Flexknowlogy - Jared Stein » laptops http://jaredstein.org Education, Technology, Culture, and the Internet Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:49:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Stream Conference Pres with WebCamMax and Ustream http://jaredstein.org/2009/10/23/stream-conference-pres-with-webcammax-ustream/ http://jaredstein.org/2009/10/23/stream-conference-pres-with-webcammax-ustream/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:37:31 +0000 Jared Stein http://flexknowlogy.learningfield.org/?p=907 I’ve got to take a minute to plug the software WebCamMax ($50), which lets you alter your (Windows) computer’s webcam input. I used it this week to facilitate quality, DIY streaming and recording of two WCET09 presentations using a laptop (with distinct graphics card), a lavalier mic ($50-$500) and Ustream (free). Here’s how it worked:

  1. Prior to the session, run WebCamMax on the presenter’s laptop and under Source > Main Source choose “Screen” as the primary source.
  2. If you want to have a picture-in-picture (for example, of the laptop’s integrated webcam), you can choose a secondary input under Source > PinP Source 1.
  3. Minimize WebCamMax.
  4. For a mic set up, I used a production-quality wireless lavalier mic from Sony (thanks to Adam and Scott), but really any mic will do. Instead of an XLR output from the receiver I used a simple male-male stereo mini cord, plugging the other end into the laptop’s mic port.
  5. Then, I simply login to Ustream and initialize the broadcast.
  6. I make sure that Ustream is using WebCamMax for the video source, and the external mic as the audio source. Don’t forget to test the audio levels!
  7. Hit Begin Stream and Begin Recording, minimize the ustream window, and you’re off to the races.

    8. The ustream broadcast will capture whatever activity happens on your computer, whether that’s a PowerPoint presentation, computer application, or web browsing–similar to Jing or Camtasia. Loaner mic aside, this was a very inexpensive, portable solution that turned out better results for computer-based presentations than most ustreams from a tripod-mounted camera, which only capture the projector screen.

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