Will the AppleTV help change video?

January 15th, 2008

Today, Apple did a sidestep around the HD DVD and Blu-ray debate with the update to their AppleTV.

Think about the most popular way most of us watch movies. We rent them. Either at the local movie store or via mail at Netflix or Blockbuster.

What Apple has done is said, “Why wait for a plastic disc to be sent to you?” Now you can flip through an online selection like Netflix or Blockbuster AND watch it right away. That puts them in a very strong position. Plus, they have the very popular iTunes online store streamlined more than any of the competition.

Now, while the others fight over which plastic disc to send next (HD DVD or Blu-ray), Apple can already deliver an HD movie right to the television set since we can now rent HD movies FROM the AppleTV interface.

All for a onetime fee of $229 plus the four or five bucks to rent the movie.

Compare that to a new high def player that runs several hundred dollars more and $30 to buy a new piece of plastic to put into that player.

Now take into account that thousands of HD podcasts are available right now on iTunes and AppleTV right now and for free!

I think this little device is sneaking its way into our lives and changing the way we watch video forever.

Categories: Misc | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

How to Produce Video for the Web

December 21st, 2007

&&As I wrote in my previous entry, there is a huge shift in how video is published. During the past several months, I have been using my iPhone more and more to watch videos. This is true for video podcasts, news, television shows and much more.

Reels in Motion has been producing these types of videos for clients for quite some time and we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. Here are some things we’d like to share:

Keep it Short
Our audio-only podcasts have been averaging around one hour. This is a happy medium for several reasons. However, when producing content that will be delivered as video, the best time we’ve found is around 3 to 5 minutes. And even 5 minutes is pushing it a bit too long.
People (myself included) can listen to longer form audio only forms while driving, jogging, biking, etc. These activities lend themselves to longer blocks of time. This is why talk radio and long form radio shows like NPR work.

Video is a different beast. We watch video in short pauses in our day. While waiting in lines, quick breaks at lunch at work, etc. This is why most popular YouTube videos are in this shorter time frame. Anything longer takes much more commitment of time and we begin to ask, “is this video worth my time?” At three minutes long, we don’t think about it. We watch it.

So when you decide to make a video, keep the show to around 3 minutes.

Flash Me!
I entirely Mac based. I edit all my videos in Final Cut Studio and everything is in the Quicktime format. It is a great format. However, not everyone has the H.264 “flavor” of Quicktime on their machine. They can download it for free, but that’s an extra step.

So I post my videos as Flash videos so anyone can watch them on the website. However, I also advocate encoding the videos as H.264 Quicktime files. These files end in .m4v and can be played on portable players like iPods and iPhones.

And the bonus? With Flash’s newest player (version 9), you can play H.264 Quicktime files INSIDE a Flash player. What does this mean?

From a web visitor’s point of view, they appear to be watching a Flash video. 99% of all machines will play it. On the backend, you’ve got one Quicktime file (H.264) that can be fed into that Flash video and also be fed into an RSS feed for iTunes, iPhones and other players.

So you get twice the market penetration. You are now catering to the PC world and the Mac world.

Conclusion
These are just a few suggestions from what we have learned when producing video for the Internet. Broadcasting video online can be tricky to do correctly.

We’ll be posting more tips in this series as well as launching our new show, “Angie’s Phalangies” in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! In the meantime, please have a very Merry Christmas!

Scott

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Apple TV, Internet Trends and What it Means for YOU!

May 30th, 2007

Just announced a few hours ago:

YouTube Coming th Apple TV
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/05/30appletv.html

Well gang, this is exciting news and is consistant with the direction of web video that we have been following and featuring here on the Reels in Motion site.

What is the big deal? Up until now, we all had to sit at our little computer monitors (even 17″ and 21″ monitors are tiny compared to our big HD flatpanel screens. :D

Now, with Apple TV being able to stream YouTube videos, we can enjoy these videos on our televisions. Just like anything in iTunes will be able to play on our Apple TVs.

One reason this is BIG news is that it takes “internet video” from something cheap to something that is watched on the same device that we watch network television and our blockbuster movies. These shows are now “bigger” and respected much more.

Your video podcast is now one menu away from “Lost” or “24.” How’s that for legitimate. This isn’t to say the videos we watch from YouTube are going to be any better than they are now. No.

With this move, it will stress how easy it is for anyone to be a producer. We are seeing a multitude of podcasts (audio and video) that are very high quality and some are even shot in better resolution than the stuff you can buy from Apple, plus these podcasts are FREE!

Little by little, the mainstream media is being sidestepped. There are already dozens of broadcast quality television shows available as a podcast only. Now, they download to my Apple TV and I can watch them when I want, and this is the key.

The TV Shows I Want, When I Want

Remember the days when if you wanted to be on TV you had to either get a show produced, pitch it through one of the networks (or on cable) or else just purchase the airtime? And what were the chances your target audience would be watching at that time?

With the increase in these podcasts and the news from Apple, we will see the shift in the next three to four years of people watching the shows that they want, whenever they want. Since podcasts downloaded to Apple TV or iPods can be watched anytime, not just during their “broadcast” time, and since we’ll have the power to watch specialized shows that interest us, devices like Apple TV are going to become very popular.

Where is it headed?

This also means that you will be able to reach your customers and your clients much faster and much cheaper than you can now. You can produce an audio or video podcast about topics in your area of expertise, or just fun shows. You’ll become a regular guest in their house as they watch or listen to your show each week.

Own a restaurant, produce a show about interesting meals. Own an auto shop? How about a weekly Q&A about car questions. There’s already a national radio show on NPR called “Car Talk” that I listen to reguarly. You’re a magician? Produce a weekly or bi-weekly magic show that features a “trick of the week.”

Be creative and start producing something that your clients would find interesting, valuable, entertaining or all of the above.

And when they get hungry, they will stop by your restaurant. When they have a problem with their car, they’ll stop by your auto shop. When they are having an event that needs entertainment, they’ll hire you.

The ground is shifting as you read this. The question is, will you have the foundation ready or will you still be looking for a map after the city is built?

To get an idea of what can be done, visit our “netcasting” site: Reels in Motion .tv or visit us on iTunes and subscribe to our podcast.

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