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USPSA Lo Cap Nationals live stream


WFargo

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Hi guys, 

 

Please forgive me if this is already common knowledge...

 

I really enjoyed being able to watch a live stream from Hunters HD Gold of the Super Squad during the 2020 Racegun Nationals. 

So with the upcoming Lo Cap nationals in mind, I sent Brian from Hunters HD Gold an email to see if they were planning to do something similar this time. 

He informed me that via USPSALive the Lo Cap nationals will be streamed live!

 

I just thought that was great news, and wanted to share with you guys.... ☺️

 

I live in the Netherlands and we've been in a Lock down since December last year, not being able to shoot...  so anything USPSA / IPSC shooting related I can watch is very, very, very welcome.....  😁

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Anyone have any more info on the Live Streaming? 

 

Are they just following the Super Squad Schedule of is their a specific set of stages where "all" will pass through that are being streamed?

 

 

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It looks like they have the same 2 bays setup with cameras so you are going to see the same stages shot over and over. and over….

 

whoever thought this would be fun for more than 20 minutes the first time you watch needs to be fired.  I liked last year’s setup much better.

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26 minutes ago, MikeyScuba said:

It looks like they have the same 2 bays setup with cameras so you are going to see the same stages shot over and over. and over….

 

whoever thought this would be fun for more than 20 minutes the first time you watch needs to be fired.  I liked last year’s setup much better.


I made it about 10. My breaking point was when they switched to a stage just as a shooter was finished and got to watch riveting video of them pick up their mags and the whole squad head down range to score and re-reset. Then even more engrossing footage of the on deck shooter doing his visualization pantomime. Honestly, unless it’s a match that I shot and I want to see how others tackled it, I find match vids about as exciting as golf on TV.

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1 hour ago, Mcfoto said:


I made it about 10. My breaking point was when they switched to a stage just as a shooter was finished and got to watch riveting video of them pick up their mags and the whole squad head down range to score and re-reset. Then even more engrossing footage of the on deck shooter doing his visualization pantomime. Honestly, unless it’s a match that I shot and I want to see how others tackled it, I find match vids about as exciting as golf on TV.

Agreed, about the best thing I get from them is the "atmosphere" of a Match.  Makes me itch to be there.  Next Year!

 

The good thing about this set up is I'm hoping to see a Revolver Squad with a buddy of mine on it.

 

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Everything outside of ‘Standby’ and the RO calling out the time is as exciting as watching paint dry. They should stick to just broadcasting the interesting bits.

Edited by BritinUSA
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Yeah... it's not good. 

Very disappointing....   

They could have at least showed different stages each day. 

it's no fun at all.....  I just go to the youtube version and fast forward through it to see any 'interesting' shooters...

but even then, there's not much to see and the audio sucks...

 

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I used to use a shotgun mic, with high DB clipping. It cut out the sounds from the other bays and reduced the muzzle blast from Open guns quite well. RO commands could be heard clearly too. The only issue I had was forgetting to turn it on.

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Man, everyone's a critic. I like this a lot more than having no nationals coverage.

 

Granted, it's not perfect, but for presumably one or two guys with a laptop, having to do their own network on top of getting cameras set up (does the Talladega range have wifi?), it's a pretty good start.

 

Things I would do differently, in order of (what I think is) easiest to hardest:

  • Show a different zone each day. Ideally, follow the super squads.
  • Use the stage title cards more consistently, and the full-screen transition card only when switching between stages.
  • Having multiple angles per stage is cool, but maybe a bit of a false economy. The Go Fast Don't Suck overhead camera (on a 12' or 15' stand) is fine, and isn't as hard for a one-man broadcast booth to run.
  • Identify squads on the stage title card ('Molti Posti - Squad 105'). Identifying shooters would be even better, but that would probably take a few more people on the broadcast team.
  • Hit factor leaderboards for the super squads after they finish a stage. Again, would require a bigger broadcast team, and possibly some extra help from ROs (to sync scores after a squad finishes). If Practiscore had an API and more support for scores-by-squad, it gets a little easier. Anyway, stage/match leaderboards would be a great way to fill any dead time between shooters.
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I'm allowed to criticize this; Especially considering all the crap I took from a few people when I was doing LiveShots, which I started in 2012

 

To go over your list, the items in GREEN were done with LiveShots, one person, no backup crew, no laptop at the range, using 3G network.

  • Show a different zone each day. Ideally, follow the super squads.followed the top squad in each session, usually men/women super squads. Typically 500+ videos of each match, over 1000 videos at 2014 World Shoot.
  • Use the stage title cards more consistently, and the full-screen transition card only when switching between stages. Stage number and Shooter name were shown on the left side of the screen so when that link was selected you knew who you were watching.
  • Having multiple angles per stage is cool, but maybe a bit of a false economy. The Go Fast Don't Suck overhead camera (on a 12' or 15' stand) is fine, and isn't as hard for a one-man broadcast booth to run. I only had one angle, agree with you that multiple angles don't help much, especially if the viewer cannot see what the competitor is shooting at. An overhead/boom camera would be ideal and was on my agenda when I stopped doing it.
  • Identify squads on the stage title card ('Molti Posti - Squad 105'). Identifying shooters would be even better, but that would probably take a few more people on the broadcast team. See second item above.
  • Hit factor leaderboards for the super squads after they finish a stage. Again, would require a bigger broadcast team, and possibly some extra help from ROs (to sync scores after a squad finishes). If Practiscore had an API and more support for scores-by-squad, it gets a little easier. Anyway, stage/match leaderboards would be a great way to fill any dead time between shooters. At the 2014 Nationals in Utah (I think the year is right), I added the PF to the title that showed on the links. So it would show Stage Number, Shooter Name and Hit factor, I had to get that from the RO after each competitor as the scores were not being updated in real time. If they were then I could have easily added a link to a PractiScore leaderboard as I could add comments/updates/URLs for the match in real time.

There is a way to do this, I explained it on another thread. (LINK)

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Live Streaming is an oxymoron,  there is nothing streaming (to flow) when it's live at a USPSA Match, 90% is spent standing around!

And for me it eats up a LOT of my Data, I'm down 25% in one day!  Can't do that anymore.  Not a lot of choices in my area on this either.

BritinUSA did a pretty good job in the past.

I'd be more interested in a compiled vid of 1) ALL of the Super Squads at ALL of the stages and 2) One Stage that everyone gets on camera, the Super Squads are interesting but it's nice to see yourself or a buddy on a stage and then look at others (all condensed of course to "only" the shooting).

The current format cut out each time my buddy was about to shoot, Revolver Division GM, to a bunch of "ehh's" SS or Production guys.  Disappointing.

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27 minutes ago, BritinUSA said:

I'm allowed to criticize this; Especially considering all the crap I took from a few people when I was doing LiveShots, which I started in 2012

 

I didn't mean you in particular, just the "this is bad" crowd who isn't proposing any ways to make things better.

 

Your ideas in the other thread sound great. I was trying to work out a good way of running it kind of like a golf broadcast, where you're always cutting to something interesting. Recording at the range, delaying a few minutes for the files to make it to a studio, and stitching together a broadcast there wouldn't have occurred to me (but then, the only videography I do is the amateur Youtube prerecorded sort).

 

33 minutes ago, BritinUSA said:

I only had one angle, agree with you that multiple angles don't help much, especially if the viewer cannot see what the competitor is shooting at. An overhead/boom camera would be ideal and was on my agenda when I stopped doing it.

 

It's probably my favorite angle for footage. (Example for anyone who hasn't seen it.) I understand that the Go Fast Don't Suck crew brings the setup to some major matches, and will provide footage to competitors who want it. The guy in the video, a match/RO class acquaintance of mine, bought a stand of his own and did some similar videos at random local matches.

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The way I explained in the other thread would definitely work. If they had a single camera operator for each SuperSquad, and a couple more focusing on the one/two other squads with good shooters then there would be plenty of action to keep the feed running.

 

There is no reason why USPSA could not do this right now.

 

A separate screen on the web-site could show the raw files as they come in so a person can choose which videos they want to watch (this is how LiveShots worked) rather than following the live-stream. This would cut down on data rates for people watching remotely.

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I’ll jump back in since I kind of started the discord: first of all, my day job is as an in-house photographer/ videographer with 40 years of professional experience, I’m qualified to criticize. Like stated above, the biggest issue is with the nature of the sport. Most of the time is spent on visually un-interesting activity. That’s where things like replay and sideline reporting come in. They are literally time fillers. Another criticism I have is the reliance on long shots. Close ups would allow the viewer to identify personalities and provide visual diversity. Logistically, I know this would be difficult given the safety issues. Close up angles from down range would only by possible via robotic camera control which would put very expensive equipment in great danger. 
 

I do appreciate the effort but it proves a point I need to make almost every day at work - In the age of YouTube, the mentality is “just put a GoPro on it and people will tune in.” There is a whole industry involved in making events visually interesting and that involves budgets that are unrealistic even at the National level of what we do.

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2 hours ago, Fishbreath said:

If Practiscore had an API and more support for scores-by-squad, it gets a little easier. Anyway, stage/match leaderboards would be a great way to fill any dead time between shooters.

 

This is really more like "if USPSA would be willing to work with PractiScore on this". They could have it a while ago.

 

But even now, you have this "scores-by-squad" in the PractiScore Competitor app.

And since this match is posting the scorelogs from ipads, the Competitor app picks updated scores nearly right after stage is scored (assuming wifi at the range hold up)...

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1 hour ago, Mcfoto said:

There is a whole industry involved in making events visually interesting and that involves budgets that are unrealistic even at the National level of what we do.


The cost for what I proposed is well within USPSA’s budget, it does not need to be fully formed the first year. If done correctly then subsequent years coverage could be offset by sponsorship. My first years with LiveShots were done using an iPhone with a wide-angle lens attached to it, and a Rode microphone.

 

There are YouTube presenters with over a million followers that make their videos with a single 4K camera, and a shotgun mic. Content is everything, if it’s interesting to watch then people will watch it, it does not have to be perfect right out of the gate.

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4 hours ago, euxx said:

This is really more like "if USPSA would be willing to work with PractiScore on this".

 

This seems like a bit of a theme—I heard a podcast a while ago about the lack of staff resetting at nationals, and how some of the issue comes from not wanting to pay the cost (whether it be time or money).

 

Which I guess is understandable for a relatively niche sport, but kind of a bummer.

 

3 hours ago, BritinUSA said:

My first years with LiveShots were done using an iPhone with a wide-angle lens attached to it, and a Rode microphone.

 

Give me a few hours to figure out OBS's studio mode and a few years to fix all my bad elocution habits (or skip the public speaking lessons and tolerate someone who talks a mile a minute), and I could do the Guy in the Booth half of your design from the other thread. As you say, the tools are there.

 

Anyway, I'm hoping that the improvement from the WSSC stream to the locap nationals stream is a sign of things to come. Not perfect, but it's hard to overstate how excited I was to be able to watch the revolver heat shoot. There's not a lot of that content out there, and seeing high-level movement and reloading went a long way toward answering a few questions I had.

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There were cameras and mics on most stages, not all, but most. I am not sure what they actually broadcast but I know that my "regular" squad was on a few times as my friends were letting me know.

 

Many of them were clamped to the EZups and we'd forget and stand in front of them or hang on the EZups probably making the camera shake (the wind at time probably didn't help with that either)

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