LectureCasting
I came across an interesting article on how to lecturecast (podcasting lectures) using a Macbook and some free software. There’s a catch, the hardware isn’t really free. Lapel mics and pre-amps cost money, though they wouldn’t really be necessary in a controlled environment.
The article talks about using UStream. Though in my brief test, YouTube seemed to work just as well. YouTube may have time limits though, I’m not really positive about that. If a person uses YouTube instead of UStream, they can convert the YouTube video to *.mp4 using KeepVid.
The original article is Lecturecasting on a Shoestring with a Macbook, Ustream, CamTwist, MPEG Streamclip and Blip.tv from Wesley Flyer’s blog.
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:12 pm
YouTube has a 10 minute limit on uploaded videos, unless you get a special account with them. I think nonprofits can do this for free, but I’m not sure. A “regular” user account is limited to videos with a max length of 10 min as far as I know.
You are correct that it’s quite possible to follow the steps outlined in the post using a built-in microphone. The Blip.tv pro account I’m using is $8 per month, but a free Blip account would also work. Free accounts transcode to flash format, and the version I’m uploading with MPEGstreamclip is iPod compatible.