We’ve been spending more and more time at court — just hanging out and trying to decode the arraignments, meeting with the JAVS audio guys to figure out how to tap into the feed (very easy, for them), meeting with Judge Coven about the all-court meeting, getting situated in our new basement workspace with nicely painted pink walls. We invited just about everybody who’s anybody to the all-court meeting in two weeks.

The upshot of the JAVS conversation was that we need to get a camera first before telling them what kind of audio input we’ll need. I chatted online with B&H guys to find out what camera to get – they helped to narrow down the choices. We have certain features we want and a not an unlimited budget, of course.

Here’s what we need & what we’ve found within our budget:
- XLR audio input, so that we have a more secure audio connection than an/1/8″ mini headphone input can offer. Audio is going to be crucial for our project.
- Firewire output, so that we have the speed necessary for live streaming
- 1/3″ chip (3 chips is preferable for low-light)
- Wide lens
- Our budget was $2,000 originally, but we bumped it up to $3,000

These cameras are a little bit overkill for something that’s going to be streamed on the internet, but we will also be using it to shoot short documentaries:

Canon XH-A1s 3CCD HDV Camcorder
It has everything we want — 3 CCDs, XLR, firewire.
Price: $2,995.00

Sony HVR-A1U 1/3″ Professional HDV Camcorder
XLR in / firewire out
Okay in low light, not great
We might have to get a wider lens
Under $2K, this is the only one with XLR in / firewire out
$1,829.95

Sony HDR-FX7 3CMOS HDV 1080i Camcorder
1/8″ audio in / firewire out (this was a deal-breaker)
Okay in low light, not great
We might have to get a wider lens
Price: $1,999.00

We registered the website successfully and Joe’s starting to sketch out the site in Photoshop, largely based on sketches I did in Balsalmiq (which has expired after a week — I am now waiting on the computers to buy it for real.) We’re suspecting that we’re going to need outside help with the design. We’re still waiting for hosting.

We had a great phone conversation with Chris Bavitz of the Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Center who offered his clinic’s researchers to look into some of the stickier legal issues we’re dealing with. Most usefully, we’re hoping they will help us craft the guidelines that will determine our policies in the court and help us draft the agreements that journalists and bloggers will agree to when they report from the court. This will be a huge help, as all of us on the project are (how shall I say this nicely?) general news folks who with no law background.

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