Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with podcasting

Can I publish transcripts of interviews from my podcast?

Ponderance — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:24:02 -0800

Would I run into legal problems if I published print versions of transcripts from the interviews done for my podcast? Hello, I know YANML. Actually I am a lawyer and this is not my area of expertise at all, actually I've come up with nothing trying to figure this out. Hopefully someone out there knows something that can point me in the right direction.

I am in the US.

I am the co-host of an arts related interview podcast. We have recorded many audio interviews which were then edited and posted online. All of our guests have been willing participants. We did not have any sort of release prepared, nor do we have anything from the guests in writing.

We are thinking of compiling the transcripts of these interviews in to a website archive and possibly a book. I can't see any reason a lack of a release from the interviewees is problematic, but that worries me, as that little nagging itch says, weeelllll maybe.

We would send an email to the guest and let them know we were doing this, but we do not intend to quash this material if asked.

I know numerous books of radio interviews have been published over the years, Terry Gross etc. and I can't imagine that all of the interviewees would have wanted their transcripts published.

So, if anyone knows what the state of the law is on this I'd appreciate the info.

Thanks!

What are the time requirements like for podcasting?

codacorolla — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:41:22 -0800

I work for an organization that wants to branch out into podcasting. I’m part of the team that’s drafting the proposal for main-administration, and my job is to come up with a possible schedule (including staff time involved) that’s required to plan, record, and edit each podcast. I was reading previous posts, and most of it deals with the technical and financial details (which are less of an issue for us because of our existing staff and materials). I did find a recommendation for podcasting for dummies, which I plan to get and skim as soon as possible.

The main concern seems to be how much staff time is involved. The staff that will make up the podcasting group has other projects that run simultaneously, so we want to be sure that we’re not stressing them too much (especially since I’m one of them!)

We plan to have the podcasts be 15 minutes long, and to have 2 of them per month. We're going to have 4 people on our team at first, and then branch out depending on the reception/difficulty.

We also plan on having a few months to make ~5 podcasts before we go live with the project to the public. This is mainly to give us a few episodes in reserve, so that we’re not stumbling over ourselves for content as we get used to the production process.

Here’s what I’m thinking so far in terms of scheduling:

1 Meeting per month, where we determine what podcasts we’ll be using for that month, and also brainstorm for content ~2 hours for everyone on the team

The staff member in charge of planning will coordinate with anyone that we need to interview, or any staff that’s contributing for this month’s production ~4 hours for the project coordinator, depending on the complexity

Recording, including setup. I figure that the best strategy is to record way, way more than we’re going to use to have a lot to work with in editing. ~5 hours for the interviewer and the tech team

Editing. We have one staff member who has volunteered for this, saying he has prior sound editing experience. ~5 hours for 1 staff member

Is this being too optimistic? Is there anything I’m forgetting? I want to paint a positive, yet still realistic picture for management, and I’ve never worked with podcasts before.

Irreverent and informative news podcast

brighton — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:10:32 -0800

Looking for the news equivalent of the "Football Weekly" podcast. Is there an audio podcast which does for current affairs what Football Weekly does for football?

If you listen to Football Weekly I hope you'll know what I mean. If you don't the main requirements are that it discusses the news in a fairly irreverent way, but is well informed. Covers all the main stories, and the hosts are allowed opinions of their own. It isn't a "comedy" podcast as such, but the personalities of the presenters will mean it does raise a smile. If it had a political bias in any direction, that would be fine. It would be great if it was UK-centric, but world news would be ok (US-centric would not). Ideally it would last about an hour twice a week.

What I'm not after (if it helps): The News Quiz, Have I Got News For You, The Daily Show.

Want to trade ads for ads

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:08:28 -0800

Help me plan a mutually beneficial, strategic partnership with a sponsor for my podcast. Details within. I'll try to keep this short and break my info into sections. I apologize on being vague but due to some competition I have I need to not tip my peers to my idea. And I feel some background is relevant for my company.

Podcast history

I have three podcasts that are what most deem "moderately successful". They range in age from one to four years of regular broadcast. Two get about 2,500 COMPLETE downloads (judged by measuring KB, not counting just hits/requests) per show in the first few weeks of release (usually topping out around 6,000 to 10,000 after a year of release), and the third gets 3,500 in the first year, topping out at the higher end of that same range. All of our podcasts are released on a weekly basis, so on average 4 shows a month.

Thus far I have been focusing not on advertising and sponsorships but on growing our audience so we would truly have something worth showing sponsors/advertisors. My research shows that a 30 second ad on a podcast runs anywhere from 3 to 5 cents per listener, so theoretically I could charge $125 for a 30 second ad on any of those shows (now if I would get that is another matter...). Premiums are charged, from what I've seen, for "before the show" ads (i.e. the first sounds on the show being "This show is brought to you by..." etc).

I now feel we have a history but I still want to grow the audience more, especially on our four year old "flagship" show. But as we are using over a terrabyte of bandwidth each month and 160GB of disk space, server costs are getting a bit high and I'd like to offset those with SOME income.

Note that for the next few sections I'm only talking about our Flagship podcast, Podcast 1.

Company history

We incorporated a few years back when we were approached, based off the work we'd done on our independant podcasts, to do a corporate podcast. This paid well and paid all our comapny's bills for quite a while. Unfortunately the company ran into cash problems, and is now out of business.

Growing my audience

As mentioned before the niche I service is very competitive and I am not the number one show, I am number 3.

There is a magazine, Magazine A, that targets the specific niche audience I do, and I approached Magazine A regarding placing an ad. While we currently have no income, I thought pushing ourselves to #1 would greatly increase our ability to get the ad rates mentioned above. However the magazine charges $5,000 for a full page ad, $3,000 for a half page (discounts for multiple purchases). This is far beyond our range at this point as we have no income.

A Previous Advertisor

In the past we did charge a modest amount for web ads, etc. Our best sponsor was Company X, a company directly related to our subject matter for Podcast 1, who paid us under $100 per month for a weekly mention on the show plus an ad on our home page. The monthly payments changed with a web site redesign and we currently have no regular sponsors or advertisors however Company X seems interested in doing more advertising in the future.

Company X seems to have a very large ad budget, as they regularly run half page and full page ads in Magazine A. However they do NOT sponsor the #1 Podcast in our niche as it is not AS directly related to his business as our podcast is.

Future revenue hopes

Given that I am at the point where our company needs to start earning, I was looking at August to begin looking broadly for advertisors, perhaps at $0.025 (2.5 cents) per listener for a 30 second ad, 4 cents for a minute, etc. with various discounts for multiple purchases, and additional charges for before-the-show ads, etc.

But I had thought about approaching companies to be our "official sponsor" for a period of time. Initially, given the rates above, I had hoped that we might get as much as $1000 or more a month per podcast for sponsorship (4 shows a month, this breaks down to only $250 per show. Given the rates I've seen for 30 second ads, for several minutes of ad space with no competition, $1,000 seemed like it might be a rate companies would go for, and discounts would apply for multi-month agreements, and it guarantees them 10,000 listens per month).

Current thought

However, again, especially in this economy, getting companies to open up their checkbooks, especially for four figures a month, for podcasts (which unfortunately are still seen as "new" and "unproven" for ads) seems daring, especially since Podcast 1 is only number 3 in its niche.

So I had thought about approaching Company X for a bit of a partnership. They have, as mentioned before, a large ad budget, and place regular ads in the magazine I want our company to be in.

I had thought about asking them to do a partnership for perhaps 4 months, and during that time they woudl be our official "sponsor" with the benefits listed above (only advertisor, before show and mid-show spot, etc). In exchange I would ask to be featured in their print ads as well as on their web site. I had also thought about asking for a cost-offsetting stipend of perhaps $500 for all four months.

The question

Is what I'm asking for fair? Feasible? Reasonable? Is the cost-offsetting stipend too much given that what I really want is to be a blurb in his print ad to grow our audience so hopefully, at the end of the 4 month period, we can get far more (hopefully closer to the $1k per month per podcast)?

Should I add in Podcast 2 and Podcast 3, which have good download numbers, are not generating any revenue at present, and are somewhat related to Company X's business, but not quite as directly as Podcast 1?

I've never done ad sales, I'm a producer and this area is new to me. So I would appreciate any and all advice on how to monetize the download numbers we are getting.

Thanks MeFites!

Help me be heard! ( Podcast style )

thankyoumuchly — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:18:19 -0800

Is there an application that will automatically take my ready-to-publish podcasts from my local PC, and upload them to a website and publish their links to an RSS feed? I've searched Askmefi for Podcasting advice, and found many tutorials and how-to's for recording and mixing my podcasts, but nothing that specifically says "drop your finished podcast files in your "My Music" folder on your local PC and this application will upload them to a website and publish them to an RSS feed for you".

Can anyone help? I'm very technical with audio recording equipment but the publishing / RSS feeding is greek to me. Help me be heard!

Thank you in advance!

-TM

p.s. - Free applications are preferable, but I'll take what I can get so long as the world can hear my voice :)

Whither amateur podcasting?

iamisaid — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:16:20 -0800

I'm a brand new amateur podcaster. However, it seems like I may be a little late to the game. Most podcasting forums/communities seem dead or full of spam, and many of the early podcasters seem to have given up on podcasting entirely. Is this indicative of anything about the current state of amateur podcasting, and where do said podcasters go to hang out and share advice these days?

Podcasting software

tdreyer — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:42:02 -0800

Looking for website software to host podcasts & generate an XML feed to sent to iTunes. I've got the site, space, and bandwidth; now I just need software to organize the podcasts (audio) and generate an XML feed to submit to iTunes. Any suggestions for good software or tools to do this will be appreciated.

What's the best (cheap) setup to do on-site podcasting?

HostBryan — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:45:51 -0800

What's the best solution for my podcasting situation? I've checked the other podcasting questions on AskMeFi, and I haven't found quite what I'm looking for, so here's my situation:

I started off doing my podcast on the campus radio station, then recently moved to a podcast-only format. We've been using Skype since our crew is now dispersed around the country, and that works well. Thing is, a local business wants to do more promotional stuff with the podcast and wants us to do live-to-tape shows on location store during big events. We've done one already that was sort of cobbled together and it was OK, but I'd like to have my own setup tailored especially to my needs.

Basically, I'm looking for a good mixer and microphone to record directly to my computer. Here are the stipulations:

1. I'm running a 2007 Macbook Pro. It's a great computer but has no mic preamp built in, which makes a lot of un-powered mixers useless.
2. I want a mixer that preferably has 3 or 4 mic inputs. I can live with two, though.
3. I don't have a preference between USB and line-in mixers, but I would like a traditional board setup.
4. I'm recording voice only. No music.
5. I would prefer this to be on the inexpensive side. Preferably sub-$200, since I make no money on this podcast and I am but a poor grad student.
6. Something that works with Garage Band or Audacity would be preferable.
7. I'm not adverse to flash/other media recorders, but I still want a good mic input.

If you feel this question has been answered well in another thread, don't hesitate to point me towards that thread. Otherwise, I kneel prostrate before you, oh great hive mind.

Will a publicist help me reach for the stars?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:13:54 -0800

Would hiring a publicist help me to transform my podcasting and entertainment work into a full time gig? If so, how would I find one? (I realize it's ironic for an anonymous person to be asking about publicists but if the answer is a resounding negative I don't want to be ridiculed by my peers for floating the idea).

I am a producer and host of several podcasts with downloads that average around 200,000 per month cumulative and have for well over a year now. I started several years back and my podcasts have been spotlighted by a popular cable network show. I travel literally coast to coast regularly for the podcasts every year. I have a staff of 9 people, counting myself, working on these shows in various capacities from hosting talent to web design.

However while very time consuming my podcasts are still very much a hobby. The monitization is not there at the moment with the economy. I did do consulting for a company, producing their official podcast for one year and they were very happy with my work. Though the company is no longer in business I am still in close contact with many of those who hired me.

With the consulting gone and the economy of web based advertising minimal, I am looking to take the experience I have podcasting to the next level, be it working again on professional podcasts, producing some other type of shows (radio, etc.), or even using the reporting experience I've gained with five years of doing this to somehow work for another company.

During these five years podcasting I have made some connections in Entertainment, though the closest connections are people in the low to medium range of Hollywood and Entertainment power, not really able to directly secure me a position.

So I am stuck trying to figure out how to "take it to the next level" and make it so I can truly make the type of work I have a passion for my career.

I had a thought recently that perhaps it might behoove me to hire a publicist to help increase the visibility of me and my work. My thinking is the more "notable" my online work becomes, perhaps the more it may translate to other gigs like those mentioned above. I have tried doing my own PR, sending press releases to outlets for major events happening on my shows, etc. but I thought a professional publicist might have more connections and more experience about how to position and promote these shows.

Again, I want to stress, the focus of the promotion is not necessarily to increase the downloads of those shows, the end goal is to somehow transition to being hired to do what I do versus doing it for free for myself.

Is this the type of thing a publicist would do? Would a publicist take on a client of my moderate notice, or do they limit themselves to higher-wattage clients?

All advice appreciated.

High quality video capture device for Youtube?

brenton — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:24:23 -0800

What webcam or camcorder should I buy for my videocast?

I may run it as a youtube channel or as a vlog, but I want it to look and sound as good as possible. I intend to edit each episode with some yet to be determined video editing software and I am 90% sure I will be buying the Samson C01U microphone (possibly the whole podcasting pak).

Now I need a video recorder to match! There seems to be consensus that the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 is one of the best webcams. However, I am wondering if I would get better image quality if I left the high-end webcam world and entered into the low-end camcorder world. A webcam would obviously be the most convenient since it plugs directly into the computer, doesn't need batteries, doesn't need media, etc...

What should I get to go with my microphone that will give a good balance of quality in the $100 range?

To podcast or not to podcast?

frosty_hut — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:22:33 -0800

How to persuade a local radio arts and music station that they should podcast? I'm a newbie at a radio station. I host a music channel that's one of a couple of others the station offers online. So it's available on HD and also from their web site.

The host of one of the other online channels, Alexa, offers interviews with artists and local mover-shakers. From what I can tell, the managers would like the channel to take off but it's been slow going.

We recently heard from a listener who said she loved the idea of an arts conversation channel, and was particularly interested in an interview with a certain artist. She knew the interview was in that audio somewhere, but she didn't have time to listen to the channel for hours in order to find it. Meanwhile, there was no information on the main web site regarding what time the interview would be playing on the air (or online), so she became discouraged and didn't want to keep listening.

I thought this looked like a huge red flag. Currently there is no web content at all associated with the interview channel--it's just a clickable link, with no clue to content, times of interviews or music, etc. This is an on online channel, but there's no information about it online. It seems to me that podcasting would help enormously. A list of labeled links with the names of the artists would be easy to produce. And podcasts aren't brain surgery. People expect content on demand, they're familiar with the technology, and it's just a no brainer.

So I typed out a simple email in response to the listener's question, and asked everyone: If the listener can't find the interview, why not make it available as a podcast from the main web site?

Alexa replied with a lengthy defense of why Podcasts Are Bad. People will only stay for a minute if they see a podcast link, whereas she wants to draw people in for one thing, and keep them there for all the other stuff on the channel.

I can see why that's desirable, but I don't think podcasting would prevent that result. If a person who only wants the Hot Young Star interview leaves the site after listening to it, he wasn't going to stick around anyway. And in the meantime, you've still got your regular listeners who benefit from the added, easy to find content. Plus, you've added a hit to your page count. Once people who are searching for that famous person start finding our site, it can only swell page hits, which I know they're keeping track of.

I'm a newbie and a part-timer, and maybe Alexa thinks I'm a wet-behind-the-ears jerk. I still think this is a rational suggestion. Anyway, the fate of my own channel is at stake too. If everything we offer looks good to people, they're more likely to stick around long enough to click on my section of the site.

Any suggestions on how to spin this more effectively?

What solid, unusual podcasts deserve more exposure?

colinmarshall — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:43:44 -0800

What are some good, unusual podcasts that merit the attention of a high-profile review? I write the "Podthoughts" podcast review column for The Sound of Young America's website, and as such am equipped to endow a podcast kingmaker's imprimatur on any podcast that merits one. I'm always on the lookout for solid podcast entertainment that's off the beaten track, so I figured I'd take the question to MeFi. Any podcasts you listen to that you think merit a much wider listenership? (Note that this is NOT a guarantee that I'll review the podcast you mention — though its chances can only go up — and it especially isn't a guarantee of an positive review.)

I must, with a heavy heart, temporarily forbid the suggestion of podcasts that revolve around these things, for I have grown so very weary of them:

- Comedy
- Video games
- Comics
- Movies
- Twentysomething guys in basements

The less-known, the better.

Podcasting question

notned — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:26:48 -0800

Podcasting - where to put them? I am starting a podcast and the push that got me going was a sponsored website to put them on. After I got started I saw the 50 meg limit. It's going to fill too fast. Recommendations? What I'm thinking is that I need a free website for an archive. Also streaming seems to be an option but I don't really understand it. Would streaming help me?

Syncing podcasts to an iPod using two different computers

tapeguy — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:41:39 -0800

How can I sync podcasts to my iPod from my main PC and my laptop? I've a 5G iPod, which I manually manage using iTunes 8 on my main Windows XP PC. I've also got a brand new netbook laptop, which also runs Windows XP.

I'd like to be able to download podcasts whilst away from home using the laptop and sync them to my iPod, without wiping the rest of them (or my music) already on the player. Then, on my PC at home, be able to download and sync only 'new' shows that haven't already downloaded.

Would it be as simple as installing iTunes on the laptop and subscribing to the same shows in its podcast library? Some googling found this forum post, but there didn't seem to be a definitive answer.

Alternatively, is there a Winamp plugin that could achieve the same effect? Do the iPod management plugins for Winamp also manage podcasts? I'm not dead set on using iTunes to manage my iPod on my main PC, so being able to set up Winamp for a music library, podcasts and manual Ipod syncing on two computers would be ideal.

I would preferably like to be able to do this without installing iTunes on the laptop - which doesn't have enough disk space to hold my entire music library.

Google hasn't been much help, although it did bring up this previous - though crucially different - Ask Mefi question.

FairUse in iTunesU

gzimmer — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:47:23 -0800

FairUse: I work for a major public state university doing video podcasts for distribution over iTunesU. I've looked up many articles about fair use, but I'm never quite sure where I stand. The basic tenant of the fair use clause as I've read is that the more widespread and freely available the work the less 'fair' it is. So it that regards, online distribution is about as widespread as it goes. However, because this is all non-profit, educational, state-funded, university work in the end, it seems my usage is what the law was made for.

I've been using as much "free stock photos" as I can find and have flickr's creative commons on my shortlist. I'm currently only using photos as Ken Burns effect type B-roll over boring interviews to spice them up. (I believe this makes the end podcast a derivative work, limiting my CreativeCommons options some)

My question is: What kind of pictures can I just use 'fair use' over, unsourced images from google? flickr trademarked? DerivativeWork Commons? Newpaper articles?

Also, what would attribution look like on any of these?

It's late where I am, and I need to study, so I'll clarify more later...

Getting great quality from a Skype recording.

jbickers — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:04:39 -0800

How do I get the best audio quality out of Skype, specifically for recording? I really want to dip into using Skype for podcasting interviews, but the results I've been getting so far are all over the map.

First and foremost, most of the time I'll be calling people who don't have Skype, so it'll be me Skyping into their landline.

I've done this about a half-dozen times (using Pamela Call Recorder), and I'm consistently frustrated by the results. If the call sounds good in my headphones, then one party is inaudibly quiet in the final file. I've putzed around with the sliders, and nothing seems to be predictable - one time it's a little better, next time it's atrocious.

What I'd love is some way to actually watch/monitor/tweak both party's levels while in the middle of a call. Is there a plugin that does this?

Any other general tips on getting great audio recordings from a Skype conversation? Any must-have plugins?

Podcasting Equipment

mpls2 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:31:02 -0800

Podcasting questions Yeah, there's a lot of how-to guides for podcasting out there, but it's scattered all over and confusing my ADD brain. Can someone tell me why I might want the following things, and what I should look for when buying them? (suggestions are also great)

Mic - yeah, I know I'll need one of these
Pre-amp
mixer
compressor
audio interface
digital recorder (? I've heard that it's good to record externally to spare your computer the burden of recording while its busy doing other things)

Do pros usually use more than one computer when creating a podcast? FYI, I have a MacBook pro, and will probably be getting a new iMac in the near future.

Thanks!

Podcast pointers and primers, please.

NikitaNikita — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:08:35 -0800

Podcast pointers and primers, please. Can you recommend a good "primer" for starting a podcast? This podcast in particular that I have in mind will consist mostly of interviews, and just a little bit of buffer music.

And/or: can you give me your tips for the beginner's guide to podcasting? For example, what gear should I have? What software for editing and voice equalization?

More background details: The interviews will take place over the phone (I already have a quicktap for this), as well as in person/at conferences. So, in the latter cases, recorder-portability is an issue. I have access to both PCs and Macs, so software can be for either. In terms of budget, I'd like to spend enough to have this sound professional and pleasantly listenable (no hissing, no wild sound variations between speakers) but I'd like to be frugal when possible, since I work for a non-profit.

Thanks!

Recording in the bar, stupid or just awesome?

The Man from Lardfork — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:29:16 -0800

So my buddy and I are starting a podcast. The catch? I want to record it at the bar. We’ve got editing the audio well in hand. Content, organization, and hosting are all figured out already too. What we need some help with is logistics and recording equipment for bar noise. So I’ve got two questions, or rather, several questions in two headings:

One- one way or another we’re going to need some gear. We may not end up recording in the bar, but we’re podcasting either way. I’ve got an EEE pc 4G Surf that I expect will work just fine, but the built-in microphone sucks, especially with bar background noise. What kind of USB mics are out there that will minimize background noise and make bar recording pretty easy? Can they be had on a tight budget? Also, what do we need to consider when recording other than simply a pair of good microphones and a machine to do the recording?

Two- is recording in a bar a stupid idea? It’s a great little bar and brewery with a good mix of nerds, hippies and old guys with beards. If we record on a Sunday afternoon the only noise is the background music and the guys playing pool in the back. There’s not too many people to come tell us we look like dorks. It’s rare to meet an over-friendly drunk who wants to interrupt a conversation, but not unheard of. Interruptions from patrons, troublesome recording and looking like dorks are my partner’s biggest worries, but I figure we look like dorks every day so I’m not too concerned about that part. Is it worth the trouble?

What rights do you give up when you podcast your own short story or novel?

korej — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:39:33 -0800

From what I've been hearing, most publishers would possibly no longer be interested in a piece that had already been podcast, but would like to know what specific rights are lost. I understand, as per here, that releasing a series of stories, or a novel, (either chapter by chapter, or all at once) on a blog or website, even my own site, means that First Electronic Rights have been used, but First Print Rights are still available. Is this correct?

if so - heck, even if not so - what does podcasting stories do?
Does that mean they're not "unpublished" - but does podcasting use up the subsidiary rights? audio rights? or is that something different? any thoughts at all are greatly appreciated!

How do I advertise my niche Podcast?

Del Far — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:17:43 -0800

Whats the best way to advertise and get the word out on my very niche comedy news/talkshow podcast so that it winds up being listened to by the right audience of interested people? I've currently done about 6 episodes. From my Talkshoe host I know that I've had around 47 people download my last podcast, since I recorded it in Febuary. I've posted links and updates about it on Improv forums like Improv Resource Center and Yesand.com but it obviously doesn't bring in that many listeners. I would definitely like a larger audience and I would like much more interaction between me and my listeners, I've only received about 2 emails from listeners and that was waaay back around my first and second episode.

Podcasting and Paying Royalties

zzazazz — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:18:14 -0800

I do a little podcast that about ten people listen to. I just play a few songs and do intros for them. What I want to know is how do I find out if I am required to pay anybody to use their songs. Should I bother or just depend on being so small time that I don't have to worry about it? Also, what's a good piece of software for mixing my between song patter and my music? Right now I am using the software that comes with Nero.

Presentation Podcast Capture?

Alterscape — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:34:19 -0800

How can I record video of a powerpoint/impress/etc slideshow in a format suitable for inclusion in a video podcast? Presenters use their own laptops and I have access only to a vga cable carrying the image, so screencapture tools are not a preferable option. I'm working on setting up the supporting technologies to enable my university department to podcast a lecture series. The speakers often present slides, video, etc from their own laptops using a variety of presentation tools. We provide a VGA connection to an LCD projector. I am not able to ask that they present from one of our machines because of the variety of output software they use, or install software on their machines. I would like to capture what's displayed on the projector to intercut with images of the speaker at the podium. Direct-to-disk capture is preferable to something that requires taping and later capturing the tape to disk.

We're capturing video and audio of the presenter from a production-grade DV camera direct to disk on a Powermac G5 already.

Any thoughts on hardware/software solutions to enable this?

Video Editing on XP (Not Windows Movie Maker!)

jjsonp — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:13:23 -0800

Best Video-Editing Software for Windows XP? My wife is engaged in editing some audio/video files. She's pretty well versed in the GIMP for photo-editing and has been very frustrated using Windows MovieMaker thus far.

Here's how she describes what she's trying to do: "
I want software that will allow me to edit video from various sources, make slide shows and edit audio for podcasts. I'd like it to be easy to use, contain tools to make credits and captions, and give my work a professional feel. It also needs to produce a product that is compatible with upload requirements on you tube etc. " By 'sources' she means DVD VOB files, MOV files, AVI, etc. No HD support is required at this point.

Is there some open source analog to GIMP for video editing? And what are comparable commercial packages? I see that Pinnacle Studio 11 is popular; we wouldn't want to pay more than say $200 (so Adobe Premiere is out of the question). There's also Ulead. Here's a list of the top-sellers on Amazon...I would appreciate recommendations from anyone familiar with multiple packages.

Last resort is to buy a Mac and use iMovie;).

Sounds at the touch of a button

CXImran — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:19:06 -0800

Are there any free programs that allow me to hotkey audio clips to keys on my keyboard? So I'm trying out this whole internet radio thing, but one of the key features that I've wanted is to be able to key sound clips so I can easily access them. Sort of like what a flash "sound board" would have but with the keys mapped to keyboard commands.

To illustrate it even further, let's say I had a train whistle sound that I wanted to play during a certain segment. I want to be able to just hit "F1" and have the sound play. It would be good if it didn't leave a window open as well.