I am a former journalist/teacher in my mid-forties trying to establsh a webcast in Kent County, Maryland. There is no public access channel so I thought I would try to develop a web/newscast. There is uncrtainty here about encroachment from the western shore (Baltimore & DC) and no broadcast coverage of daily events here.  I’m fluid in HTML, Flash, and all of the adobe products, but I’ma dummy when it comes to webcasting hardware and dv cameras. I’m looking to spend about 5,000 for video equipment, and I thought it would be easier to buy a unit that was “direct-to-disk”; however, the prices are insane. Is there a way to adapt an older video camera to a removable hardrive. what combinations are available? And can I do a live webcast through the DV camera, or do I need a separate unit? Sorry if these questions are obvious to you pros, but the literature on the technology speaks to the more seasoned techy.

Thank you,

daniel

Hiya, I’m in england trying to do the same thing as you.  If you come across any useful information please let me know.

Alex

my email address is

This is just my two cents, so take it for whatever that’s worth (at 2 cents it might be a bit overpriced).

One thing to consider is the quality of the video.  High quality video is great, but the better the quality the larger the files.  Large files usually mean expensive hosting, and the highest quality videos online are difficult for people with low-end graphics processors to handle.  Streaming video effectively does not require the highest quality video (and is hampered by it in some cases).

That said, Sony, JVC, and several other manufacturers have quality video cameras marketed to consumers that have hard-drives built in.  I am using one that has a 60 gig hard-drive (means about 12 hours of recording at the highest quality settings).  I had to add a shotgun microphone and 2 lenses but I was able to stay just under $1000.00.  The quality could be better of course, but it would be lost when the video segments are re-formatted for YouTube or other video hosting sites. 

I am not sure what options are available for host HD videos.  I decided not to go the HD route because none of the approaches I wanted to take to host the video would have taken advantage of it (though that might have changed by now).

Why not use a standard web cam and microphone? You could consider using some server software based on flash media server.

I also advise you to start with cheaper equipment. I say that because you don’t know if the business will go well.