Last week in Part One we discussed the first steps towards building a professional-looking voyeur site, touching on design and integrating the video/chat software. This week we’ll discuss other essential components including hardware, cams and performers..Last week in Part One we discussed the first steps towards building a professional-looking voyeur site, touching on design and integrating the video/chat software. This week we’ll discuss other essential components including hardware, cams and performers.
Step 3. Specify hardware.
All the hardware that you and your performers will need is available in any computer store.
A low-end computer for each performer is perfectly adequate, with a 17” monitor and of course a high-quality cam (see Step 4).
We recommend 17” monitors so that they can be easily read from a distance by the performers. The video capture software (delivered with the video/streaming program) should allow the performers to resize the text so that it can be read from five to eight feet away. A machine with a minimum speed of 800 MHz and 128MB should be fine. However, a faster processor will give you more flexibility in two ways: first, a performer will be able to do more than one thing on the computer at the same time, and second, in the future video capture software may become more processor-intensive.
Each computer should have an Ethernet or Wi-Fi card, which connects to a central router. This connection can be either over a cable or wireless. This router will hook up to DSL or cable modem, depending on your Internet provider. High-speed access for your performers is important to give your members an optimal viewing experience. Members, on the other hand, do not need to have high-speed access (although they will have a better experience if they do have a broadband Internet connection).
For performers operating out of their homes, it makes sense to require a minimal configuration so that your members will have a consistent experience.
Step 4. Cams.
You will need one cam for each computer. Depending on your cost structure, each computer can be outfitted with a webcam or a camcorder. A camcorder will generally provide for better quality video but is more expensive. A webcam tends to be easier to set up.
An example of a recommended webcam is the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000. This cam is under $100 and provides quite acceptable quality. They are small devices that sit on top of a monitor, and can be moved around easily. These cams connect to the computer via a USB port, which makes them truly “plug-and-play.” All computers come standard with at least one USB port.
Lower-cost webcams are not recommended due to inferior video quality. For example, when there is movement, the transmitted video will tend to blur because the auto-focusing capability is slow to react. The video will not look as sharp, and will not compress as effectively.
Camcorders provide higher quality, but generally cost around $500. We recommend a digital camcorder, as opposed to the older style. For added interactivity, a very useful feature is PTZ. PTZ is an acronym for Pan, Tilt, and Zoom, and allows the performer to remotely control the video recorder’s field of vision.
A digital camcorder will have a built-in Firewire connector. While other connectors like RCA composite and S-video are available, Firewire is preferred because your video will be transferred digitally. This way, there will be no loss of picture quality from the camcorder to the computer. With Firewire, you may need to add a Firewire connector to the PC, as only certain recent computers come with Firewire. Firewire cards cost about $30. Be sure that the video/chat software you select supports Firewire.
Step 5. Recruiting performers.
Your performers can continue to carry on their regular lives. This is a job that requires attention, but can be keep separate from their home lives. If a cam is set up in their house, it will be only in one room. Although the cam might be running 24 hours a day to add a stronger sense of reality to the site, they might only be in front of it two or four hours a day. As your site grows you can add more performers or increase their hours in order to continue to satisfy your members.
Our experience is that performers really enjoy this sort of work. Performers will be able to “reach out” and develop real relationships with members. This sort of site involves no selling as do many other sites, so a different sort of person is attracted.
Conclusion
With all the competition in look-alike run-of-the-mill adult sites, voyeur sites are now providing a way to truly differentiate and develop unique content. It is now easy to give your members something that’s real, live and spontaneous. Renewal rates are significantly higher because members keep coming back for another “date” or encounter. A voyeur site will tend to run itself with minimal changes month-to-month. The constant need for freshness on sites, adding new photo galleries, for example, is automatic with voyeur sites.
What could be more fresh than a live stream from a performer’s bedroom?
Dan Finkelstein is the CEO & Founder of Nearly There Network Technologies at www.nearlythere.net and can be reached at dan@nearlythere.net.
