Portable Webcast System Streams Underwater Vehicle Competition via Satellite Internet
Live Video Webcasting
(1888PressRelease) August 26, 2008 - SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA - AUGUST 25, 2008 — TodoCast™, the innovator of the world's first affordable, portable, live satellite-to-web video streaming system, today announced the success of live underwater video streaming at this year's 11th Annual International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition held earlier this month. Sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR), and TodoCast, the event featured 25 teams who competed in the design and construction of an AUV capable of navigating realistic underwater missions.
Spectators who were not able to physically go to the event, could for the first time, watch the competition live via the Internet. Ground and elevated videography services, including provisions of production equipment, cameras and crews and were provided by Solana Productions, Inc, with underwater video feeds provided by SeaBotix, Inc. Above ground and underwater video content was then encoded to Flash using the Kulabyte encoder, a standard component of the TodoCast Kit. In addition, TodoCast provided the satellite feed and content distribution services which enabled AUVSI, with support from Solana Productions and SeaBotix, to pull off the event live via satellite for the first time.
"The seamlessness and additional viewing opportunities that TodoCast provided, was absolutely fantastic. We are thrilled at the prospect of bringing this event to an even wider audience," stated Daryl Davidson, Executive Director of AUVSI. "TodoCast not only made live video streaming possible, but enabled a graceful execution of a longtime goal and far exceeded our expectations," Davidson concluded.
"I was very impressed with the TodoCast system and enjoyed the expertise and support of the TodoCast crew," stated Executive Producer of Solana Productions, Kurt Snider. "While live video streaming is not a new venture, TodoCast is the first webcasting solution I've seen that takes remote connectivity and onsite technical challenges off the table. With TodoCast you truly can go anywhere, shoot anything and in mere moments be connected to a live Internet viewing audience," Snider concluded.
"We too were pleased with how everything turned out," said Sean Newsome, Sales Manager of SeaBotix, Inc, whose commercial ROV was piloted by student interns to film the event from beneath the water. "As the fastest growing manufacturer of remotely operated vehicles and a longtime supporter of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition, we were extremely pleased by the whole event. The effortless integration, functionality and quality of TodoCast was an unexpected added benefit," stated Newsome.
The vehicles developed by more than 200 students from 25 schools worldwide, were required to traverse a complex underwater course that consisted of navigating through an underwater gate, releasing a buoy, following a pipeline, dropping markers, lifting a “treasure,” and surfacing
within a breach zone. The vehicles had to achieve these missions autonomously, meaning they are not remotely controlled but are programmed to sense their surroundings and respond accordingly, independent of any external control by an operator.
Featuring a .96 meter one touch auto-deploy satellite antenna, the TodoCast kit, which comes complete with all electronics premounted in a Gator G-Shock Rack Case, offered a high-quality live video webcast of the underwater competition. The stream was released in standard definition at 600Kbps Flash, allowing the largest possible audience to view the content at home on either a MAC or PC. TodoCast services are available in Standard Definition as we as High-Definition with data rates from 400Kbps to over 4Mbps.
"TodoCast truly provided an unexpected solution and an opportunity for an entirely new audience to participate in the event," stated TodoCast Director of Global Video Services, Brian Roland. The complete mobility, quality broadcast and fast deployment that enabled event organizers to stream the event live in just a few minutes was a huge success," Roland concluded.
As the first portable solution for pay-per-view and live video content, the TodoCast Kit, offers a turnkey satellite webcasting system. Mounted to most vehicles, TodoCast provides videographers the freedom of mobility with guaranteed quality broadcasting bandwidth. Professional videographers can access the TodoCast CDN Streaming Media Hosting, to upload and promote live events capable of generating revenue from any location.
The Annual International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition has captured the imagination of students, industry, the media and now the internet viewing audience worldwide and has been featured on internationally televised broadcasts, radio and print outlets around the world. For more information on the event, please visit http://www.auvsi.org/competitions/water.cfm. For information on TodoCast and how its turnkey live video streaming satellite system revolutionizes videography and streaming media content for videographers and event planners everywhere, please visit http://www.TodoCast.tv.
About AUVSI
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is the world's largest non-profit
organization devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems community. AUVSI’s 6,000 members worldwide come from government organizations, industry and academia. AUVSI is committed to fostering, developing, and promoting unmanned systems and related technologies.
About Solana Productions, Inc
Solana Productions is a leading video production company with red carpet expertise and high profile corporate finesse. With the experience, equipment and personnel to make every shoot a success, Solana Productions has captured the moments of value and significance to corporations, events and celebrities alike. For more information, please visit www.SolanaProductions.com.
About SeaBotix, Inc
As the world-leading MiniROV manufacturer, SeaBotix has been a longtime supporter of the colleges and contestants in the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competitions through generous discounts on thrusters, paid summer internships, and team technical support. With over 560 robots in the field, SeaBotix is world renowned for its state of the art technology and manufacturing in the remote operated vehicle industry. For more information, please visit www.SeaBotix.com.
About TodoCast
TodoCast is a complete turnkey solution for live video streaming over satellite, packaged into a user friendly and revenue generating kit for professional videographers. The TodoCast Kit offers live satellite-to-web video streaming in a portable and turnkey solution, complete with electronics, antenna and portable case. In addition to the TodoCast Kit, the company provides a Content Distribution Network(CDN) and pay-per-view and advertising engine that enables TodoCast partners to promote and stream live events while generating revenue through paid viewers or advertising revenue. For more information, visit www.todocast.tv.