OK just some of the options out there, will review others later
Ideal for: Interviews, documentary-style videosFile limits: Up to 500MB total per weekPaid options: Vimeo Plus for $59.95/year
Vimeo is a solid general-purpose host for video storytelling. Geared toward independent filmmakers and producers, its features are a cut above average video sharing sites. It has high-quality playback, HD video uploads and a gorgeous embedded video player that scales smoothly to any size.
The 500MB/week upload limit is unlikely to cause problems if you’re just starting out and only uploading a few videos a week. If your volume does grow beyond that, upgrading to Vimeo Plus is not too costly and comes with some extra perks, such as unlimited HD embedding and more player customization controls.
Ideal for: Vlogs, short clipsFile limits: Up to 1GB or 10 minutes per video
YouTube has recently jumped on the HD bandwagon, but that feature is still under development and not guaranteed to work all the time. Instead, YouTube’s greatest strength still lies in hosting vlogs and short clips — the former because its ability to post video responses encourages conversation and the latter because of the potential for such videos to go viral with the site’s huge user base.
Ideal for: Series, episodic videosFile limits: Up to 1GB per video, but 100MB or less recommendedPaid options: Pro account for $8/month
As the domain suffix suggests, Blip.tv is made for television producers interested in creating shows with online distribution. While it is possible to upload stand-alone videos on Blip.tv, the site really becomes useful when you have a series of episodes around a particular theme (e.g. a weekly movie review, an investigative series, etc.) that you want to publish on a regular basis.
Videos can be syndicated as well as played from an embeddable browser that lists all episodes on the side. A pro account lets you upload longer videos and set a publishing schedule ahead of time.
Ideal for: Interactive video discussions, MOTS/vox pop interviewsFile limits: Unspecified, but ideally under two minutes.
Take the asynchronous interactivity of YouTube’s video responses, combine it with the immediacy of Twitter, and you have Seesmic: the new kid on the block, but already making waves with its potential for innovative uses.
Seesmic comes with the Disqus commenting system, which enables readers to post video comments on your site by recording straight from webcam. You can also get creative and use Seesmic to host a Web 2.0 version of the classic man-on-the-street type of interview — just record your question as the conversation starter and upload your gathered clips as responses. Here’s an example of this in action.
Ideal for: Live webcasts, streaming eventsFile limits: 500kbps bit rate for streaming, 700MB for video uploads (Mogulus)
With broadband Internet access becoming more widespread, streaming live video over the Web at decent quality is now possible. Consider using live streams to host webcasts (with an expert panel, say) on your site, or to broadcast local events to an online audience.
At this point, two live streaming services are at the head of the pack: Mogulus and UStream. Robin Good at WebTVwire writes about which may be a better fit for you. The short version: Mogulus is good for professional-looking productions involving multiple cameras, titles and graphics, while UStream is the simpler option for rapid launches and impromptu events.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment