Mr. Sharp from Clint Sharp’s Blog an’ Vlog is dead on in his assessment of online video. Quality video content is coming when people get their niche marked out and begin to raise their production quality/value.

That’s why we started this site.

Incidentally, I won’t normally blog other people entries, but very seldom do I see an entry somewhere where someone so clearly “gets it.” Clint also has some good tech videos. Check them out.

Clint Sharp’s Blog an’ Vlog » Blog Archive » Why can’t bloggers understand text turned to video?

I recently received some questions from a potential viewer about our use of Quicktime, and it is enough of an issue that I wanted to address it in more detail.

Question: Why do you use H.264 codec? Where can I get it, all I can find is Quicktime 6.5?

Answer: H.264 is really, really cool. It’s produces amazing results. It can reduce a 1.85gb DV file to 150mb at full resolution with very little degradation of image quality and no visible problems with high-motion scenes. It is the coming standard for multimedia from cell phones up to High Definition TV.

We assemble this program on a Powermac using FinalCut Pro. Quicktime is the default format on a Mac, and QuickTime 7 has been available on the Mac for some time now, and in this case, H.264 is the best quality codec available to us.

The problem is that QT 7 hasn’t been officially released on the Windows platform. The Preview Release for Windows has been available for some time now, and it works well. We’re really surprised the final version hasn’t been released.

Meanwhile on the Apple site, the QT Preview Release is a little hard to spot, so here’s a direct link: Quicktime 7 for Windows Public Preview 2
The direct link for the Mac version is here: Quicktime 7

Depending on how things go, we might consider producing an XVID version if demand warrants it. In the meantime, thanks for being patient.

Episode Two – The Tripod

Show Notes

Episode 2 covers an introduction to tripods, one of the most important accessories you can have with your camcorder. If you don’t know your way around a tripod, this episode is for you!

• Wobbly shots, while all the rage these days, are nauseating and should only be used sparingly.
• Tripods have three legs
• The legs are usually collapsable and extendable
• Holding a camcorder at the end of your arm and pointing at yourself does not produce a pleasant picture
• The camcorder attaches to the tripod’s head
• Pivoting the head so that the camcorder angles up and down is called vertical title
• Pivoting the head so that the camcorder moves level to the horizon is called horizontal pan
• Raising and lowering the head without changing the tilt or pan is called pedestal up & down
• Many tripods have a spirit level which facilitates getting the tripod level. This allows more accurate reference for tilts and pans
• Do not adjust or setup your tripod with the camcorder attached, disaster could result
• When extending the legs less then their full length, use the thicker part of the leg for greater stability
• Some tripods have convertable feet/spikes on the ends of the legs. The rubber feet are for hard surfaces, or those that might be damaged, the spikes are generally for outdoors or heavy carpets
• When you plant the tripod, place one leg aimed directly at your subject, this can help save your camera lens should the tripod be knocked over
• There are many types of tripods, including mini-pods designed especially for travel
• Monopods, while not as stable as tripods, can also improve the stability of your video and may be more convenient to carry
• You can also improvise means to stabilize your camcorder, for example, a simple sandbag can be used to cradle your camcorder and compensate for an uneven surface.

Next episode we’ll be talking about something else.

These videos are in Quicktime, H.264 codec. Sorry Windows users, the final version of QT 7 for Windows isn’t out yet, but the preview release works and can be downloaded from the same URL. We were hoping the final version would be released before this episode hit the streets.

Video files hosted at Archive.org – Internet Archive

H.264 Quicktime – Large, 720×480, 150mb
H.264 Quicktime – Small, 360×240, 44mb