Video

lamble said:

... I'm just about to compress the life out of and see if I can get it on You Tube...

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I've had better luck with Google Video than YouTube. Google owns YouTube, but larger files seem to be handled better with Google Video. When your file is uploaded there is some manipulation / compression that occurs and the resolution is lowered somewhat. There may be a delay of a few hours or days while this is occurring. But the price is pretty good - free!

Google video is at:
http://video.google.com/

The only way to do better is like one of the forum users has - have your own server. Some of sfarson's videos have not only great scenery, but are very sharp coming from his server.

robsmoto said:

I've had better luck with Google Video than YouTube. Google owns YouTube, but larger files seem to be handled better with Google Video. When your file is uploaded there is some manipulation / compression that occurs and the resolution is lowered somewhat. There may be a delay of a few hours or days while this is occurring. But the price is pretty good - free!

Google video is at:
http://video.google.com/

The only way to do better is like one of the forum users has - have your own server. Some of sfarson's videos have not only great scenery, but are very sharp coming from his server.

Click to expand...

Now you tell me!

Ever since my last post I've been watching a clock spin and reading uploading.

That's not quite true, I also went to check on the copyright issues and cut off the first upload session, but I'm a novice, what do you expect?

After I've finally uploaded to YouTube, I'll check out Google video. I need to be nice to google, we need their help with unchainedworld.com on something called polygon measurements from linear vectors (I frankly have no idea what the hell that means, but my technical chums get excited about it, so that's okay).

Note: the above statement is not intended to be justification for anyone to try and explain it to me, so don't!

Unchainedworld will have its own servers, but for my tiffling efforts at the moment, I don't feel it would be apt to risk contaminating our development platform.

Oooh listen to me, servers and our development platform. That almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about doesn't it?

I've been playing a lot with video lately. I'm moving away from YouTube and Google and going to my own server. Why? Same reason as others have stated before... the re-compressed file quality is poor, and even when following the "tips" from both sites and encoding video the way they say makes it look best, I've found that it's not really much better. For streaming, large files aren't that good for most people, so I've started using 320x240 30 fps WMV files as a standard. They look much better than YouTube or Google and aren't a whole lot longer in loading.

The problem is that you have to have your own server, or storage space. Most ISPs give you some. I've had a web site for years, and my host keeps raising the storage and bandwidth limits while reducing their rate$. This works great as I move into large files and bandwidth requirements. For most providers, it's usually pretty easy to put files there, and can be "ftp"-ed using windows explorer. (I've also installed and started using a SmugSmug like photo gallery program.)

About the same time as I started to put the above together:

I discovered some embedding code that works right here on our server, and also in AdvRider (I noticed the YouTube and Google Video embeds and played with the code enough to get it to work for WMV files. I'm still working on other formats.) Also, the the Forums I frequent that don't embed video, I've created a quick, generic php web page that will show whatever video I tell it to without having to write a separate page for each, and without the watcher having to wait for their video program to load.

I'm happy to share what I know, and what I have for anyone who is interested. (Not that it's much, but it's a start.)

Embedded Player, it's size can be scaled:
<object height=240 width=320>
<embed src="http://www.beachbus.net/storage/video/LaHondaRd.wmv" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="240" width="320" autoplay="false">
</embed>
</object>

PHP web page (note the url- changing the part after "=" changes the video)
http://www.beachbus.net/embed.php?video=LaHondaRd.wmv

Ok! The "shoe view" in the above video was kinda neat. Now you need to post a picture showing the camera / recorder used. I'd like to see the camera placement on the passenger peg (?).

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6713843414871323880

here's a first attempt, using Isquint compression, plus google video.

Let's see if it plays.

Please note, I get 2% credits for every different transition I use in this piece. I know, and you know, that that's just wrong, and credit should be given for using the correct transitions judiciously, but I'm a sucker for credits, so what can you do?

So it plays, hoorah for that. Next question, how do you get the small screen to embed in the thread? I could do it from youtube, but I must be overlooking something obvious at googlevideo.

Oh yes, and any comments would be welcomed.

On the right side of the screen there's a button, it says "Email-Embed." After you push it you then have to click the Embedded HTML link to get the window with the code to open.

I don't want to jack your video, so I'll let you do the honors.

BONEY said:

On the right side of the screen there's a button, it says "Email-Embed." After you push it you then have to click the Embedded HTML link to get the window with the code to open.

I don't want to jack your video, so I'll let you do the honors.

Click to expand...

Okay either when I post this it will look like the garbage I'm looking at now, or this message will not make sense, in which case I'll have achieved my goal.

<embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-6713843414871323880&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed>

Well that must be simple...it worked.
When I saw the embed button first time round and clicked on it, I thought I'd have to type in the target web addresses in the panel, so didn't progress. Now you've explained it Boney, it's much simpler.

Thanks.

I'm talking with a remote control technology company about wireless activation and control of multiple cameras, via a single bike mounted unit.
I like the idea of multi camera synchronised videoing.

I'll let you know:
1.if it's possible
2. if it's affordable and
3. if it meets the first two requirements and I get the system built, if it works.

Big Sur Ride Video

Ok here's my attempt from a couple of years ago.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8VZV3BJupEE&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8VZV3BJupEE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

Muneio said:

Ok here's my attempt from a couple of years ago.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8VZV3BJupEE&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8VZV3BJupEE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

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Nice not to have the ubiquitous rock track all the way through. I particularly like the way the last track works with the visuals.
Fixed camera position when riding...fixed to what?

lamble said:

Nice not to have the ubiquitous rock track all the way through. I particularly like the way the last track works with the visuals.
Fixed camera position when riding...fixed to what?

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Helmet cam mounted to right side of helmet.

Muneio said:

Helmet cam mounted to right side of helmet.

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So how comes it's so still?
I'll be posting a vid in a while from a Death Valley ride. It was a side mounted helmet cam. It's all over the place. I think looking at the un edited footage, at one point I'm off the road and in the dirt.
Here's a thought. Is your helmet so loose you can swivel your head in it?

lamble said:

So how comes it's so still?
I'll be posting a vid in a while from a Death Valley ride. It was a side mounted helmet cam. It's all over the place. I think looking at the un edited footage, at one point I'm off the road and in the dirt.
Here's a thought. Is your helmet so loose you can swivel your head in it?

Click to expand...

Haven't had any problem with helmet cam stability when mounted to helmet but, I don't ride in the dirt. Still haven't figured out how to mount DV cam directly to bike without lots of vibration. Anyone have a solution for that?

Bill

Preparing video for the web

Just received this in email looks pretty useful. DVC Cast

Muneio said:

Ok here's my attempt from a couple of years ago.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8VZV3BJupEE&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8VZV3BJupEE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

Click to expand...

I thought that this was a nice little video. I particularly liked the intermixing of scenes taken off the bike with those on the bike. The ending with the sunset and camping was really most excellent. This is one of those videos that could be watched over and over.

YouTube seems set on the 320x240 pixel resolution. I presume that the helmet camera was recorded to a miniDV camera which is at 720x480 pixels. (Nice touch showing the hand held camcorder with the helmet camera, by the way). Did you save the finished video in the 720x480 pixel resolution (and have YouTube do the downsizing) or did you save the finished video at 320x240 pixels?

Please let us know about your video equipment and editing software. Thanks!

If you have one of the upgraded smugmug accounts, you can post video. Some varieties allow for hosting of HD video, without compression.

You can't embed, but you can still link easily.

I saw it demonstrated at the Smugmug birthday party and it was very, very impressive. I'm sure they'll add additional functionality, as they usually do.

KBasa said:

If you have one of the upgraded smugmug accounts, you can post video. Some varieties allow for hosting of HD video, without compression...

Click to expand...

One of the problems with videos of higher resolution is the bandwidth required for downloading. I have download speeds capable of exceeding 10 Mb/s but even YouTube sometimes has pauses - more due to server delays than bandwidth limitations.

One MOA member, sfarson, used his own server for videos. His videos are generally 640x480 or better in resolution. I found that I needed to download the videos to my hard drive before watching.

Some folks may not wish their videos to be in a downloadable form. YouTube uses something like the Flash video format which isn't easily captured onto a hard drive for replay absent an internet connection.

In some instances I have made higher resolution versions of my videos available to folks. In those cases I burned the 640x480 or 720x480 clips to a DVD and sent it to them via snail-mail. It was too difficult to transmit the video files over the internet (via ftp). I briefly experimented with BitTorrent, but it also wasn't very successful (although some of the issues could have been with the file generator or persons trying to download the files).

There are some sites which seem suited for transfer of large files, like higher resolution video clips. Some examples are:
http://www.filesdirect.com/
http://www.yousendit.com/

The issue then becomes the relatively low upload speeds allowed by many ISPs. In my case I have over 10 Mb/s download but only about 0.7 Mb/s for uploading. I will often get a timeout on the upload of large files.

robsmoto said:

I thought that this was a nice little video. I particularly liked the intermixing of scenes taken off the bike with those on the bike. The ending with the sunset and camping was really most excellent. This is one of those videos that could be watched over and over.

YouTube seems set on the 320x240 pixel resolution. I presume that the helmet camera was recorded to a miniDV camera which is at 720x480 pixels. (Nice touch showing the hand held camcorder with the helmet camera, by the way). Did you save the finished video in the 720x480 pixel resolution (and have YouTube do the downsizing) or did you save the finished video at 320x240 pixels?

Please let us know about your video equipment and editing software. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Thanks Rob,
I'm using a Jones cam 480x helmet cam feeding into a Canon GL2 and a small Canon Optura 50 for hand held shots. I did the downsizing. I'm using Final Cut Pro for editing.
Bill