Workshop India

Context And Goals

This task is intended to spread the G.I.S.S. network to the east and to join our efforts with indian community radios, in a context where lots of communities are living together.

Work achieved

Contacts with Nomad India

Some serious contacts have been made with Nomad India to organize some worshops in Dahanu, 150 kms north of Mumbai :

"Nomad India has a small electronics lab in Dahanu near Mumbai. Our partner organisation called Tamarind Tree has accommodation facility for 25 to 30 people here and we can use the space for workshops."

Planning of the workshop in Dahanu ( Mumbai )

the dates and the program of the workshop have been finalized : the workshop will take place on the 17-18-19-20 of September for 25 people in Dahanu.

The program will be more oriented to radio practices and the full program is as follows :

Open source technologies for free internet media
( internet radio, edition, media archives, basics in video work... )
- Day 1 : 5/6 hours

Theorical presentation :

- History of free technologies for streaming
- Presentation of most popular free codecs : mp3, ogg/vorbis, ogg/theora
dirac, ...

Introduction to G.I.S.S. : [1]

- Channel creation
- Customization of a channel, creation of the web interface
- Audio streaming : MusE, Pure Data

(Objective: Setting up a first easy radio streaming using G.I.S.S.
infrastructure and tools )

- Day 2 : 5/6 hours

Advanced Streaming Techniques:

- Configuration of audio devices in Linux
- Panorama of audio streaming tools in Linux :
( MuSe, IcEs, IDJC, Pure Data, ... )
- Comparative discussion about tools, choice of the best tool for each configuration
- How to handle playlists and a continuous program?

(Objective : Explaining the streaming tools focusing on the strength
of each solution, mounting a radio studio for a continuous broadcasting )

- Day 3 : 5/6 hours

Production and edition of Contents :

- Edition and Encoding of audio material ( Audacity, ffmpeg2theora, ... )
- Link between the edition and the streaming processes
- Advanced audio streaming with IDJC : integrating external sound sources like telephone calls or external application input

(Objective : Being able to edit contents and install a flexible,
extensible radio studio )

-Día 4 : 5/6 hours

Publication of media contents :

- Installation of a media database
- Personalization of the database
- Creating channels and themes

Installation of a streaming server : 

- Introduction to the configuration of icecast
- Setting up one's icecast server
- How to link it to the G.I.S.S. infrastructure 

Notions of video streaming and alternative television :

- Introducion to the tools to stream video ( TSS, Pure Data )

(Objetive : Being able to mount one's own audio and video server,
creating a full on-line free media node )

Problems for the workshop in Dahanu

As of 6th of September, the news came in this form, from Hemant ( Nomad India ) :

"However, the unprescidented flood situation in the Northern state of Bihar has put all of us in a emergency mode. We along with many other organisations are in Bihar for flood relief. This makes it impossible for now to organise the workshop. Dahanu lab is completely empty. There is nobody and no equipment. We dont have the audience now since most of the organisations are also in flood relief."

Looking now for an alternative place for the workshop ( Bangalore? ).

New workshop program in HBCSE

In collaboration with Comet Media and the FSF Mumbai, a workshop will be organized in HBCSE on the 28/29/30 of September:

Open source technologies for free internet media
( internet audio/video streaming,
content management system and servers... )

- Day 1 : 5/6 hours

Theorical presentation :

- History of free technologies for streaming
- Presentation of most popular free codecs : vp3, ogg/theora, ogg/vorbis, dirac, ...

Introduction to G.I.S.S. : [2]

- Channel creation
- Customization of a channel, creation of the web interface
- Audio streaming : MusE, Pure Data
- Video streaming : Theora Streaming Studio, Pure Data

(Objective: Setting up a first easy streaming using G.I.S.S. infrastructure and tools )

- Day 2 : 5/6 hours

Advanced Streaming Techniques:

- Configuration of audio and video devices in Linux
- Panorama of audio and video  streaming programs in Linux : ( Theora Streaming Studio/ffmpeg2theora, Pure Data, GStreamer, IDJC )
- Comparative discussion about tools, choice of the best tool for each configuration
- Realization of a video/audio virtual desk in Pure Data
- Overlaying of logos and subtitles

(Objective : Explaining the streaming tools focusing on the strength of each solution,
mounting a radio or video virtual studio  )

- Day 3 : 5/6 hours

Publication of media contents  :

- Installation of a media database
- Personalization of the database
- Creating channels and themes

Installation of its own streaming server :

- Introduction to the configuration of icecast
- Setting up one's icecast server for audio and video
- How to link it to the G.I.S.S. infrastructure

(Objetive : Being able to mount one's own audio and video server,
creating a full on-line free media  )

Contacts with FSF bangalore and Maraa bangalore

Some contacts have been taken with the FSF in Bangalore ( Zainab Bawa and Kiran Jonnalagadda ) who organized several editions of "Barcamp Bangalore", the format of the event we would organize there is still to be defined.

Nomad India also have some partners in Bangalore : Maraa that could help organizing an event in Bangalore.

Roadmap

A primary roadmap has been decided passing through Dahanu ( Mumbai ) and Bangalore. If there is time and ressources, some workshops could be organized in Bengladesh too.

Due to the cancellation of Nomad India, the roadmap has been changed to pass through Mumbai ( Comet Media ) and Delhi ( Sarai ).