I guess I was not paying attention, or was distracted, because I totally missed Ian's YouTube series. Thanks for pointing me to it, Mike.
The question as I understand it, involves the GCA.com site having some mechanism like Facebook does to post video direct. Is that correct?
If so, I suggest that it only allow some limitted time for the video to play, per video downloaded. For instance, about 30 to 45 seconds can allow someone to post a video view from a tee, zoom down the corridor to relavant features seen from the tee, then take up the process from an LZ, pan right and left, and to the green. Then, do a sweep of the green and surrounds. I've done this as I'm sure many have, and one can efficiently show a hole in 30 seconds that way and give a vivid idea of the nature of the hole and features, far beyond a single photo, IMO.
What we don't want while the video is playing is anything more than a running comment about what the screen is showing. And example is:
(opening seconds) 'this is a view from the tee of 17, seen is the corridor towards the LZ, with a bunker to the left at a slight dogleg left, and a slope to the right side of the LZ (said while zooming and panning into the relavant features. (about 10 seconds) {next}' This is a view from the middle of the turning point, with a view to the left at the bunker located there, and the slope behind the bunker towards the green, and a scan to the right where the slope can be used to play the groung around the slight dogleg, favoring the right side. (another 10 seconds) {next} 'this is the entrance foregreen, showing the false front leading to a collection area on the right front of the green, and the green guarding bunker front left. (10 seconds) {next} 'this is a view from behind the green, looking back up the approach corridor, and pan the green surrounds left and right, show any relavant extra features. (10-15 seconds).
Such a presentation, efficient, with no blather other than what the view is demonstrating, is an visual aid, IMO. But, blather and going too long on the video will be a distraction, I think. The blather can then come in the form of the written comments by the thread participants. All can refer to the original video, and if calling attention to something further about something shown on the video, the commentator can then say, going back to the .22second mark, where you see that bunker slope, I also have played that hole and this happended, etc.
Or, we can simply use YouTube as Ian Andrew and Gil Hanse has done during their projects, and post the link to whatever the GCA.com poster may have placed on YouTube, and go from there. Surely, what Ian has done, is robust and allows plenty of ability for us on GCA.com to review Ian's offering, and then make our written comments.
Don't forget, one new and perhaps stunning leap of technology is just now coming on the market. Home video camera 3D!!! I haven't looked into how it is displayed or if YouTube or other sites can upload 3D and then replay on one's PC monitor, and if 3D glasses will be required, etc. But at the velocity technology is coming at us, who knows what will be available, and soon.
This whole discussion of whether GCA.com should incorporate a video function may already be a trailing question, and the current question is how we might use 3D...... or smell-o-vision!
