Jo's presentation on Web video at the WDANZ Annual Wellington Conference 2007 12 & 13 June 2007 at Sharella Motor Inn -- the blurb: Jo Booth, Mesh Networks Jo has a keen interest in new technology including communications, redundant networks and communications (particularly after critical events), digital photography and multimedia technologies. He is vice president of the WelMac, the Wellington Macintosh Society Inc, the largest Mac users group in New Zealand and is on the executive committee of Unlimited Potential, a Wellington IT association. He is also an active member of the Wellington Linux Users Group, WellyLUG. Jo has facilitated the WelMac New Media special interest group, and helped to create and organise several key events including the nationwide amateur short movie competition and festival MovieFest; the 2005 IT Careers Fair; and the 2006 Gadgets, Games and Geeks exhibitor showcase. His recent developing project is Mesh|net, which is involved in implementing community based network and broadband technologies that can be used for bandwidth intensive multimedia content, such as on demand delivery of high definition video, and community collaboration projects. Internet video is now mainstream and is creeping into business websites. Jo will explain the various options for embedding non-streaming downloadable video into websites, covering the pros and cons of the various options available for delivery. This will include third party websites such as Google's YouTube, RSS/Pod casts and developing for the various platforms Flash, Quicktime, and Windows Media. He will explain the steps needed to create good video, and then address optimisation, bandwidth and other issues relevant to a commercial web developer.

1. Web video
Jo Booth, Mesh|net
Jo will explain the various options for embedding non-streaming download-able video into
websites, covering the pros and cons of the various options available for delivery. This will
include third party websites such as Google's YouTube, RSS/Pod casts and developing for
the various platforms Flash, Quicktime, and Windows Media.
He will explain the steps needed to create good video, and then address optimisation,
bandwidth and other issues relevant to a commercial web developer.

2. Do I need web video? . . .
• Picture is 1000 words...
• Is the audience ready?
• “People watch and react to video”
• Viral video - Consumer is king.
• No: Talking Heads.
• Yes: Product demonstration

3. Which kind of video? . . .
• Production capabilities
• Cost
• Server resources
• Target platform
• “Video” vs. inline “Content”
• Download vs. Streaming
• Interactivity?

4. Types of video . . .
• FLV - Adobe Flash video
• MOV - Apple QuickTime
• WMV - Windows Media
• Silverlight - Microsoft
• Java, Real, SVG, .m4v, 3GP
• Pick one. Or two?

5. Abode Flash Video . . .
• Flash - 98% penetration...
• ...just plays
• Good quality / low file size
• Seamless integration: content
• Designed for the web...
• ...not portable
• Interactive - SWF, Flash.
• Ubiquitous

6. Apple QuickTime . . .
• Flexible, multiple codecs...
• ...codec may not be installed.
• iPod... iTunes... QuickTime
• Very portable.
• “Preferred” for video.
• Most tools can export to it.
• Solid performance / playback
• Podcast. Overnight download.

7. Windows Media Video . . .
• Most folks have Windows...
...and Mac, Linux have players.
• “Best” for streaming, good quality.
• Codec hell.
• WMV/ASX not “easy”...
Embedding. Single file.
• Windows Media Server.
• Future: Silverlight!

8. Other types. . .
• Real / RM - the grand-daddy - closed
platform, on sell, 50% penetration?
• Java - flexible platform, good penetration,
but overtaken by flash. Streaming.
• SVG - Video in a vector. Portable, mobile,
open. Support cometh: Quicktime,
Browser, Adobe. 10% penetration.
• Mobile video: 3GP, iPod, Zune, PSP
• DivX - feature length.

9. Tools for Converting to FLV . . .
• Sorenson Squeeze
– sorensonmedia.com
• Adobe Flash Professional
– Flash video convertor
• FFMPEG
– ffmpeg.sf.net
• Upload to YouTube...
• GIYF.

10. FLV: Download vs. Streaming. . .
• Progressive download
– video/x-flv
– <object> <embed>
– autoplay = false
– bandwidth!
– YouTube uses it
• Streaming
– Streaming = $$, but costs you less.
– Red5 - osflash.org/red5
– Google Video uses it

11. Tips for good video . . .
• User control: pause, load, seek
• Podcast/RSS: content on demand.
• Talking heads are boring...
– Pictures and text would be better?
• Virality: Let your users use. Distribute.
• Good video:
– Tripod. Less motion.
– Good lighting = less artefacts
– Use the source, Luke. Convert direct.

12. Watch out for . . .
• Bandwidth
– simultaneous users x bit rate
• distribute the load
• keep it small
• Traffic
– total views x file size
• minimise file sizes
• keep it short
– take it off-shore
– let users download once, play many.

13. Thanks for watching . . .
• Mesh|net - mesh.net.nz
– Minimising barriers to access of content
Mesh|net
• MovieFest - MovieFest.org.nz
– Inspiring content creation
– Jo Booth: jo-wdanz@mesh.net.nz