Video On The Net

Interview with Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google

2009-11-19T00:35:00.001-08:00

If you use a computer, you probably use Google, and probably many of it tools as well. Ever wondered what happens to your information, and how the whole Google thing works?

I know I did, and when I saw this interview with the founder of Google, I listened, and it was fascinating. So here it is for you to enjoy. Well worth watching...

Social Media Marketing

2009-08-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

My friends Laynie Kelly, Darin Scott and Peter Cutforth talk about it all the time. People are holding courses on it. Many people love it. Others are confused by it.

Social media marketing is here, and it is the new way people are doing business!

Get involved; find someone to teach you the techniques. It's no longer a choice, but a necessity. What the video below if you need further convincing. Facebook rules, Blogging is cool, and Video rocks!

Sending Video Files on the Net

2009-08-02T01:04:00.001-07:00

When you send large files like videos as email attachments, they can easily clog up people's inbox. To avoid doing this to someone, restrict the size of your attachments to no more than 3Mb. If you want to send something larger, use a free service called YouSendIt. I have attached their web address, and they have a commercial service for people who need to send really big files. http://www.yousendit.com/

Digital Zoom Pitfalls

2009-06-24T22:51:00.001-07:00

There are many cheap digital video cameras on the market now following the success of the Flip. Be very careful checking the specifications of these cameras before buying. Most of the one's I have seen offer only digital zoom.

Optical zoom is what you should look for, as this works like a telephoto lens and actually magnifies the image without loss of quality.

Digital zoom only gets you closer by magnifying the original optical view electronically.

In layman's terms, it just uses a portion of the picture by magnifying the pixels, and the result is a grainy, unsharp video.

I'm not saying don't buy one of these camera's - they are great and easy to use. I have one myself. Just don't rely on the digital zoom to get closer. Use your feet and physically just walk closer to your subject.

You'll get a much better result, and a sharper video!

Large File Transfers

2009-06-02T06:03:00.001-07:00

You can send files up to a couple of megabytes by email, but anything larger than this doesn't work well.

If you want to send large files like video clips then you need to use a file transfer service. This used to be difficult and was called FTP. A company called YouSendIt has now made it easy with a free program that will allow you to send files up to 100Mb to anyone with an email address. Larger files can be sent if you sign up for a monthly subscription.

Check them out and download the free version at www.yousendit.com

How to use LinkedIn

2009-04-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is a video interview with the CEO of LinkedIn that explains how to use the professional networking site.

Video Testimonials

2009-02-13T23:41:00.001-08:00

Lots of people put text testimonials on their websites. Most of them don't get read!

Video testimonials are 100 times more powerful, and are starting to become popular. You don't need a video camera, all you need is a small digital camera with a movie function. Make sure you carry it with you all the time, and when the opportunity arises, ask for a video testimonial. Most people are happy to do it.

As an example, here is one that a colleague of mine, Allan Pease did for me at a function one evening. Nothing fancy about the quality, but the message is there, so start using video testimonials and see how they work for your business.

By the way, Allan and his wife Barbara are among Australia's best selling authors, and I always like to give them a plug because their work is so very excellent. You can check out their website at www.peaseinternational.com and order their books and DVD's online.

Zooming and Panning Tips

2009-02-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

1. Don't zoom in and out all the time during filming. It makes the audience seasick. Use the zoom to frame the shot and then press record. Stop the recording, use the zoom to reframe and start recording again. Use subtle transitions like cross fades to join the shots when editing the film. Some zooming is fine if done for dramatic effect.

2. Never pan during a shot unless absolutely necessary, like when you are following a subject as they move across a stage or scene. The only exception is to show a seascape or a landscape and then you should start off with an establishing shot of 3 seconds before doing a slow pan, then finish with a one second still shot.

The trick is to let the subject to create movement in the video, and not use the camera to create movement. That's the mistake most people make when they first get a video camera, and it results in a video that looks very unprofessional.

Time Lapse Videos

2009-02-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

A few of the newer digital still cameras have a time lapse video feature built into their movie mode. The clip below is an example of this function and was made on my new Canon Ixus 85.

If you are looking for a new digital camera, check with your retailer whether the camera you are selecting has it. If it's not important to you, then it may not be an issue, but if you want to have a lot of fun, then this feature is excellent!

My New Digital Camera

2009-02-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

I finally settled on a Canon Ixus 85, which is very compact but shoots terrific video clips. They are a bit hard to get but the Canon Ixus 90 is just the same, only a bit bigger and is available everywhere. I am posting an example of a video clip I shot with the Canon last weekend.

Very happy with it! It fits in the pocket and is handy to carry everywhere when it would be cumbersome to carry a standard camcorder. I bought mine from WOW Sight and Sound who give awesome service.

Whatever still camera you buy, make sure it shoots video at 640 x 480 resolution and 30 frames per second. And most importantly, remember that quality remains long sfter the price is forgotten, so give the cheapies a miss!

Small Cameras

2009-01-20T23:04:00.001-08:00

Small still cameras with a movie function can be used to shoot video for YouTube (short clips up to 10 minutes). I have tried a few and found problems with the cheapies.

My advice is to go for a good brand like Canon Ixus, Panasonic or Sony. Spend the extra few dollars - you won't regret it.

Make sure that the camera you buy does 640 x 480 and 30 frames per second. Some don't.

ADSL 2 Performance Issues

2009-01-13T05:04:00.000-08:00

If you have just upgraded to ADSL 2, and are having speed issues, then one of the problems may that you have ADSL 1 filters in your network. This happened to me. To check, ring your ISP and quote the model number of the ADSL filters and they can tell you.

If you have any phones connected in the house or business that don't have filters on, this will affect performance and dropouts as well.

My speed went from 3Mb to over 12Mb after I isolated and removed an ADSL 1 filter. This is something some ISP's won't check, so be aware of it if you upgrade to ADSL 2 or ADSL 2+.

Also your modem may need to be reconfigured to ADSL 2, and if it doesn't support that standard, it will need to be replaced.

If you still have dropouts after you have isolated these areas, then you may have a line fault or a defective modem. I hope I save someone the learning experience I have had to go through.

Have a nice day!

Video Formats

2009-01-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

I have noticed that someone I know has a video on their website that is a bit slow to load. When I looked at the video I found it was in .wmv format. This format only works on Windows PC's. This will also make a video a bit slow to stream, and will make it quite difficult for Mac users to read unless they have a .wmv codec installed.

To make a video faster to load and to make it available for users on all platforms, upload your video in Flash format. This is what YouTube and a lot of other providers use. If you are not sure how to do this, then Google Flash Video. That should give you a wealth of information.

Any questions, please email me.

Camtasia

2008-12-25T15:41:00.001-08:00

Camtasia is a piece of software that let you record your screen for training purposes. It lets you create a video with sound of an actual computer session. You can download a free trial by Googling it.

GeekBrief.TV

2008-12-25T13:57:00.001-08:00

This daily video podcast is well worth watching. The host is Cali Lewis who is a font of information on all things technical and gadgety. Check it out on www.geekbrief.tv

Full Moon

2008-12-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

This is a short clip of the full moon over Brisbane taken on a tripod. The camera didn't move. If you notice, the moon is moving rather fast over the few seconds of this clip. This is the normal speed of the moon's movement, but we don't really notice it with the naked eye. Interesting, huh?

The Beatnix

2008-12-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is an Australian Group that are a cover band of the Beatles. This scene was shot with a $100 Kodak still camera with video abilities. It shows that you don't need fancy equipment sometimes to capture the moment. Always carry one of these little camera with you. They are quite handy.

YouTube

2008-12-25T03:39:00.000-08:00

As you all may be aware, YouTube is now using widescreen format. To fit your videos into the full screen and not have black bars around them, generate your video files in 16:9 MPG format. This seems to work fine for me.

Amount of Video Traffic

2008-12-25T03:29:00.000-08:00

Over 55% of all traffic on the net is now in video form. YouTube is the growth player on the net. Video rocks!