Online Video Fact Sheet

Video on the Web
Remember when we used to gather around the television to watch our favorite shows? These days, many of us are watching video over the Internet.

Broadband video is becoming a popular way for organizations to spread the word and make emotional connections with their audiences. If you are thinking about loading video clips onto your Web site, you need to consider the type of video distribution you want to use, as well as your preferred platform for delivery.

Streaming or Progressive Video
Streaming or progressive downloads are two methods for delivering video over the Internet.

---Streaming Video Download allows viewers to watch your videos instantly. Streaming video plays in real time, with the video quality depending on your viewers' connection speed. Streaming video is often used for live events, long-form video, and other situations where you don't want the file stored on the user's hard drive.

If you want to deliver streaming video, you will need a streaming media server. Talk to your Webmaster to determine if you already have support for video on a dedicated media server or if additional support will need to be purchased.

---Progressive Video Download actually downloads to viewers' computers and can be watched as the video downloads. The user's Internet connection speed determines how long the video takes to download; however, video quality is unaffected.

You may offer both a low and a high bandwidth version of your video to accommodate the different needs of your users and their connection speeds.

Progressive downloads use a standard Web server, making it a more cost efficient option than a streaming media server.

Choosing a Platform
Video may be streamed on the Web through several different platforms including Windows Media Player, QuickTme, Flash, and others. While each platform continues to make dramatic strides in improving the quality of video they output, there are several things to consider when determining what platform to offer to your viewers. Here's a brief introduction of the most commonly used online video platforms.

RealPlayer: RealPlayer is a video player that needs to be downloaded by both Mac and PC users. The benefit of RealPlayer is its ability to play back many of the popular video formats, including Windows Media and QuickTime. The user is prompted to download the RealPlayer player for free before watching the video.

Windows Media: Windows Media is a Microsoft product. And the Windows Media Player is native to PC machines. When the user chooses the Windows Media video, the file opens in a separate window. Macintosh users will have to download an older version of the Windows Media Player, since Microsoft does not support a Macintosh version for their newest release. A third party plug-in is also available that allows some forms of Windows Media to play in QuickTime.

QuickTime: QuickTime is installed natively on Apple computers. PC users will have to download QuickTime software if they don't already have it. Like Windows Media, QuickTime also opens the video file in a separate window.

Flash: Flash is currently the most universal delivery method for video on the Web. Many Web browsers have Flash players automatically installed on their browsers, so video files play right in the browser window. No need to download and install a separate media player. Internet connection speeds determine how fast Flash video clips download and play.

Getting Started
After determining the appropriate format, our next goal is to create a video with the highest quality and shortest download time. We custom set the data rates of the audio and video and scale the image to achieve the best results. Depending on the amount of motion and length of the piece, we may be able to increase the screen size or data rate. Following the determination of the appropriate custom settings, we enter a testing phase and ensure the video is playing properly and works well within your website.

Digital Wave: Experts in
Online Video Communications
Whether you want to create customized online video content, or repurpose existing video content, we can help you create the material you need to maximize your marketing message. Call us for details: 503-227-9283.

Download the ONLINE VIDEO FACT SHEET (PDF, 84K)
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