History
PowerChalk.com was a website that debuted in March of 2011. The centerpiece was a browser-based HD telestrator written in Flash. It holds the distinction of being the world's first telestrator that could run entirely within a web browser. The application was written by Chaz Henry.
Technology
Predating modern browser-based screen capture tools, the ChalkTalk Telestrator recorded voice using RTMP servers and recorded the screen by capturing all user markups and video frame advances. In its final version, the platform was updated to include advanced features like split-screen video markup and human pose keypoints, which were generated using Machine Learning via Meta's Detectron2 framework.
Adoption
The telestrator was first deployed as private sites for the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both MLB teams used the platform for three years until the league-wide installation of Trackman and Pitch f/x made it redundant for their needs. After its use in professional baseball, PowerChalk was licensed by Little League Baseball and was subsequently used by thousands of teams and coaches.
The platform's application was not limited to baseball. PowerChalk LLC also licensed the software to a diverse group of clients, including USA Diving, USA Baseball, Disney, and USA Softball. The site successfully collected half a million user uploads and helped create remote lessons for eighty thousand users.
Acquisition & Sunset
In 2014, PowerChalk was acquired by Ion Camera, a competitor to GoPro, in an all-stock deal. As part of the acquisition, Chaz Henry assumed the role of CTO for the new parent company. Ion was later shuttered in 2018 due to patent disputes, and the PowerChalk platform was officially retired in 2021.