Since I get quite a few requests for information about how I get my videos from the ride to the web, I'm going to take some time and
share what I have learned in the process of publishing the few humble efforts I have available.

I started this adventure believing that all I needed was a camera and a home computer.  I got that right, but it really turned into something
else and as I learn more, it may yet morph to another level.

CAMERA:
My camera is a Sony DCR TRV 18.  In January of 2003 I paid $600 for it.  When I bought it, I planned on using it for family stuff and
recording memories of our water skiing trips.  This was one of the top cameras at the time with more features than I’ll ever use.  

But it does have a “Carl Zeiss” lens, “Steady Shot” picture stabilization, 500 Horizontal lines of resolution and the ability to compensate
for many different light levels, (obviously, it must be able to transfer information to your PC).  Amongst the may other things it does,
these features have been the most important to me.  All the other bells and whistles?  Zoom?  Media Stick?  Auto-Crack Wiper?  I
couldn’t care less.  

In the last 3+ years, the technology has improved and there are quite a few choices that were not available when I bought my camera.  
My advice is, don’t get caught up in the “bells and whistles.”  How many times are you going to zoom while negotiating a corner? (I've
found that zoom makes the lens work too hard to stay in focus when things are happening quickly and I use no zoom while
recording).  As for the still shots?  Why would you want a sub-standard still shot when you’re recording video?  Will you actually use
that Auto-Crack Wiper?

One thing that has really impressed me about this camera is that it has done something I don’t think Sony anticipated when they built it
and it has done it well.  IT’S DURABLE!  Think about it, this small package of technology has been through a virtual “camera hell” and
it’s still doing a great job.  Today I would still buy another Sony and I would stay in the MiniDV format.  I’m not sure those discs can
take the beating and still deliver quality video.

CAMERA ACCESSORIES:
1)  FILTERS:
The first thing I discovered is that I needed a filter to reduce glare and reflections.  I ended up with two filters.  One is a $10 UV Glass
Protector.  I rarely use this filter unless it’s an overcast day and all I want to do is protect the lens from dust.  I wouldn’t buy this again
because I’ve found so little use for it on a motorcycle.  

The one filter I do use is the Polarizing Filter.  This really cuts the glare and I picked mine up for a little over $30.

2)  BATTERY PACKS:
These little “InfoLithium batteries are the Shizzle!  I get about 3 hours of power from the small one.  I originally purchased the 7 hour
battery to go along with the small one.  I soon discovered that it added too much weight to the camera and caused the camera to bounce
too much.  Now I have two of the smaller ones and I can film all day.  NOTE: ”you can also wire the camera into your bike’s power
with the 12v adapter”

CAMERA MOUNTING:
1)  There are some “ready made” camera mounts on the market.  Google is your friend.
2)  Get creative.  My camera is mounted directly to the Ron Smith, (Sadly, Mr. Smith passed away early in 2005 and we are no longer
blessed with his keen eye and expert fabrication skills),  dash shelf.  I found some rubber bumpers with varying heights to get the
correct angle on the camera.  I used an appliance knob and added the appropriate size all-thread to fasten the camera to the dash shelf.  
CLICKY.

On my ST1100, I again used a dash shelf and added a Quick Release with the lower part permanently attached to the dash shelf.  
CLICKY.

Depending on the type of bike you are riding, you need to find a way to securely mount the camera.

COMPUTER HARDWARE:
1)  Processor speed is critical when rendering, CLICKY.  Basically, rendering is taking ALL that information in the video file and
changing it to a different format for use in whatever way you plan to use it.
2)  RAM is right behind the processor because the CPU can only process the information as fast as you can feed it.
3)  Hard drives have to be next.  Look for MONDO storage capacity because video files are huge.  You will also need to move this
information onto the mother board quickly so watch for buffer and transfer speed when choosing a hard drive, (NOTE: defrag often to
keep your processor from wandering around looking for information).
4)  Finally, the mother board needs to handle what all the components are trying to do.  Front Side Bus baby!  CLICKY

I didn’t start out as a computer nerd, but out of necessity I’ve learned a lot.  There’s nothing that will kill your enthusiasm for working
with video faster than waiting an hour for a three minute video to render.

Today’s system:
Mother Board:  ASUS M8R-MVP, CLICKY.
CPU:  AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939, CLICKY.
RAM:  2 GB of Kingston 400MHz DDR, CLICKY.
HARD DRIVE(s):
One each - Western Digital 250 GB 7200 RPM Sata with 16MB cache, CLICKY.  When I work with video, this is the drive my
operating system, video application and video files are stored on.  When I’m done with the video, I move the video files to one of my
other drives for storage.
Two each – Western Digital 250 GB 7200 RPM 8 MB cache, CLICKY.

It goes on from there but what I see as the ”Big Three” to working with video are CPU, RAM and Storage.

THE COMPUTER AND VIDEO ”CAPTURE”:
1)  IEEE 1394, CLICKY.  This seems to be the most stable transfer method for moving the video data from the camera to the hard
drive in your PC.  Most newer PCs have this feature built into the mother board or you can add an expansion card.
2)  USB 2 is another alternative for transferring the video from your camera to your PC.

VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE:
I started out with Pinnacle and moved to Sony Vegas for the features and stability.  There’s a butt-load of video editing software out
there.  Read some independent reviews and take your pick.  YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!  (If you want to discover words you
didn't know were in your vocabulary, try spending 90 minutes working on a video with Pinnacle only to have it crash your computer
so you can start over).

Depending on what you end up with, plan on spending some time learning how to use it.  First starting out, I spent between 16 and 20
hours producing my first video.  Again, this depends on how deep your software is and your ability to understand what’s required to
make your software perform.  I mention this because it is something that a lot of people don’t think about and get frustrated when they
don’t load a video into their computer and magically produce something they like after a few minutes.

FORMATTING FOR THE WEB:
When I render my videos I do it in a couple of stages.  

First, I render in the very best quality that I can.  I save that file and use it as a back up.

Second, I pick a format that will allow the video to be viewed over the Internet, (I use Windows .wmv just because most people are
working with Microsoft operating systems and Windows Media Player comes with those operating systems.  MAC and other “one-off”
users are usually savvy enough to figure it out or they should stick to Uncle Bill’s stuff).

I haven’t figured an easy way to designate a specific “file size” with Sony, so I take my “full resolution” video into Windows Movie
Maker to create my web file.  In Windows Movie Maker there is an option to “Save To My Computer.”  That is where I force the file
and screen size I will load to the Internet.

Render that file to your computer and upload it to that vast intellectual wasteland we lovingly refer to as the Internet.

As you can see, some of my video files are fairly large.  I do that to preserve the quality and screen size.  Since some form of high-speed
Internet access is the norm, the downloads aren’t too bad and I can still share something you don’t have to squint at while you watch
some blurry shapes move around on the screen.

Mess around with file and screen sizes until you’re happy with the results in whatever viewer you’re using and load it up!

STORAGE ON THE WEB:
1)  There are quite a few free sites where you can store your video files.  I started out with my Yahoo Brief Case.  I don’t remember,
but I think there were fairly restrictive limitations on the size of the file I could upload and because the servers are drawing time without
compensation to Yahoo, they didn’t seem to get a lot of priority in the juice line = slow.
2)  Today I have a Yahoo Small Business account with Yahoo that runs me about $12 per month.  You can find online WebHosting for
less, but watch out for support, bandwidth, and storage limits.  Video files will eat up bandwidth and storage quickly and if your support
is some third rate garage operation you might spend more time wondering why your visitors experience disconnects, server not found
and all the other PITA crap that falls into the “you get what you pay for” category.
3)  I upload with a free FTP utility that runs from my computer.  CLICKY and CLICKY.  Just use the free one.  It works great and
does what you need to get the job done.

This is a lot of information and I’ve included what I think will answer most of the questions I get asked about publishing your motorcycle
video to the web.  I’m going to qualify the above information insofar that I am not an expert on any of this.  This is what I’ve learned or
gained an opinion on along the way to producing my cheesy little videos to share on the web.

If I can add to or clarify any of this, post here and I’ll do the best I can.

Remember, DON’T RIDE FOR THE CAMERA!      

Peas,

John