Sonic Boom 2013 (lost livestream of "Sonic the Hedgehog" convention; 2013): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:11, 24 November 2022

An image of the stream on its original webpage, taken when it was still live.

Status: Lost

Sonic Boom 2013 was an event hosted August 10th, 2013, in St. Louis by SEGA of America, intended to act as a celebration and meet-up for fans of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.^[1] Fans could meet other like-minded people, take part in a large variety activities^[2], pick up new relevance merchandise and watch a stage presentation, featuring new trailers, live performances, and fan contests. One of the heavily advertised highlights^[3]^[4]^[5] of the event was Crush 40's concert performance^[6], a band known for making many vocal tracks for Sonic games.

An official live stream of the full stage presentation at the event was conducted online by Live Alliance, on behalf of SEGA.^[7]^[8] However, recordings of this livestream have become very scarce, with no official VOD available, although there was one for a short time after the stream finished^[9]. The only video found so far makes up a dozen minutes, of the seven hours^[10] the stream ran for.

The stream contained multi-camera professional-grade video, cutting between 3 human-operated cameras and a video feed from the projected screen. All the cameras are on tripods and remain in fixed positions throughout the production, albeit with changing zooms and panning from the operators as appropriate. Two of the cameras were positioned in equal locations on a sectioned off, raised area of the flooring around the crowd either side of the stage, while the other was positioned near the centre-back of the room, typically offering tight shots of the key member on the stage.

Throughout the stream, logos periodically fade in and out of each of the bottom corners, with "Sonic Boom 2013" in the bottom-left position and "Live Alliance.tv" in the bottom-right. It's estimated these logos appeared once every few minutes, but not enough continuous footage of the stream exists to confirm this theory for certain.

The exact resolution and framerate of the final broadcast is currently unknown.

Audio

The audio on the stream was a form of soundboard audio, potentially a custom mix for the livestream. Audio from crowd mics is mixed in, although it is worth noting that during louder segments like the concert, the crowd is effectively inaudible due to the intensity of the actual music. During sections where the stream shows trailers from the projected video feed, the crowd mics are muted and only the trailer is audible.

All known recordings have a minor degree of compression applied to the audio, particularly with higher frequencies seemingly sounding "harsher" than they should, leading it to be likely this was an artifact of the stream as opposed to the released recordings.

Release

The livestream was hosted on Live Alliance's website, with the URL http://livealliance.tv/sonicboom. This in turn used the Akamai content delivery system to deliver the stream to the viewers. After the stream finished, there was a VOD was available from this site for approximately 24 hours after^[11].

In addition to the original stream on the site, a fan-run simulcast was set up at the same time, to host a live "reaction" to the stream. This was hosted by SSF1991 of Sonic Paradox on livestream.com^[12]. Unfortunately, despite the high probability livestream.com contained a VOD of this reaction stream for a long period of time after, there are very few found clips of this either.

In addition, there appears to have been a screen at the back of the venue setup to show video from the stream to the performers on-stage. Unfortunately, it is very rare for a camera to be pointing in this direction so there are only a few shots that show this clearly. An example is the official recap video.

Found media

Images

Some images taken by viewers have been found. Two are of the fan simulcast, while the rest were taken directly of the stream.

A frame from the stream of the Crush 40 concert coverage, taken during an intermission where the singer talks about how he repeatedly introduces the guitarist
A frame from the stream of the Crush 40 concert coverage, taken at the end just before they bow and leave the stage
A frame of Aaron Webber, the main presenter at the show, taken during the stream
A frame of Aaron Webber talking to the crowd - this shot shows the variety of angles the cameras were set up to take
A frame from the stream of the Crush 40 concert coverage, taken just after they finished the song "His World"
A frame from the stream of the very beginning of the "Sonic Dancing" segment
A frame from the stream of the middle of the "Sonic Dancing" segment - we have this part in video, but it's in noticeably degraded quality compared to the image
A frame from the stream the Crush 40 concert coverage, taken during "His World"
A picture of the fan simulcast
A picture of the fan simulcast
A clip of Sonic dancing from the fan simulcast

Fan-recorded video

These are the only found clips of the stream uploaded by the viewers:

Sonic dancing, with the original audio replaced to be "more appropriate"

Poor quality video of the Q&A, with audio replaced as a joke

Audio of the Crush 40 performance taken from the stream

Recording from the stream of a previously unseen trailer shown at the event - At the end, you can see it fade to one of the stream cameras very briefly.

Recording from the stream of another previously unseen trailer shown at the event

Poor quality video from the stream of the host announcing a new section of the show - taken from the fan-run "simulcast".

Recording from the stream of the presenter (Aaron Webber) introducing a previously unseen trailer shown at the event.

Official media

After the event, SEGA created a short 3-minute recap video, attempting to capture and summarise some key moments of the event^[13]^[14]^[15]. A significant amount of this recap video is made up of video taken by SEGA's own internal media team, separate from the stream^[16]. However, upon some close examination, there are a few clips from the stream featured in this video as well:

1:54 - 2:10 - A clip of the Q&A portion of the show. The positioning of all the angles seen here match exactly with the already detailed specification above.
2:16 - 2:19 - 3 seconds of the Crush 40 performance taken from the stream. The exact positioning of the camera in this shot matches with already found clips, in addition to having a noticeable framerate difference to non-stream footage in the video.

In addition, throughout this video, soundboard audio is consistently used when portions of the event are shown, and it's highly probable that soundboard audio was taken from the stream, suggesting SEGA did at some point have a recording of the full stream. However, SEGA's HQ moved locations two years after this event, resulting in a large staff turnover^[17]^[18], and it is possible that some of their archives, and by extension this recording, may have been lost during that move.

References

[1] SEGA Blog | Your Complete Sonic Boom Information Guide (archive.org)

[2] Sonic Lost World can be played at Sonic Boom 2013

[3] SEGA announces Crush 40 to be at Sonic Boom 2013

[4] SEGA announces Crush 40 to be at Sonic Boom 2013 on Twitter

[5] Sonic Boom 2013 referred to as "featuring Crush 40" in official promotions

[6] SEGA Blog | Your Complete Sonic Boom Information Guide (archive.org)

[7] Official Sonic Facebook Post

[8] Sonic Boom Livestream: Going Live, Right Now - The Sonic Stadium

[9] Twitter | GamersVlog

[10] Seek bar from screen recording of VOD

[11] Twitter | GamersVlog

[12] Sonic Boom 2013 Fan Simulcast

[13] Sonic Boom 2013 Recap Video

[14] Sonic Boom 2013 Recap Video Promo

[15] Aaron Webber (show host) announces recap video

[16] An image of footage seen in the recap video credits a former SEGA employee as taking it

[17] SEGA downsizes & moves

[18] SEGA moves to Southern California

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@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
 }}
-Sonic Boom 2013 was an event hosted by SEGA on August 10th 2013 in St. Louis,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160624032754/http://blogs.sega.com/2013/08/05/your-complete-sonic-boom-information-guide/ SEGA Blog | Your Complete Sonic Boom Information Guide (archive.org)]</ref> at which fans of the <i>Sonic the Hedgehog</i> franchise could meet others in the community, take part in various activities<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726123051/https://www.blogs.sega.com/2013/07/08/play-sonic-lost-world-at-sonic-boom-2013/?q6003550=1 Sonic Lost World can be played at Sonic Boom 2013]</ref> and watch a stage presentation, featuring new trailers, live performances, and fan contests. One of the heavily advertised highlights<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/SEGA/photos/a.133608051795/10151780820886796 SEGA announces Crush 40 to be at Sonic Boom 2013]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/SEGA/status/355763500305494018 SEGA announces Crush 40 to be at Sonic Boom 2013 on Twitter]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/352441636522950656 Sonic Boom 2013 referred to as "featuring Crush 40" in official promotions]</ref> of the event was ''Crush 40''<nowiki/>'s concert performance<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160624032754/http://blogs.sega.com/2013/08/05/your-complete-sonic-boom-information-guide/ SEGA Blog | Your Complete Sonic Boom Information Guide (archive.org)]</ref>, a band known for making many vocal tracks for Sonic games.
+Sonic Boom 2013 was an event hosted August 10th, 2013, in St. Louis by SEGA of America, intended to act as a celebration and meet-up for fans of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160624032754/http://blogs.sega.com/2013/08/05/your-complete-sonic-boom-information-guide/ SEGA Blog | Your Complete Sonic Boom Information Guide (archive.org)]</ref> Fans could meet other like-minded people, take part in a large variety activities<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726123051/https://www.blogs.sega.com/2013/07/08/play-sonic-lost-world-at-sonic-boom-2013/?q6003550=1 Sonic Lost World can be played at Sonic Boom 2013]</ref>, pick up new relevance merchandise and watch a stage presentation, featuring new trailers, live performances, and fan contests. One of the heavily advertised highlights<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/SEGA/photos/a.133608051795/10151780820886796 SEGA announces Crush 40 to be at Sonic Boom 2013]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/SEGA/status/355763500305494018 SEGA announces Crush 40 to be at Sonic Boom 2013 on Twitter]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/352441636522950656 Sonic Boom 2013 referred to as "featuring Crush 40" in official promotions]</ref> of the event was ''Crush 40''<nowiki/>'s concert performance<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160624032754/http://blogs.sega.com/2013/08/05/your-complete-sonic-boom-information-guide/ SEGA Blog | Your Complete Sonic Boom Information Guide (archive.org)]</ref>, a band known for making many vocal tracks for Sonic games.
-An official live stream of the full stage presentation at the event was conducted online by ''Live Alliance'', on behalf of SEGA.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/Sonic/photos/a.406270927417/10151758843457418 Official Sonic Facebook Post]</ref><ref>[https://www.sonicstadium.org/2013/08/sonic-boom-livestream-going-live-right-now/ Sonic Boom Livestream: Going Live, Right Now - The Sonic Stadium]</ref> However, recordings of this livestream have become very scarce, with no official VOD available, although there was one for a short time after the stream finished<ref>[https://twitter.com/GamersVlog/status/366394979922345984 Twitter | GamersVlog]</ref>.
+An official live stream of the full stage presentation at the event was conducted online by ''Live Alliance'', on behalf of SEGA.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/Sonic/photos/a.406270927417/10151758843457418 Official Sonic Facebook Post]</ref><ref>[https://www.sonicstadium.org/2013/08/sonic-boom-livestream-going-live-right-now/ Sonic Boom Livestream: Going Live, Right Now - The Sonic Stadium]</ref> However, recordings of this livestream have become very scarce, with no official VOD available, although there was one for a short time after the stream finished<ref>[https://twitter.com/GamersVlog/status/366394979922345984 Twitter | GamersVlog]</ref>. The only video found so far makes up a dozen minutes, of the seven hours<ref>[https://youtu.be/P4hrratalnY?t=8 Seek bar from screen recording of VOD]</ref> the stream ran for.
-The only video found so far makes up a dozen minutes, of the seven hours<ref>[https://youtu.be/P4hrratalnY?t=8 Seek bar from screen recording of VOD]</ref> the stream ran for.
+==Contents==
-== Contents==
+===Video ===
-The stream contained professional-grade video with multiple camera angles (estimated to be 3 cameras + video from the projected screen). The audio on the stream was a form of direct/soundboard audio, potentially a custom mix for the livestream.
+[[File:1147702 10201163908452360 2098805864 o.jpg|thumb|Taken before the show started. One of the stream's cameras can be seen on the left side of this image.]]
+The stream contained multi-camera professional-grade video, cutting between 3 human-operated cameras and a video feed from the projected screen. All the cameras are on tripods and remain in fixed positions throughout the production, albeit with changing zooms and panning from the operators as appropriate. Two of the cameras were positioned in equal locations on a sectioned off, raised area of the flooring around the crowd either side of the stage, while the other was positioned near the centre-back of the room, typically offering tight shots of the key member on the stage.
+Throughout the stream, logos periodically fade in and out of each of the bottom corners, with "Sonic Boom 2013" in the bottom-left position and "Live Alliance.tv" in the bottom-right. It's estimated these logos appeared once every few minutes, but not enough continuous footage of the stream exists to confirm this theory for certain.
+The exact resolution and framerate of the final broadcast is currently unknown.
+===Audio===
+The audio on the stream was a form of soundboard audio, potentially a custom mix for the livestream. Audio from crowd mics is mixed in, although it is worth noting that during louder segments like the concert, the crowd is effectively inaudible due to the intensity of the actual music. During sections where the stream shows trailers from the projected video feed, the crowd mics are muted and only the trailer is audible.
+All known recordings have a minor degree of compression applied to the audio, particularly with higher frequencies seemingly sounding "harsher" than they should, leading it to be likely this was an artifact of the stream as opposed to the released recordings.
 ==Release==
@@ Line 22: / Line 32: @@
 In addition, there appears to have been a screen at the back of the venue setup to show video from the stream to the performers on-stage. Unfortunately, it is very rare for a camera to be pointing in this direction so there are only a few shots that show this clearly. An example is the [https://youtu.be/dEULJVPBKvo?t=183 official recap video].
-==Found media==
+== Found media==
-===Images===
+=== Images===
-After contacting people who saw the stream, some images taken by viewers have been found. These give a clearer view of what the stream looked like. In addition, there are also two pictures of the fan simulcast - showing what that looked like.
+Some images taken by viewers have been found. Two are of the fan simulcast, while the rest were taken directly of the stream.
 <gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
 File:Img1.png|A frame from the stream of the Crush 40 concert coverage, taken during an intermission where the singer talks about how he repeatedly introduces the guitarist
 File:Img2.png|A frame from the stream of the Crush 40 concert coverage, taken at the end just before they bow and leave the stage
-File:Img3.png|A frame of Aaron Webber, the main presenter at the show, from the stream
+File:Img3.png|A frame of Aaron Webber, the main presenter at the show, taken during the stream
 File:Img4.png|A frame of Aaron Webber talking to the crowd - this shot shows the variety of angles the cameras were set up to take
 File:Img5.png|A frame from the stream of the Crush 40 concert coverage, taken just after they finished the song "His World"
@@ Line 37: / Line 47: @@
 File:Img7.png|A frame from the stream of the middle of the "Sonic Dancing" segment - we have this part [https://youtu.be/vO4gNapHKOY?t=126 in video], but it's in noticeably degraded quality compared to the image
 File:Boom2013Image.png|A frame from the stream the Crush 40 concert coverage, taken during "His World"
-File:Spboom.png|thumb|A picture of the fan simulcast
+File:Spboom.png|A picture of the fan simulcast
 File:Spboom2.png|A picture of the fan simulcast
 File:Bo1JuZpCYAA9SYh.gif|A clip of Sonic dancing from the fan simulcast
@@ Line 78: / Line 88: @@
 After the event, SEGA created a short 3-minute recap video, attempting to capture and summarise some key moments of the event<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEULJVPBKvo Sonic Boom 2013 Recap Video]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/381095630284013569 Sonic Boom 2013 Recap Video Promo]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/RubyEclipse/status/381135987662790656 Aaron Webber (show host) announces recap video]</ref>. A significant amount of this recap video is made up of video taken by SEGA's own internal media team, separate from the stream<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/segaamerica/9506751670/in/album-72157634428708899/ An image of footage seen in the recap video credits a former SEGA employee as taking it]</ref>. However, upon some close examination, there are a few clips from the stream featured in this video as well:
-*[https://youtu.be/dEULJVPBKvo?t=114 1:54 - 2:10] - A clip of the Q&A portion of the show. The positioning of all the angles seen here match exactly with the already found clips of the livestream.
+*[https://youtu.be/dEULJVPBKvo?t=114 1:54 - 2:10] - A clip of the Q&A portion of the show. The positioning of all the angles seen here match exactly with the already detailed specification above.
-*[https://youtu.be/dEULJVPBKvo?t=136 2:16 - 2:19] - ''2 seconds'' of the Crush 40 performance taken from the stream. The exact positioning of the camera in this shot matches with already found clips, in addition to having a noticeable framerate difference to non-stream footage in the video.
+*[https://youtu.be/dEULJVPBKvo?t=136 2:16 - 2:19] - ''3 seconds'' of the Crush 40 performance taken from the stream. The exact positioning of the camera in this shot matches with already found clips, in addition to having a noticeable framerate difference to non-stream footage in the video.

Sonic Boom 2013 (lost livestream of "Sonic the Hedgehog" convention; 2013): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:11, 24 November 2022

Contents

Video