Spending money in new media is a tricky thing. Everything we do costs much, much less than antique media, but it isn’t exactly cheap. Lighting for the Big Trip cost just under $6000. That’s a lot, but it’s a choice that will make sense for the next several years.
Usually when we buy something for production, I expect a pretty quick return on our investment. That doesn’t feel quite as true for the streaming stuff we’re experimenting with. Live streaming is where podcasting was three years ago, months before we started GeekBrief.TV. Money wasn’t exactly flowing into podcasting then and it isn’t quite flowing into live streaming now.
So, I’m thinking about buying a Tricaster so we could go live for a portion of each day with two or three cameras. I’m not sure the investment would be returned for at least a year, but I really think being an early mover is extremely important. Leo gets it. Chris Pirillo gets it. I HOPE we get it.
It’s a big expense, but I’m thinking the long-term return is massive.
74 Comments
Go for it. You Only Live once.
Yes, I sure it will be worth it for you guy’s. Hey who knows maybe someday you can live stream over the ‘net to all those tivo boxes out there, they can download podcasts, why not live stream them, hmmmm…….
Neal, I’ve really enjoyed the live streaming stuff that you guys have done. I’d encourage you to do whatever you feel is necessary to continue producing that kind of content.
Neal, if it’s “extremely important” then it’s a no-brainer: Buy the damn thing!
It sounds to me like you’re actually trying to find someone to talk you out of it.
Neal I can see your point on this 10K on one piece of equipment is a huge investment. Will in rapidly improve “On Location” if you were to get it? that is the question to ask. I know that during the big trip you will have several camera’s but will they all be needed at the time of shooting? Also will this be in a fixed location on the bus so you have to do the interviews on the bus and maybe not at the interview’ees “home turf” those are the big questions to ask before the money question
Nick
I completely agree with where you are going. Although it may be a large outlay of cash initially, it is cheaper to start now when there is much less competition in the field. Also, I think your dedicated fans will help you see a return on your investment sooner than you might think.
I really enjoy watching TWiTLive. I am sure watching Geek Brief Live would be even more entertaining.
Good Luck.
When we first bought an automatic t-shirt printing press, I felt the same way…it was $65,000 and I thought I was going insane when it was installed. But, it has helped us every day since. I am usually the visionary inside our company who wants to invest in the future. But sometimes I’m a bit hasty and ahead of our needs.
So, the only advice I’d give would be to weigh the expense on the simple “want” vs “need” scale. After the Big Trip, would you still use the lighting every day? Would it make your podcasts easier to produce, or make for less editing time?
Is it an expense you can lease…like a $200/mo. payment over 3 years or something?
I like the look of your blog, by the way.
I do think it would be worth the investment in the long run…even if this doesn’t take off as much as standard podcasting did, you could still expect a fairly timely return. I’ve been watching a few hours of twitlive a day it seems like, and i could easily see sponsors for the live show as well as the recorded podcasts. Even product placement type of stuff. He was drinking an energy drink today and basically did a mini ad for it, if they were sponsoring, it would have worked just as well.
Yes ground-breaking cool technologies cost money, and before laying out the cash we all look to justify the expense and look for justification with how quickly we will receive a return on our investment.
However I think in regards to a Tricaster, you also have to look at what it will do for the production. It may not initially bring in more money, but I think when you look over the course of time that you are going to provide a better live experience for your viewers, and be able to archive the footage for possible later use, you would be able to offer something very different to what else is out there, thus increasing your viewership, and which will in turn increase your reward later on.
Oh… and it will be cool and fun!
Neal,
Not sure what to tell you. I’ve watched the Brief for a while now and I am quite impressed with how far it has come. The upgrades and investments you and Cali have made over the years have definitely improved the quality of the show - and hopefully your revenues as well.
Jumping into anything new is always a risk. I got into the whole Podcasting thing late and wish I had started earlier. So my advice would be this, given you already have a lot of good experience behind you; go for it.
Now if I can just get Deutsche Telekom to upgrade their infrastructure so I can get something faster than 384k DSL it would be great.
Tschuß,
Dave
Think big. You’ll never succeed thinking small.
If I recall from Leo, the Tricaster runs at around $10k. But before you go that route, i’d consider some alternatives. Dave Randolph would be a great person to talk with about it (@drandolph on twitter). He was on TWiT not too long ago suggesting a few alternatives to Leo before his tricaster arrived.
Good luck but keep in mind that I think live streaming viewership will typically be lower than podcasts.
It’s interesting how television media is going towards ‘on demand’ viewing with hulu, tivo, and itunes while podcasting seems to be leaning the opposite directions with scheduled live events (TWiT live, diggnation live events, etc).
Good luck either way!
I’m all for it. But… It seems that the way I currently access your product is via geekbrief.tv via Tivo. Actually that’s the way I access most things on TV. Not live, but only because I am not available and I don’t schedule my time around shows. But on the other hand, I like occasionally seeing the live shows in restaurants. It’s different.
So, looking forward, there might be a niche for live streaming video.
How’s that for telling you what you already know…
On one hand, this is a $5k piece of equipment, and while that is expensive, its not going to break the bank. So, if you feel that being a first mover is important then I wouldn’t sweat over it and I’d just do it.
Having said that, I have some questions:
- How many people view your live broadcasts currently as opposed to the recorded shows? I know that I rarely am able to watch the live ones, but often watch the recorded ones at my leisure.
- Since you have a finite amount of time, is this going to detract from the time you spend on your core business? Namely, the podcasts.
- Do you really have to be a first mover with this? Moore’s law says that the price of this thing will drop over the next year or two, while capabilities will improve.
- Do you really need this, or are you just lusting after it?
I would normally encourage you to experiment and do new things, but I’d hate to see you be distracted, waste money, or try to serve a market that really doesn’t exist.
Just my .02.
John
Hate to be in the minority, but I’ve not been impressed with live video from Chris or Leo. I _love_ TWIT, but watching Leo (and having to be there during that 90 minutes) is not where I want to be then. Same with Chris. (of course, his is just too rambly and content-free, IMHO). I love Dvorak’s Cranky Geeks format, where there are people interacting on camera, and would consider watching that live, but mostly, I love short (less than 10 minute) video updates and stuff, and tend to time-shift them. Longer pieces (TWIT, for instance), I do other things while it’s running in the back ground.
Keep up the cool work, though. Love the format changes, and I think the Big Trip will be loads of fun for you and Cali, as well as us. Looking forward to following along - though not in real time.
Neal -
One thing always holds true in broadcast - people appreciate quality. Even if they’re not aware of what they’re seeing or hearing in a top of mind sense, there will always be that piece in the back of their mind that puts a quality broadcast on top of the others.
You’ve already got the talent, you’ve already got the content. By and large, you’ve also got the equipment. The question seems to already be answered, though. I mean, I’d hate to see anyone in new media get strangled by expense, but when the payback does come, I have a feeling that it’d be considerably larger than the investment.
it is indeed a very pricey piece of equipment. at face value i would recommend it. however, i would question its roi in some level of depth with respect to what expenses you currently are dealing with.
i would first make a priority list of all expenses you’d expect to spend, and see whether it would fit your budget. i would always leave a percentage of the budget for unknown factors in case they may arise.
if you can do without it for now, it may be best to wait & save. and who knows, in the near future there might be an improved model or cost reduction?
if you have room in your expense budget, i’d say to research first. read as much documentation on it before clicking the ‘buy’ button.
while i recommend looking analytically into how it will fit into your needs… ultimately, it’s up to you.
hope this helps.
cheers,
j.
Isn’t Leo waiting on some sort of upgrade before he really begins using his tricaster?
Neil, Cali… In your line of work, this is a necessity. Yes, the financial layout hurts, but it may cost you more later on to “re-tool”. Get it now and enjoy the flexibility to handle and produce whatever you want without saying “I wish we could do X but we don’t have Y and Z to do it on”.
GET IT NOW!
Live streaming is cool, but the audience is limited. I can’t watch live streaming while at work, and its tough on the weekends during family time. The podcast model works very well for me, I watch when I can. If you capture and make available for download the stream that would help, but otherwise many loyal followers like me won’t be able to watch.
Although I love the idea of Geek Brief going live for all of us didn’t you limit the live viewings to people that have purchased advertising for The Big Trip? If you’re limiting the live shows to a hand full of people I don’t see how the tricaster would be worth it. If the new tricasted show would be open for everyone then I do think it would be a great addition. I love watching twitlive.tv and can see myself switching back and forth between their feed and yours. Be careful to work around the TWIT schedule just so you don’t broadcast during one of their main shows. Although I love your show it would be hard for one personality to compete with 4 or 5 from TWIT or MacBreak.
Good luck and keep up the great work.
Respectfully, I don’t get it. It seems to go against the whole VOD culture. I listen to podcasts, and watch geekbrief when I want to. I think it was Alex Lindsey on TWiM (in discussing whether immediacy (youtube) is important that quality (iTunes download)) said that people will are willing to wait to start watching if the quality is better, with the exception of reporting on events (liveblogging, sports, events) where immediacy is paramount.
I think that relates to streaming because I wont watch streaming unless 1) I really have nothing to do other than watch Leo adjust his mic; or 2) the event covered is so significant that I don’t want to wait for the eventual (higher quality) download. But the latter is dependent on the former: having time to watch RIGHT THEN.
I like the QIK videos. They are like a behind the scenes peak AND I can watch when I want. But streaming is on when it’s on.
It’s like the old Daily Show routine, “I’m reporting live from the scene of the earlier riots…. It’s pretty quit now, but earlier…” If by the time I have a chance to tune in, the content is like hour 18 of a telethon, I’ll find something else to watch.
So I guess I have two points. 1. content is king. 2. I don’t see the attraction of going back to a broadcast model (you’ll watch whatever we put on and if you missed it, too bad) when everything else seems to be moving to VOD.
Keep in mind that I am 37, so maybe I’m just to old to get it /shrug.
I’m loving the feedback, but really missing Dave Peterson’s input.
My one question is it really necessary for what you are doing at the moment mixed with Can you spend that money elsewhere for a better purpose ?
TOMASZ STASIUK makes some really good points. Our intention for live is to go live when there is a reason to go live, and we want the live experience to be high quality.
I think in terms of production quality, it would be a really cool thing.
My question though, is this:
Aren’t you already a bit concerned about the quality of net access you’re going to have in many places during the trip? So how much live streaming are you really going to be able to do with that level of quality?
I wouldn’t worry about whether you guys could put it to good use. What you two do is pretty darned impressive as it is. I’d just be worried about how often you could have the opportunity to put it to good use on the road.
and to some extent … for the future, it’s about learning to produce in the context of streaming, just as it was important for early broadcasters to learn how radio and tv worked.
@Bo - on the road, we’re looking at a solution that is 1mbps up on the bus, but the Tricaster, on the trip, would be mainly used plugged in on location when we’re talking to bloggers and podcasters. We would be using our lights and cameras along with their bandwidth and uniqueness.
I think you have to look at how it is going to be used. Is going to be in a fixed location where setup will take only minutes or will it take half an hour or more and be more trouble than it’s worth?
Also, how much of a strain will it put on your budget and will you be comfortable with that?
You mention a ROI of at least a year but what is that year going to bring on other fronts. Some say gas prices could reach $7/gal and as a result the cost of food is rising. I have no idea what kind of income your shows produce but this trip could cost a lot more than you originally budgeted and that $10k could come in handy.
Anyway, that’s what popped into my
head. Whether you buy or not you produce great content that I will continue to enjoy.
Most of the responses so far have been very positive and encouraging, so I guess I’ll try to play the pragmatist…
If you’re asking the question, it is probably not at the need level and the question becomes more is it the right time to invest (also read as: gamble)? If the market goes there in sufficient force and hence the returns are good, it was an investment - if not, it was a wager that didn’t pay off… 
Live productions I would imagine are going to become more popular than they are now, but there is also the shift to on demand driven media which really hasn’t balanced itself out yet in the marketplace. I’m not a media person by trade, but if I had to guess the cost of the Tricast device itself is insignificant in the total cost of providing quality live productions.
Myself, I’m not so much in to watching video in tiny windows on the computer - more of an Apple TV kind of guy. My other pet peeve about live stream, or more specifically Flash based players in general is they don’t seem to buffer enough even with 8Mbps cable connection. I can see this using the link above for the last on location stream. Not trying to make a complaint, just trying to point out that a lot of areas from production and distribution have to come together for it to flow.
With all that said, for 7K-10K that looks like one cool device if it does what it claims well. Did you order it yet?
Neal, I’m a fan of the Tricaster and Video Toaster and Newtek (I use Lightwave3D).
I do not think that the Tricaster is the best solution for your setup.
If you need real time multi camera shoots, yes. The ‘Caster is what you want.
If you are doing nulti-camera shoots, editing in FCP, and going out to the web via a flash encoder, you really do not need the ‘Caster.
Its a nice system, it is a dedicated Windows PC, and the software has a good feel to it.
You know, the Newtek offices are in San Antonio, TX? Maybe you should call them and ask what they say.
Do you have the cashflow (not the cash) to afford it?
If so, I say do it. It will mean you can LEVERAGE the content you are creating even harder. But make it earn it’s keep — get those product placements/ads etc. coming in. And measure the success of the box.. ie, how many peak viewers would make the purchase a success?
Keith
Hi Cali, Coming from 32 years in the media/TV industry, content is king. A Tricaster can’t make up for great content. Just one camera and streaming would be a great start. As you add guests and need more camera angles, the ability to show your desktop, graphics and such, then the Tricaster is a nice little production switcher. My advice?? Get more content like Leo, then look at adding the whistles and bells.
Hey Cali..yeah you should invest in a tricaster. Leo has one as I am sure u know that. It is an awesome tool to have when doing video podcasting.
Good luck on your decision.
I have tried to get into the live podcasting several times. I used to keep watching Chris Pirillo live but stopped out of annoyance. I loved Chris on TechTV, but the live things were not polished and did not have a constant theme. I love your current show and i think its more of the structure around it. Its got that nice polished quick condensed format. I can consume two episodes at a time and enjoy every second of it instead of having to muddle through a live feed with delays and umm….. errrrr….. etc.
Can you guys run your DV cameras in some kind of analog mode? That could save you some money on a cheaper tricaster that would still give you the quality broadcast you’re looking for. If it pays off you could upgrade or sell it for a “digital” ready model. It’s a safer way to go money-wise.
…was at a movie, Neal, otherwise you know I would have been all over this. By the way, I think Indiana Jones was exceedingly enjoyable and getting undeservedly bad reviews. Having just shot my credibility, here’s my take: We have Geek Brief today because 2 1/2 years ago the two of you saw what the video iPod was going to mean. You went for it and along the way have helped to shape the forming medium. Live Streaming isn’t just live streaming. “On Location” is streamed live, but it’s also recorded for viewing later (technical glitches not withstanding). I want to make sure the people who are saying they favor on demand vs. live understand Ustream shows can offer both options on the same content. An advantage to doing shows like this is the radically decreased post-production time. If you can get good at editing live, you may find it a real help in producing more content in the same amount of time. I think as technology improves, the live-stream/recorded-from-live experience will get drastically better. Does everyone remember when recorded video was limited to postage stamp size? It’s going to get better and I think it’s going to happen faster than we might anticipate. It usually does. I say get this thing. I think you’ll find more uses for it than just what you’re considering at the moment. It will help you put a polish on your live and recorded shows, while cutting editing time. Everything you’ve accomplished so far is because you saw the potential a few steps ahead of everyone else. You’re still seeing that potential. You and Cali have great instincts; trust them.
big Leo fan… BIG BIG CAli fanthe very best to both…you all look very good w/o but sure it will be better with. soo…not sure that helps but ill do my best to watch
oldbeachbum on most web sites etc. wave if u see me
Hi Neal
I’ll swim upstream too…
OK. your most valuble asset is Cali. Getting her in front of more ppl is your first prize.
Lets not forget, live streaming *can* be done without a tricaster. And she’s animated enough to make a single camera shot work, where others perhaps would be less interesting.
Plus, there’s an opportunity cost that could be better used to get her more exposure.
My 50 cents…:))
The last thing I always think about before purchasing a piece of equipment is, “How does it make my life simpler and easier?” I almost always go for a better, simpler, more flexible, production workflow rather than cost (within reason.) It always pays off in the end. Who cares if it’s cheap if you are constantly dealing with workflow issues that might pile on top of you and make it difficult or impossible to do the show in the first place. Content is King. Make sure the equipment you choose serves that end above all else.
Of course the more expensive equipment isn’t always the best either. Sometimes expensive equipment is more complicated, less flexible and requires you to jump through hoops to make it work. It all depends.
Anyway, that’s what I think
I feel the idea of having multiple camera angles, even for the Brief, would benefit the production quality greatly. However, I think the tricaster is a bit excessive for your needs. Considering the maximum quality of streaming live video now is far less than NTSC quality you could use a simple composite video switcher hooked up to a few small LCDs since you would only need to preview the camera angles and cut between cameras.
You guys were ahead of the curve with Podcasting, and it’s only natural for you to be ahead of the curve with livestreaming.
I have a feeling that Geekbrief is set for exponential growth in the upcoming months and years. You will see a return on your investment sooner than you expect.
As “an early mover,” which for me is more like a pioneer, couldn’t you try to work out some deal with the Newtek, such as rent-to-own, or have them lent you the equipment?
In return, perhaps you could share with your audience how you are using their equipment.
Cali, I would try to work out something with them. You are more charming than you realize.
BR,
George Lien
georgelien@email.com
I think it would be a wise choice to augment your production with the tricaster. It would allow you to create a more diverse geek brief and live stream at the same time. I am sure you noticed that Leo gets double and triple duty out of the twitlive show. He does it live and records it for on demand delivery. Sometimes the ROI is hidden from direct view.
I like this saying. We don’t follow trends, we make them.
Sorry, Neal, I came here via Cali’s twitter feed.
Since you two are a team, please see my address to Cali as my address to you.
Sure, you two can work out something.
BR,
George Lien
georgelien@email.com
Live streaming is dull, and fails for the exact reason that podcasts (any media over RSS) succeeds, not to mention TiVo etc - people can consume it whenever they please. There’s a very small number of people that will be interested in watching live, but it seems unlikely that significant additional income would come from that.
Basically - unless there’s really something that you have to do live, because it just wouldn’t work delayed, it’s not worth investing it in at this point. There’s a limit to how much of a frontrunner you really want to be.
Neal,
You can listen to feedback all day but you really have to trust you gut. When I go out and shoot for clients in standard corporate settings I need to visually be creative to make myself happy with the product because that is why I’m there. It’s my knowledge, experience and creative unknown that come together to give me that gut feeling that know what is right. Coming from a fine arts background but trying to be financially successful you know learn to know when you can guerrilla it and when you need to go that extra step but only you in your unique situation in the world can know if it works.
Yeah, investing in gear is an everyday make or break decision. Trust me, I still have a 1st gen Canon XL1 to shoot on.
I like what Will Silver (#30) said about the Newtech offices. Maybe you could guerrilla it untill you get there and get them to sponsor (ala a “donated” Tricaster) which you could work out some visability/product placement on the trip of other shows in the future.
No matter, you two are a big inspiration to myself and where I am trying to take my own work.
You will make the right decision. Trust yourself.
Good luck.
Craig
What is the alternative? What will you do if you don’t buy the tricaster? Will you still stream but with only one camera? How will that effect your audience growth which is the early mover advantage?
I’ve been a long time Newtek fan, but, I’m not convinced that you NEED a Tricaster right now.
As several of the prominent podcasters move to experiment with live streaming, I see it as more of a novelty and a way or them to get that “live TV” fix that they might miss from the TechTV days. Yes, it’s fun to watch “behind the scenes” on Leo’s show, and, it’s great to interact with the “star”. But, I personally am rarely able to really watch the live feeds due to work schedules and time differences.
It seems to me that TV consumers are being conditioned to DVR it and “watch when you want” rather than “tune in at 2pm for a live broadcast”.
While I appreciate the rough, unfiltered live feeds, I also have tremendous respect for the editing process, that delivers a professional product. I appreciate the “blooper reel” too.
In the end, you probably have a much better idea of what your goal is. If your goal is live streaming, with multi-cameras, then a Tricaster might be a good investment. If your goal is to continue to produce excellent quality edited video with 2 people, on the road, from a self-contained studio and living quarters, who may or may not have access to high enough quality internet connections to handle streaming on a daily basis, then, perhaps you should invest your money elsewhere.
Thanks for everything that you do! And I hope that your trip brings you near Niagara Falls so that I can stand on the side of the road and cheer as you drive past.
The tricaster is interesting gear. And the workflow may change. However it’s not just for live feed. There may be other options this gives you like having the ability to join in with community broadcasts when you arrive in your destinations. Right now you have a single person focus (Cali) but if she is at an event or is having something more like a town hall meeting, you could set up several fixed cameras. The tricaster can manage which camera is active. You can then still do a separate edit for the vodcast.
And even if it turns to not be as useful, the aftermarket price at this time will still be good. It’s capital gear. Useful in its own right, and its really space efficient. A plus for the Big Trip.
A rental or loaner unit would be a good idea but I don’t know how much NewTek is willing to go. Check their marketing/ad budget.
I would go for it.
Compared to the cost of a CaliBundle (and not the drobo version) it would be cheap.
I say go for it. Cali, Leo, Chris, and everyone else in podcast land provide us with a valuable tech service. You showing geek brief or some other type of live tech show would be great and LIVE is better. When you do it LIVE your format for the show should be like Leo but at the same time jazz up and make it different and of course fun.. Have us gay geeks on your show and we will jazz up it for you with.. lol…. Good luck guys….
Talk to Leo Laporte and John Dvorak, they each have and use a tricaster for stuff, and you know them. Patrick Norton has used one too, and might have some good thought.
I don’t have much to add, but if you buy it now you can always pawn it for gas money if you need it on the trip.
Seriously, though, you’ve been at this long enough to know what you need. You’re doing something new here with the extended road-trip production and there’s no set model for this. Follow your gut and things will work out.
Not sure if you really need another opinion, but I think I have something new to add: One huge advantage for me, and a large percentage of Leo Laporte’s streams, are the chatrooms. For the untechnical and un-IRC-savvy, the Stickam chatroom provides an easy way to discuss the content going and ask Leo questions. For the more technically inclined, and the more mature people (much fewer Lols omgz and BOOORRRINNGNSS) the IRC chat does the same thing. The power of live streaming is getting the community involved, live. In podcasting, the nearest thing is the forum, which has it’s advantages, but it’s really too slow for a decent conversation. The chatrooms can ask question, give suggestions, and in some case, contribute to the show with links and ideas hosts didn’t think of. So if you were going to do this (and I think you probably should, if a little unsure of the value vs expense of the TriCaster, make a go of live streaming) you would need to integrate the community (as you have done very well in the past) into the live streaming experience. Hope whatever you choose goes well.
Right now Leo’s setup doesn’t require it. The tricaster seems like just a big toy. I would hold off until you are in a more stable position financially. I think the lack of polish is part of the charm, especially live.
After watching Leo for about a week using his new tri-caster, I get the feeling it’s a piece of equipment better suited for a permanent studio environment. Your comparisons between Leo and Chris are on both ends of the scale. Leo uses a $10,000 piece of equipment and Chris uses the free software program Camtwist.
I would personally hold off on purchasing a try Castor for now. I’m not sure if you’re using Camtwist to switch between your cameras now, but you might want to look at a program called Wirecast Vara Software (no, I don’t work for them). This is only a $500 program and might fill the gap while you guys are on the road and in a very portable environment.
Just my $.02.
I have been following your show and I’m getting the impression that you are really keen on throwing a new piece of expensive studio equipment at every perceived problem that pops up, regardless of how minor the problem might be.
Personally, I would rather prefer that you shift your focus to improve on the stories. Maybe you could actually “test” gadgets, and, for example, compare several different phones to each other. This takes time–but it would also make the show so much more valuable.
With the whole road trip thing, it would be interesting to see a few features on how exactly people are using their electronics and make them talk to each other.
I prefer recorded shows to live broadcasts. Live broadcasts can be interesting–for example, I’d watch a live broadcast of the Steve Jobs Keynote if there were one–but watching a recording of a live broadcast is usually really boring. There is a reason why people don’t record the evening news on tivos or videotapes.
leo was talking about the tri caster on mac breakweekly i think they came up with a cheaper way.
don’t do it unless you know you’ll get a return on it quickly. It’s too easy to overinvest in this biz. There is always something new to buy. Lastly don’t forget what differentiates you from more traditional media.
What keeps your podcast attractive is your fresh stories and Cali. It is easy to fall into the trap of “keeping up with the state of the art”.
Hold off for awhile and see if you really need it, or your demonstated skills keep you “state of the art” just fine.
I’d have to say that I’d be in the minority, not sure that this is a great investment. I haven’t done much streaming, other than Chris Pirillo, and honestly I don’t really have time to look or watch something in real-time. Even basketball/football are always TiVo’d, many by 15 minutes, but I rarely watch live and I expect that will continue more and more as we can “timeshift” more and more media.
I like the Brief, I’ve learned a lot and incorporated some ideas into my podcasts. It is important to invest over time, but you want to make smart investments. I think if you can edit or get things out quicker, it would be good to invest in those areas.
Right now the Brief is Cali. We hear your voice, but (very) rarely see you or anyone else. Multiple cameras would only make sense if you’re going to get more people on the brief. Multiple angles on Cali don’t really help, IMHO.
Not that I wouldn’t mind seeing you a bit more, and getting your take/input on things, but it would be a different show, not the Brief.
I’d also say that the Brief seems to come out at irregular times. Sometimes I get a new issue at night, sometimes the next day. If you were doing consistent times, then perhaps live would make more sense because of time issues in getting things done.
Random views of what you’re doing? It’s a niche. It might be interesting to tune in, but if it’s not minimally produced, meaning interesting, then it’s probably not worth investing a lot in. Don’t forget that the audience tuning in for random streaming likely might not be a great audience for paying the bills. My 16yr old doesn’t have the disposable income I do, and might not have it for some time.
I think if you want to figure out live work more, there are better ways to do it. $10k is a lot, especially to “learn”. I’d run some numbers on how the ustream stuff works with people spending $50, maybe offering lower costs plans to view some episodes. See if the ROI approaches anything reasonable.
One more comment, the people that ask you to rethink things, check out their sites. They tend to be more professional. Most of the people saying go for it would like to see something cool don’t run sites.
Think about your audience for ideas, but not for investments.
Rest assured that everybody who says “You have to spend money to make money” is someone who is used to signing the BACK of the check rather than the FRONT of it.
Much love. I quit my job a la 4-hour work week myself a few months ago. FREEDOM!!
- Greg
Is the Tricaster your only option, or could you start with something cheaper, see if it is a good return on your investment, and then trade up?
Peter
Since you are traveling and will likely come across all kinds of things and opportunities you don’t expect I think the argument for investing in technology for streaming is even better than it is for those who have already done it. You have a great opportunity for new, refreshing and cutting edge programing.. I am looking forward to it… (I never write comments but really enjoy your shows VERY much!)
I’d like to see you guys go for it! But it takes more than the investment alone. Without a good idea and well planned programming, it might not hold more than fleeting interest for some people.
Cali, if you got the money go for it because I don’t and I want to see what you and Neil think of it. I’ve got a big love affair with the Neutrik inputs so I’m a bit biased. I wish everything used neutrik inputs.
I know it’s a big expense, but maybe there are ways to lighten the cost. For example, maybe Mevio(Podshow) would be willing to fund part of it. Or maybe, you do a little fund raising and ask viewers who are able to make a donation. Or maybe, you have a rich uncle that you haven’t spoken to in years that you should go speak to. I personally love the show and wouldn’t mind chipping in a little to made a great show better. Those are my two cents.
If you are producing a show essentially for free the least we can do is give a couple dollars to help out. Maybee even post a Paypal link for us to contribute.
I’m not sure that i get live streaming either. I’ve got an n800, but it isn’t a cell, it’s tied to wifi. So, i’ve either got to be home or at one of a few wifi spots for streaming to be possible. If i’m near home, i’ll just watch it on a computer. I’d much rather download it completely, then watch it. For one, 100 KB/sec is minimal for watching video. And who knows what the wifi hot spots have, or have left over. In any case, time shifting is important to me. Haven’t watched live TV for twenty years when it was my choice. After 30 years of ignoring radio, i’m doing 15 hours of audio podcasts a week. I don’t watch sports, but my Dad records the Superbowl for later. Perhaps it’s genetic.
I am catching up on GeekBrief from January on the n800. Just finished Feb. Last was hysterical breast massage machine (!). But storing them for later consumption is my point…
Look. You are a smart young girl. Now is the time to take a chance if there ever was one. Without risk there is no chance for reward.
You are bright i am sure you will make the right choice.
I say go get it. Any ROI you can realize in just 12 months is a good deal. I’m assuming it’s not a cheap, plastic box.
At the risk of posting a shameless plug, might I suggest following up on Louis Srygley’s comment about renting the unit. You could then afford to earn while you learn and part of the cost of the rental would be applied towards the purchase.
Just a thought…
Post a Comment