Bringing Video to the Masses - Part 1 of an Interview

Live from the Voices That Matter conference, San Francisco, author Richard Harrington discusses the factors that have caused online video consumption to grow exponentially over the past few years.

You can also view part 2– here!

Liberating segregated HDTV sets

Unfortunately, many of the latest-generation HDTV sets sold in the USA are segregated, meaning that they cruelly block 50Hz signals on their video input. In some cases, they simply show no picture, while in others, they put up an unfriendly message stating: “Unsupported format”. However, as I explained in my recent comparative article on HD players, both AppleTV and WDTV fortunately liberate these segregated HDTV sets so that they can play 50Hz material (25p, 50p, or 50i) with no problem, along with ±60Hz material. My comment here regarding segregated HDTV sets refers to distribution, since for professional production and post-production, I highly recommend the use of professional HD monitors. So far, all of the professional HD monitors I have used personally or have researched are all free of segregation nonsense and play all desired signals.

The rest of this article has been moved to Allan’s PVC channel. Click here to view it.

AppleTV, WDTV, or Blu-ray: Which one is best to distribute your HD project?

Even if your HD project isn’t destined to be broadcast over the air, you’ll still want to have your client be able to play it on an HDTV set, not just on a computer. The good news is that you have several options to make that happen, including Blu-ray, AppleTV, and the brand-new WDTV device from Western Digital. During this transitional period, it is often the producer who influences the client as to which HD player to acquire. Many producers even incorporate the cost of one of these HD players in the project price and then give the device to the client “as a gift” with the first HD project, if the client doesn’t already own any HD player. It’s great to have options, but you must understand them fully (both their strengths and weaknesses) in order to pick one, two of them, or all of them, depending upon the exact format of HD you have produced, the hardware you own (or are willing to buy), the type of client, and the type of delivery. This article will help you learn the details that will help you make the appropriate decision.

The rest of this article has been moved to Allan’s PVC channel. Click here to view it.

Encoding web video in the age of the iPhone

The last time I looked, Apple had already sold over six million iPhones after just 13 months since its initial launch. I don’t think that there have been six million extra standard computers sold (desktops and laptops) in the past year, compared to prior years’ sales. As a result, I conclude that mobile handheld communication devices [like the iPhone (plus the iPod Touch, Blackberry, Treo, and some others)] represent the fastest-growing segment of Internauts (Internet users).

Increasingly, I find myself having to warn my friends and clients against using Flash for their website and web video, since Flash is simply not playable on the most popular mobile handheld devices. (There are some handheld devices that play Flash as Adobe quickly points out, but I said “most popular”!) The formats that the popular handheld mobile devices play well are HTML, animated GIF, and H.264. Many graphic designers are so into the Flash rage, they attempt to minimize this vital and practical issue, in the hope that someday Flash might play on the most popular mobile handheld devices. I don’t know about you, but my clients and I need to communicate, sell, and eat today, not someday. We can’t afford to prevent over six million Internauts from seeing our content by making the wrong decision.

The rest of this article has been moved to Allan’s PVC channel. Click here to view it.

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