Geist Fireworks Webcast Test a Flop

Like many beta tests of the past, my first live remote video webcast of last night’s Geist fireworks from the Indianapolis Yacht Club was pretty much a flop. Issues? You name it:

Equipment: I realized at the last minute that the only computer I had all the software I needed was my production PC tower (which isn’t easy to tote around). The only monitor I have for that is a widescreen that I wasn’t about to haul around in a truck and hike up and down stairs.

Connection: The Indianapolis Yacht Club has great wireless connectivity throughout the building. Unfortunately, my PC does not. I have to thank Bill Lorch for trying to hunt down an RJ45 connector to tap into, but unfortunately that was not an option. I had to run home and get my laptop’s wireless Sprint card and software and do an installation in the hallway to my PC. Makes for a fun July 4th.

View: When I staked out the camera position, I thought I’d have a great vantage point within the friendly confines of the Yacht Club. Come to find out, there is no direct view of the fireworks from inside the building that doesn’t have trees or a roofline involved. Not the Yacht Club’s fault, Ron Cruthers even offered to chop one of the trees down (no, he really did!).

All in all, it was a good test, just on the wrong day. We had friends visiting the Yacht Club with us for the first time and we spent more energy walking up and down stairs looking for stuff than we did enjoying the fireworks. I’m headed to Fry’s today to get some new wiring and my laptop will have a camera on it by the end of the day. Thanks everyone for your patience as we work through the details of doing live Internet broadcasting.