SkyDogCon 2013 Videos Posted!!

SkyDogCon 2013 Videos…

Here you go ladies and gents!  As of this post, there are still about 5 videos which are pending some TLC to get them ready for you.

WATCH THE VIDEOS HERE!

The Story…

Other than being incredibly behind in posting (I’ve got a list of posts I hope to get to one day), I also got behind in getting this year’s SkyDogCon videos up.  Sorry everyone, but I have a job, a wife, a kid, and more hobbies than I should.

Though the video rig we built merged camera, presentation, and overlays into a single feed, the software we used encoded using the Apple Intermediate Codec which output HUGE files!  For all extensive estimates that codec uses about 1GB per minute!  Now, there are a lot of factors that go into that calculation and I’m not about to pull out the math on variable bit rate video, audio, and codec compression algorithms because…well, I really don’t care.

I’ll be doing a post soon with all the details of the video rig for those that have been pinging me for details.

In all, across 3 days, 2 tracks, and various events, we recorded approximately 750GB of raw video/audio!

We did not have the time or portable processing power to render that down while at SkyDogCon and once we got home the rendering process was intermingled with me turning in my notice at my previous employer, speaking at Bsides Charleston, Thanksgiving, and the ensuing chaos.  Once I finally did get around to it, things went very smoothly until I began the process of uploading to YouTube...

COMCAST SUCKS!!

So…in an absolutely NOT AWESOME chain of events, Comcast has decided to start data caps on residential services in some markets…starting 1 November…bad timing!  Guess what!  I’m in one of those markets!  So, I get the following email from Comcast…

And then I get these…

So…then I start getting phone calls…YES PLURAL!  CALLS!  At least 5 of them in 4 days!  NO I DON’T HAVE A COMPUTER VIRUS!!!  Needless to say, I had to remedy a certain situation before being able to process/upload any more videos.  I’ll also put it this way, though the caps are just in “trial” mode, I did document a markedly decreased quality of service…”We don’t throttle your connection, sir.”  BULLCRAP!

The fix...

I work from home and according to Comcast’s little meter thingy, I go over 300GB in about 10-15 days on average…depending on if I’m at home or traveling.  So, I bit the bullet and dealt with it…upgraded to business service and the upload fest resumed uninterrupted!  I’m not bitter…much...

So, while you enjoy this year’s videos, know that my wallet and sanity are a little lighter to provide them to you.  I don’t know how @IronGeek does it!  You’re my hero Adrian Crenshaw!