Roland Tanglao's Weblog

Flickr finally added video today.Yay! Only 90 seconds and 150MB per video (and requires a pro account to upload videos) but you can tag, geo-tag, add videos to sets and use the flickr privacy system (and there will be a video upload API, yes!). Other than taking videos at conferences and events like DemoCamp and Mobile Monday, I really use video for family stuff which is on my private family flickr account (for those of you who care about my public flickr account, don't worry, i will soon have many videos of me bicycling through Vancouver :-)  to join my 36000 and counting photos!). So having flickr support video will be a great way to share videos via flickr's guess pass to my non-flickr-using family. Now if only you had access to the original video, flickr video would be complete! Feature request to the ShoZu folks: support upload to flickr once the API comes out and support the full 150MB over 3G and WiFi!

The current alpha (so fix it please ASAP :-) ) version of Qik hangs forever if the WiFi Access point you have configured is not available. Here's the steps to reproduce this:

1. Configure Qik to access a WiFi access point e.g. "Raincity Studios"
2. Walk out of range of the WiFi Access point
3. Start Qik
4. Voila! It hangs forever

Other than this bug, I am pretty happy with Qik. It's a great service.

The above photo shows my "bicyclecast" setup (Gorillapod + N95 + DT-22 Tripod Adapter + my bicycle). It worked for only 6 minutes of my 30 minute commute to work (bug? limited buffering capacity? EDGE too slow?). And was fun. The GorillaPod doesn't keep the camera too snug on the bike but it's low budget, cheap and cheerful. Someday I'll have the money to buy a proper bike tripod camera mount like the pros use for Tour de France videos!

Check it out: qik.com/video/13888 recorded live from my bicycle (the hardest part was fastening the tripod and the phone onto the bike, music courtesy of my N81 Musicphone)

Aaargh, it turnes out (thanks to Forum Nokia people for responding to my query!) that I can't record video from S60 Python on an N93 (see my earlier S60 video python post) without installing a MultimediaDD certificate which for some reason (bug?) is not present on an N93. Please Nokia update the N93 firmware to include he Multimedia DD certificate !

Questions:

1. Since it's extremely unlikely there will be further N93 firmware updates, how do I install a Multimedia DD certificate on my N93?
   
2. How do I get camera.start_record() to record 640x480 video on an N95? Is there some size parameter I need to specify in order to record at 640x480 resolution? There is nothing in the docs about a parameter that specifies the video resolution

I tried to record a video using the new video APIs in S60 Python 1.4.1 but I can't get it to work. My code (inspired by instaflickr code from the S60 Python Book Sample code) runs but the red light doesn't come on on my N93 and nothing is recorded. I am guessing (Forum Nokia post, SourceForge Bug Report) I have an error in camera.start_record() in the following code (which is also attached):

import appuifw

import e32, key_codes, os, os.path, camera, graphics

def cb(im):

  try:

    canvas.blit(im)

  except:

    appuifw.note(u'cb')

def cb2(im, blah):

  try:

    x = 1

  except:

    appuifw.note(u'cb2')

def start_viewfinder():

  camera.start_finder(cb)

  camera.start_record('E:\\Python\\whatever.mp4', cb2 )

  canvas = appuifw.Canvas()

  appuifw.app.body = canvas

  start_viewfinder()

  e32.ao_sleep(30) # record video for 30 seconds

  camera.stop_record()

  camera.stop_finder()

If anybody can help, please email roland AT rolandtanglao.com, call +1 604 729 7924, skype: rtanglao or Jabber: roland@bryght.com

Yay! Go my hello world program to work and finally got the OS X Bluetooth console to work. The trick is to:

ls -l /dev

and use the last tty for the screen command

e.g. if the last modified tty is tty.bt_console6

then you have to do screen /dev/tty.bt_console6

Now on to to create a program to create video in ego blogging mode (i.e. with screen facing you) using the high res camera.

I can't get the following code to work:

and I can't get the Nokia camera.py from Nokia's python sample code wiki page to work, help!

video.ca's flash video transcoding of my Drupal 5 logo screencast (see below!) seems pretty legible too. Again as per my previous brightcove versus blip.tv versus google video versus YouTube informal shootout, I can't use video.ca as my default video service because there's no Creative Commons licensing option. Yes, I am pretty dogmatic about that. I believe in creating a digital commons which is not of concern (alas :-) ! ) to most people.

YouTube Mobile Uploading doesn't work in Canada, *sigh*. Well at least it doesn't work with Fido (in my experiments anyway. I'd love to be proven wrong) since Fido MMS can only handle 300K and most videos are at least 1MB.

Supporting MMS is ridiculous, YouTube! Nobody uses MMS in North America (well at least no adults, youths and crazy Web 2.0 people that I know). Please support video upload using email like the fantastic blip.tv does!

FROM TechCrunch » YouTube Mobile Uploading:

QUOTE

YouTube announced a new feature today that allows uploading of videos from a mobile device that supports Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). Users need to create a moblie profile before uploading videos. Sign up here.

I use my camera phone to upload pictures directly to Flickr all the time (yesterday’s banana-yellow ridiculous rental car, for example). If my phone had the ability to create video, I’d be using this for YouTube all the time, too.

END QUOTE

Actually, Ethan, "MySpace Killer" is not the new black it's the new "Flickr of..." :-) ! Remember the good 'ole days last year when everything was the flickr of something? e.g. the flickr of video (which still doesn't exist IMHO) !

From TechCrunch » AOL To Launch “Myspace Killer”.:

QUOTE

TechCrunch » AOL To Launch “Myspace Killer” being a myspace killer is the new black it seems.

END QUOTE

UPDATE: The rocketboom folks sent me an email. The folks looking for actors below are NOT associated with rocketboom. The more the merrier we say. Please make your ad more clear next time!

[Cross posted from rolandtanglao.com]

Go Rocketboom go! I nominate Debbie (check out my cheesy video with Debbie which shows her potential. I am sure it would be trivial to kick it up a notch and produce a killer demo reel) and Sarah (check out her awesome work at Geek Entertainment television) to co-anchor.

From Call For Actors.:

QUOTE

If you are looking for an excellent opportunity to gain on-camera experience along with high profile exposure, read on...

A new video podcasting site will commence reporting about events and activities in Vancouver!

If you are unfamiliar with the broadcast capability of podcasting, please visit:

www.rocketboom.com

Rocketboom is a New York based daily video podcasting show which features arts and technology stories.

UNQUOTE

QUOTE

The host, Amanada Congdon, has used the high visibility of her daily broadcast to over 100,000 people per day, to launch her acting career. She has since appeared on television shows such as CSI.

Our site will feature a daily 2 minute segment featuring the best of cultural and social events and activities in Vancouver.

The purpose of this site is to provide one place for Vancouverites and visitors to gain a window into the world of many of the great things happening in Vancouver through video.

If you are interested in experiencing the exposure and on-camera opportunities provided, please:

1. submit by E-mail a 30 second video clip of yourself presenting on a hypothetical or real event or activity in Vancouver. Simply use a digital camera in video mode to record your audition.

2. e-mail the 30 second clip to: vblog_auditions@hotmail.com

Please ensure:

1. the subject (your head) occupies the majority of the frame,

2. that the image is sufficiently lit (that you can be seen clearly), and

3. that the sound is clearly audible.

You may be have the greatest personality and present well, but if we can't
see or hear you well, your audition video cannot be considered.

Deadline for entries: April 8, 2006.

UNQUOTE