Sorenson 360 video server service

Sorenson – known widely for its compression software, Squeeze, has recently launched a video publishing server service that integrates with Squeeze, but can also be used with nothing more than a web browser to encode files. The new service is called Sorenson 360.

Most magazines or blogs prefer to separate interviews from tutorials from reviews, but this article will be a unique hybrid offering a little of all three. To start, we’ll learn a little about the service from my interview with Sorenson Media’s VP of Product Development, David Dudas.

Trans-ylvania

The topic of transcription came up on several forums recently, so I thought I’d share the peanut gallery’s wisdom on the subject. If you don’t think you need transcriptions, think again. With the recent FCC rules, all TV programs need closed-captioning, and unless you’re doing scripted drama, you’ll need transcriptions for the closed-captioner. It’s also handy to have as an editor when you’re trying to “Frankenstein” a soundbite together and you’re looking for the sentence-ending word with an “S” at the end or something like that. Sometimes if I’m trying to end a speaker’s thought in mid-sentence, I do a search for the same ending word with a period after it. Splice them together and you’ve got an elegant ending to an otherwise choppy sounding sentence. If you’ve got a transcription to search, doing these kinds of tasks is much, much easier.

Speech Search Meets ScriptSync

Anybody remember that classic commercial for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? “Hey! You got peanut butter on my chocolate! No! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” Then the two injured parties in the commercial realize that peanut butter and chocolate are really two great tastes that taste great together! They shouldn’t be kept apart. They should be celebrated in a joyful, delicious and nutritious union of flavors!

Well folks, today I’m getting Adobe in my Avid and Avid in my Adobe. Now most of you are probably thinking, “Duh. Everyone combines Photoshop and After Effects with Avid. That’s nothing new.” But I’m taking my Adobe cravings one step beyond the ordinary. I’m going for a Media Composer and Premiere Pro sandwich!

A rare YouTube Post from me

I know it’s kind of lame to just post someone else’s YouTube video - but this seemed worth the time: funny, clever and “video relevant.”

Avid Gems 11

So, it’s been a while since I’ve started writing this series, so I should probably point out that the point here is to simply locate those cool tips and techniques that are easily found in the user manual – if you actually chose to read it. But this is much easier – at least for you – because I’ve sifted out most of the “duh” stuff and just delivered the tips that you might have not heard before.

The theme of this specific column was inspired by a reader who commented on Avid Gems #10. They wanted to know all of the different ways the alt key on Windows or the option key on Mac altered the behavior of various keystrokes and mouse movements, so that’s what I’m serving up today.

Inspiration from the anti-Google

More and more production professionals are living in a kind of social vacuum as production and post moves from larger companies to small 1 or 2 man boutiques. So for a little inspiration and a feeling that you’re part of a greater whole, I’d suggest checking out StumbleUpon. I know that many of you have probably already become addicted to the steady stream of interesting content provided by StumbleUpon, but for those who have yet to discover the joys of Stumbling, let me introduce you.

Sorenson Squeeze 5.1 Review

PVC Reviews – The Backstory

There’s been some back-room discussion amongst the PVC writers about reviews. The general consensus being that since all of the PVC writers are actually folks just like you who are actually making a living as video professionals, instead of as “bloggers,” we don’t have the time or patience to review a bunch of crappy products that we’d never use in the course of trying to make a living. And since we wouldn’t use bad products for projects involving real clients, and since we’re too busy to do anything else, the reviews of products by PVC writers will tend to be fairly positive, more often than not. That doesn’t mean they’re not honest, it just means that they’re well-informed purchases to begin with. That’s certainly the case for this review.

As background information, I’ve been using a number of compression products for several years: Squeeze has always been part of the arsenal; Apple Compression, of course; Adobe Media Encoder CS4, the Elgato Turbo-264 USB device; and my oldest compression product, ProCoder, which I haven’t upgraded since 2002, I think.

Use Encore to Create Flash Web Pages

I am not a web geek. I am a video professional who realizes how important the web is to video professionals. I wish I had the time to master one more skillset to make my own cool Flash video sites, but I don’t. If you can relate, then I have a cool solution to turn you into a web geek in only about 30 minutes with skills you probably already have.

Page 3 of 7 pages  <  1 2 3 4 5 >  Last »