Hansang's TCP/IP-Wireshark delayed yet again. And it's not what you think!

ARRRGHHHH!!!! I did not want to do an update to an update to an update. But here I am. A few things are conspiring against me from launching the TCP/IP+Wireshark course. And it's not because of Corona pandemic. Well it is, but not in the way you're thinking. In the immortal words of Indigo Montoya "Let me explain, No! there's too much, let me sum up"

About 10 years ago, after I moved to our current condo, I bought a new Denon receiver. Unfortunately for me, there was a ground loop hum. I tried calling Con Edision but trying to convince level 1, 2, and 3 support was insufferable. Most people are just told to buy a ground loop filter and be done with it. Eventually, I gave up and did just that. That solved my coax cable supplied cable. When I went to FiOS the problem went away since the termination was via fiber. And I just forgot about it.

Well have a look at this picture! It's the room tone from my "studio."

My old foe is back!

But after fiddling around with different options, I decided to run the mic on battery only and output it via USB-C to record the audio. And that reduced the harmonics CONSIDERABLY. A simple gate function in Resolve/Fairlight was all it took to completely eliminate the noise. And yes, I tried the popular VST plugins but it didn't help as much as I thought.

And this changes how I record things now. The workflow is different because I'm using multiple input sources and the audio delay of an independent mic and other video sources is a major pain. What other sources you might add? Well there's my face, for one! :) But there's Wireshark program, of course. And then there's the digital paper capture so I can draw and explain things in real time. And as if that's not enough, a separate mic when I'm doing the digital paper thingy. That requires a camera and two computer captures at a minimum.

I didn't want my videos to look like old Kung Fu movies with bad dubbing. Where the sound and lip movement don't line up. That's why I initially went with Rode VideoMIC NTG connected to the camera via TRSS cable.

But Hansang, isn't the camera on batteries too? Normally yes. But for a 20 min video for YouTube, it really takes about 4X or 5X as much. And the batteries simply were not big enough. So I went with AC adapter that acts as the battery. Light bulb moment here - I'll wait.

So after researching, I found that ATEM Mini will do exactly what I want. It allows me to instantly switch from multiple HDMI input sources. And Jasper/Sake/Christian/Kary, if you're reading this, it's the solution to our "Doctors in the house sessions" But I digress.

And *THIS* is where the pandemic comes into play. The ATEM Mini is a favorite tool among video producers. And do you know who's doing that right about now? EVERY CHURCH AND EVERY SCHOOL. And so ATEM Mini is completely sold out. I checked EVERY reseller listed in Black Magic's website. There was one guy selling it for 3X the normal price! And as if that wasn't enough, there's a Mini PRO coming out soon that can do live streaming among other things. So I guess the regular Mini wasn't well stocked to prepare for the upgrade.

Finally, why didn't I go with another audio hum eliminator this time? Because I was troubleshooting. And that requires learning. I mean deep dive learning. I've always said that the difference between a "tech" and an "engineer" is another layer of understanding. I found out that my old EE classes came in handy in trying to find root cause to my ground loop. But higher powers (my lovely wife Anna!) put a stop to my idea of running new conduit and romex to the junction box. But the lesson here is that if you want to troubleshoot with packets, you *HAVE* to have theoretical and practical knowledge of TCP/IP and Ethernet packets. And the latter is what I plan on covering in my course. So if this is the first time you're seeing it, subscribe to my YouTube channel dedicated to the course. Or follow me at @hansangb on Twitter. As always, I'll announce here and on Twitter.

Well, I guess I didn't sum it up after all. But I felt an explanation was in order. My ATEM Mini order should ship by end of April and hopefully I can get cranking. In the immortal words of (yet another favorite of mine) Paul Harvey "Now, you know the REST of the story"

PS: If you loved Harvey, check out Mike Rowe's "That's the way I heard it" It's in similar vein (with permission from Harvey's family) and Mike's personal views of the story are AWESOME. If you loved Dirty Jobs, you'll love this book. Stay safe everyone!