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Techie Committee May 2005
Adobe PDF files suitable for printing...
Techie Committe May 2005.pdf
Amended Rules.pdf
Updated Rates Sheet.pdf
New TimeslotBid Form.pdf
Policy and Procedure Changes
Channel Access Policy Change
The block programming starting airing on channel 15, Thursday 14th April 2005 despite not having resolved some policy issues concerning playback eligibility and cable casting fees.
I have prepared some recommendations for an update to the MCTV 15 policies that addresses this issue.
With the change below, any show submitted by a resident or representative of a local non-profit will not have to pay any fee regardless to the origin of the show. This would bring MCT V15s? cable access time eligibility policy in line with the majority of public access stations that I have looked at.
Old:
V. Channel Access
1.Resources and Eligibility
1.1.Public Access cablecast time is available free of charge to any Siskiyou County producer or for shows produced in Siskiyou County. A cablecasting fee is applied to all out of county producers.
1.2.Cablecast time is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
1.3.Shows will be scheduled at least once and will be cablecast more often at the staff's discretion. The show provider is the person submitting the show for cablecast and can be the show producer or a sponsor for a show.
1.4.The show provider is the person submitting the show for cablecast and can be the show producer or a sponsor for a show.
New:
V. Channel Access
1.Resources and Eligibility
1.1.Public Access cablecast time is available free of change to any Siskiyou County resident or representative of a Siskiyou County non-profit organization. A cablecasting fee is applied to all other requests.
1.2.Cablecast time is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
1.3.Shows will be scheduled at least once and will be cablecast more often at the staff's discretion.
Introduction – History Policy Change
The section regarding the history of MCTV 15 was left black. This is what I would purpose,
Old:
I. Introduction
...
2. History
New:
I. Introduction
...
2.History
The efforts to make public access television a reality in the City of Mt.Shasta was started in 1998 by the initial efforts of Diana Limjoco Pollard. Early dreams included connecting the four communities (Weed, Mt.Shasta, Dunsmuir and Mc Cloud?) via a public access cable television channel. The City of Mt. Shasta requested that a volunteer committee be established to manage the access channel. A community based volunteer board was setup by Diana. Through many years of hard work and perseverance the board created Mountain Community Television Channel 15 (MCTV 15) and established it as a 501-c3 non profit public service corporation. MCTV 15 realized one of it's goals of uniting all four communities in late 2004 when it connected Mc Cloud? to the system.
The first regular show 'Real-TV' was cablecast in September 2002 and continues to this day. It has been joined my many other locally produced television shows.
Channel Access Policy Change
Since the cablecasting of live government meeting can and does happen any day/time during the week, I would recommend removing V.2.7.e
Remove:
V. Channel Access
...
2.7.e. Government programming will be shown on but is not restricted to Mondays
Channel Access Policy Change
Change the start time for not-suitable for children hours from mid-night to 10pm.
Old:
V. Channel Access
...
2.7.b Not-Suitable for children will be shown between 12am and 5am.
New:
V. Channel Access
...
2.7.b Not-Suitable for children will be shown between 10pm and 5am.
Channel Access Policy Change
Since live government meetings have priority over all other programming. I purpose the following policy change to reflect this fact.
Old:
V. Channel Access
...
4. Scheduling Priorities
4.1. In scheduling shows on the MCTV 15 Access channel, first priority is given to locally produced shows. Second priority is given to shows produced elsewhere but sponsored locally. Third priority is given to all shows produced elsewhere without a local sponsor. ...
New:
V. Channel Access
...
4. Scheduling Priorities
4.1. In scheduling shows on the MCTV 15 Access channel, first priority is given to live local government meetings, second priority is given to locally produced shows. Third priority is given to shows produced elsewhere but sponsored locally. Fourth priority is given to all shows produced elsewhere without a local sponsor. ...
Agreement Text Added
Part 20. of Channel Access section was left as a TODO item. Here is the text from the Show Agreement.
Old:
V. Channel Access
...
TODO: Insert Agreement Text
New:
V. Channel Access
...
20.Text of Show Agreements
I hereby warrant that the above show submitted by me does not contain any of the following.
» Material contrary to local, state or federal laws, regulations, procedures or policy. Including but but limited to obscene or indecent material.
» Material that is libelous, slanderous or other defamation of character, or an unlawful invasion of privacy.
» Advertising or material which promotes a commercial product or service.
» Material which violates copyright law.
» Material that promotes or constitutes gambling, solicitation or appeal for funds.
These warranties and representations are made by me to submit this show for cablecasting on Northland cable system in Weed, Mt. Shasta, Dunsmuir and Mc Cloud?. I further agree, to the extent allowed by law, to indemnify and hold harmless MCTV 15, the City of Mt.Shasta, City of Weed, City of Dunsmuir, Siskiyou County and Northland Cable, and any of their employees, officers, Board of Directors, agents, volunteers, etc. from any and all claims, demands, damages or other liabilities which may be made against or arise out of the cablecasting of this show wither or not the show has been reviewed by MCTV 15 prior to cablecast. In the event of any alleged breach of the conditions of this agreement, I agree to be obligated for all attorney fees and costs associated with the enforcement of this agreement. I am aware that Section 639 of the Federal Cable Communications Policy of 1984 provides that:
"Whoever transmits over any cable system any matter which is obscene or otherwise unprotected by the Constitution of the United States shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both"
Mission Statement
There has been a number of observations that our mission statement does not fully reflect our on going mission. In addition words like telecommunications are difficult to understand and are must often used to refer to telephone companies.
Current:
I. Introduction
...
1. Mission Statement
The mission of MCTV 15 is to provide community access via the telecommunications medium to thoughts, opinions, and events that benefit the community.
Suggestion 1: Minimal Change
I. Introduction
...
1.Mission Statement
The mission of MCTV 15 is to provide community access to cable television and the Internet to thoughts, opinions, and events that benefit the community.
Suggestion 2: Better
I. Introduction
...
MCT V15s? mission to is to provide the people of Siskiyou County the broadest opportunity for free expression utilizing cable television and the Internet; and to facilitate and encourage participation in the production of programming by, about and for the community.
Website
Traffic
Site Summary for MCTV 15 ( April 24th , 2005 )
Visits Mar 20th Apr 24th
Average per Day ................. 25 18
Average Visit Length .......... 2:29 2:42
This Week ...................... 175 125
Page Views
Average per Day ................. 65 50
Average per Visit .............. 2.6 2.8
This Week ...................... 457 351
Upcoming Events
I have impressed on several occasions the importance of maintaining the list of upcoming events on the website. I and others us it to plan our volunteer efforts. There was no posted events on the Tuesday before the Wednesday 27th shoot day. How can we do better with this effort?
Schedule
Improvements have been made to the display of the schedule on the web site. It now reflects the block programming nature, archives old schedules, contains links to future schedules.
Community Feedback
The community feedback page has been changed to no long accept unmoderated comments from the community. Visitors are now encouraged to send their comments via email or call the studio. This is in line with what we discussed in the last meeting.
Got Wiki and Sisson History Project Confusion
A few weeks ago I created a new Got Wiki website based on Perry Sims – Sisson History Project. My intension was to donate the new site to Perry and the Sisson Museum in an effort to help in his good work. The new site was not meant to be seen by the public until Perry had seen and approved it. No effort was made by me to promote the site nor have it indexed by any search engine.
To my great surprise Google somehow found the new site and added it to it's index. A Google search by Perry found the site at some point last Wednesday April 20th while I was at NAB in Las Vegas. He became rightfully very angry at the apparent theft of his copyrighted works. Through the Got Wiki connection he mistakenly associated the action as beginning connected with MCTV 15.
When I became aware of this problem on Sunday evening I immediately responded to Perry via email. In that email I apologized for the upset and discomfort that I have caused him and explained my intent and separation of MCTV 15. I then placed a public apology on the new website and closed all pages from further Google indexing and public viewing. I followed up this email with a phone call on the following Monday. We had a good conversation and he now understands that the new site was my sole responsibility and was not connected in anyway with MCTV 15.
There was several lessons here:
- Google and other search engines can somehow find pages that have no external references to them.
- Preparing copyrighted materials for a surprise presentation to the authors needs to be secured behind a password. Until presentation and approval can be reached.
- Clearer separation between Got Wiki and MCTV 15 may need to be developed.
I apologies to MCTV 15 for any bad feelings that Perry's emails and phone calls may have cased after he mistakenly held MCTV 15 at the guilty party. I believe that Perry is now happy with the situation and may even become a user of Got Wiki in the near future.
Office Management
Updated Fees
Updated rate sheet as discussed at the last board meeting.
Email Access Problems
Since moving over to sharing Sylvia's high speed Internet connection we have had problems sending and receiving emails via POP 3? and SMTP. I put in place a temporary solution that is using a web based email program. Time permitting I will look for a better solution.
Money Matters
I understand that there is now a receipt book hanging on the wall. Could we please have some simple written instruction of what to do with it and the money/checks that are collected. I still think that some sort of secure money box would be ideal.
Inventory Control
Two weeks ago we ran out of miniDV tapes.
What can we do to better deal with the reordering and collection of tape sales? I would recommend that once a week inventory and stock levels be taken. This would ensure that all MCT V15s? equipment and stock was present and accounted for. That stock levels of consumables was at usable levels. Reordering if necessary and that revenues for stock sales was accounted for. I would estimate above 30 mins for this task.
Software License Audit
As a software developer, I take very seriously the issues concerning software piracy. As a non-profit organization we must be sure not to fall on the wrong side of the law. I recommended that we do an audit of our two computers and make sure that we have our software licenses in place.
Equipment Needs
DVD Recorder for Show Backup and Ingesting
Currently most of MCT V15s? shows are played back from the computer located in Mt.Shasta at our head end. This computer can hold up to 120hours of content. There is no digital backup of these video files.
The ingesting of the shows makes use of a low cost consumer MPEG 2? device that I have on loan to the MCTV 15. The computer's audio recording capability is also used during the ingesting process. The visual quality and especially the audio quality are limited by this approach.
In recent months the ingesting process has become more problematic. For example, the Real TV show that was recorded several fews ago has failed to play successfully despite having been ingested 6 times. There was been multiple identified causes that has prevented this show from working. Regardless it has consumed many hours of volunteer efforts and we still do not have a MPEG 2? file that will play all the way through. I believe that using a DVD recorder would have saved time and effort.
Solution: Record all shows directly onto DV Ds? then copy the MPEG 2? files onto the computer for cablecasting.
Benefits:
- The DV Ds? would act as an archive/backup.
- The picture and audio quality would be much higher.
- No complicated setup.
- Can make show copies available on DVD.
- Very inexpensive black media. Much cheaper than miniDV tape.
- Frees up computer for other tasks during a production.
Cost: $400 for a good branded model.
Meeting Our Copying Needs
Our orders for tape copies of shows continues to increase. The JVC dual deck is not available for duplication work most Wednesdays due to the video production work that takes place in the control room and studio. The least cost solution to this issue was to setup our Sharp miniDV View Cam and one of the donated VHS tape recorders in the office. This setup can be dedicated full time to making VHS copies of the shows.
Cost: $0
Labeling Machine For Inventory Control
Labeling of equipment and inventory control is becoming a priority. Currently equipment is not marked as belonging to MCTV 15. We are mixing our equipment in some productions and it's difficult to keep the ownership straight.
Cost: $50 with supply of tape.
More Cables
We have had a number of cables fail and disappear over the past year. In addition to putting more equipment in to service that use cables this has put a strain on our small cable supply. I recommend purchasing replacements and additional cables to replenish our supply.
Cost: $40
Sony Vegas Upgrade
With the release of Sony Vegas 6. We are now two major versions behind the current release. Between version 5 and 6 there are many useful features that would improve our production editing and time to finish/render a project.
Cost: $150 for Vegas 6
Currently MCTV 15 does not have any DVD mastering software. Sony also makes DVD Architect for preparing video for DV Ds?. Recently MCTV 15's first DVD produced by Audra Gibson was mastered on my personal computer. While I am willing to continue doing this task on rare occasions, I think that it would be beneficial if the studio had it's own licensed DVD mastering software. We upgrade to Vegas 6 with the DVD master software for a little more money.
Cost: $250 for Vegas 6 plus DVD Architect 3 bundle
Adobe Photoshop License
Many months ago I installed my license of Photoshop on the studios computer in order to allow us to create titles, lower thirds and end credits. This was a 'temporary' measure until MCTV 15 could secure it's own license to the product. Adobe allows for one installation on a desktop and one on a laptop providing the both are not used at the same time. Since others are starting to make use of Adobe Photoshop, I cam no longer guarantee license compliance.
Adobe does not make donations to non K12 based non-profit organizations. The purchase price for the full version is around $600. I am working on some Adobe employees that may donate or make available a copy at their employee discount price. Either way, I will be removing my licensed copy for the studio in a few weeks.
Cost: $600 or wait to see if my Adobe employee friend can provide a copy.
Scenalyer License
Right from day one of our computerized editing system, MCTV 15 has been using my licensed copy of Scenalyer. Again this was intended by me as a temporary measure until MCTV 15 could secure it's own license.
Cost: $39
Head End, Mt. Shasta
Firewire Hard Drive Problems
At last months meeting, approval was granted for up to $150 to replace the portable firewire hard drive known as 'MCTV 15-2-Go'.
Shortly after the meeting Todd and I were able to transfer the new shows from the firewire hard drive to the media server in Mt.Shasta using a new method. Thus far it has worked fast and without error on two consecutive sessions. One of the ports on the drive no long seems to work correctly, but this can be worked around.
I recommend that we continue to use the current drive, pending further investigation.
Media Server Video Playback
After many months of use the playback, performance of the Media Server has deceased to the point of causing the video playback to become unstable. Todd ran a disk de-fragmentation process on the internal video hard drive that greatly improved the playback. Regular de-fragmentations tasks should be carried out by programming staff/volunteers to prevent further problems.
Media Server Software
I have made significant upgrades to the Media Server that allows for better error checking and previewing of scheduled shows. In addition, I created a new command-line application that performs extensive error checking on the scheduled shows. It is now much more difficult to prepare a schedule that contains errors.
In doing the upgrade, I prepared the ground work for further labor saving enhancements such as automatic updates to the EBB show schedule display. Early indications of this new feature can be see on the EBB playback. The bottom right corner now displays an on next message.
Time permitting , I will continue to upgrade the Media Server to achieve these goals.
1.Make it easier to schedule media playback for slides, video and audio.
2.Improve the viewers experience with high-end presentations.
NAB 2005 Report
The National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas was both informative and fun. The Las Vegas convention center is huge. It's over 60 football fields in size. I spent over 20 hours spread over 3 days and only saw less than 75% show.
I attended several classes on the new Vegas 6 software that was released at the show. It is a solid upgrade, but left me wanting more. I would recommend that MCTV 15 upgrade from it's current Vegas 4 to this new version. ($150). The Vegas user group party had over 200 people from around the world. It was great to meet some high end Vegas users and share some hints and tips.
I purchased, Serious Magic's, DV Rack. This software contains many video and audio testings tools that I plan to use at the studio in an effort to calibrate our aging consumer gear. If successful, there will be a noticeable improvement to both picture and sound for productions that are recorded at the studio.
I spent many hours researching and getting demonstrations of media server systems that are similar in nature to the one that I have created for MCTV 15. The least expensive system was priced at $6000 and had less desirable features than ours. Seeing these competitive systems has inspired me to continue developing my media server with an eye towards a possible commercial release!
High definition has arrived. The NAB show was full of products designed to work with HD. PBS were reporting that 85% of there broadcasts were now simulcast in HD and plans for 100% coverage in near future are underway. Most cities of size already enjoy HD broadcasts and many have HD programming from their cable companies. Not to be out done, the big three satellite television providers also deliver HD programming. XOOM is exclusively HD and Direct TV are putting up new satellites that they claim will be delivering 1,500 HD channels to the home by years end. The FCC continues to make plans for a cut off date that would mean an end to broadcasting of analog television signals. At that time all televisions in America would have to be replaced or have a set top box attached that would convert the new digital signal into the old analog signal.
What does all this mean for rural America and their cable television service? What does this mean for MCTV 15? I think viewers will move in rapid numbers to HD services as the prices of HD television screens continue to come down coupled with incentives from the HD providers. It will be very difficult and costly for rural television providers to upgrade there plants in order to compete. I think that many will not be able to stem the flow of customers away to competing services. As the customer base declines, service quality will continue to decrease and ultimately lead to the closure of the cable operation. No more cable television means no more MCTV 15. How long do with have? As little as 5 years and not much over 10 years would be my guess. Can Northland Cable survive? Not a pretty picture.
Another area of interest for MCTV 15 that I researched at NAB was an upgrade to our aging and flaky video switcher. I was interested in seeing three products:
- The Data Video SE-800 AV ($3000). This unit lived up to my expectations in many ways. It's a four channel switcher designed with the use in a modern low-end control room in mind. There attention to details is without equal.
- The Videonics MX-4 ($2500). Not long ago, video productions that required an inexpensive video switcher had one choice. Videonics acquired Focus Enhancements and continues to make decent video switchers for small amounts of cash. Their latest offering, the MX-4, looks just link it's predecessor. It has a rich and deep feature set that's let down by a flimsy enclosure. I would not recommend this switcher for out studio.
- The Edirol V-4 ($999) is a exciting new comer to the world of analog video switching. It was designed for the Video Jockey and conference room presentation markets. As such I was disappointed in it's abilities as a control video switcher. For example, this unit does not have the ability to monitor the action from each video feed. More expensive support equipment would be required in order to accomplish this task. Not recommended.
The big find of the show came at the Data Video booth. They introduced my to their newest product:
- The Data video SE-500 AV ($999) is a four channel video switcher that's built like a tank and contains all the right features for professional level control room use. This is the switcher for MCTV 15.
With more money comes the product that won best of show.
- Newtek Tri Caster in an a television control in an all in one box. It can handle; switching between three cameras; playback video, music and graphics from it's internal hard drive; the generation of high quality lower third titles, crawls and scrolls; chroma key; video transitions; and much more. All this for less than $5000. It got best of show for one good reason ... it's awesome.
Since we have been having problems with out ingested MPEG 2? files, I decided to inquire about software/hardware that could be used to test/verify of show files. Sticker shock time; the first person I talked too gave me a nice demonstrations of a piece of software that was an over kill for our needs, but did the job. Cost: starting at $15,000. Next came a beautifully colored piece of hardware with a green led that lights if the file is good and a red led for failure. Great me thinks, cost $75,000. I am in the wrong business! Maybe I should write my own testing tool.
What round up of NAB would be complete without the mention of some cameras. I could write about the new HD offerings for JVC, Sony and Panasonic. That's is after all where the future is. But, lets stay grounded. For me a was greatly surprised by two cameras made by Panasonic.
The Panasonic DVC-30 ($1800 street price) is small 3CCD camcorder with great optics with super fast zoom and accurate auto focus. It has one of the most innovative features I have seen! They have a button next to the zoom control that takes the headache out of focusing on your subject. Most professional camera operators do not use the automatic focus features found on consumer grade cameras. Instead, pros zoom in on their subjects and focus manually and then compose their shoots by zooming out and framing. What Panasonic have done is automate all these steps into a single button push. The result is a super fast focusing system that uses the best of both worlds. Focusing like the pros with the automation of the consumer products. The results are awesome.
The other camera from Panasonic is the DVC-60. It is really the same camera as the DVC-30 but repackaged into a shoulder mount professional looking camera and includes dual XLR audio connectors. For a street price of under $2200 it's a sweet camera.
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