New Face Of Internet - Online Video Streaming

One of the biggest changes in the online space is the prevalence of online video.

It was only a few years ago that just the thought of streaming videos on the Internet seemed a distant reality.

Fast forward to December 2006 and online video is in full swing… Google bought YouTube for US$1.6 billion, and companies like Metacafe pay publishers based on the number of people who watch their video.

Video streaming has become a bit like an on demand micro video channel. Thousands of videos are now on demand online with more and more television content available. You can download video streams of the latest movie trailers and find both entertaining video streams along with knowledge-based electronic seminars.

The clarity of online video may be significantly less than a television set, but what it lacks in clarity it makes up for in availability. Video streams are sent by email, included in blogs and are a key part of most social network sites.

The mythical world of video production has been relegated to Internet hobbyists and the result is a whole new world where on demand consumers are finding video gems worth sharing online.

The use of video streaming is a growing phenomenon with so many different positive applications. Video streaming provides opportunities for individuals to share footage of their families with other family members. Music and entertainment video streams can be shared. Television shows can be downloaded and best all, business can be done effectively through the use of video streaming technology.

Another benefit of video streaming is the strong potential for increased backlinks that can increase the number visitors to your video stream. In turn, those visitors may stick around to check out what you have to offer in your online business.

After USA and UK Online Video sites are also being very much popular like India, Middle East, Singapore Etc...

India is growing in terms of internet traffic and Online Video streaming site is being much popular now a days in India also.

Is Video Streaming the Future for Corporate Video?

Things have changed quite a bit from when I started in the film & video business in 1988. Back then, many corporate programmes were still shot and edited on film. Video shooting was on "plain Jane", non-SP, analogue Betacam. Video editing was on Low Band U-Matic - a process that required copious notes to be taken and a day or two of writing all the timecode numbers down for the (linear) on-line edit. Mastering was on bulky one-inch reel to reel video, that was so sensitive to magnetic fields, it couldn't be taken on a London tube train. Distribution was either on Low Band U-Matic, Betamax (remember that?), or VHS.

Today, seventeen years later, the much heralded digital age is upon us. You can shoot on DV, edit on Avid, and burn the result onto DVD without a moment's thought or any loss of quality. The only stage of the process that has remained more or less the same is the final one: delivery of the programme to the viewer. Be it by post, Fed-Ex, or motorcycle courier, someone has to take a copy of your finished programme, transport it to where your viewer is going to see it, and then play it on specialised equipment. If your programme has to cross borders into another country, chances are you'll have to have special copies made to conform to that country's TV standard, and the customer will have to pay a hefty customs charge as well.

The Internet provides a solution to this problem and is, in my view, the perfect medium for the distribution of corporate videos, for companies large and small. Broadband/ ADSL Internet access is rapidly becoming the norm. Around 80% of the UK now has the capability to access Broadband (source: The Guardian) and the figure is higher for some other countries. Here are a few examples of ways this technology can be utilised:

Let's say you run a small or medium sized company and have made a promotional video to show to potential clients. You can easily stream this from your website. If you don't want your competition to see your video (and you cannot guarantee a DVD won't fall into the "wrong" hands), you can password protect that part of the website and make access by invitation only. You could also stream a commercial from your website for the whole world to see - not just people in your local TV area. You could even tie it in to your print advertising, so people would want to visit your site and see your commercial. That certainly beats them getting up to go to the bathroom when your commercial is showing on TV, or fast forwarding it if they've videoed the programme its being shown in! There's so much video content of this nature being shown on the web now, Yahoo! has devoted a large area of their search engine to it. Visit Yahoo!, click on the "video" tab and type in "commercial" to see what I mean.

If you run a large company or have staff in more than one place, then video streaming becomes a real boon. In addition to the options available to small businesses, you can use it for corporate communications. You can show the same video to employees in different locations, cities, time zones, or even countries. Apart from converting your video into the correct format (more on that subject later), and having your webmaster upload it to your webspace, the actual costs are practically nothing - and there's definitely nothing for the tax man to get his teeth into! Your video can cross boarders without having to incur customs charges, and standards conversion becomes a thing of the past.

Getting your training message across also becomes much easier. Employees can watch the video from their computer screens. Add some "interactivity" to the mix, and you can build a training session tailored for each employee. If you're on a network, you can do this via your company intranet as well as over the web.

With live streaming, one trainer can train several people at the same time, even if they are in different parts of the world. This is particularly useful for medical training. A surgeon can demonstrate a particular technique from a sterile environment, without the operating theatre having to be filled with students. The entire process can also be recorded on video for viewing later.

There are many formats available for digital video, and careful research is necessary to select the most appropriate one. The most popular formats are:

Macromedia Flash (swf)
Microsoft Video (avi)
Motion Picture Experts Group (mpeg)
Quick Time (mov)
Real Media (rm)
Windows Media (wmv)

Streaming video does not quite compare to what viewers are used to seeing on broadcast TV or DVD. The most obvious difference being the optimum screen size is much smaller. Under ideal conditions, streaming video can be clear and continuous, but the latest technology must be used to create, send and receive the video or the results can be unsatisfactory; however, that said, the sort of picture one would see when seated directly in front of the computer monitor is not dissimilar from that seen on a 14" portable TV viewed from 10 feet or so away.
Because of the smaller screen size, it's best to avoid any complicated graphics or DVE moves in a streamed video, although still frame graphics can always be shown on the website alongside the video.

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about streaming video. Some of the most common questions I get asked are:

"Don't I need a special website for streaming video?" No, you don't. Because the files are large, most free sites won't host them, but ordinary sites will. I have over five hours of streaming video on my LearnPhotoshopFast website, and it's just an ordinary one. Some web hosting companies do charge you extra if you have live streaming video on a continuous basis, but this is usually to cover the extra bandwidth.

"Ah, bandwidth. I'll bet it uses a lot. Won't that cost a fortune?" This is sort of true. Video files are large, but they are just binary files. Downloading large files - be they video or software - does use up a lot of bandwidth. However, video streaming formats are especially designed to keep file sizes as small as possible. Bandwidth isn't all that expensive these days anyway, and many web hosting packages come with a monthly allocation of 50 - 100 gigabytes, which is more than adequate for most applications.

"Some people who want to see my videos have Windows PCs, while others have Macs. Won't that be a problem?" No. Most streaming formats are compatible with multiple operating systems, and even specific manufacturer's formats like Microsoft's Windows Media, and Apple's Quick Time, have versions that can be used by "the competition".

"Is streaming video any good on a dial-up connection?" It's true that streaming video works best via Broadband. The best option is to offer the alternative of downloading the video file as well as streaming it; that way, someone on a dial-up can download the file and watch it from his/her hard drive.

Video streaming can add a whole new dimension to your corporate video, be it for training, communications, or marketing. It's just like having your own cable-TV channel - only considerably cheaper.

Video Marketing Tips & Techniques

If you have an informational video stream that receives significant hits you could derive an income from selling video ads from third parties at the start of your video stream.

The rate can be based on a set amount per click or a once monthly (or weekly) fee. Some online firms are using this as a means of bolstering income from your website. This can be a creative and lucrative way to capitalize on your video stream.

However, if you want to place a focus on your own marketing efforts you might consider a streaming video advertisement featuring the positive aspects of your online presence. This can be a cross promotional advertisement that can assist in web branding efforts.

You might have to give up any advertising revenue you might have received and there may be production costs in developing a video stream ad, but it could also be a positive addition to your online presence.

Video streaming has become a bit like an on demand micro video channel. Thousands of videos are now on demand online with more and more television content available. You can download video streams of the latest movie trailers and find both entertaining video streams along with knowledge-based electronic seminars.

The clarity of online video may be significantly less than a television set, but what it lacks in clarity it makes up for in availability. Video streams are sent by email, included in blogs and are a key part of most social network sites.

Video streams provide a stark contrast to PPC advertising and don’t require advanced Flash animation. Simply put, video streams can take the homegrown feel of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and make the same candid possibilities available to online video consumers in surprisingly cost effective ways.

The mythical world of video production has been relegated to Internet hobbyists and the result is a whole new world where on demand consumers are finding video gems worth sharing online.

Another benefit of video streaming is the strong potential for increased backlinks that can increase the number visitors to your video stream. In turn, those visitors may stick around to check out what you have to offer in your online business.

Whether you seek to capitalize on your video stream by looking for an advertiser or use the video stream as a way to improve your web branding objectives through your own video advertisement the use of video streams can be a powerful ally in web marketing.

Benefits Of Video On Your Website

There are many new technologies that are becoming more common practice on websites today, one of them being videos. There are so many benefits to using video on your website that statistics have shown it can triple your opt-in rate, increase conversion by 300%, and increase traffic by viral marketing. If these reasons aren’t enough to consider the benefits of video on your website, then I don’t know what else will.

Many people may be scared of the idea of making their own video, but the process is much simpler than you might think. Most computers already come with the software you need to make a simple video on your site. It is called Windows Movie Maker. This will give you a basic video to start with and play around with until you learn more advanced techniques.

You can use this program, (or others out there), and either upload live video that you have recorded, or if you are more camera shy, you can use free clipart like ones provided by Microsoft or many other locations on the internet. Video can have very powerful effects when added to your site. They give it a personal presence, which is important to any website. When you are known by only a url or name, your picture, signature or a video with your voice adds an element to which people can connect and will increase your opt-in rate, conversion and traffic.

If you add video to your site, I highly suggest you add a tell-a-friend script under it to have your visits get more traffic there for you. These two components used together can give you amazing results.

So here is the process: make your video to introduce your website, introduce yourself, further explain an idea or product you have on your site….. the ideas are endless. Next upload the video onto Google videos, Youtube, or any effective site that will be pertinent to your niche. Next, put it on your homepage, or relevant page with the tell-a-friend script and you’re done! Sit back and watch the powerful effect this will have on your website.

Adding video to your website is a simple and highly effective technique that you need to be taking advantage of so that you can compete with the “big dogs”.