session recording

Drupal Recording Initiative: #DrupalCampNJ and #FLDC20

kthull — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 21:48:02 +0000

Drupal Recording Initiative: #DrupalCampNJ and #FLDC20

kthull Mon, 02/24/2020 - 15:48

I post updates on LinkedIn and to backers of the Drupal Recording Initiative, but I suppose blasting these via Planet Drupal is also a good idea. Well, at least until Drupal.tv adds that functionality (you can track that issue here).

Enjoy!

That puts the total number of captured sessions at 2,147. If you find these session recordings valuable, please consider supporting my efforts. The US is fairly well covered...so now it is time to focus on the rest of the world.

2019 Drupal Recording Year-end Update

kthull — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 21:13:17 +0000

2019 Drupal Recording Year-end Update

kthull Wed, 01/29/2020 - 15:13

As I prepare to begin the year of recording ahead of me, I realize I haven't published an official 2019 year-end report, so here are last year's highlights:

769 sessions were captured by the initiative, with an overall capture rate of 94.46% (down from 96.12% last year)
Of those, 93 were captured by others with either rented kits or a new equipment hub, for an overall capture rate of 79.49% (down from 83.33% last year)
Total session captures to date: 2,093 (and every one of them on drupal.tv)
Kits were shipped to 5 events (up from only 2 last year)
The list of trained recording volunteers is up to 26 people with varying levels of experience
I learned of at least two non-Drupal events that used the github docs to successfully record their content
I traveled to an all-time high of 15 events
I recorded DrupalCon Amsterdam...I'll just stop right there

I hope to publish a more in-depth update soon, specifically tracking against the roadmap as well as what's in store for 2020.

Thanks for all your support!

Q1 uDRI update

kthull — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 18:20:46 +0000

Q1 uDRI update

kthull Fri, 04/05/2019 - 13:20

It’s been a busy start to 2019. I’ve ticked a few boxes on the initiative, attended four camps (one of which I am lead organizer) and learned the intricacy of preparing international shipping documents. I personally captured 169 sessions this year, bringing the total to just shy of 1,500.

Drupal.tv is here!

kthull — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 17:03:55 +0000

Drupal.tv is here!

kthull Fri, 01/04/2019 - 11:03

When I’m recording an event, there are several recurring threads in conversation when chatting with attendees:

Thank you for all that you do | You’re welcome!
When will the videos be available? | By tomorrow
Where can I find the videos? | The camp YouTube channel
Have you thought about making money from this? | (hahahaha) Tell me more
We should build a site to host all the videos | I know right?!

Thoughts of that last one started way back at DrupalCon Austin, when we were hoping to get camp videos added to the DrupalCon YouTube channel. Since then, it has come up frequently as the momentum has been building. The fact that Drupal.tv now exists and has more than 3,500 videos is still hard to fathom.

I give you 600-plus Drupal talks. You’re Welcome!

kthull — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 19:38:22 +0000

I give you 600-plus Drupal talks. You’re Welcome!

kthull Mon, 11/19/2018 - 13:38

Wow. What a year. I traveled to 15 camps this year for session recording (well, that includes MidCamp, which I also organize). In addition, I shipped equipment to Pacific Northwest Drupal Summit and Baltimore Drupal Camp. And finally, I provided direct support to DrupalCamp Ottawa, which chose to purchase equipment rather than chance customs delays. Oh, and let’s not forget the highlight of it all: receiving the Aaron Winborn award at DrupalCon in recognition of my contribution. Since I am occasionally asked where people can find the videos I record, below is a recap of this year’s activity, with links to all the camp playlists.

Drupal Camp Session Recordings: A Year in Review

kthull — Sat, 14 May 2016 15:46:48 +0000

Drupal Camp Session Recordings: A Year in Review

kthull Sat, 05/14/2016 - 10:46

It has been nearly a year since I’ve updated the status of my camp recording kits. Since DCSTL15, two other camps took me up on my proposal to sponsor my travel and hotel in exchange for me recording and posting their sessions: TCDrupal and BADCamp. And, of course, as a MidCamp organizer, that counts too. And with each of those camps, I’ve iterated and learned from invaluable successes and failures.

First off, here is a link to the current kit.

With everything, each kit is still under $450. In addition, zip ties to hold the VGA to HDMI dongle tight and some gaffers tape to secure everything to the podium are needed.

Camp Record Beta Test Four: DrupalCamp STL 2015

kthull — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 15:58:31 +0000

Camp Record Beta Test Four: DrupalCamp STL 2015 kthull Sun, 06/21/2015 - 10:58

Following a successful MidCamp and with some new ideas how to improve the kit, I was eager to hit the road for more testing. Problem is, I'm a freelancer with a limited budget, and getting to camps comes out of my own pocket. On a lark, I tweeted the following:

Planning a #drupalcamp and need your sessions recorded? Sponsor me & I will record your sessions. Ping me! #drupal /cc @drupalstl @tcdrupal

— Kevin Thull (@kevinjthull) April 8, 2015

To my delight, both Twin Cities and St. Louis camps took me up on my offer. Of course, the stakes are even higher now, because it's no longer my own money on the line.

Camp Record Beta Test Three: MidCamp 2015

kthull — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 20:08:30 +0000

Camp Record Beta Test Three: MidCamp 2015 kthull Sat, 03/28/2015 - 15:08

After my #epicfail that was BADCamp, to say that I was entering MidCamp with trepidation would be the understatement of the year. Two full days of sessions and a 1-and-1 track record was weighing heavily upon my soul. Add to the mix that I was coming directly off of a 5-day con my company runs, and responsible for MidCamp venue and catering logistics. Oh right, and I ran out of time to make instructions and train anyone else on setup, which only added to my on-site burden.

Testing is good.

After BADCamp, I added a powered 4-port USB hub to the kits, as well as an accessory pack for the H2N voice recorder, mainly for the powered A/C adapter and remote. All total, these two items bring the current cost of the kit to about $425.

In addition, at one of our venue walk-throughs, I was able to actually test the kits with the projectors UIC would be using. The units in two of the rooms had an unexplainable random few-second blackout of the screens, but the records were good and the rest of the rooms checked out.

Failing is Important: Drupal Camp A/V Kit Update

kthull — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 14:17:49 +0000

Failing is Important: Drupal Camp A/V Kit Update kthull Fri, 11/14/2014 - 08:17

When I learned BADCamp wasn't going to be recording sessions, I jumped at the chance to field-test the camp record kits I'm working on. After all, I was confident I fixed the audio equation and was going to start talks with the Drupal Association about next steps.

The current recipe for the kit is a Hauppage HD Rocket PVR for the screen capture and the Zoom H2N voice recorder as the microphone. Add to that a handful of dongles and converters to cover HDMI in/out for the PVR, and you're good to go.

Walking in to BADCamp, I was feeling great. I'm a big advocate for session records and I would be covering three rooms. Pretty cool, right?

Wrong.

Throughout day one of sessions, a couple laptops had connection issues and had to bypass recordings, but overall things appeared to be going smoothly. It wasn't until the end of the day when copying files off the thumb drives that I noticed many recordings were 0k mp4 files, primarily from the main room. This was the most disconcerting, because every indication was that things were working.

Update: Drupal Camp A/V Kit REBOOT!

kthull — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:56:35 +0000

Update: Drupal Camp A/V Kit REBOOT! kthull Sun, 11/02/2014 - 15:56

In my initial test of a new session recording kit, some records were lost due to lack of audio. Also, the test setup used powered lav mics, which don't fly too well with multiple presenters.

As a follow up, I tested the Zoom H2N digital voice recorder because it just so happens to have a line out jack. So the question was whether that line out would be compatible with the HD PVR for audio. I'm happy to report that it is!

This is fantastic news for many reasons: