MWS Newsletter: Volume 3, Issue 3

Web Video Update and Primer

Complete Archives and Subscription Information

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Video seems to be everywhere on the Web today. Although the basic technologies and techniques for serving video have been around as long as the Web has, today's Web video explosion was made possible by several very new developments. This newsletter is the first in a series that will talk about these new developments, and then explain some of the fundamental concepts of Web video.

The most obvious and most often-cited reasons for the recent increase in popularity of Web video are the increasing numbers of broadband Internet users, the availability of cheap digital video cameras, and the emergence of free video hosting Web sites such as Google Video and YouTube.

There's another factor that's made Web video easier, however: Flash Video. Flash Video is a feature of Adobe (formerly Macromedia) Flash that allows video to be embedded or streamed to the Flash player. This is significant because the Flash player is by far the most widely-used browser plug-in. Adobe estimates that over 98% of Web browsers have a version of the Flash player that can play Flash video already installed.

What this means for you is that you can now use video without worrying about compatibility and providing multiple versions. What this means for visitors to your site is that they no longer have to worry about lengthy download and installation processes that are required to use older video formats such as Real Video, Windows Media, or Quicktime. This is not to say that these formats are obsolete — there are still times when these formats are preferable. However, Flash can do a great job for most Web video applications and it's almost guaranteed to be usable by your entire audience— if it's used correctly.

To really understand Flash Video and to be able to use it correctly, you need to know something about digital video and the basic methods and technologies that are used to serve video over the Internet. In the next issue of the Minnick Web Services newsletter, I'll explain how video compression works. After that, I'll talk about another technology that everyone's heard about but few understand: streaming.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please give us a call or email.

p.s. If you'd like to see a great example of Flash Video combined with some of the other capabilities of Flash in a real-world application, take a look at the latest digital magazine to launch on our eBookHost platform: Managing REO (www.managingreo.com). This bi-weekly magazine for managers of foreclosed properties features a video update from the editor in each issue along with some great uses of interactivity.

For more information about how Minnick Web Services can help you achieve your goals, please visit our web site (www.minnickweb.com) or contact us.

To find out more about our digital proofing, publishing, and reporting technologies, visit the eBookHost demo at demo.ebookhost.com.

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Chris Minnick
Minnick Web Services
www.minnickweb.com
www.ebookhost.com
Phone: 916-551-1453
Fax: 916-551-1454

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FUTURE ISSUE PREVIEW:

Future issues of the Minnick Web Services newsletter will cover topics such as:

Understanding Web site Stats
Basics of Web Design
Usability
Accessibility
Important New Web Technologies
Evaluating New Web Technologies
How Search Engines Work
Search Engine Optimization

If you would like to suggest a topic for a future newsletter issue, please send mail to newsletter@minnickweb.com

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