How to add video to your site

A few people have asked how video is used on this site. So here's an overview of how it is done and the options available to you.

The [insert video site] revolution

Video on the web has changed. I remember a few years ago where clients would have to pay specialist companies to optimise and stream their videos. Streaming servers were expensive and even then bandwidth issues meant that users often had to sit and wait for videos to come through.

What has changed is the usage of the .flv format. This is a file type that makes use of the Flash player and gives streaming-like experience with no need for streaming. It also removes many of the headaches of users not having the correct player to view videos. Adobe put the penetration of their Flash player at 96%, and whilst it may not be entirely true you are on a pretty safe bet that most people will have it.

We'll optimise and host for you

The great thing about video sites is that they will optimise and host video for you, most of the time for free. No need for expensive encoders or software. You will probably find that the quality of videos is not great but if you are not paying for it you can't really complain.

Some well known free sites are

Once you've uploaded the video these sites will provide you with a line of code you can drop into your own site. Job done!

Doing it yourself

You can do all of this yourself which is what I do. The software I use is:

Snapz Pro X for making desktop videos
Flash 8 Video Encoder for converting .mov files to .fla
Jeroen Wijering's Flash Video Player for playing the fla files

Of course you need your own web server and knowledge of how to create and upload web pages. I use video for tutorials, as an addition to manuals for clients and even to show my eBay items.

Content - the really hard part of the web

Just like web pages the hardest part is producing good content. Filming is not an easy job and if you are producing a corporate video it is worth employing a TV professional with editing experience. The barriers to entry are low, which is a great thing, but that doesn't mean that people will watch what you produce if it doesn't have something to interest them!

Comments

VideoKing Feb 4 2007

Or hey, for doing your own Flash 8 video just get this: http://www.createflashvideo.com

Much cheaper and easier than Adobe Flash Pro, much better quality than Flash 7.

Joe Feb 9 2007

A supplier of mine uses flash to play video’s. Is this a good method or should I suggest a different one?

George Ornbo Feb 9 2007

@Joe - Flash is a good option as far as I’m concerned. You get better quality with .mov but more users have the flash player. The big movies studios seem to favour .mov I imagine for quality.

You will need to edit and compress the original digital film to .fla format of course if you are using flash. I’m not sure if Avid lets you do this but you can convert pretty much any format using the Flash video encoder.

One big drawback of using flash is that it is not supported on ipods, so users can’t download these clips and watch them offline.

cryhjyzxsq Aug 27 2008