I was just thinking about all of the things people talk about concerning Live Streams.
It is apparent that some people enjoy the commentary of specific commentators, while others prefer no commentary.
For the record, there is nothing like being right there on the spot where the play is happening but wouldn't it be nice if your favorite commentator could sit at home and commentate on the match as it is happening?
How about two commentators that have "chemistry" with each other, sitting in different parts of the world, simultaneously doing color and promotion? Yes, having commentary from a remote location would be nice but there is always a lag time between live and what the viewer sees. Normally the lag is only a few seconds but it can be as much as several minutes. It would still work if the comments were not made about the action on the screen and were used for player bio, history of the event, etc.
What about having microphones hooked up to every player? Some of the players might not like it but if it promotes the sport and people enjoyed hearing the murmurs and quiet talk of the player, it has to be good for the sport. I would be more inclined to watch live streams if the players' words could be heard. I would enjoy that myself as i'm sure it would to many of the hard core pool/billiards enthusiasts. I'm not so sure that all the players would be able to control their language, language that would not be appreciated in a family setting. I always have to remind myself that, although we as streamers are in a pool room, we are broadcasting into peoples homes and hopefully there are children watching/listening.
Also, I think the chat rooms are great fun for the chatters and if their is a moderator available to ride herd on the chatters, the commentators can have some fun interacting with the chat room on occasion. The commentators interacting with the viewers in the chat room can be and is fun if you are able to read what is being written in the chat. However almost all the streamers archive the videos on Ustream and what was funny as it happened is very confusing at times to the point of why did he say that? If the commentator can mention first what he/she is commenting on that helps.
Larger screens would be a plus.
Higher resolution is always desirable. The technology is always improving and as it becomes readily available the the quality of the streams will improve. One instance that I'm aware of, a local room tried to get high speed broadband service from Comcast and was told that it was not available to them as a business account, the house next door (less than 100 feet away) has residential high speed broadband service from Comcast.
How important are the following to the live stream viewer:
1. To be entertained.
2. To learn.
3. To participate in the entertainment. (chat)
What are the most important reasons for watching a pool match? For me, it is watching a particular player or matchup between two particular players of my interest at that point in time, with unique color commentating. The only time I want to hear long jokes, old but good stories is when there is a solid break in the action. I've been guilty of telling a story on occasion while action is taking place and when I think about it today, I still cringe. :embarrassed2: I guess we all live and learn.
I love to receive updates about other matches going on at pool tournaments but that has to be the job of the producer. The producer has to have a runner or have this information fed to the commentators for them to provide it to the viewers.A agree with this 100% I try to have a ''runner'' to supply us with updates on other matches but these people are volunteers are not always so reliable and most of the time my ''sharp stick'' isn't long enough or the point wears dull. I think the the procucer is the person who is running the stream. In my case I consider myself to be the producer, director, camera man, audio tech, on screen graphics tech, lighting tech, lugger, chat room host, moderator, and in general keep the stream running guy. Sometimes it is very easy (internet is cooperating) and other times there is hardly a second to spare and getting score updates is low on the priority list.
Another question, I have for the people who purchase match videos on a regular basis. Would you prefer to have commentators who NEVER interact with the live stream audience or would you prefer to have commentators who carefully articulate who and what they are referring to in the chat room? I prefer this if it is kept to a minimum and can be done and still make sense while watching/listening to the recording. Keep in mind, that the screen names make no sense to anyone unless you know who the screen name belongs to.
There are lots of things that people are interested in like the player's accomplishments, past and current. Personal information about the individual players is always interesting.I think this is very important and can add much to the commentary. Your suggestion above about remote commentators would work out well for this.
And finally:
What improvements to Live Streaming would you like to see?Speaking for myself only, I want to add multiple cameras and have the ability to switch from one to the others, to have better on screen graphics (players name scores, sponsor logos etc.) and I am very close to having that. I would like to have one of those cameras as an overhead view, the problem is that in most venues the ceiling is too low or there is the normal over the table light that interferes. I would also like to upgrade to much better cameras but that cost is just too far out of reach at this time.
I see things on other streams that I think IMHO that could be done to make improvements at no cost in dollars and take very little time to correct. It just takes paying more attention to detail. I while however keep my mouth shut as I do not want to embarrass anyone. I would offer my humble opinions in private if any one cares to know.
JoeyA
