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March, 2024

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Live streaming vs. post-event edits

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ESB
Posts: 9273 - Karma: 10,647
This thought occurred to me as I was trying to watch the U.S. Open big air live stream on NS a few weeks ago. Although I had driven 45 minutes from home to get a good enough Internet connection to watch the stream, it kept glitching out on me and it turned out that I was only actually able to watch about 1 out of 3 jumps in the finals. Of course (lucky for me) I was able to hear Van Valin and Uncle Dipshit blathering the whole time.

My thought was this: live streams are great when they work well, but it seems that it takes a whole lot of money, equipment and paid employees to make a real, functioning live stream a reality. Even then, the performance of the stream ultimately depends on the user's Internet connection; if you've got a shitty connection, you're out of luck, plain and simple.

I'm not ripping on NS at all for doing streams this year and I'm super stoked to watch the Red Bull Playstreets this weekend (I can only hope it works better for me this time than the Open stream did). All I want to say is: Live streams are super expensive and labor-intensive. A really dope event edit, on the other hand, can be done with one guy with a camera and a computer, with no budget whatsoever. Personally, I would rather watch a well-done 3-minute edit with all the highlights from an event, in high-quality video, than spend two or three hours trying, and mostly failing, to watch an event in poorer quality video.
Feb 14 2008 11:31PM
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ESB
Posts: 9273 - Karma: 10,647
Here's the skifilm.no U.S. Open edit from last year. Pretty damn good, and it blows my mind to think of the cost comparison between this and a live stream.

http://www.skifilm.com/tv.php?id=52
Feb 14 2008 11:36PM
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pho[tog]rapher
Posts: 2618 - Karma: 493
I see what you're saying, because I definitely am met with frustration when it comes to live feeds (blame my college's poor network) but all in all I do enjoy being able to watch these things. I had the XGames and USO running on my computer pretty constantly throughout their duration. So maybe I didn't see everything, but it definitely beat shelling out cash to physically attend the event, or [imo] wait for an edit after everyone was already posting thread after thread about the winners and losers. Perfection isn't usually a first time thing, but I have high hopes for the direction that NS and live-feeds are taking together. Even if it was just being able to hear up to the minute dialogue about the event, I still felt closer than I ever could have been.

I'll base my judgements fully off of this up-coming weekend. Hope it works out better for you also.
Feb 15 2008 12:01AM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22671 - Karma: 75,830
Basically its new technology.   TV probably sucked when it first came out too... all black and white and tiny and via antenna... but look at how far it has come!

True there were problems with the big air feed, but the Pipe and Slopestyle ones were much better.  

I am so over 3 minute highlight edits... I mean cool but you can have that too.  I would a billion times more prefer to watch the event like a spectator, and if people keep watching and we keep doing it they will only get better.    Most of the problem is with bad internet... if you have good internet then things look a lot better and function a lot smoother.   I know the X-games feeds were dope, and this stuff is all getting way better. 

If nobody pushes the envelope with sketchy technology, then we'll all just stay in the dark ages doing what we've always done.    I for one am willing to foray into the unknown and try to lock down a solid model for live broadcasting.   There's enough of skiing thats stuck in the stony ages and unable to change for fear of something new.




Feb 15 2008 11:16AM
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Itsbackfliptime
Posts: 18901 - Karma: 75
It worked really well for the 10 minutes that I watched. Its a cool idea, but I don't usually have the time to sit for a few hours and watch a ski comp. I like the 3 minute highlight reels just because it saves time and I don't have to watch half the people fall.
Feb 15 2008 8:12PM
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ESB
Posts: 9273 - Karma: 10,647
Word to that. I just hope that a few edits get up on the site sometime soon so I can see everything I missed!
Feb 16 2008 1:25AM
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Powdered_Donuts
Posts: 2180 - Karma: 187
live streaming ftw
Feb 16 2008 10:54AM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22671 - Karma: 75,830
Yo playstreets was off the charts.    Fuuuuuuuck edits I want the whole thing.  :)


Feb 16 2008 4:14PM
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ESB
Posts: 9273 - Karma: 10,647
Just got off work, looks like I missed it. I sure hope someone makes an edit. ;)
Feb 16 2008 4:33PM
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bp.lando
Posts: 9297 - Karma: 1,495
if your not competing ski events of any sort can be a real bummer to go to, they are long and uusally even well run comps it feels like your waiting around wasting a bunch of time.


you give yourself 6 hours to watch much less action then you'd expect. VS. watching the event 's highlights a day later in an edit.

which is why i love how event media (seems to be) going. things like Jon's blog, highlights posted an hour later. we didnt have to see the course maitnence and wait for the judges.


Streaming is cool, but what would be baller is events edited up and then Streamed, kinda like Dew Tour.
Feb 16 2008 10:26PM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22671 - Karma: 75,830
Well for all the whiny picky bastards out there, you'll quickly realise that the plan is to do both. 

https://newschoolers.com/web/content/pagetemplate/name/streaming/page/playstreets08

See?  There's already a highlight reel up.   It was up a matter of hours after the live event happened. 

I mean seriously if you put the amount in to have a full live streaming crew there, its not like you don't have morer than enough footage to make an edit.   Much better than one kid with a  camera too.

If you guys really hate live streaming that much then maybe we should stop doing it?   Sheesh... come on.




Feb 17 2008 9:35AM
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Ryno
Posts: 31125 - Karma: 336
Live stream is dope if everyone can watch it. I think having both is a necessity for NS. The highlight reel at the end is fairly easy to make (kami mentioned that) so its not hard to do afterwards for people who can't watch it because of a slow connection or they just couldnt sit around for 3 hours.

I like the live stream since I dont see any live comps.
Feb 17 2008 11:08AM
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bp.lando
Posts: 9297 - Karma: 1,495
thats exactly why Live Streams are beneficial. Not everyone can get there.
Feb 17 2008 12:27PM
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ESB
Posts: 9273 - Karma: 10,647
Not exactly who this comment is targeting, but anyhow, doing both is definitely the way to go, I agree. A live stream really needs to be supplemented by a good edit of the footage afterwards. It will be great to see something like that on the site and I'm glad you guys are working on it.
Feb 20 2008 10:55PM
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dave44
Posts: 11052 - Karma: 113
Hit the nail on the head. Posting a recording of the live stream is nice, but a good edit is much easier to watch.

Feb 21 2008 6:25AM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22671 - Karma: 75,830
It was a day in which I was unbelievablly frustrated at the amount of complaining that happens around this site.   I mean shit... we put so much time and effort into doing live stuff, and then the first thing we hear is "man I wish we had edits instead of this".   At the same time I hear people complaining about the production quality of the hunting yeti episode. 

I just get super frustrated that every single time we do something there's just tonnes of bitching.   So sorry for lashing out.


Feb 21 2008 9:08AM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 149
I'd get super frustrated too...the masses appreciate it.
Feb 21 2008 3:46PM
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parkerhouse
Posts: 2087 - Karma: 11
yeah well sitting down with a hot burito, a bag of pork rhinds, and some pepsi and watching the u.s. open slopestyle with a friend was pretty sick
Feb 21 2008 6:52PM
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