January, 2010

• 2 January

  Review: Microsoft Expression Encoder 3

  Expression Encoder 3 is the encoding component of Microsoft’s Expression Studio, a five-product suite ($599 retail/$399 upgrade), and of Expression Web, a three-product suite that also contains Expression Web and Expression Design ($149/$79). Microsoft is also selling Expression Encoder 3 as a stand-alone product with a list price of $49. Seems like a good decision, because although there were some …

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December, 2009

• 14 December

  YouTube does 1080p with H.264

  On November 12, YouTube announced that “1080p HD Is Coming to YouTube.” In this article, I’ll describe the type of file you should upload to trigger 1080p encoding, analyze the 1080p files created by YouTube and detail the other files created by YouTube in addition to the 1080p file. My workflow was simple; I uploaded four 1920×1080 files to YouTube, …

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• 14 December

  Microsoft Windows 7 Test Drive

  It’s time to look at Microsoft Windows 7, which I’m doing in two phases. First, I’ll upgrade an existing Windows XP installation and detail the experience and my first impression of Windows 7. Then, using a multiboot computer, I’ll test the performance of Windows Vista against Windows 7, and if the stars align, perhaps even Windows XP. Today, I’ll walk you through the process of …

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• 7 December

  Adobe CSNext – The Mercury Engine

  While in San Jose, Calif., recently for Streaming Media West, I called Adobe, which has its headquarters in San Jose, to ask I could swing by to discuss the next version of Adobe Creative Suite, or CSNext as it’s been dubbed. Simon Hayhurst, Adobe’s senior director of product management, was kind enough to spend an hour with Tim Siglin and …

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• 7 December

  Time to switch from VP6 to H.264? Yes, but .. mind the royalties

  Got this question today via email: Found your article in Streaming Media (http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=10969) particularly useful, and wondered if you had any updates on .flv vs H.264 penetration and usage.  We’re considering going 100% H.264 and wondered if you had a moment to talk about it on the phone. I responded: [Breaking news – On February 3, 2010, MPEG-LA announced a …

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• 6 December

  Tips on sports and live event webcasting

  When you stream over 18,000 live hockey games a year, you have to learn a bit about what works and what doesn’t. So when I chatted with Marc Ruskin, President of FASTHockey, Inc, the premier online destination for amateur ice hockey games from across North America, I was anxious to get some live production related tips. And he didn’t disappoint. …

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• 1 December

  Need article sources – iPhone streaming and OVPs

  I’m pulling together some streaming-related articles and need some user input.  Specifically, I need: – HTTP Live Streaming to iPhone case studies – companies who have started streaming to iPhones, why, how and how it has worked out. Prefer actual content owners rather than service companies. – OVPs – any company who considered using an Online Video Platform but ultimately …

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November, 2009

• 30 November

  Uploading SD video to YouTube – exploring the options

  My article The Moving Picture: Decoding YouTube Upload Options just posted on www.eventdv.net. It explores the options available when uploading original SD video to YouTube, detailing my conclusions after uploading six files ranging in resolution from 480×270 to 720p. Click over to the main streaminglearningcenter site for links to the test files on YouTube.

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• 27 November

  Interesting video on viewing analytics

  The type and amount of statistics and analytics provided by an OVP is a critical selection criteria. Veeple is an OVP that features clickable hotspots in the video. Here’s a short (under 3 minutes) video of Veeple’s viewing analytics that I found useful in understanding the type of information that they supply. I’m sure most OVPs supply most of this …

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• 25 November

  Tips on ScreenCam Production

  Just got off the phone with Jay Simons from Atlassian, an Australian software company specializing in collaboration and development tool like Jira, Confluence and FishEye. Atlassian uses screencam videos to illustrate new features and quick training tips, and produces the screencams with Telestream ScreenFlow. I was chatting about Atlassian’s choice of Episodic as their Online Video Platform (OVP) for an …

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