Okay, I'm still at odds as to what format I want to post videos on my website in. Can anyone give me suggestions as to what you believe would be the best route to go and the pros and cons of them.
I already have the software to publish the content in most major formats. I'm just not sure which one I should use.
Your input would be great.
-Ben
Every survey I have ever seen says the preferred format for surfers is WMV. But they also prefer having options. So offer your video in WMV, QuickTime and Flash Video. Offer all as downloadable or streaming. Go for a couple of different quality levels either. Don't bother with anything less than 640 x 480 @ 1000kbps except for maybe a low quality stream. Your members will love you.
if you're going with a single format, WMV gets it every time. it's self-streaming and most people can watch it. i'm always happy to see it inside a site.
i would think that flash would be the best format for everyone ? seeing as how flash is available on all platforms and is as small as WMV files ? when compressed correctly etc..
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The problem is that with Flash, people with dial up frequently have issues. Its fine for banners, but with 5 or 6 minute clips it seems to choke on people!
It's not really about what's best for people. It's more about what people expect when they join a website. You have to give them what they want. I think Flash Video is an excellent format. But you'd be crazy not to offer WMV if you were only going with one format.Originally Posted by mickey
but flash isn't really a format for people to download - members do love to download movies - and it also doesn't usually look as good as a good quality wmv.
Id disagree, Flash for banners sucks these days because it adds an extra click before the surfer even hits our sites.
Regards,
Lee
so for download you would go with WMV ..
for streamiing - still WMV or would you go for flash there ?
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Streaming with WMV is the simplest and least expensive of the streaming services - I can post a WMV for streaming in seconds on our delivery network (both live and on-demand) - Flash is a little pricier due to licensing issues, and carries a little more overhead. Flash streaming is a 'sexy' format right now, but I agree with basschick, that the quality isn't as good in Flash on comparable bitrates.
Oddly, the experience with our customers is that QT is somewhat preferred for downloads, since it goes cross platform between iPods and PCs as well - but for streaming, the most stable, consistent, format seems to be WM right now with our customers.
Gary
CCBill
The new H.264 video format, which is Quicktime compatible, delivers about twice the quality of Windows Media or Flash for the same bandwidth. So you can, for example, put up a 500K H.264 stream and it will look every bit as good as a 1K Windows Media or Flash format. So for now, at least, it's a total win for everyone. It's also playable by just about every player out there.... except Windows Media, of course, because Micro$oft doesn't like competition.
WM is still the market leader, but I suspect the improvements Adobe is working on to Flash, and the H.264 codec will start to seriously erode that lead.
but quicktime player still takes longer to open and in order to stream a quicktime movie, you have to pay for streaming software. or do new quicktime movies now self-stream? i hadn't heard they do.
also i wait a long time before offering movies with a new codec as a lot of people have a 1 year old computer and don't like to download just to watch what is in the member area. and i hate getting tons of "the video won't play!" emails
Is H.264 streamed via Darwin/QT or does it require a different streaming server?
Any sites you can reference in our biz that are using it?
Gary
CCBill
Wow...Lot's of help for me after I get off work..
So from what I can see (correct me if I'm wrong here) WMV is pretty much a hands down must since I'm going to be streaming videos since Flash has inherent downfalls with bitrates and load times. As far as videos for downloading go, however, it's best to offer at least two formats (ie WMV and Quicktime) so that surfers can choose based on what they wish to do with it.
Maybe if Flash and Quicktime pick it up, they would be better candidates for streaming in the future, right?
Thanks,
Ben
I must disagree with the criticisms of flash as a format for streaming. If any of you guys ever get a chance, get inside the Sapphic Erotica website. That's pretty much the bar you should be measuring your member's area against; gay, straight or otherwise. The flash videos there (which can be streamed or downloaded, by the way) never gave me any issues at all when streaming.
But like I said before: you simply must offer WMV. Your members will expect it. Preferably, offer them WMV, QuickTime and Flash. Offer them multiple bit rates, clip format and full-length files. Make sure your content can be downloaded using a download manager as well.
Also, porn users are becoming more and more savvy every day. It might make sense to use a video with a lower bit rate and a similar level of quality, but you should also offer the WMV file. Surfers are starting to realise that the higher the bit rate is, the better the videos are. That's why many sites that are now offering high quality videos are mentioning the specs on the tours, particularly the "HD" sites. The silvercash sites are all encoded at 1995kbps. The Perfect Gonzo sites are about 3000kbps. Most of the topbucks sites offer videos that are 2600kbps. So you need to have those high bit rates available so you can use it as a marketing gimmick. Surfers are getting more savvy, but not so savvy as to realise that 1000kbps in one format is as good, if not better than 2000kbps in another format. Offer both.
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