Learn more about video files and video formats

Web design tips :: Learn more about video files and video formats ::

Digital Video Files

Today, everyone seems to be creating video podcasts. They are now ubiquitous on the Web. In addition to this, people have started filming themselves, their friends, and their pets - to the amusement of all of us - and posting these videos on the web.

In the past, the process of shooting and editing film was a complicated process. Not anymore. Today people can record hi-definition digital video, edit it with professional quality tools, and post it on YouTube for millions of people to view. Like audio, video has its own unique problems - things like poor quality and long load times. This part of the article covers what type of video files are available, how to play them, and how to digitize them.

Video Formats

Like audio, video also comes in many formats, and the format you choose affects the size of the files and the quality of the output. No one wants to watch a tiny video that is fuzzy and skips, nor do they want to wait 15 minutes to watch your homemade video because of the huge file size. It is important to choose the right file type to do this. Here are some of the most common video file types:

.avi - A very common video format that can be used with Windows. It can be compressed without a lot of quality loss.
.mov - The QuickTime movie format created by Apple. The standard (and free) QuickTime player is used to play these highly compressed files on either Mac or Windows.
.mpeg - An operating system–independent video format that gives small file sizes and excellent quality.
.wmv - A Windows video format that is becoming more common and has excellent compression.

Remember that you’ll want to use a file format that most visitors can use. If you choose another format, be sure to research its benefits and limitations before using it.

For a more comprehensive list of video file formats go here.

Video Players

Most operating systems now come with built-in video players. Windows Vista has Media Center and the Mac has iTunes. You also might want to try out a few opensource video players that have different features:

VideoLAN - A cross-platform opensource video player that plays a number of video formats.
miro - This is an open-source media player that plays video files and has thousands of viewable channels of content, like your TV set.
kaltura - This is a cool utility that not only plays videos but allows you to annotate them and share those annotations with others.

Digitizing Video

It’s easy to digitize video these days. What used to take months and a lot of money now is relatively cheap and takes only a few minutes. The technology behind digitizing video has come a long way. Here are some ways to get digitized video onto your computer:

Use digital video camera - Today it is cheap and easy to get a video camera that records directly on digital media such as an SD card.
Record on video and import into your computer - Most video cards today have audio and video inputs to help you digitize video.
Use a webcam - Today you can buy a camera that plugs directly into your computer and digitize as you record.
Digitize analog video - Video captured on a video camera and stored on a tape is most likely analog content.

To capture this data, use an analog converter such as Dazzle from Pinacle.

Video Editing

If you know anything about film or video, you know that using raw video footage is never wise. You need to add titles, rearrange shots, add music, and check audio. There are a number of high-cost video editors out there, but you should never pay for something you can get for free. Here are some free open source video editors:

Jahshaka - This is a cross-platform (Mac, Window, Linux) video editor that offers editing, effects, and audio integration .
Avidemux - This is a simple cross-platform video editing software program. Avidemux has fewer features than Jahshaka but is easier to use.

Video Hosting Sites

When you have your video ready you can use a video hosting site to share it.

These sites have popped up in the last few years and have become some of the most popular sites on the Internet. Here are a couple of the best video sharing sites:

YouTube - This is the most well-known video hosting site on the Web today. It enables you to upload videos, share them with others, and communicate with your viewers.
Ustream.tv - A website that lets you share videos or stream live video from your computer.
vimeo - Another video sharing site that lets you connect to your viewers.

Video Resources

As I explained, the technology behind video has become much simpler and easier to use and doesn’t require as much technical knowledge as it once used to. Nevertheless, there are still some things to learn about it, so I advise you to read up on the subject. The more you know, the better your videos will be. There are numerous websites with bites and bites of information on video technology from people with lots of experience. Here are some to consider:

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