SongShow Plus

Tips & Tricks > Training videos for SSP v7 (screencasts) - done at last!!

davechalmers

1/30/2007 12:53:52 AM

Hi all, If you remember back a bit, you will recall that I was talking about doing some screencasts (videos showing what's happening onscreen while I talk about things) to train my team in how to use SSP v7. It was proving too difficult to have a meeting and I wanted something that would help new folk who started helping after any formal training was done. Well....it took a while, and I tried 3 different tools to get there, but I have finally done something and uploaded it to the web. If you are interested you can find the videos linked off omnidrive (file sharing service) below - hope that works. Click on the links below to download the .wmv files then you can play them in Windows Media Player (I suggest playing them full screen - right click on the video and select 'full screen mode' or similar). Biggest file is around 23MB so they should download fairly fast on a broadband connection. Tour of SSP User Interface Adding songs to a program: Adding a new song to the database: Adding bible verses to a program: Adding slideshows (incl. PPT) to a program: Adding video clips to a program: Adding still images to a program: Transferring work from one SSP system to the church PC: Things to check before a service starts: Operating the program during the service: Bear in mind that they are totally un-edited so it was whatever came to my head at the time, so please excuse the slightly rambling style (and the wierd accent!). If anyone is interested, I made these using the screen capture mode of Windows Media Encoder, a free tool from MS. (yes, I was shocked too!) It took a bit of playing to get the settings right - the key was to up the datarate a LOT to 2Mb/s and increase the sharpness so that you could read menu text etc. Don't use the wizard, but configure the settings manually. OK, since It took such a lot of work I thought I would share these in case it helped anyone else. Please note that some of the advice in these screencasts is specific to OUR church setup, so can't necessarily be transferred, but the general stuff should help any newbies. Have fun, and don't forget to let me know what you think. Regards Dave.

davechalmers

1/30/2007 1:01:13 AM

OK so that didn't work too well. - Let's try again (in Firefox this time, not Safari)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi all,

If you remember back a bit, you will recall that I was talking about doing some screencasts (videos showing what's happening onscreen while I talk about things) to train my team in how to use SSP v7.

It was proving too difficult to have a meeting and I wanted something that would help new folk who started helping after any formal training was done.

Well....it took a while, and I tried 3 different tools to get there, but I have finally done something and uploaded it to the web.

If you are interested you can find the videos linked off omnidrive (file sharing service) below - hope that works.

Click on the links below to download the .wmv files then you can play them in Windows Media Player (I suggest playing them full screen - right click on the video and select 'full screen mode' or similar). Biggest file is around 23MB so they should download fairly fast on a broadband connection.

Tour of SSP User Interface


Adding songs to a program:


Adding a new song to the database:


Adding bible verses to a program:


Adding slideshows (incl. PPT) to a program:


Adding video clips to a program:


Adding still images to a program:


Transferring work from one SSP system to the church PC:


Things to check before a service starts:


Operating the program during the service:


Bear in mind that they are totally un-edited so it was whatever came to my head at the time, so please excuse the slightly rambling style (and the wierd accent!).

If anyone is interested, I made these using the screen capture mode of Windows Media Encoder, a free tool from MS. (yes, I was shocked too!)

It took a bit of playing to get the settings right - the key was to up the datarate a LOT to 2Mb/s and increase the sharpness so that you could read menu text etc.
Don't use the wizard, but configure the settings manually.

OK, since It took such a lot of work I thought I would share these in case it helped anyone else.
Please note that some of the advice in these screencasts is specific to OUR church setup, so can't necessarily be transferred, but the general stuff should help any newbies.

Have fun, and don't forget to let me know what you think.

Regards

Dave.

osborn4

1/30/2007 5:09:51 AM

Wow. That's a great concept.

I can't wait to take a lookat them.

davechalmers

1/30/2007 6:12:28 AM

Thanks Joel,

I should have mentioned that these videos are covered by a Creative Commons licence as follows:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.

Feel free to re-use them if you like, but give me credit, don't sell them, and don't modify them without permission.

Thanks

Dave

Lee

1/30/2007 8:59:16 AM

You did a fantastic job! I watched all 96 minutes of it... you covered the basics very well - it should prove very useful, even over a long term.

I'm impressed!

derekharkins

5/16/2007 10:06:36 AM

Dave how come I cannot see these when I click on the links. I have tried both my Mac and PC.

davechalmers

5/16/2007 12:58:42 PM

Hi Derek - oops! for some reason the online storage site I was using has 'unshared' all these videos without me telling it to.
I will repost new links shortly.

Dave

davechalmers

5/16/2007 1:17:00 PM

derekharkins

5/16/2007 2:40:49 PM

Thanks Dave I will try these

derekharkins

5/17/2007 6:39:42 AM

Dave do you know how I would be able to open these in Quicktime? or do you have a suggection for how I would view these on my mac?

Thanks

osborn4

5/17/2007 6:47:31 AM

Try Flip4Mac

derekharkins

5/30/2007 7:13:42 AM

Any word yet on being able to read these files on a Mac. Maybe in Quicktime. I would really like to see them...

Thanks

osborn4

5/30/2007 7:19:08 AM

Posted By derekharkins on 05/30/2007 7:13 AM

Any word yet on being able to read these files on a Mac. Maybe in Quicktime. I would really like to see them...

Thanks

Flip4Mac is a free program provided by Microsoft to be able to play WMV on Macs inside Quicktime.

davechalmers

5/30/2007 7:32:00 AM

Actually Joel, these clips use the Windows Media 'screen' codec, which doesn't play back with the Flip4Mac plugin.
I COULD convert them to use the windows media 'standard' codec which does play back, but I don't have time to do this at the moment I'm afraid.

I might get round to it sometime, but in the meantime Derek you will have to find a friend with a PC I'm afraid.

Dave

derekharkins

5/30/2007 8:07:09 AM

Thanks Dave I will have to see what I can do as I only have macs in my studio to watch these on. Do you know if this will work?

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/windowsmediaplayerformacosx.html

spudde3

6/12/2007 9:43:56 AM

The above links don't show up as links so I can't download the videos. When I paste the link in my browser it opens and plays fine, but I would like to download them so I can take them to church to train with. We don't have internet access at chruch. The old links that no longer worked were actual links that I could right click on and choose Save Target as. Do you have a site where these are linked.

Thanks
Spudde3

osborn4

6/12/2007 10:04:08 AM

I have edited Dave's post so that the URLs are also links.

Remember, these videos are covered by the Creative Commons license (see Dave's post above). So if you reuse them, be sure to give Dave credit.

spudde3

6/12/2007 1:29:57 PM

Thanks

Spudde3

sara-t

1/9/2011 1:19:20 PM

Dave, are these videos still available anywhere? We are just getting started - I start training the operators next week. We have access to the GoFishMedia videos, but they are slanted a bit towards developers. I would love to see what you emphasized for your operators.
Thanks for putting in this work!

iamgap

1/10/2011 3:14:25 PM

Posted By sara-t on 09 Jan 2011 01:19 PM
Dave, are these videos still available anywhere? We are just getting started - I start training the operators next week. We have access to the GoFishMedia videos, but they are slanted a bit towards developers. I would love to see what you emphasized for your operators.
Thanks for putting in this work!

Dave hasn't posted here in a while, so I am not sure he is still a member. I thought I had downloaded these when he first posted them, but I cannot find them. Where about are you located? I am sure there are some SSPlashers near you, that could probably help with training. I know I would, if you were anywhere near Emerald Isle or Camp Lejeune, NC.

osborn4

1/10/2011 3:47:00 PM

Also, you are eligible for online video training from GoFishMedian.net as part of your annual maintenance fee for SSP.

sara-t

1/11/2011 11:01:12 AM

Thanks, Joel! We are in Delaware. I am using the GFM videos, but have to skip throgh them to find content specific to operating the software during service, which is all most of our volunteers do. I thought I'd check Dave's videos for anything I have overlooked.

Sara

sara-t

1/11/2011 11:48:48 AM

Thanks, Gary

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