I announced the Starcraft 2 Coders Challenge at Devoxx in Belgium. This is a little off topic for my coding blog, but an interesting aside for anyone who enjoys Real Time Strategy (RTS) gaming.

As a genre, I find RTS games interesting for the following reasons:

• Matches are online, testing your skills and wit against other human opponents
• The matches are relatively short (~15 minutes on average), but extremely intense
• After you get the mechanics down, winning is all about strategy
• The options for build order, troop composition, and tactics make it a great discussion topic

The original Starcraft came out back in 2000 and was a huge hit. In the past decade it has become one of the most popular online games in the world, selling over 9.5 million copies. Just under half of those were sold to South Korea where Starcraft and Pro-gaming has become close to a national sport. One of the features of the game is a 3 race system with hundreds of patches and tweaks that have gone into game balance to improve the playability of matches.

I mostly swore off games many years ago to increase my development productivity (as a developer there is a limited amount of focused time you can spend in front of the computer).  However, with the release of Starcraft 2 I started picking up matches between coding sessions as a mental break.  At this point I am probably one of the few people who has bought the game and never tried the single player campaign. However, I am quite skilled at multiplayer matches with a diamond gaming rank.

If you are interested, I am taking challenge matches via this blog.  Simply click on the SC2 Challenge link in the menu and submit your account information so I can arrange a match.  The only criteria is that you can program (Java, JavaFX, Javascript, Actionscript, etc.).  Standard 1v1 quick match rules apply.

The first person to take me down will get their match featured on my blog (I promise not to broadcast losing matches).

As a teaser, here is a short webcast of a recent random match-up I played online (complete with some announcer voiceovers explaining what is happening):

View in High Definition

At some point I will probably post some information on how to capture, convert, and post high quality videos. This was non-trivial for various reasons, but will come in handy with some other coding related videos I plan to post soon (Visage on Android anyone?).

Let the battle begin!

I am pleased to announce that we have a couple new videos available on the Silicon Valley JavaFX User Group (SvJugFx) video site. Here is a link to the landing page where you can watch these videos as well as all our previous sessions:

http://web.ubivent.com/svjugfx.html

The first new video is a Hands-On JavaFX Lab given by Stuart Marks, core JavaFX team member, and regular SvJugFx attendee. This was our most successful meeting so far for the local audience, because it filled in the gap between the very technical rich presentations we started with and the experience level of the attendees. The entire flood tutorial was published as an HTML document, but it is much more entertaining to see Stuart do it first hand:

Hands-on JavaFX:  http://jnlp.ubivent.com/jnlp/eventid=10/guest=1/path=doc:129,doc:128,doc:210

The second was the wildly popular Bay Area JUG Round-Up event.  All the Bay Area user groups cooperated to host a massive event with a live recording of the Java Posse.  Oracle sponsored the event, with an introduction by Justin Kestelyn and update on Java.net from Sonya Barry.  And of course the Java Posse did an amazing job working the crowd with some hilarious techie humor.

Justin Kestelyn: http://jnlp.ubivent.com/jnlp/eventid=10/guest=1/path=doc:129,doc:128,doc:217,goto:v:-0

Sonya Barry: http://jnlp.ubivent.com/jnlp/eventid=10/guest=1/path=doc:129,doc:128,doc:217,goto:v:-1

The Java Posse: http://jnlp.ubivent.com/jnlp/eventid=10/guest=1/path=doc:129,doc:128,doc:217,goto:v:-2

For our meeting next month we have the esteemed Max Katz coming to speak on Enterprise JavaFX.  He will demonstrate how to use the open-source Flamingo framework to connect a JavaFX application to an enterprise backend using JBoss Seam.  For those of you who don’t know, Exadel also develops an Eclipse plug-in for JavaFX, which he will be using for all his coding examples.  It should be an exciting event, so please sign-up to attend in person or online:

Enterprise JavaFX with Max Katz:  http://www.svjugfx.org/calendar/13605800/

This past month we had a great combined meeting of the Silicon Valley JavaFX User Group (SvJugFx) together with the Silicon Valley Web User Group.  The presenters included Richard Hyde and James Allen from Oracle on the Java Store and Yoav Landman and Fred Simon from JFrog on repository management with Artifactory.

Our April SvJugFx presentation will feature Stuart Marks from the JavaFX Team in Hands on JavaFX – Scripting the Scene Graph.  To attend in person or via our live web stream (and be eligible for great prizes!), please sign-up here: http://www.svjugfx.org/calendar/12863551/

We were also fortunate enough to be contacted by the folks at Ubivent who have developed a JavaFX-based event platform.  Their platform is used by large corporations like SAP, and they have generously offered to host our videos going forward.  Therefore, you can now watch all the SvJugFx videos using JavaFX technology!

To watch the latest videos, you can go to the landing page for the new SvJugFX Video Site:

Registration is optional, but will allow you to comment on the presentations.  Once you launch the application you will be taken to an event hall that lets you choose which presentation you want to watch:

Finally, when you click on a presentation you will be given a virtual theater experience with side-by-side slides and video.  You can click on the double arrows to expand it to full screen, skip around by chapter, and comment on the video as you are watching.

For convenience, here are some links that will take you directly to the two videos and their associated slide shows:

Java Store & Java Warehouse Overview (video) (slides)

Repository Management with JFrog Artifactory (video) (slides)

Also, we have posted the videos on our Parleys SvJugFx Space and will continue to do that for folks who like using this excellent presentation platform.

This is the second installation of my Live Streaming Guide, which will go over all the hardware you need to get setup.  While you can spend tens of thousands of dollars on professional gear, it is possible to put together a high quality setup for a fraction of that cost.  You may also be able to reuse some of your existing hardware, further reducing the cost.

This setup is targeted at streaming a live presentation over the internet that includes a speaker and possibly some slides or a demo.  Not all of this hardware is required to get started, so I will present it in order of how critical it is to the quality of the presentation.

If you are just interested in knowing what I recommend and how much it will run you, skip to the Buying Guide.

Choosing a Camcorder

The first thing you will need is a camcorder to stream the video.  The reason to go with a camcorder rather than a webcam is that you will have more options for lenses and zooming, and will be able to get a much higher resolution (as high as 1920×1080 for HD).  HD camcorders are pretty common and fairly inexpensive; a good one can be bought new for around $600.  Also, chances are that you or someone you know already has one that you can take advantage of.

One important consideration for camcorders is the computer interface.  If the camcorder supports Firewire (IEEE 1394), you are in pretty good shape.  This means it will probably support DV or HDV streaming to a laptop that has Firewire, and video streaming software will automatically pick it up as an input device.  A popular model for doing video streaming is the Canon Vixia HV40 which can be purchased for around $650 new:

Canon Vixia HV40

What if I Have an AVCHD Camcorder? (skip this section if you are buying new)

A lot of the more recent camcorder models, particularly any that support Advanced Video Coding High Definition (AVCHD), do not have Firewire support.  The advantage of these new AVCHD cameras is that they are lighter, and can capture video to a memory stick for easy transfer.  However, they lack the DV circuitry needed to stream over Firewire.  This is the case with the Canon Vixia HF20 camcorder I have been using.

Fortunately, you have some options with AVCHD cameras.  Many of them support HDMI out, which is actually higher quality than HDV as long as you have a capture card you can use to record it.  The card I have been using is the BlackMagic Intensity Pro, which works on both Mac and PC systems and is relatively inexpensive (about $185):

Blackmagic Intensity Pro

The big disadvantage of this is that it is a PCI Express card, so you need a computer with an expansion slot available.  This makes a truly portable setup impossible since no laptops come with PCI slots.

Another option that is more attractive for a portable setup is to use a Matrox MX02 Mini breakout box.  This supports both PCI and ExpressCard (EC) adapters, the latter of which can be found standard on many laptops.  I actually bought a Matrox MX02 from the folks at DVEStore and tested it out, but it wouldn’t work for my setup.  The problem is that I have a PC laptop with an EC slot, but the Matrox PC drivers don’t have full DirectShow support and only support capture to a limited set of applications such as Adobe Premiere.  On the other hand, their Mac drivers are much better, allowing capture to any application that supports QuickTime video capture.  The showstopper here was that Apple recently stopped shipping EC slots on all models smaller than 17″, so my 15″ Mac was useless (and I couldn’t justify buying a new laptop just for this purpose).

The upshot is that if you have a Mac with an ExpressCard Slot the MX02 Mini is a great, portable option to go with your AVCHD camcorder:

Matrox MX02 Mini

Capturing Presenter Audio

Now that you have high definition video, you need crystal clear audio to match.  The problem is that most camcorder microphones will pick up ambient sound, so they are useless for recording the speaker at an event.

The best option is to pick up a lavalier mic that will capture the presenter audio directly.  A good option that Aleksandar Gargenta (Sasa) uses for his San Francisco JUG meetups is the Audio Technica Pro 88W.  It is relatively inexpensive and has excellent audio quality for the price.  The disadvantages are that it operates over VHF frequencies, so it is subject to more interference and less range than UHF, and it has no battery meter so you are left guessing when to switch them out so you don’t lose power in the middle of a presentation.

Audio Technica Pro 88W

Sennheiser makes some much higher end models that will give you better audio, longer range, and an array of features like battery life monitoring and configurable channels.  If you can afford the price (roughly $600), it is well worth it to invest in something like the Sennheiser EW112P G3:

Sennheiser EW112P G3

In addition to a lapel mic, you may also want to consider getting a shotgun mic.  This will not give you as clear audio as you will get from the presenter, but can be useful to pick up questions from the audience.  The way a shotgun mic works is that it is directional, so wherever you point the camera is where it will record the sound from.  The audio pick-up is roughly canonical in shape, so the farther you are away from the speaker the more background noise you are likely to pick up.  An excellent choice for a shotgun mic is the Rode VideoMic 2 which has professional sound quality, but only costs $150 (remember to check for accessory shoe compatibility with your camcorder…  you may need an adapter):

Rode VideoMic 2

Picking a Tripod

The last bit of essential equipment is getting a good tripod for your setup.  If you have a standard camera tripod you can make due, but getting a specialized video tripod is ideal.  Even though a tripod will be the largest item in your rig, it doesn’t have to be the most expensive item, especially if you shop around.  Some things you should consider when looking for a tripod are:

• Weight – If you will be recording on the run, choose a tripod that is lightweight and easy to setup.
• Control – You want to be able to easily pan and tilt the camera independently to follow the presenter, so get one with a good fluid drag mechanism.
• Quality – Your tripod stands to take a fair amount of abuse as you move your setup around, so make sure it is of sturdy construction.

I ended up going with the Ravelli AVT Video Tripod and have been pretty impressed with what you get for $77.  It has a fluid balance for leveling the camera, switchable plates for quickly changing the mounted camcorder, and comes with two solid metal arms for controlling the camera angle.  The only downside is that it is a little heavy (9 pounds), but the construction of the entire tripod is extremely rugged.

Ravelli AVT Video Tripod

Screen Recording

If you have the rest of the setup mentioned above, you are doing pretty good.  However, for typical technical presentations with a slide deck or demos you will have trouble getting a good shot of both the presenter and the presentation.  A much better option is to separately record and stream the presenter’s laptop so you can superimpose the presenter’s picture on top of the slides.

There are a variety of software options you can use to do this, but I am not going to even bother covering these for the simple reason that they are impractical.  In most cases your presenter will use their own laptop, so it is not an option to setup the recording in advance.  Even if it was, you still run the risk of having screen recording issues that would require interrupting the presenter to diagnose (this happened to me during my talk at the SD Forum and was extremely embarrassing even though we figured it out on the fly).

A much better option is to record the presenter’s laptop by intercepting and capturing the VGA signal.  There are several VGA to USB converters on the market, but the most reasonable ones are sold by a company called Epiphan based out of Canada.  Their entry level VGA2USB model is only $300, will allow capture of VGA signals at up to 2048×1536 resolution, and is about the size of a pack of cigarettes.

Epiphan VGA2USB

The downside of the entry level model is that the frame rate drops off steeply as the resolution goes up, and it is interlaced, which means your attendees will see tearing in the picture.  They also sell much more expensive models that can handle everything from Dual-head DVI to direct internet streaming, but the best option is probably the VGA2USB LR, which captures at much higher frame rates with zero interlacing for $800:

Epiphan VGA2USB LR

In addition to the VGA to USB converter, you will also need a VGA splitter.  It comes with a passive one, but if you want to maintain a high quality signal over a relatively long VGA cable (ours is 50′) you should probably invest in an active splitter.  Radio Shack sells a very convenient VGA Splitter that will power itself off the computer’s USB slot, which is worth it for saving the hassle of carting yet another power supply:

Gigaware USB-Powered VGA Splitter

Buying Guide

After all that detail on the products and options, it is easy to lose track of the essentials.  This section will give you just the line items and cost for my recommended setup.

Category	Hardware	Cost
Camcorder	Canon Vixia HV40	$650
Microphone	Audio Technica Pro 88W	$124
Tripod	Ravelli AVT Video Tripod	$77
VGA Converter	Epiphan VGA2USB	$300
VGA Splitter	Gigaware USB-Powered VGA Splitter	$33

Important: Remember to buy a Firewire cable to hook this up to your computer, and a long (50′) VGA cable for the VGA2USB dongle.

I hope this hardware guide has been helpful.  I have no vested interested in any of the companies or products mentioned, and welcome suggestions about good alternatives in the comments section.

Make sure to follow my blog so you catch the next installment of this series where I will go into detail on how to use this hardware to stream live from your event!

Recently I have been doing a lot of research, experimentation, and processing of videos for the Silicon Valley JavaFX User Group.  We decided from day 1 that we wanted to take things up a notch by providing high quality web streaming of our events.  It makes particular sense for us, because the JavaFX community is spread all around the world, and we want to be able to reach as wide of an audience as possible.  However, once you have everything setup the overhead is minimal, so it is worthwhile to do for any user group or event.

Video setup for the first SvJugFx meeting with myself (left) and Keith Combs (right) running the rig.

Because this is a fairly in depth subject, I am going to cover it in a 4 part blog series.  Here are the topics (links will be added as each entry is published):

• Part 1 : Introduction – You are reading it!
• Part 2 : Hardware – This will give you an idea what hardware you need (including how to reuse what you have available).
• Part 3 : Broadcasting – A step-by-step guide on how to stream video live from your event and tools to let your remote audience interact.
• Part 4 : Post-processing – How to take the video assets you have and process them for upload complete with slides.

By the end of this series you will be able to walk in to almost any venue and do live streaming on the spot.  You will also be able to post-process professional videos like Hinkmond’s February JavaFX Mobile talk.

Please drop feedback or comments below on anything specific you are interested on hearing me cover beyond what I have already mentioned!