This article is the first of a series on configuring your Windows workstation for producing with Adobe CS 5.5. The focus of this particular article is buying a single CPU vs. dual CPU system for producing with Premiere Pro and Adobe Media Encoder. I’ll also cover whether it makes sense to enable or disable HTT (hyper-threaded technology) when available on …

In April 2011, the Department of Justice began investigating the MPEG Licensing Association (MPEG LA) to learn whether or not the group is unfairly trying to damage Google’s competitive prospects with the WebM video format. But maybe MPEG LA would be doing us all a favor by damaging WebM. That’s my take, anyway. Here’s the rationale. In February, MPEG LA …

In a story for Streaming Media Magazine, I asked patent licensing authority MPEG-LA whether any claims had emerged against the VP8 video codec used Google’s WebM. As you recall, MPEG-LA announced a call for patents “essential” to VP8 in March 2011. Apparently, there have been 12 patents found to be essential to Google’s WebM technology by MPEG-LA’s patent experts. The …

UPDATE I just got this notice from Lulu. Upon closer inspection of your work, our Quality Review specialists found that your book does not meet the eBook Retail Distribution Guidelines. REASON: Your ebook has been rejected for formatting issues. The images and/or text in your file are blurry or not formatted properly., Your ebook (cover, description or content) cannot contain …

I produced a DVD in 2008 called Critical Skills for Streaming Producers, in conjunction with Streaming Media Magazine. The product is now out of date and off the market, but some of the videos included with the tutorial still have some real value. In particular, the five videos relating to lighting for streaming are still pretty useful. So, I’ve decided …

It’s frustrating when you get an email from a reader that you don’t know the answer to. Here’s one from an overseas streamer who is releasing very topical videos on their site, and despite using RTMPE+ token authorization, suffered massive piracy. Here are the questions, which I only partially responded to. I am looking for suggestions before and after the …

I reviewed MediaPlatform’s WebCaster product for Streaming Media Magazine and loved it. Here’s the intro; check out the full review here. Webcasts are a great tool for acquiring and retaining customers. They’re also great for training and communicating to both employees and partners. If you’re considering presenting webcasts for any of these reasons, MediaPlatform, Inc.’s WebCaster should be on your …

Though Final Cut Pro X is billed as an upgrade, it’s really a totally new program in most respects. New interface to learn, new plug-ins, new project files, no looking back for Apple. So if you’re a Final Cut Pro 7 editor, you have to choose a new editor. The two most logical choices are FCPX and Adobe CS 5.5, …

Just finished a four-part series on converting DVD-based content for H.264-based adaptive streaming, and you can read all four parts on OnlineVideo.net. Technical issues that I covered included: The best technique for ripping the video from the DVDs The best editor for assembling the various VOB files for streaming encoding Pre-encoding filtering and deinterlacing Choosing parameters for adaptive streaming Encoding …

I compare four H.264 encoders in this article on OnlineVideo.net. Here’s the gripping introduction: OK, so you’re cheap and in a hurry and you just want the answer to a single question, “What’s the best free H.264 encoder?” Well, you’re in the right place, in this short review; I compare HandBreak, Miro Video Converter, MPEG Streamclip, and Apple Compressor 4. …