SpaceX Launch Videos Discussion: NSF, X/Twitter, and other options

[scaesare]

Video quality on X is unfortunately less than what YouTube offers. Eric Berger writes today:

Scott Manley touched on this as well...

 

[Electroman]

It will help to increase the video quality no doubt, but other than that I don't see any difference between watching on YouTube or Twitter. You click on a link and voila it plays.

It is possible that one may have to create a free account (though I am not sure if that is indeed true), but I guess that is a huge bummer and a devastating, life changing, soul crushing requirement for a some folks.

 

[ecarfan]

Post on reddit

PotatoesAndChill 142 points 2 days ago*

The quality itself is not the worst issue. Personally, I never watch in 4k anyway, and I'm sure X engineers can improve the quality over time.
The problem is interface and indexing. Here's what YouTube offers that doesn't exist on X:

• Notifications for when a stream starts
• Ability to rewind a live broadcast
• A playlist of all broadcasts in one place
• Streaming to TV
• Easily accessible content browsing (no login required)
• Superior search and filtering options
• Better optimisation and compression software

If X had all (or at least most) of these features and SpaceX then moved their streams to it, there would be no issue. But moving from YouTube when X streaming is still clearly in its infancy was an obvious PR move from Elon trying to push people to his platform.

 

[JB47394]

"If X had all (or at least most) of these features and SpaceX then moved their streams to it, there would be no issue. But moving from YouTube when X streaming is still clearly in its infancy was an obvious PR move from Elon trying to push people to his platform."

Elon is no stranger to dumping something that works for something that doesn't. He is so aspirational that as soon as he becomes aware of something that he perceives as an optimization or improvement favorable to his goals, he moves on it, no matter how it impacts others. If you're going to be around Elon, be prepared to get stepped on from time to time.

 

[ecarfan]

. If you're going to be around Elon, be prepared to get stepped on from time to time.

You have neatly summarized one of the core messages of the Isaacson biography of Musk.

 

[Electroman]

Streaming to TV. I am able to do that with Airplay from my iPhone to Apple TV. Works just fine.

Sure streaming in Twitter lacks a few bells and whistles but nothing that I would consider as a deal breaker.

 

[Cosmacelf]

I don't want a Twitter,Facebook, Instagram etc account, I barely want a TMC account. Just don't need the grief these things have caused and won't support them.

Meanwhile I actually pay money to TMC, so what’s wrong with me? Honestly, I spend so much time here, and I have the money, so I feel better supporting the place, and I get a few perks too.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Streaming to TV. I am able to do that with Airplay from my iPhone to Apple TV. Works just fine.

Sure streaming in Twitter lacks a few bells and whistles but nothing that I would consider as a deal breaker.

I run into a corner case issue with X all the time. I like to listen to videos when walking the dogs, but my route has a lot of dead cellular areas. YouTube will just pause and pick up again once signal is reestablished, X is a disaster.

 

[JB47394]

Meanwhile I actually pay money to TMC, so what’s wrong with me? Honestly, I spend so much time here, and I have the money, so I feel better supporting the place, and I get a few perks too.

Off topic, but my great problem with throwing money at people that I don't know is not knowing how they'll use the money. If there was a list of bills they had and I could drop money into paying off a specific bill, I'd be far more likely to donate. I've seen too many cases where people donated money with the best of intentions, but that money got misappropriated, spent frivolously, or there was far too much money going to the cause than was necessary, leading to waste.

I've donated to various causes, but it always goes into a black hole and I just have to hope that it wasn't spent on taking the office to Starbucks. I want to pay their electricity bill or something that I find essential. And if that's covered, then I don't feel a need to send any more money. Let people who value a good coffee pay for Starbucks.

Consider if I was donating to NSF. I don't want my money going to sending one of those guys to Barry's School for Comedians.

 

[Electroman]

I run into a corner case issue with X all the time. I like to listen to videos when walking the dogs, but my route has a lot of dead cellular areas. YouTube will just pause and pick up again once signal is reestablished, X is a disaster.

One thing I noticed is that playing an embedded video on TMC seems niftier and quicker if it is a Twitter link than a Youtube link. Twitter videos play immediately with no delays. I am not talking about live broadcast links, bust regular videos.