OTTCONversations: Sam Blackman, Elemental Technologies - The 2012 Summer Olympics Go OTT

As the world tunes in to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, more than 20,000 broadcasters aim to reach a potential global audience of 4 billion viewers with more than 4,000 hours of coverage. According to Sam Blackman, CEO and Co-founder of Portland Oregon-based Elemental Technologies, this year the Olympics are going over-the-top (OTT) and his company is serving up Olympic streams on a global scale with some of the biggest names in broadcast and media entertainment, including, the BBC in the UK, Terra in Latin America, Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium and Eurosport. The company is also supporting customers in the US and Japan. Elemental estimates that its multi-screen video processing deployments in 70 countries will help its broadcast customers reach upwards of a billion viewers worldwide.

Elemental Technologies provides hardware and software solutions for adaptive multi-screen video processing. Elemental Live is a linear encoder that takes live streams in and creates multi-screen outputs for live distribution, and Elemental Server is a file-based server that creates multi-screen outputs for live distribution. Blackman says that many of its customers use these solutions for large-scale sports video streaming. See my 2010 interview with Blackman from Streaming Media East, where he also demonstrated Elemental Live and Elemental Server (Larry Kless' Weblog: Elemental Delivers GPU-Accelerated Video Streaming Solutions)



I spoke with Blackman earlier this year at the Over-the-Top Conference, OOTTCON 2012, where he discussed, The Olympics Go OTT: Lessons Learned from the last 12 months in sports video streaming. Blackman says that total available TV audience for the Olympics has grown from 3.9B in 2004 to 4.7B in 2008, and that it's by far the biggest global sports even. Not only has the number of viewers grown, so has the number hours of professionally-produced live video content. Consumers want to watch the Olympics on all of their screens, and this year a record number of viewers all around the globe will watch live and video on-demand (VOD) content on TV, PCs, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and other connected devices.

“When we began the intense evaluation process for streaming of the Olympic Games more than a year ago, Elemental had little idea of just how broadly we’d be adopted on a global scale,” says Blackman.

In this video, Blackman summarizes five of the key lessons Elemental learned from working with the sports industry which it's put to use in delivering the 2012 Summer Olympics video stream.

Destination Divergence

You never know when the next iPad will hit, ...how quickly can you react?

The first key learning was around the divergence of output end-points. With its customer TF1, France's top TV channel and a leading media group in Europe, Elemental had to stream a very large event to multiple devices in Apple HLS and Flash, and set-top boxes in separate outputs for five ISPs across France, all with different packaging requirements.

"The key take-away from this sporting event," say Blackman, "was that to deliver effectively to this divergence of multi-screen devices, you absolutely have to have a software-based solution. Because only software is flexible enough to adapt to the rapidly changing multi-screen world."

Instant On-Demand

Content windows are collapsing to hour = 0, speed can be your differentiator.

The second key lesson was learned working with a company called deltatre, that powered all the highlight reels from recent the Rugby World Cup games. In this case, Elemental was taking highlights that DeltaTRE was creating and very quickly making as many as 20 multi-screen outputs for all its different highlights.

"The key here is that speed is critical," Blackman points out. "Fans want to see highlihgts of big plays as soon as possible, and having a highlight read for VOD, video on-demand consumption in two minutes, as opposed to 30 minutes is a huge difference in terms of how effectively DeltaTRE's customers were able to monetize that VOD asset. So speed of processing is very critical."

Going Global

The Olympics is a true global phenomena but every live event is now geo-agnostic.

The third lesson was learned working on a project with Brazilian-based Terra Networks which had the streaming rights for the 2011 Pan American games and was streaming to 17 different countries across Latin America. Terra was one of Elemental's early international deployments, and Elemental learned a lot about international deployments and requirements that are different internationally than domestically. In this case, multi-channel audio support was required and Elemental had to create many different audio channels and have them associated with a single video file, so that regardless of what of language is being put on top of that content, the end user could view the video and hear the audio in their own language.

The second key learning in working with Terra was around sub-titling and captioning of content, which are very different based on geography. Sub-titling and captioning requirements have changed dramatically over the past few years, and transitioning and translating between one captioning format and another is becoming more and more difficult.

"So being able to successfully translate captions across different end devices, screens and geographies is absolutely critical", stresses Blackman. "Having a solution that really has been through the wringer, in terms of international deployments is absolutely critical."

Personalized Playback

Content playback on the fans terms. just might put more fans in the seats.

The fourth key lesson was from Stanford University that deployed real-time wifi replay system where, if you are attending a Stanford football or basketball game, you can actually pull up a replay on either your iPad or mobile device, either a close call or great play. By leveraging Elemental Live which created an archive file in real-time, Stanford was able to make these on-demand highlights available instantaneously. So with in under a minute of the play occurring, fans could pull up that video clip on their mobile device.

"What this is a sign of," Blackman notes, "is a trend, that to make sure that venues and stadiums remain exciting events to attend when they're competing against really big screen televisions and fancy audio systems in living rooms. People are still going to want to go to the stadium because they get to watch the action live but they also get this personalized video replay system in their hands on their device. So as the fourth learning, and this is going to be important in more and more sporting venues moving forward."

Protocol Proliferation

Hope the DASH 'collapses the world', but be prepared in the event that it doesn't.

The final learning was from Eurosport, the Paris-based equivilent of ESPN for Europe, that is using Elemental for both live and VOD to 11 different countries.

"Here the key is that Eurosport is creating streams for devices as disparate as iOS devices (iPads, iPhones), Roku boxes, Apple TV, Flash Player on the PC and Android devices and then, Silverlight for Xbox 360 and other Microsoft applications," states Blackman. "They are creating 29 different outputs simultaneously, and having to manage the network requirements of all those outputs."

Blackman says that there's hope with MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP), an emerging video standard that they've been developing with several other companies in the space, that it will help reduce the number of outputs from 28 down to just a few different adaptive bit rate (ABR) outputs with standardized packaging. If that happens, it holds the promise that ‘collapses the world’ into a single video standard and the proliferation of formats will start to get reduced.

Elemental recently raised $13 million is a series C funding round, with an eye on global expansion, and the 2012 Olympic Games will be Elemental’s largest live deployment to date. See this this recent press release for on Elemental's multiscreen delivery of the Summer Games: Elemental Unveils Plans to Stream the 2012 Olympic Games with Leading Broadcasters Worldwide | Elemental Technologies.

About Elemental
Elemental Technologies is the leading supplier of video solutions for multiscreen content delivery. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company pioneered the use of graphics processors to power adaptive video streaming over IP networks. Providing unmatched solutions for top media and entertainment companies worldwide, including Comcast, Disney and HBO, Elemental helps content programmers and service providers bring video to any screen, anytime – all at once. The company has offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. To learn more, please visit www.elementaltechnologies.com and follow  @elementaltech on Twitter.

Related:

• Elemental Streams the Olympic Games with Broadcasters Worldwide | Elemental Technologies
• Elemental Will Process Olympic Video for Audience of 1 Billion - Streaming Media Magazine
• London 2012: The Biggest Online Video Event Ever - www.StreamingMediaGlobal.com
• Taking the Olympics online: How will online video perform? - FierceOnlineVideo
• Aiming For Global Expansion, Elemental Technologies Raises $13M In Round Led By Norwest | TechCrunch
• Elemental Technologies raises $13 million venture round, prepares global marketing push | OregonLive.com
• Elemental Sweeps Olympics Deals for Multiscreen Video Across Four Continents | Elemental Technologies

OTTCONversations: Roku CEO and founder, Anthony Wood

The future of television, as Roku Founder and CEO Anthony Wood sees it, is not as futuristic as you'd think, where we'll be able to watch every movie ever made, in any language, day or night. Wood says the future is getting close. I caught up with Wood earlier this year at the Over-the-Top Conference, OTTCON 2012, where he delivered a keynote, "Future of TV: Why OTT is a Game Changer." Well regarded as a pioneer and innovator in the TV and digital media industry, Wood has had an influential hand in shaping the future of television, as inventor of the digital video recorder (DVR) and the popular Roku streaming player. He discussed the different themes in what's going to happen to OTT over the next few years, and noted the skepticism around the OTT industry when the OTTCON started 3 years ago.



Distribution Models are Changing

Wood says the industry is maturing and distribution models are changing. Once a upon a time there were 3 networks, but OTT has changed all that.

"Over the top is really about distribution. It used to be television was distributed over networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, and then there was cable and VCRs, and satellite, now television is moving to the next phase, which is distribution over the Internet," says Wood. "And it's creating a lot of opportunities and risks for some of the incumbents, and a lot of opportunities to create new brands, like Netflix and Roku."

He uses a 1999 commercial by Qwest Communications, Qwest - Every Movie, to illustrate his point.

Description: "A tired man goes into a cheap motel in the middle of nowhere and asks about amenities. When he asks about entertainment, the girl responds "all rooms have every movie ever made in any language anytime, day or night." This Qwest ad aired in 1999 and 2000 and was before website such as YouTube or cable services such as OnDemand were available. It was shot at Roy's Motel and Cafe, a historic Route 66 landmark in Amboy, California, in 1999."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ9qcp6Lcno

As Content Increases, Usage Grows

Roku has sold more than 3 million boxes to date. Wood says sales of Roku boxes tripled in the last year as the demand for Netflix increased, and as traditional models of distribution like Blockbuster died and quickly faded away. He expects his company to sell 19 million Roku devices over the next 3 to 4 years. Wood also predicted the end of Blu-Ray in 4 years at the recent "TV of Tomorrow Show" in San Francisco last month, as the industry and consumer trend is shifting to streaming devices and smart TVs.

"But like all television, the most important thing is the content, the television show. If there's not a lot of great TV, people won't watch it."

Content is available on Roku through it's channel store. Netflix was the first channel available on Roku, and now the list has grown to over 500 channels with new ones going live every day.

"As we've added more content, the usage on our platform has grown as well. So, what used to be about 6 hours a week on average people used Roku has been growing consistently to 12 hours a week, and that's going to keep growing until we get to 35 hours a week, which is the average amount of TV people watch in the United States."

Wood described the emerging content packages available to consumers through OTT platforms. One category of content, OTT Bundles, are available from new brands like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, who have taken existing and back cataloged content and bundling it into new low cost packages over the Internet. There also new companies he calls, New Brands, like Glenn Beck TV, YouTube and Revision3, that are creating content just for OTT distribution where they don't have to go through a cable company. (Note: Revision3 was recently acquired by Discovery Communications and may create an even newer category of content bundles across all screens.) 

There's a third group of content that's just starting to come onto devices like Roku, and that's the incumbents like ESPN, Disney and HBO. As an example, the entire HBO catalog is available on Roku through authentication, or through a "TV Everywhere" subscription. Disney has recently signed a 10-year agreement with Comcast to bring ESPN to all it's platforms, but, when can we get ESPN without all the extras for $9.99/month? Wood, says, "Probably, never." Companies will try packages, prices will come down, but, everything is based on bundling, and will not be changing anytime soon.

OTT Platforms are Shifting

So, how are most people getting their OTT content?

Wood says that game consoles and PCs lead in streaming hours and that content owners attempt to be platform-agnostic to reach consumers. That's because there are so may game console out there. But the future trend is that game consoles will decline, and inexpensive Smart TVs and streaming players will be on the rise. As more and more of the general population gets into streaming, they're looking for simpler devices.

Wood notes that we'll continue to see rapid consolidation within the space as it continues to get more complicated to maintain all the R&D that goes into the streaming platform software. Everything under the hood is always in development, and will cause a shake out in the platforms. He predicts that there will be only a handful of players within 3 to 4 years.

Who Will be the First Virtual MSO?

Will it be Xfinity? Verizon FIOS? Direct TV? Intel? Wood says that there is some hesitancy in the industry to be the first, but we'll probably see one emerge later this year.

"I think another big question people have is, when will I be able to get that package of content and not have a subscription to my local cable service? Something the industry calls, Virtual MSO, and that's a good question" says Wood. "No one has said they're launching that kind of service, but  my guess is, I think maybe sometime this year that could happen."

The Virtual MSO (Multiple System Operator) model, or online cable company, and is based on the bundling of TV channels and delivering them to consumer over the Internet without any geographic restrictions that confine traditional cable operators. While there's been some skepticism in the media about the emergence of a Virtual MSO, Boxee CEO Avner Ronen, shared Wood's his prediction that a Virtual MSO shall rise later this year.

The Future of Television is a Squiggly Mess

In the final slide of his keynote presentation, Wood uses a simple graphic to describe the present, future and end state of television, which he defines the current state as a squiggled mess. He says the future of television is coming faster than you think.






Wood pointed out that a lot of industries have been revolutionized by the Internet, for example, music, books and e-Commerce. But video took a little bit longer because bandwidth requirements are higher.

"But now we're at that point where video distribution over the Internet is a real possibility, and it's happening mainstream," says Wood. "So, now we're in this squiggly mess part where there's a lot of stuff happening, a lot of different things being tested, but over the next 4 years there's going to be some big milestones. I think Netflix will pass 50 million customers. We'll see fairly soon, the launch of the first virtual MSO, over-the-top cable package. Most TVs will start getting their content delivered over streaming over the Internet instead of a cable or satellite box. All these things are going to happen over the next 4 years and what comes out of this is the new world, where all TV is delivered over the Internet and every TV show ever made is available on demand, and customers have an incredible amount of choice and options with their TV viewing."

Why OTT is a Game Changer

Wood says that most of the industry incumbents are embracing the change and seeing more value in getting their content on more devices and more places inside and outside the home. They've seen what's happened in other industries and they don't that to happen to them.

"The industry as a whole is very engaged and I really don't see any major obstacles. I think this is happening now."

Wood says, “Roku is about being an open platform," and that future development of will be focused on further enhancing the user interface and creating upgradable devices like the new Roku streaming stick unveiled earlier year, which is a small USB flash drive-sized Roku streaming player that simply plugs into a TV equipped with a Mobile High-Definition Link-enabled HDMI port to transform it into a Smart TV. The company has not been caught in the latest Internet IPO craze and continues to expand into new markets, launching earlier this year in the U.K. and Ireland and in Canada and signing a deal with DISH Network to bring more than 50 international programming channels to the platform. The 150-employee company did about $100 million in sales last year, up from $46 million in 2011. But it has yet to turn a profit, due to huge investments in product development and marketing. But Wood says the company will probably be profitable in 2013.

About Anthony Wood

A pioneer and innovator in TV and digital media, Anthony Wood is the Founder and CEO of Roku, a name that means “six” in Japanese to represent his sixth company. In the early days of Roku, Anthony also served as the vice president of Internet TV at Netflix, where he developed what is known today as the Roku streaming player, originally designed as the original video player for Netflix.  Prior to Roku, Anthony invented the digital video recorder (DVR) and founded ReplayTV, where he served as President and CEO before the company's acquisition and subsequent sale to DirecTV. Before ReplayTV, Anthony was Founder and CEO of iband, Inc., an Internet software company sold to Macromedia in 1996. The code base developed by Anthony at iBand became a central part of the original core code of Macromedia now known as Adobe Dreamweaver. After selling iBand, Anthony became the vice president of Internet Authoring at Macromedia. Earlier in his career, Anthony was Founder and CEO of SunRize Industries, a supplier of hardware and software tools for non-linear audio recording and editing. Anthony holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University.

About  Roku  Inc.  

Roku is a leading streaming  platform. Delivering entertainment to millions of customers in the U.S. and in a growing number of countries around the world, Roku streaming players are affordable, are  easy to use, and feature  the  best selection of streaming entertainment. Channels on Roku vary by region and include Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Crackle,  Hulu  Plus,  HBO  GO,  MLB.TV, Pandora,  Facebook, Disney, Angry Birds and many more. Based in Saratoga, Calif., Roku was  founded by Anthony  Wood,  inventor of  the DVR. For more information, visit www.roku.com and follow Roku Player on Twitter and Facebook

Related:

• Anthony Wood: How Roku Prospers In An Apple-Google TV Invasion - Forbes
• How Roku is kicking the cable industry’s butt & where it’s going next [exclusive] | VentureBeat
• Roku is in a sweet spot in shifting TV land - Therese Poletti's Tech Tales - MarketWatch
• Roku pins TV's future on Internet streaming - SFGate
• Roku CEO: Blu-ray will be finished in 4 years — Online Video News
• Six Questions: Roku Founder/CEO Anthony Wood | Home Media Magazine
• How Roku Wants To Beat Apple By Treating Your TV Like A Smartphone - Business Insider
• Roku Explains the Growing Threat to Cable and Satellite - Streaming Media Magazine
• Light Reading Cable - IP & Convergence - A Virtual MSO Shall Rise, Boxee CEO Says - Telecom News Analysis

Calling All Online Video Bloggers!

For those of you who have followed this blog you've probably noticed that things have slowed here bit over the last year, due in part to my busy work schedule. But while things have slowed down here on Klessblog, it's been picking up on my other site, Online Video Publishing [dot] com, with a number of new posts by guest bloggers. I've been running Online Video Publishing [dot] com, as a companion site to my blog, and over the last few years it's become a resource for sharing strategies, best practices, news, tips and how to's for online video publishers.

So why am I spending time on my other site instead of producing new content here on this blog? Well, as a matter of fact, all the most recent articles on Online Video Publishing [dot] com have been written by guest authors. So, I've written this post as an open invitation to any guest blogger who would like to contribute an article or series to Online Video Publishing [dot] com.

The articles on the site are all focused on video publishing for multi-screen platforms. In the most recent post, Peter Smith provides some practical tips on How to start your own Videography Business. He says, one of the first things you have to consider when thinking about starting your own videography business, "is whether or not you are suited to owning your own business. As difficult as it may be to hear the truth is not everyone is capable of being in business for themselves. It takes discipline and dedication and owning a decent video camera does not automatically qualify you to be in business." Read more here.

In another guest post, Apple's Thunderbolt Display Port Dismays the AV Industry, Lorin Nelson, SF Bay Area-based Technical Panic Alleviation Technician, describes the current dismay within the AV industry resulting from HDCP encryption in Thunderbolt mini-DVI ports, and what current solutions are available. He sums up the challenges within the article in his sub-title, "AV Industry Challenges Brave Mac Techs Who Are Confined to Speaking In Terms of Re-Branding, With Little Success Given the Fact that They Are Unaware of Specs, Really want to Help, but Are Rendered Helpless by the Apple Core Design Team." Read more here.

Also, Joe Kukura, a writer for the RealPlayer video technology blog contributed an article on how music legend and recording artist, Neil Young rocks online music with a new high resolution audio format. Apparently, Neil Young had been working with the late Steve Jobs to bring this new HD audio format to future iPods and was quoted as saying, “Steve Jobs was a pioneer of digital music, but when he went home, he listened to vinyl. And you've gotta believe that if he'd lived long enough, he would eventually have done what I'm trying to do.” Read more here.

In addition to individual writers, video companies are also welcome to provide content, like UK-based Vidify, who shares 5 ways online video can increase your business revenue. The article points out that, "Video has been proven to be an effective tool in increasing conversion rates online. You should note however that a bad video is going to do just the opposite. When you decide that it is time to join the major brands in online video, ensure that you are providing your website visitors with a professionally produced video that explains your business message and presents you as an expert in your field." Read more here.

The posting guidelines for Online Video Publishing [dot] com are that articles be video topic related, and can be news, informational, analysis, observational, opinion, how to, production tips, best practices and can be any length. Articles can include videos, graphics, embed codes and can be in html format. Author and company will receive mention and backlinks within the post. Sponsored posts are also accepted, but posts that are just promotional, pure marketing, direct sales pitches or press releases are not accepted. 

If you're interested, please feel free to submit any article or series, contact me at klessblog@gmail.com if have you any questions.

10 Tips for Producing Live Events

Over the last twenty years of producing live events I've learned a lot about how things can go right and wrong, and from good to bad, and from bad to worse. Most problems stem from the things that have fallen through the cracks. Forgotten tasks that didn't make it to a list or get delegated, and either creep up on you or blow up in your face. But you can avoid most problems with proper planning and clear communication. The best shows are the ones where everyone knows what to do and the show comes off without a hitch. Whether you are in studio or on location, the same rules apply if you want to be successful. I've worked on this post on and off over the past years adding a bits and pieces of what I've learned that's helped make my shows successful, and now present it as my ten tips for producing live events.

1) Know your client(s) - if you are the event producer you need to communicate directly with the main client. Most executives and professional speakers have handlers, communications staff who write their material maintain their messages, admin staff who directly support them and maintain their schedules and a variety of reporting staff, directors, managers, leads, you get the point. There are layers between you and the main client, who in the end, is whom you are working for. Whether you are planning the event logistics, identifying the technical requirements, working on content or estimating the budget - all things flow from the wants and needs of the main client. You can save your self a lot of work if you can get a meeting with the main client in advance and discuss staging, presentation style in advance. With all the handlers, you get a lot of filtered information and waste a lot of time getting through the layers.

2) Conduct a site survey - knowing your location is your best defense against failure. Not only are you able to assess the space for room dimensions, ceiling height, power needs, lighting, noise, Internet connections, access to loading dock, etc...  you also get to meet the people who manage the venue – and who will ultimately be the ones that support you and your production. Some venues will let you bring in all your own gear, without any buy-out fee – but some venues have exclusives on lighting and audio, and can even be within the jurisdiction of a local I.A.T.S.E. union, like Local 16 in San Francisco, and you'll be required to hire union labor. If you're a producer, it's best to work with a meeting planner who can deal with the hotel contract so you can focus on the AV and event production. But be sure to make friends with the venue, both the in-house AV and banquets staff. Don't forget that you're in their house and they are key partners in your success. The two most important aspects of your site survey are to gain intelligence and build relationships.

3) Have a plan - with every live event there are various templates that can be applied to the production. While each set up is distinct there are standards to follow when the space allows. Most live events takes place in an auditorium, conference room, convention center or ballroom. Video village, as it's called, or video control is back stage and is where the director, technical director, producer, engineer, graphics, projectionist and webcast or videoconference producer and that's the central nervous system of your equipment set up, signal flow and distribution, connectivity, interactive tools and lots and lots of cabling. Go into each set up with a game plan on how you will set up video village, where each station will be and what needs to connect to what.

4) Have an A-Team - it goes without saying that there's no "I" in team, and the best way to achieve your results is to be surrounded by people you trust, people who are professionals and experts in the field, and people you can rely onto do their jobs. With so many moving parts of your live event, you can't micro-manage, or keep track of every detail within each department. So that's where your team comes in to help you be those extra eyes and ears to catch any issues and ultimately get the job done right.

5) Stick to budget and deadlines - It's easy to go over budget when you start adding extra wireless microphones, Internet and power drops, cameras, and probably one of the biggest cost over-runs is not correctly estimating the amount of time it actually takes to produce your event. In most cases, labor can be your biggest cost, and if you don't account for overtime, and even double time, you run the risk of being way over budget. Having the proper staffing ratio is crucial to staying on time and budget. You need to have the right amont of labor to get the job done, and not either under or over staff. If you're producing a video webcast with a live audience, you'll have core costs that will cover equipment and labor.

6) Stick to the plan - Go into each show with a scripted game plan. Even a simple a simple agenda can be something that your crew follows, but a detailed run of show document that maps out the show flow is the best document to use. Your plan should also include set-up diagrams that shows signal flow; floor plans that shows they room layout and location of AV, cameras, lighting, catering; and, any other documents like webcast information, call sheets, production schedules and checklists for both the crew and clients to follow.

7) Plan a rehearsal - The more you know, the better the you do... and the best way to know is to practice. Aside from presenters being able practice clicking through their slides and getting comfortable with the environment, you need to know their transitions, cues for videos, music, camera angles and blocking, along with how the show will open and close. Will your presenters have walk-on music, on screen graphics, or need Internet access? Is there an announcer or VOG? How will Q&A be handled? It's best to have that all figured out in advance and rehearse with your presenters and crew. If time permits, try to gather the crew together for a show flow meeting, then go through a tech rehearsal with the crew, followed by rehearsals with each presenter. Beginnings, middle and ends, along with transitions, video rolls, lighting changes, and every audio and video cue should be rehearsed.

8) Avoid last minute changes - Last minute changes can be either highly disruptive or no harm at all. Fixing a typo on a slide or slight change to an element on stage usually won't upset the apple cart. But adding new content at the last minute, like a brand new slide show or video, should be avoided. Especially, if you don't get time to test or practice, that last minute change could blow up in your face, and make your presenters and clients look foolish. But be prepared for last minute changes and if there’s time  – update your script, rehearse if possible, but say, “No, we’re out of time” when you have to. Really, there’s nothing worse than a major on-air blunder.

9) Be prepared, and always have back up - As the Boy Scouts' motto says, "Be prepared." Not only for emergencies, but, "for any old thing." Live events are just that... they're live. Anything can happen. The presenter's wireless microphone could go out. You could lose power which could effect audio, lighting and the live feed. Make sure you have back up microphones and a reliable power source. If you have a lot of lighting, make sure you have a head electrician who can manage the power needs for all the lights so you don't trip a breaker or blow a circuit. For graphics, it's common to have a primary and back up computer to run your slides, and always wire the stage. You never know when a presenter will come with their own laptop and have videos they want to run, so having the cabling already set will save your


10) Roll with it - the old show business phrase, "the show must go on" applies here. Regardless of what happens, there is an audience out there waiting to be educated, informed or entertained, so you have to deliver. The that the fact that a live event is "live" makes it both easier and more difficult at the same time. There are no second takes. When something goes out live that shouldn't have, there are no take backs. So, when you're live you have to roll with it. That means when presenters are late or go off script, or when there's equipment failure, or a crew member calls in sick, or any unplanned situation you have to roll with it. When you're video recording, you can always "fix it in post." But the key is to keep a cool head, don't let them see you sweat and be a leader.

1st draft - 6/22/08
Final draft - 5/27/2012


Update 6/9/12: I forgot to mention how important it is to feed your crew. Bring snacks and plenty of water to keep their energy up, and be sure to budget crew meals on those long production days. That's the best way to keep them happy and on their toes.

Videoconferencing Best Practices: Designing Graphics For Effective Use in a Videoconference

It's often a challenge for presenters to design graphics effectively for use in a videoconference. Many presenters overdo it on slides and tend to cram as much information as they can on each slide, rather than follow the "less is more" approach. I've seen a lot good, bad and ugly graphics in my time, and this post focuses on tips for creating more compelling graphics for videoconferences. This post is also a follow up to a series of articles on Videoconferencing Best Practices, which includes: 12 Tips for Moderating a Panel Discussion, 10 Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Tips and 7 Presentation Tips for Speakers. 

Graphics work well in support of your message, but be careful you don’t become too dependent on the slides. Your audience should only see slides about 10% of the time you are speaking. If your audience is watching on a single screen, think of the how the 6:00 o’clock news is paced, and alternate between speaking, graphics, video and then back to speaking. No segment lasts very long – use this as your role model. The ideal ways to show slides are directly from the computer, and most all videoconference rooms have a PC connection for both in room and remote presentations.

For broadcasts, meetings and instruction the same rules apply when you prepare your slides.

• Keep things simple and concise
• Use a horizontal format
• Use a large sans serif typeface (Arial Bold)
• No less than 30 point size fonts
• Follow the 6 by 6 rule (6 words per line, 6 lines per page)
• Leave border room around the edges
• Fill the screen with the image
• Use simple graphs, illustrations, scanned images
• Use restraint with colors, high contrast works best
• Avoid transparencies and small type written pages

The take home message is that presentation materials need to be as clear and concise as possible. Unlike meetings or instruction, a broadcast is not two-way, so you can’t get instant feedback from the viewing sites on visual clarity.

The rules for producing successful computer graphic designs for video are the opposite of desktop publishing. Choices in text, color, and design varies between the two because they are very different mediums and different rules apply. Graphics for use on television should conform to broadcast guidelines.

Sans serif typefaces (Helvetica, Arial) are more legible than serif typefaces because of their clean letterforms. They are used where quick legibility is vital (street and highway signs), or to catch one's attention with short bursts of type (newspaper headlines). Serif typefaces (Times, Garamond) tend to be more readable for large amounts of text on paper. However, they are ineffective to use as text on the video screen.

The most basic rules for preparing presentation materials are to Keep It Short and Simple, and Keep It Large and Legible. The following tips should provide you with a basic set of graphic guidelines.

1. Keep primary text in the center
Although "dead center" is usually an area to avoid in print media, viewers are used to watching video this way. Don't crowd the screen, instead use several screens to focus attention. Use a horizontal page format, and use six words per line and six lines per screen {Rule of Six}. (Figure 1)

2. Work within the STA (Safe Titling Area)
The STA is the cut off area for all screen images.The screen size between computers and TV monitors is not equal, and things can be cut off if they get to close to the edges. Leave at least a one inch border of empty space around each side of the page to be safe. (Figure 2)

3. Avoid thin horizontal lines, single dots, busy patterns and finely detailed grids
Always use 2 Pt. lines or larger, thin lines just don't cut it. Lines need to be thick and bold or they will flicker. Like thin lines, fine grids, patterns and dots cause flickering and picture distortion also. Avoid shading on printed hard copy because it creates buzzing patterns on camera. Supply details verbally, making charts and graphs simple (Figure 3) . Also, use clip art and flow charts sparingly, remember less is more.

4. Avoid highly saturated colors
Chroma crawl can be seen when two neighboring colors (text and background) bleed into each other. . The more saturated your colors are the more chroma crawl is added to the image. Don't overdo your use of color.
AVOID USING RED or GREEN FOR TEXT

5. Make text large and legible

• Use 30 Pt. for body text, and 40 - 48 Pt. for titles.
• Use no more than two typefaces per presentation
• Use drop shadows to add depth to text, drop shadows help separate text from the background (Figure 1)
• DON'T USE ALL CAPS FOR BODY TEXT, IT'S TOO HARD TO READ!! (Figure 2)

Do's

• Keep text large and legible by using 30 pt for body text, 30-45 pt for subtitles and 40-48 pt for titles
• 48 pt serif title: Times Bold
• 30 pt sans serif-body text: Helvetica Bold
• Use sans serif typeface for body text and serif typeface for titles (the opposite of desktop publishing)
• Use no more than two fonts and only one background per presentation
• Use white text on a dark blue to black background, this works the best readability from across the room
• Use drop shadows to add depth to text, drop shadows help separate text from the background
• Use a Truetype font like Monotype Sorts as bullets, it's more expressive than Option-8 (•)

Dont's

• Don't use Script fonts, they are too fancy for presentations
• ONCE AGAIN, DON'T USE ALL CAPS IT'S TOO HARD TO READ!!
• All caps works only for TITLES, but not recommended

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