The Fly Files

Why host your own videos

2009-11-18T12:14:00.001-04:00

Once we have finished a video project we always ask if the client will be hosting the video themselves or using a service such as Youtube. All to often the answer is "both".

Although I understand the rationale behind such a decision there really is no argument for storing your videos on your own server. Not only do they take up bandwidth and allowable space but there is always the possibility of something happening to them.

Sure if you require a certain amount of security or perhaps are a government agency the go ahead and store them there. But if you get a lot of views I can guarantee that the average business owner is going to incur a lot of bandwidth charges. And there really is no reason you shouldn't be using Youtube or Vimeo or such.

Youtube even offers a new upload tool that lets people upload videos to Youtube through your site - great for video contests etc.

If your worried about security the use Vimeos Plus service. It's only a few dollars a year and lets you block viewers and embeds as well as password protect videos. We use Vimeo all the time to allow clients to view rough drafts and it's flawless.

So there you go - stop hosting your own videos and start using some of the excellent free or low cost services out there.

Regulating the Internet in Canada

2009-02-19T10:09:00.001-04:00

This month the Canadian CRTC will be hearing arguments on the possibility of regulating Canadian access to the Internet in order to ensure Canadian voices are heard.

This would mean charging users through service providers (there's always a charge isn't there) and developing a fund for Canadian "New Media" producers to access for the development of content.

Leading the call is ACTRA. ACTRA are concerned that the Internet will diminish the amount of Canadian content before the eyes of Canadians as traditional television programing moves to the online space.

If we look at the majority of content on the Web it isn't produced by large corporate entities like television but by individuals and small start-ups attempting to carve a place for themselves.

Personally I don't think Canadian Internet users should be forced to pay for Canadian programming on the Web. In todays world content needs to pay its own way and because of the democratic nature of the Web everyone gets an opportunity to rise to the top (unlike television)

What are your thoughts?

Technology and procastination

2009-02-12T17:30:00.000-04:00

I've noticed that ever since I've started using Twitter not only does my back ache from sitting at a computer too much (I'm standing right now) but it eats away into the amount of productive time I spend at work AND at home.

I'm wondering if all this social networking might be making me more anti social...

New way of creating video playlists

2009-02-11T10:02:00.002-04:00

OK, this has been an issue of mine for quite some time. How do you take all the videos spread over the web (whether you produced them or not) that relate to you website and play them in a single player with a playlist. Youtube does offer a playlist player but it is made just for Youtube videos. So if you have a video over 10 minutes you are out of luck.

I also managed to find a playlist player from a company called zoom in Calgary but the cost is fairly steep for most applications. Now however I think I may have found a decent solution.

embedr.com allows you to feed videos from any video service and play them in a nice embeddable video playlist player. There are no ways of customizing it at this point but it really looks quite good as is. If you have multible videos clogging up your web pages you really need to check this out.

New IAB Internet usage study

2009-02-03T11:46:00.003-04:00

An interesting email just came to my inbox with some interesting stats on Internet usage vs other media. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada. Here are some bits:

• The Internet now stands third -- just behind TV and Radio -- in terms of total weekly time spent by all adults with all media.
• The Internet is the number one medium in terms of percent share of weekly time spent for both 18-24 (40%) and 25-34 (33%) year-olds in English Canada.
• The Internet now reaches more adults each week than either Magazines or Newspapers.
• Among 18-24 and 25-34 year-olds, the Internet has a higher reach than Radio.
• The Internet is neck-and-neck with TV for weekly reach among18-24 year-olds.

What does this all mean for advertisers and business in general. It means start using the Internet to its full potential. Understand how it all works and start throwing up some content that leads people back to you product or business.

Find the full story here: http://www.iabcanada.com/newsletters/020309.shtml

That includes video - which we can produce for you :-)

The fatal path of technology

2009-02-01T20:35:00.002-04:00

I was just looking through engadget a moment go and had started to wonder where all this technology will take us.

There really seems to be a lack of innovation. Which is odd considering how many new technology products come out everyday. they seem to be re-hashes of the same thing. Granted there are companies that try to re-invent sectors now and then, like Apple with the iPhone. But even since the release of the iPhone, other companies are still pumping out the same old crap. Crap that eventually ends up in a landfill somewhere.

Currently, the new buzzword is "sustainability" yet there are very few innovations in this field. I really wonder if anything of true value will be done to make the world a better place or if the pursuit of profit will always win out.

Great use of video

2009-01-29T09:57:00.001-04:00

Found a great use of video today from Oxfam in the UK. Rather than explain it just follow the link - http://tinyurl.com/dfc8h3

A new website

2009-01-26T16:37:00.001-04:00

As you may have noticed. We have a new site. Although we really liked the old site it was by searchable or changable. This site is all that and more.

I can even male blog entries from my phone.

Love to hear comments etc

The Blog Slacker

2008-06-12T09:22:00.002-03:00

Apparently I am a bit of a slacker when it comes to Blogging. So here is a bit of info. The iPhone... will it change the way people access the Internet. Well, although Rogers will surely milk every penny they can from the data plan and really stifle the true potential of the product, we think the iPhone will surely change peoples usage of the Internet.

What does this mean for business. Well it simply means that we all need to figure out how we can offer our content effectively on a small screen and then do it - NOW.

the nerve TV

2008-04-16T09:32:00.001-03:00

Firefly has decided to join thenerve.tv and see what happens. Don't know what that is. Check out this article:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/public_sector/article3747043.ece

The Future of HD video.

2008-03-06T10:05:00.002-04:00

Here's an interesting article on the hidden costs of using Blu Ray DVD. I think the future for small producers and their clients lies a mix of good old vanilla DVD and HD of the Internet. Boxes like AppleTV will be much more important in the years to come:

"Notes on Blu-Ray DVD Costs and Competition

In January, the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray was finally decided in favor of Blu-Ray. We've been covering this in detail for the last couple of months on the BuZZ with regular reports from both Philip Hodgetts and Bruce Nazarian.

However, from the point of view of smaller producers, the best format may not have won. Well, more specifically, the least expensive format did not win.

I recently published a article on my website that's relevant to this point, and then after that you'll find an update.

In a recent conversation with Bruce Nazarian, president of the DVD Association, during The BuZZ podcast (www.digitalproductionbuzz.com), we were discussing the sudden shift toward Blu-Ray DVDs. While Blu-Ray may be good for Hollywood, it won't be good for small independent producers. This is due to all the hidden fees tacked on to replicating a Blu-Ray DVD.

For example, producers of industrial and non-broadcast content are required to pay a $2,500 licensing fee to author and distribute Blu-Ray. [This is updated, see below.]

Then, each producer is required to pay a $3,000 one-time AACS license fee, plus a per-title fee for EACH replicated Blu-Ray disc. Currently, Sony DADC is quoting that fee at $1,585 per title (per complete Blu-ray disc project).

Then there's the per disc replication cost, which varies by quantity, and finally, there's a $0.04 per disc fee for AACS and $0.01 per disc if you want SONY DADC to administer the payments to AACS on your behalf.

As Bruce indicates, we may be standardizing on Blu-Ray, but the prices won't be cheap.

That article sparked a lot of discussion, especially regarding licensing fees for Blu-Ray. I received several emails from readers pointing out that Blu-Ray has a lower-cost licensing program. So, I did some more homework and discovered that while that is true, it's only a part of the story.

Here's the update.

Several people have pointed out Blu-Ray's logo licensing program (http://www.blu-raydisc.info/faq.php) has a reduced fee of either $3,000 or $500, paid annually.

However, Blu-Ray duplication or replication requires using AACS (http://www.aacsla.com/support/). So, while Blu-Ray costs can be reduced for small runs, AACS fees still apply.

Further complicating this issue is a recent research report (http://www.macworld.com/article/132232/2008/02/bluray.html) from Gartner and iSuppli which indicates that Blu-Ray may not be successful in the market place, because consumers may choose to download high-definition content from the web.

Additionally, recent conversations with Apple, covered in either the BuZZ or Edit Well, have indicated that Apple views digital downloads with much more interest than the creation of optical media.

So, while the format wars between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are over, Blu-Ray is not yet priced attractively for the independent producer. As well, the entire issue may be moot if a viable financial mechanism appears that allows the independent producer to make money on downloads. For example, currently iTunes is more accessible for the larger studios, not in providing distribution opportunities for independents.

Depending how this plays out over the next year, Blu-Ray DVDs may yet become a non-issue."

Video Analytics

2008-02-20T14:19:00.002-04:00

It's a big word but and important one. Tubemogul.com has just released a very handy utility for video producers and their clients. For the first time tubemogul allows you to not only upload a video to 12 distinct video sites at once but will also track viewership of those videos for you.

What does this mean for you? It means that now you'll know if people care about what you're saying. Back when all we could do was send out VHS tapes or DVD's we really had no idea if anyone was watching. Now we do.

Firefly will certainly be recommending this service to our clients.

Julian.

Dunkin' Donuts

2008-01-28T09:59:00.000-04:00

If you still think that video isn't something that belongs on your Web site think again. Even Dunkin' Donuts is riding the Web video train.

The US Donut chain is running a contest via a You tube channel in which a series of judges will be evaluating the 50 top coffee related videos. Strange? yes - very.

However is does point out the importance large companies place on the use of Web video. Here's a link to the article:

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2008/01/21/daily43.html

An interesting side note - if you search Youtube for "dunkin' donuts" all you find is user uploaded videos...

A note about putting video on your web site

2008-01-24T20:19:00.000-04:00

All too often, when we sit down with a new client, we hear the same thing - " Our IT department (or Web developer) has told us that video is too hard to incorporate on our site." This response usually originates from the inability of the CMS or Content Management Software to handle video content.

There are however very simple ways to get around this issue without causing any headaches. To keep this post short here's the simplest way - Once your video has been prepared for distribution on the Web (either as a WMV, Flash or mp4 file etc) simply upload it to one of the many video sharing sites. Youtube is probably the most popular. Once you've done that you have lots of choices. You can either copy the direct link and paste it into your CMS or HTML so that a new window opens to Youtube - or you can embed the video by copying the code from youtube and pasting it into your CMS or HTML.

And that's it, very simple. Now if you want to do more, like create a channel of multiple videos that gets a little more complex - but only a little.

Leave a comment if you have any questions.

Julian.

Testimonials

2008-01-18T08:52:00.000-04:00

One of the best uses of video on your website, and probably one of the least expensive is client testimonials.

Whether you shoot a series of short testimonials yourself or hire a company to produce a series of vignettes, testimonials add credibility to the product or service you sell

Create a great slideshow all by yourself

2008-01-16T13:39:00.000-04:00

Ok - so I'm starting this Blog early. let's see how it goes shall we.

Have you ever had a bunch of photos from an event or even a family party or something and thought "wouldn't it be fantabulous if we could create a little music video / slide show with them? Well Animoto is the tool for you.

Animoto (animoto.com) is a really neat little tool that lets you upload a group of photos, choose a song - either yours or theirs - hit the create button and a group of elves on the Internet create a very professional and quite entertaining video. You can then either view the video on their site or download the video to your desktop and take it with you.

I highly suggest you try it out. Not only is it fun but it may come in handy next time you need to create a slide show for work.

Animoto.com

First Blog

2008-01-16T10:54:00.000-04:00

If you've stumbled upon this spot - welcome. This is where we'll be taking a look at the technology and other things related to our industry that we think you need to know. Stay tuned we should be up and running by February 2008.