Game Room Video '08 Interest Gauging [poll] UPDATED

[DancingTofu]

NOTICE: If you are not planning on participating in any gaming tournaments AND you do not have any interest in this video, please DO NOT answer the poll, as it distorts the results.

Format: DVD (possible VHS)

Content:
-Semifinal and final matches of all big tourneys. 
-Final matches of all minor tourneys. 
-Full tourney winner list, maybe with pictures. 
-Screenshots and pictures of special tourney moments.
-Videos of special tourney moments.
-Random gaming videos/pictures
-Select DDR Routines, Freestyles, GH Freestyles, Rock Band sets, and other game room events where the people are more interesting than the screen.

The video could operate as an additional prize for all tourney winners (including 2nd place for big tourneys and 3rd/4th for really big tourneys), and anyone else could buy it for $5 or $10 or something.
I think gaming staff should get a free copy too, just to show that we love them and thank them for their efforts around the clock.

Post here and help me figure out details.  You may change your vote if something is modified that makes you say yes (or no, I guess, but I'd hope that doesn't occur).


NOTICE:
My involvement in this production rests primarily on the position I get on gaming staff.  A larger and more significant update will be posted after the January 12th General Meeting, which is where I hope to confirm a position.

[DancingTofu]

Protip: If you don't select an option in the poll, you lack opinion.

[HellSap]

Hey there, DancingTofu!  Besides the lack of things getting in on time was also the lack of good equipment for recording...  If we were to expect to sell any form of DVD, I would think it would need direct feeds of all the matches as well as tons of pics dedicated to the DVD.  I apologize for not having any of this worked out before the con but I'm not an equipment guy, I'm more of a tourney-runner guy (and look how smooth that went... hrmmph)

I'd say we could do recordings if we get the input feed and then find a place to host the semi / finals for the matches.  But it will be more work next year especially since we're going back to double tree.

Anyway, sounds like a good idea and I'm all for it (I know Evolution - for fighting game tournaments) always has a yearly dvd... but it takes months before they get off their lazy asses and do it, and they make bank on it anyway.  But maybe we could start to do something like that to showcase ourselves.  (and maybe throw the finals on youtube and link from con gaming page as a teaser)

Good work planning on all this stuff, and the offer for you to be gaming staff is still there if you want.  We def. need cool people like you for next year.  Hit me up on aim or anything sometime.

[DancingTofu]

Just off the top of my head, here's what we'd NEED:
VIDEO/PHOTO:
-Video Camera with tripod attachments
-Adjustable Tripod
-Still Camera* (Digital or Film; just needs to be high-quality enough to look good on a DVD)
-capture card
-Camera-people! (2+)
AUDIO
-decent microphone*
-1/4" > 3.5mm adapter*
-microphone cable*
-sound editting software*
GENERAL
-Desktop Computer
-DVD editting software
-DVD writer*

What we'd WANT:
VIDEO/PHOTO:
-3 or 4 Video Cameras with tripod attachments (camera angles ftw)
-2 or 3 Adjustable Tripods
-Still Camera* (Digital or Film; just needs to be high-quality enough to look good on a DVD)
-capture card
-Camera-people! (4+)
AUDIO
-2 good microphones
-1/4" > 3.5mm adapter*
-1/4" y-adapter
-2 microphone cables*
-sound editting software*
-Narrator*
GENERAL
-Desktop Computer
-DVD editting software
-Multi-DVD writer (one of those fancy ones that writes 10 or 12 DVD's at a time)

* = stuff I can provide without making any purchases

I like the idea of putting up some semi-final matches and stuff on youtube.  Just the publicity from that would be worth it.

And I certainly plan on staffing next year.  If I'd have known I could this year, I would have.  I thought you had to be 18. xP

Check out this topic too; there's been a lot more discussion of equipment and organisation there.

[DancingTofu]

I want to specify the the poll is directed at people planning to participate in the tournements.  If you aren't going to be in a gaming tournament, please DO NOT VOTE, otherwise, it distorts the results.

[TomtheFanboy]

But... I want a video of the tournament and I suck at the video games and can't participate! I'll buy one really!

[DancingTofu]

But... I want a video of the tournament and I suck at the video games and can't participate! I'll buy one really!

Well, in cases like that, that's cool.  I just don't want people who won't be participating in the tournaments or even people who won't play any games at all to be telling me they aren't interested in a DVD of the tournaments, 'cause that makes the poll a lot harder to translate into approximate number of people interested. (which will affect what equipment we can afford to buy and how many blank discs we'd want to get.)

[laharlsama]

hey,phat man steve here. yes its a grate idea, even if i did get  pwned by a nub cake*cry s himself to sleep*but really, I  think i will pwn the hell outa the guilty gear turney, I missed it this year and will not do it again, and I missed the soul caliber turney AGAIN! so yes we shall have the films a rolling, I have pika with the tripod and ok camra so that helps... hey hell sap. where you faust at the game room?

[DancingTofu]

I'm just dragging this topic back up as we get closer to the con; we're about three and a half months away and need to start getting details down at this point.  My budget for this summer is strictly oriented towards controllers, so I can't make any new purchases, but I'll get an inventory tomorrow.

IF ANYONE HAS A CAPTURE CARD THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE, I WILL LOVE THEM FOREVER.

Also, it would be great to get a program for video capture just on the computer.  I know lots of StepMania players use such programs, so I might check with some of them around youtube if I can't some info from people here.

[JeffT]

IF ANYONE HAS A CAPTURE CARD THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE, I WILL LOVE THEM FOREVER.

Also, it would be great to get a program for video capture just on the computer.  I know lots of StepMania players use such programs, so I might check with some of them around youtube if I can't some info from people here.

I have two capture devices--one a FlyVideo 2000 (internal PCI with composite and S-video input), the other an external FireWire Pyro A/V Link (takes composite, S-video, and component). The advantage of the Pyro A/V is that it has an internal buffer to reduce frame skipping, records the sound also, and makes encoded DV available to the computer instead of uncompressed video. You can then use your software of choice to convert that to whatever you want. Also, because it's external, you can use it with a laptop. If said laptop does not have FireWire support, you can get a PCI card to add it for around $20. For all these reasons I recommend the Pyro A/V Link.

Just let me know, to arrange for this, prior to the con. I recommend the staff who will be using it allow ample time to play around with it (it was needed for me when I used it).

[DancingTofu]

The Pyro A/V link sounds like it would work fabulously.  How much did it cost?  I might pick one up myself so we can record at more than one location at a time. (I'm assuming you're offering to let us use yours?)

I'm pretty sure there's a firewire port on my laptop, which is what I intend to be using to get most of the direct recordings done with, although it needs a new battery.

[JeffT]

The Pyro A/V link sounds like it would work fabulously.  How much did it cost?  I might pick one up myself so we can record at more than one location at a time. (I'm assuming you're offering to let us use yours?)

I'm pretty sure there's a firewire port on my laptop, which is what I intend to be using to get most of the direct recordings done with, although it needs a new battery.

Yes, I was offering it. It was this item on Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815255020&Tpk=API-558-EFS

It was $130 when I got it, so the price has since gone up $5.

For $15 more you can get it bundled with Adobe Premiere Elements, which may be a bargain or not worth it to you at all, depending on what freeware or commercial software you use (or don't use) or might prefer to use instead. I was just doing quick conversions from analog to digital so opted to skip the software, and just used Nero Ultimate for my quick transcoding needs (which I had bought earlier anyway).

[DancingTofu]

Once I know I have the money for it, I'll try a free trial of the Adobe Premiere Elements.  If it looks like it could benefit me or this to the point that it's worth $15, I'll probably go for that.

Thanks again.

[DancingTofu]

So, little update on this; unless someone else can pick this up, it won't be happening this year.  The poll has given me some really good feedback for this, so I will definitely be working on this next year.

I will be filming the DDR and I've asked Tom to do some filming of the game room in general, so those wanting to see videos will probably be able to see them on Youtube.  There will also be screenshots of every match of every DDR tournament; those screenshots will be sent to all the players who leave me an email address or address to send them to.