My pre-occupation with video

I have thrown myself into video-related projects in recent months. This includes making home movies, creating an iTunes-based library of my DVDs, and planning my studies for next year in Australia.

Since I got hooked up with Google Video and YouTube this past summer, I have really delved into my collection of video tapes made since I got my first camcorder in 1998. At first, I focused on making short movies of my various vacations in recent years. YouTube's 10-minute limitation on video uploads required me to do some serious editing, and the result has been that I've got the best of the best of my vacations clips.

Later, when I started writing my ESL Memoirs, it occurred to me that including video clips from my teaching days would be a perfect compliment to the stories I was telling. I emailed some of my former co-workers to tell them about the videos, and many of these friends have responded with their thanks for making these memories available.

In addition to my own movie-making, I am really stoked about developing my iTunes video library. Using PQ DVD software, I have converted many of my DVDs for play on my iPod. Since the iPod can be hooked up to a TV, using your iPod to contain a large video library is a convenient alternative to using DVDs. The problem until recently was that the video resolution was limited to 320x240. However, with the upgraded iPods now sporting 640x480 capability, PQ has released an upgrade of its own. Now, thanks to the H.264 video codec, DVDs can be converted to a beautiful resolution for TV.

Because of these developments, I am strongly considering buying another external hard drive, one that holds at least 1 terabyte of data. Then, when Apple releases their iTV box for wireless video streaming from iTunes, I'll have my entire video library available at my finger tips. Furthermore, given the existence of Internet-streaming products such as Slingbox, I have to imagine that we'll be able to access our iTunes content remotely. I don't think Slingbox has this capability, but Apple should develop it for iTunes users.

Of course, where I'm really excited is thinking about July 2007, when I expect to begin my studies in Film and Video at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. I'm not sure what I will end up doing after this program finishes, but I love the idea of making documentary films.

There is one more video-related topic that has me excited these days, and that is Internet-based TV. I purchased the Yahoo NFL Game Pass program that plays all NFL games over the Internet for viewers outside North America. Finally, another sports league has followed the lead of Major League Baseball by broadcasting games online -- a perfect solution for overseas fans. As well, TVU is a cool program that streams TV stations for free. Admittedly, this service is breaking copyright laws, but I'm loving the access to major networks, including ESPN, CNN, and regular American networks. Plus, NHL Center Ice is available on TVU, so I'm getting to watch hockey again for the first time in years.

So, yeah, I'm pre-occupied with all things video these days.