REPLACEMENT
SERVER OPERATIONAL!
Thanks to tips from a
couple of my colleagues in the Alliance for Community Media and Mike
Dykstra at Leightronix tech support, today I installed a new
replacement drive for the failing Channel 20 video server.
Happily, the Leightronix software recognized this untested new
drive. We may be the first to be using it in this application.
I am expecting increased reliability and stability from this drive
which I configured as a Raid 1 'mirrored' array.
The new drive is the 1TB Buffalo DriveStation Duo. If it performs
well, I will replace the other drive for Channel 18 with one of
these Buffalo drives.
In a couple of
weeks I will be sending the Leightronix TCD-NX off to Holt, Michigan
for a failed fan replacement and general overhaul before the
warranty runs out. There will not be that much of an interrupt
in community television service, however, because I will be running
shows off DVD's and the old VHS legacy decks for the week or two
that the NX is in the repair shop. Once the machine is back, I
will be able to restore the schedule completely with videos and
PSA's running off the NX servers.
To other station managers who may be reading this, I must remark
that over the years I have found the Leightronix tech support team
to be exceptional for both their newer and older products. And that
says a lot! -Maryann
CH 18 & 20 WEB TUTORIAL 2 minutes 50 seconds
Right Click
HERE to download the
web tutorial file
(only 6.9MB)
This brief tutorial explains web access to the TV Scroll, the online
Channel 18 & 20 program schedules, and the streaming videos that are
on the web. This tutorial is currently airing on the Putnam
Valley Channels.
The purpose of Putnam Valley Channel 18 and
20 is to bring our community together by providing video
coverage of government educational and community happenings.
Since not all of Putnam
Valley is able to receive this station, video tape copies of
almost all
programs are available for loan a the PUTNAM VALLEY LIBRARY
located at 30 Oscawana Lake Road - telephone number (845)
528-3242. These tape copies
are personally donated by Maryann Arrien.
To see a list of the
tapes at the
PUTNAM VALLEY LIBRARY available from 2006 to the present (2010) click
HERE.
(last updated 1/6/10)
(Opens with your word processing software). Note that except for
programs of special interest to seniors, we have begun phasing
out VHS, because the
sources of blank VHS tape are becoming scarce. All media will be
made available on DVD. Time to buy a simple DVD player! They're
cheap!
If you know of an
event in our town worth videotaping, or want to report any
glitches in the broadcast lineup, please contact our station
manager, Town of Putnam Valley Community Media Coordinator
Maryann Arrien at (845) 528-7420 (leave a message on
the answering machine if she cannot come to the phone).
Please
make your videotaping requests
AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE - or better yet, AT THE TIME YOU FIRST PLAN YOUR EVENT!Thank you!
The Chroma-Key Tests are IN!
7/19/08
Chroma Key Green Fabric hung onto the drape at
PVHS TV Studio. CLICK TO ENLARGE
ON LEFT - How it looks with a still picture of
the Earth at Night Keyed in.
ON RIGHT - How it looks with Motion Graphics of a Turning Earth
Keyed in, with the Show Title "Putnam Valley Perspectives"
behind me.
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Okay, so it's not a PERFECT matte, but it's GOOD
ENOUGH for our Community Media purposes! <G>
UPDATE 8/24/08
On August 16th we taped a program in the chroma-key set
entitled "Putnam Valley Perspectives" with PVCSD Superintendent
Marc Space and PVHS Principal Jonathan Bryant, hosted by Town
Historian Dan Ricci & Maryann Arrien.
On August 23rd, we had a successful free P.S.A. day, followed by
another taping of Putnam Valley Perspectives entitled "The
Question of Chronic Lyme Disease."
Happily, it looks as
though we will be keeping the Green Chroma Key Set up, and do a
re-light of the set to improve the look
the key effect. We will be moving the platform farther away from
the screen, and the curtain will be swept straight to the floor,
behind the platform.
UPDATE 10/17/08
Click
HERE to read an article "Staying Connected: A Personal
View" (page 5) by Community Media Coordinator Maryann
Arrien about the Washington DC conference that was published in
the NORTHEAST COURIER, the Newsletter of the North East Region
of Alliance for Community Media. www.acm-ne.org
COMMUNITY MEDIA SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO PUTNAM VALLEY TOWN
EMPLOYEE
The North East Region of the Alliance for
Community Media recently awarded a full scholarship to Community
Media Coordinator Maryann Arrien to attend the National
Conference of the Alliance for Community Media in Washington, DC
this July 10-12, 2008.
The ACM NE “Grassroots” Scholarship will pay
for the $390 conference registration for Ms. Arrien, plus provide up
to an additional $500 of assistance for her hotel and travel costs.
Ms. Arrien recently started up a free Video
Workshop for the residents of Putnam Valley in cooperation with
Putnam Valley High School. The course is held Friday nights at 6pm
and Saturday mornings at 10am at the TV Studio in PV High School.
The idea of the course is to create more programs for Channels 18 &
20, the Putnam Valley Channels. Students are learning editing and
production, using inexpensive mini DV cameras and laptops converted
to editing systems. Since budgets are extremely strained in these
times, Arrien teaches guerilla methods for getting good video and
editing with older computers with added external drives. She hopes
soon to offer a “PSA Day” where 30 minute Public Service
Announcements will be offered to non-profit groups in the Town.
These may be shot against a large wraparound chroma-key backdrop
wherein backgrounds, logos, or virtual sets may be ‘keyed-in’ for
visual effects.
Ms. Arrien hopes to learn more about grant
writing, fundraising and teaching techniques at the national
conference. She recently attended the ACM NE conference in
Providence, Rhode Island at her own expense. Without this
Grassroots Scholarship, it would have been impossible to attend the
more costly national conference this July. But thanks to the
Alliance for Community Media, she will get the benefit of the
training without any cost to the Town of Putnam Valley.
The Conference will offer study tracks on New
Media Issues (streaming & podcasting), Technical Issues and
Equipment, Fundraising Collaborations & Outreach, Community Media
Center Management, Training and Content Development for Programming,
Civic Involvement and Community Development, and Media & Telecom
Public Policy.
For more information on the Alliance for
Community Media, visit
www.alliancecm.org.
It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, enriching
and expanding the benefits of government, educational and public
access television. (a.k.a. ‘PEG’ access.)
CALL FOR OLD
VIDEOS for the
"VINTAGE PUTNAM VALLEY" SERIES
Do you have some old video or film of a Putnam Valley event? We
are very interested in finding old video - even if it only 5-10
years old. If it is on 8mm or 16mm film, it is possible that we
can transfer it, so give a call.
For
additional Programming Announcements, Notices or Information,
visit us on the
Message Board.
WELCOME TO
THE
PUTNAM VALLEY
COMMUNITY TELEVISION PAGE
Town of Putnam Valley Community Media Coordinator Maryann Arrien
was recently named the
New York State Representative
for the
Alliance for Community Media
North East Region.
Click
HERE
to view or download a pdf of the Summer issue of the Northeast Courier
Newsletter - the story is is on page 5.
Visit
www.acmny.org
to find links to info on
how you can
help support the CAP Act
and links to video of the ACM NY testimony in Albany, NY.
For more information about
the North East Region of the alliance visit
www.acm-ne.org
The national website for the Alliance for Community Media can
be found at www.alliancecm.org.
Those NY
residents interested in getting involved in the ACM can contact
Maryann at 845-528-7420 or
arrien@optonline.net .
****NOTICE #1****
CABLEVISION
CUSTOMERS
WHO LOST THEIR LOCAL CHANNELS
18, 20 & 74 If you missed out on
the temporary free digital box offer or if you are not
eligible because you are a new customer, or you object to the
one box limit per household, click
HERE to download a
consumer complaint form and submit it to the
NY State Office of
the Attorney General.
On October 16, 2008,
the Town of Putnam Valley filed a Formal Complaint to the NY
State Public Service Commission about the loss of access
channels on the lowest tier of service.
Decision:
The PSC ruled against us, even though the FCC Media Bureau Chief
Monica Desai's attached letter asserted that the basic tier
issue is unrelated to the effective competition argument.
http://www.dps.state.ny.us/New_Search.html
Search on Case No.
08-V-1487
CABLEVISION
CUSTOMERS
WHO LOST THEIR LOCAL CHANNELS
18, 20 & 74 If you missed out on
the temporary free digital box offer or if you are not
eligible because you are a new customer, or you object to the
one box limit per household, click
HERE to download a
consumer complaint form and submit it to the NY State Office of
the Attorney General.
But BETTER YET TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE:
SUPPORT THE
COMMUNITY ACCESS PRESERVATION ACT
HR-3745
This would put a stop to channel slamming. Visit
www.acmny.org
to find links to info on
how you can
help support the CAP Act
by using the easy pre-composed letter FAX tool.
The
Congressional Hearing of 9/17/08 on PEG matters (which is
airing on the Putnam Valley Channels) is available for
viewing or download at
http://blip.tv/file/1278920/
This
channel-slamming issue is covered beautifully in this
Congressional hearing by our Alliance for Community Media
former NY
Chair Michael Max Knobbe.
It also includes key testimony by FCC Media Bureau Chief
Monica Desai.
DVD's are now
from the Alliance to show on your PEG access stations at no
charge. Call or write Rob McClausand at
rmccausland@alliancecm.org 202-393-2620.
To get the one with
titles that is airing on the Putnam Valley channels, contact me at
channel20@putnamvalley.com and we will
try and get one to you. - Maryann
****NOTICE #2****
FREE VIDEO WORKSHOP
The aim of this
program is to train volunteers to create more programs to air on the
Putnam Valley Channels (18 & 20)
NEXT COMMUNITY MEDIA
VIDEO WORKSHOPS
CALL FOR CURRENT INFO
DON'T BUY ANY EQUIPMENT YET!
BRING YOUR PC COMPUTER SPECS!
(Processor type, Processor speed and RAM
--Right Click My Computer Icon - Properties
to find this info)
AVOID HARD DRIVE camcorders, because they are harder to edit with.
Remember for our purposes that MiniDV tape is still the best,
followed by Digital 8, for which we have no playback decks.
NOTICE #3:
CALL FOR
ORIGINAL MUSIC!
If you have any
original music on CD for which you own the performance
rights, consider
submitting a copy to Putnam Valley Community Television to play
behind the TV Channel Scroll!
Thank you!
Maryann Arrien
Community Media Coordinator
Town of Putnam Valley
845-528-7420 Channel20@putnamvalley.com
NOTICE #4:
Content on DVD CAN NOW BE SUBMITTED
for airing on Putnam Valley Community Television
It is best if the DVD's do not have PAPER LABELS.
Call 845-528-7420 if you have a question or a problem.
