Tag: LML Video Services

Capturing Complete

I honestly can’t count how many times I have captured all of the season 1 ROX episodes, but it’s been too many times.  Between all the issues I’ve had, there isn’t really an exact source to point the blame to.  I’ve had a hard drive crash, which put me to tears.  I have some tapes that CATS made for me which have been in bad shape since the day I got them.

The hard drive crash made me seriously look for backup solutions and I found one.  I created a backup server, which backs up my files to a mirrored raid.  Should 1 drive fail, I can simply replace it and lose no data.  The system has expandability for more hard drives in the future should I need them.  The only item I haven’t done is off site or cloud backup, mainly due to the file size of video files.

For a while I was transferring video using a USB device, which worked well for a while but now leaves a video frame in places where they shouldn’t be.  I think it’s a bandwidth issue.  Now I’m transferring with a capture card, and haven’t seen any of the issues I had with the USB device.

As of right now I have over 600 gigabytes of files solely dedicated to ROX.  Most of those are simply draft episodes which have been captured, but aren’t suitable for release.  They are either missing one piece here or there, or just need fade effects added to the beginning and end.

That’s what I do.  I’m not interpreting the original work, merely trying to make 1 good episode from a sea of bad ones.  It’s not easy work.  I go over each episode frame by frame and look for things such as heat damage (which has been the biggest issue thus far) y-axis video track issues and a plethora of audio issues.

Now the real work begins.  I’m hoping to edit and render 1 episode a night.  If I’m able to keep on this schedule I might be able to start DVD authoring within a month.

Editing Schedule

I am currently between semesters, my last one at Ivy Tech and my first one at IU. In this downtime, I’m working in some editing of the “good” episodes of ROX that I have, which are a majority of season one.

On a good night I can crank out 2 episodes. Last night I was only able to complete one.

Most of these episodes are in pretty good shape, they still need a look over to make sure they meet my high standards before I’ll allow people to pay money for them.  The biggest issue seems to be with transitions between shots and the beginning and end of the show.  Luckily I have a ton of “stock” clips to use if one is bad.

If you look at all of my blog posts regarding ROX, you’ll see many ramblings about technical difficulties or just not having time.  I’m finished with giving excuses.  I’d like to get season one ready and launch it with my new LML Video Services website.

Once this “easy” process is over, I will start the tedious heavy editing process.  Dissecting each episode ensuring the audio and video tracks are synchronized and making sure there are no other transitional issues.

After the editing process is complete, DVD authoring and design begin.  This is where I actually create the look and feel of the DVD.  Then I design the case and labels.  Once the producers give their words of approval, it will be released.

The biggest difference between this time, and the last time is I have an active backup solution.  My computer is backed up every night, and those backups are backed up weekly.  If my hard drive fails, I haven’t lost any work.  That is what put me over a year behind.  I had to recapture everything and start from day one.

Wish me luck.

Summer Luxuries

This summer is wildly different than the last couple of summers.  I’m actually working a regular schedule!  That means we have the means to do more!

I’m also taking my last semester at Ivy Tech, the school I have learned to despise.  Since I am transferring to IU, I didn’t have many choices because there are a limited amount of classes that transfer.  So I am taking Econ-101 and Hist-125.  Economics is well, economics; there isn’t much I can really say about such a dull class.  History is a different story however, as the focus for this class is “The History of American Technology.”  There is nothing that gets me as excited as history and technology, well I can probably name a few things but I must digress.

I also made the deans list for the Spring 2010 semester!

My econ class is online, and my history class was originally a “hybrid” class, which is essentially online; with the option of coming in for lectures and discussion.  I guess not enough people registered for my section and it was canceled and moved to a online section.  So no rushing to class for me this summer!  Score!

Interestingly enough, one of the first classes I will be taking at IU is a similar class, but it is in relation to how the computer changed America.  It is through the American Studies program.

I have had an average of 100 pages of reading per week thus far, and I expect that pace to stay the same.  For someone who only reads something if it’s necessary, that’s a mountain of reading.  Luckily I’m able to read and do my homework while at work, which opens up my time away from work for activities I’d much rather be doing.

Speaking of work, it seems as of the last few months that more and more people on campus are moving to Apple computers; the pressure for us to offer support for them has grown exponentially.  I haven’t seriously used a mac since the original Macintosh.  So with some preparation, I will be purchasing a macbook sometime this summer.  I hope to learn the systems inside and out in the only way I know how; enveloping myself in it.  Some think that it’s a large expense for just a learning tool, but I think it’s a small investment in my learning.  Plus it will elminate our current battles over who can use the laptop.  Even Amelia wants to play on what we call “the magic box.”

We’re currently talking (and planning) on adding a HTPC (Home Theater PC) to our endless collection of technology at home.  The key issue is price at this point, neither of us want to spend too much money.  With the lack of abilities a DVD player provides, a HTPC can offer us endless opportunities for whatever we want to do.  I have many movies that we can simply watch over our home network, plus with things like Hulu, Boxee and my new fave, Netflix – we’ll never have the excuse that “nothing’s on.”  With that in mind, I’m currently working on getting our LAN up and running.  I just have to install the box, an outlet, and connect the wiring.

I’ve all but completed the new website for LML Video Services.  I just need to raise the $60 I need to re-up my hosting package.  I built this website from scratch through my Computer Information Systems class last semester, and then tweaked it for “commercial” use.  It’s simple, just my style.  I’m currently trying to make the decision to leave PayPal and use Google for checkout options, but that’s still on the drawing board.  I also have a “Latest Updates” section that is essentially a blog.  I would like to use Word Press or some other blogging type script to update this rather than hand code it.  Unfortunately I cannot work on this until it is actually up and running.

Draft Website

We are coming close to the end of the spring semester, and I have been working on my final project in CINS-102 at a fever pace.

As I noted in a previous post, I am rebuilding my web site via this class.  I lost the files from my original web site.  My old website was just a free template I had found and changed up a bit.  I must say it’s very fulfilling to say you created it yourself.

I have found through my studies thus far that I am really enjoying web design and programming.  They almost go hand in hand, as the skills I’ve learned in programming have transferred somewhat to web design.  Where that might take me I’m unsure of at this point.

The draft website is currently hosted at http://bob.ivytech.edu/~llawmaster/index.html please visit it!  Any suggestions you have, especially in the areas of CSS, would be greatly appreciated.  FYI, the “buy it now” buttons are only pictures – the site’s document type declaration is XHTML Strict, which doesn’t allow the syntax of the buttons to be used.

There are probably going to be some slight changes to it before the semester ends, but nothing dramatic.  I am having my co-worker Kasey utilize her skills with CSS to help transform this basic site into something professional and dramatic.  For her help, I’m going to give her credit for the styling of the website.  The version with her assistance will not appear on the Ivy Tech domain, as that is for academic purposes – and having someone else do the work would be wrong.

Hopefully by the end of the year, the final version of this website will be on it’s real domain again, and fully functional.  It’s exciting!

Educating My Business

While I’m currently taking classes to earn an Associates of Applied Science in Programming at Ivy Tech Community College, I try to use my business as a resource from time to time.

This semester, I get to use it for something I’ve needed to do and spent countless hours doing.  Rebuilding my website.  While I was happy with what I had, I knew I could have a better designed one that might draw in some clients and some revenue.  Without some basic skills, what I had was the best that I could muster.  This semester I am taking CINS-102.  It is essentially a class that teaches you XHTML and CSS.

We haven’t done much in this class as of yet, but I can see the momentum starting to build.  We’ve mainly had tremendous amounts of reading each week with smaller projects in class.  Our project due this week is to find 5 url’s that we like and select one we want to use for a basis of a new website.  What a perfect opportunity for my website to be re-born!

My financial plan this year is to save any money I make.  I plan on saving as much as possible.  I did the math last night and found out I have personally spent over $3000 on expenses for my business.  I hope to eventually repay that debt.

If things are good this year, I may put my new and improved website back up.

Cutting Costs

This market has been bad on my personal and professional life.  My business has run out of money and I am being forced to cut all costs where possible.

I have been on the fence about this, but I think I am going to end hosting my website online.  At $60 a year, it isn’t that bad really for what I get.  I would rather pay for it out of my own personal money to keep it going, but I need to really start separating my business and personal expenses.

I have only really found 1 client due to my website.  While that client was a large one, with almost 50 transfers, but it hasn’t really been a big income maker in the long run.

Since I am going back to school and trying to focus on other projects more, I don’t think it’s completely necessary to have a website.  Most of my clients are referred by word of mouth.  It will just feel weird to not have a @lmlvideoservices.com email address anymore.  I try to be as “official” as possible, and I think that in itself gives me a touch of professionalism.

I think once I have a better website designed, and enough money in the bank I will re-start lmlvideoservices.com.  It just doesn’t seem feasible at this moment to keep it.

I want to make it clear that I am not “giving up,” I am just closing my website.  I will still be working on ROX, and transferring all kinds of media to current (and future) formats.  I will probably list updates on this blog from now on.

In an odd note, I got a job copying DVDs for a faculty member here at the Kelley School of Business.  He came to the TS department to have DVDs copied, but he needed more than our policy allows.  With permission from my boss, I was able to offer my services – as long as I offered an alternative, such as another department within IU.

He accepted my offer, and I should be finished tomorrow.