

What to wear?

It's commonly asked, What's best to wear on camera? A couple guidelines make it very easy to light someone quickly and keep the focus on what they say.

There are a lot of "no"s: no white, no black, no highly saturated colors, especially magenta or red, no large high-contrast patterns and no jewelry that makes noise.

Solid colors are best, when possible. Gray, taupe, pastels and earth tones are great on camera. Navy's ok. A little bit of accent color goes a very long way on camera.

Posted by pdb at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 7, 2009

faculty course intro videos

One purpose of creating a short video of a faculty member introducing her- or himself to students at the beginning on an online course is to offer students a sense of each faculty member's interests. This helps them form a context for the course and offers a useful first glimpse into potential thesis and dissertation advisors. Another purpose, absent face time in a classroom, is to offer students an opportunity to gain insight about the instructor from his or her nonverbal cues.

These introductory videos are most effective when very brief: in the range of 90 seconds to three minutes at longest. We suggest faculty consider speaking from the following talking points:

-introduce yourself and your educational backgrond
-summarize your long-term professional interests
-offer an example or two of a current project as it relates to your teaching
-wish students the best in their coursework

Optimally, the faculty intro video doesn't touch on course-specific or housekeeping issues and can be used for a number of years in multiple contexts. We conceive this "portability" in regard for faculty's time as well as concision and utility.

Posted by pdb at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 9, 2008

digital audio field recorders

I'm often asked for a small, lightweight, affordable package to take into the field to make audio recordings. Things change very quickly but here's what I recommend today:

Zoom H2
$169.95 at B&H (ZOH2)
This is a very small, lightweight digital audio recorder with built-in mics. It weighs 4 ounces and is a little thicker than an iPhone. You can select how to use its mics: one channel in front position to record the sound of one voice at a time, or four channels in surround position. If this unit is well-placed in a room, this feature is particularly useful for recording group discussions. The H2 also functions as a USB mic. (Mac OS 10.5 users will need to upgrade the H2's firmware to v.1.2 in order to take advantage of this feature.)

Crumpler bag
$74.50 at B&H (CR5MDBGMLG)
There are a lot of other padded shoulder bags this amount of gear will fit in comfortably, but I really like this bag. It fits recorder and accessories, headphones, and a very small battery charger comfortably. If you're not ordering everything all at once, West Photo next to Surdyk's is a good place to bring your gear and go bag shopping. Test to make sure everything fits so you can grab it in a hurry.

Sony MDR-V6 headphones
$69.95 at B&H (SOMDRV6)
Headphones are essential for
Recording audio without headphones is often said to be like taking a picture without looking through the viewfinder. Only without the chance of artful randomness. Whether it's someone bumping the table the mic's on, or the unit has run out of battery or recording capacity, when audio goes bad, it's usually just plain bad.
You can use any headphones with an 1/8" mini Walkman jack, but these are particularly good-sounding headphones that fold into a fairly small package for what is by no means the highest price tag on headphones.
The cheap earbuds that come with iPods and the Zoom don't do much to keep ambient sound out of your ears. This is important because that sound is the ambient version of the same audio signal you're trying to listen to in isolation.
Another option I've found works well are the very small rubber ear buds that gently plug the ear. Sony, Shure and others make these now for around $50. Be aware that these headphones ar a bit fragile and that they cease functioning if the little rubber plugs are lost. (A dab of superglue will keep this from happening.)

Here's the flash memory card I recommend today buying as many of as you can afford:
SanDisk 4 GB SDHC Class 2 (blue card; This is $15 at Adorama today.)
item no. SDSDBR-4096-A10/-E10/-P35

More about flash memory and SD in particular
Flash memory is everywhere: camera and electronics stores, Target, drug stores, maybe elsewhere. However, retailers almost always mark it up, sometimes way up. I find flash memory well worth price-checking and ordering on the Web.
It's best to stay with two known brands of flash memory: Lexar and SanDisk. Flash memory is so cheap (and getting cheaper all the time), there's little to justify buying off-brand, and little more disappointing than finding that important media has not been written properly to a card.

Digital audio runs at a couple main data rates that have remained stable over time. Most digital audio recorders wouldn't actually take advantage of the very fastest speed cards available so, for audio, you usually don't have to spend on the fastest cards out there although, depending on the device, you might want to spend on a high-capacity card, especially if you're doing something that requires very long continuous recording.

There's no substitute for reading the documentation that comes supplied with each device. However, many devices come packaged with a very low-capacity, off-brand flash memory card in the box so you can start shooting or recording right away, so it can work to bring the sample cheapie card to an electronics store and tell the person, "I want a higher-capacity version of this card from Lexar or SanDisk."

A couple more cautions. Not all recorders and cameras are compatible either with cards larger than 2 GB or with the new SDHC cards. (Some of the latest digital video cameras, on the other hand, actually require SDHC cards.) So, depending on what you're recording/shooting, you might very well be carrying multiple flavors of SD cards.

The Zoom H2 can record to either SD or SDHC cards up to 16 GB. The H2 team publishes a list of cards it has tested with the unit: . If you buy a card not on this list, be sure to allow enough time in advance of your first recording for you to test the card with the recorder and exchange it. Right now there are four SanDisk or Lexar cards on the list:

SanDisk 2 GB SD card (blue card; These are available from B&H in a two-pack, B&H's part no. SASD2GB2P, that works out to $8.50 each.)
SanDisk item no. SDSDB-2048-A10/-E10/-P60

SanDisk 2 GB Ultra II SD card (gray with red stripe; They're a little faster than the blue two-pack card. Not necessary for audio but a good choice if you're using the same SD cards in an audio recorder and a camera. This is $10 at Adorama today.)
item no. SDSDH-2048-901/-902/-903

***SanDisk 4 GB SDHC Class 2 (blue card; Larger is better if you're doing something that requires very long continuous recording. This is $15 at Adorama today.)
item no. SDSDBR-4096-A10/-E10/-P35

Lexar 4 GB SDHC Class 2 (purplish blue card with white and yellow sticker; Faster yet than San Disk Ultra II; not necessary for audio. Good choice if you want to swap this card in and out of the Zoom H2 and a different device that requires SDHC. This is $19 today at Adorama.)
item no. SD4GB-231

You'll need a card reader of some kind if you don't already have one:
Lexar 5-in-1 card reader or comparable
$14.95 at B&H (LECR)
These are available lots of places too.

Rechargeable batteries don't hold 100% charge forever sitting on the shelf but, if you're able to keep them topped off, they're good for the environment, very useful and cheaper after a few uses than buying endless throw-away alkaline batteries. I just put 4 on the charger the night before a recording and I'm fine. Zoom says two AA batteries lasts about four hours of recording; it's best to think about that as three hours for safety.
These are by far the least expensive and longest lasting rechargeables I've found:
20 Sunpak NiMH rechargeable AA batteries
$24.95 at Adorama (SUAA20)

This is a top-of-the-line charger that tests the batteries and either rapid charges them if they're low or tops them off if that's all they need:
Ansmann Energy 16 battery charger
$154.95 at Adorama (ANCE16)
There are lots of other chargers out there. Whatever you get, know how long your charger takes to recharge your batteries and plan accordingly.

Posted by pdb at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 31, 2008

Copyright and Fair Use

Posted by Sara Hurley at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 4, 2008

Web Conference Successes

Astoundingly, amazingly, this start-up group of me and five other University web professionals have hammered together a conference that is growing in note and sponsorship.

MinneWebCon will deliver a practical blend of technical and creative information from industry practitioners and educators. Learn more about best practices and the most effective ways to leverage the tools at your disposal. Get insight into what's ahead and what we can improve on right now.

It's been a really exciting endeavor, one that I have spent more than a little bit of outside-of-work energy on and has been infinitely worth it. We have some exciting speakers and our little site has seen nearly 800 unique visitors and had over 100 registrants within two weeks. How's that for a first annual conference?

Serious props to Kris Layon in all of this.

It's exciting to develop and grow as a web professional in the University surrounded by such smart and ambitious people...

Posted by Sara Hurley at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)