1. Title for this proposal

Sportcast: Broadcasting MIT sports on TV and the Web, and making the
           technology to do it.

2. Name and email address of proposer

Caitlin Murray, clmurray@mit.edu.

3. Project description

We propose to broadcast MIT sports games live on MIT TV and on the
Web. And we propose to create the technology -- video switching,
overlay graphics, instant replay, slow-motion -- to do it
economically, using commodity computers and open-source software, so
that other universities and groups can benefit, too.

We plan to start with MIT's home baseball games in the spring (there
are 12 home games from March to May), and move on to soccer or
football in the fall. Our goal is to produce as professional a
broadcast as we can, with multiple cameras, commentary, instant
replays, etc. It will be fun to see how good we can get.

On the technology end, there are big opportunities to create
open-source live video-editing software that runs on commodity
computers. Nothing like this exists right now. The open-source
video-editing tools that do exist (e.g., Kino and Cinelerra) are
designed for rendering films. They don't work live at all.

Systems that do exist -- like the VT4 LiveShow Video Toaster, which sells
for $14,000 -- are missing features like instant replay or a telestrator.
Using a commodity PC with four video cards, we will write open-source
software that beats the VT4 Video Toaster for a fraction of the price.
Our software will benefit anybody who wants to produce live video.

4. Significance

(a) Significance to MIT.

For MIT, this is a community-building project. Attendance is
notoriously low at MIT's sports games. For this proposal, we asked the
Dormitory Council and the dormitory presidents to survey MIT students
in order to find out: Are students interested in watching MIT sports
on TV or the Web?

The answer was an overwhelming yes. Of 185 students who filled out the
survey, 92 percent (170 students) said they were interested in
watching MIT sports on TV. Eleven percent of the students who
responded (20 students) said they were interested in helping with the
broadcasts.

When one of us (Murray) wrote an article in "The Tech" that was
critical of the MIT football team, there was an uproar -- even though
nobody ever goes to watch the team's games! MIT students care about
our teams, want to watch them -- and would watch them -- on Sportcast.

(b) Significance to the Athletic Department.

The Athletic Department has been wanting to broadcast MIT sports to
alumni for several years. James Kramer, the director of sports
information and communications, met with us and promised us the
Department's support. They are thrilled about Sportcast and are happy
to give it supervision and guidance.

(c) Significance to other universities and live video broadcasters.

No open-source live video production software exists right now. We
will create an open-source system (with live switching, instant
replays, slow motion, and overlay graphics) for anybody to use. This
will be useful to groups who would have bought a turnkey system
(churches, university groups, municipalities). And our system will be
customizable, extensible, open, and a fraction of the price.

5. Key participants

Caitlin Murray (MIT junior) (Tech sports writer).
George Zaidan (MIT freshman) (video production and editing).
Keith Winstein (MIT graduate student) (software).
Philip Janowicz (MIT senior) (sports commentator, former Tech sports editor)
Austin Roach (MIT senior) (sports commentator).

Murray and Zaidan agree to enroll in 6.096 and to work on the project
for at least a year.

These individuals agreed to be camera operators or write software:

Camera:
	Alice MacDonald (MIT freshman).
	Luis Loya (MIT junior).
	Nivair Gabriel (MIT freshman).
	Lisa Song (MIT freshman).
	Andrew Boardman (MIT staff).
	Mary-Irene Lang (MIT freshman).
	Marissa Cheng (MIT graduate student).
	Caroline Niziolek (MIT senior).	

Software:
	Waseem Daher (MIT sophomore).
	Ray He (MIT sophomore).
	Elizabeth Eames (MIT junior).
	Josh Mandel (MIT senior).

6. Goals for the spring

(a) Broadcasting at least half of the MIT baseball home games in spring '05
    on the MIT cable TV system, with live commentary.

(b) Construction of a usable broadcast system that can switch, live,
    between multiple cameras.

7. Goals for the first year

(a) Broadcasting at least half of either the MIT soccer or football home
    games in fall '05, with live commentary, on both the MIT cable TV
    system and via Webcast.

(b) Improving the broadcast system (e.g. adding instant replay, slow
    motion, and overlay graphics).

8. Funding

Proposed budget for the spring:

Item						Approximate cost
===============					================
4 video cameras					$1,500
Video-switching computer			$2,000
Misc. cables, adapters, etc.			$300
Video playback computer (at MIT cable)		$500

9. Advisor

The following individuals have agreed to serve as advisors for this project:

James Kramer  (Director of Sports Information and Communications,
               MIT Athletic Department).

Jonathan Ward (Broadband Technical Consultant, MIT Cable.
               Previous job: Live TV director, including for baseball.)

Thomas White  (Chief Videographer, Academic Media Production Services)