Animoto Reveals High-Resolution Streaming On Unbranded Player Pages

December 9, 2009 by Sherman Hu  
Filed under Video

Animoto (affiliate link), the movie trailer/music video style video creator I personally use and recommend, just released news of their 'high-resolution streaming' feature. It reminds me of the "HQ" button you can click on YouTube videos to see the High-Quality/High-Def version.

Animoto gives you control of your time, budget and results when creating dynamic and engaging videos, and this feature now gives you doubly large crisp resolution videos that will WOW your viewers as they view in large and crystal clear view.

As I just received this email notification, I haven't tried this feature yet, but needless to say, I will.

Wanna view a sample HQ video? Check this gorgeous clip.

Whatcha think? Are you an Animoto user? Do you use it for business and personal videos? Holla at me with your feedback, k?

Recording & Publishing “Talking Head” Interviews Simplified

Showcasing videos on your website/blog is a powerful method to attracting and engaging your audience. If you want to take it up a notch, showcasing LIVE video – especially video interviews – is a superb way to present expertise and authority on your topic.

Wetoku, a division of innovation company in Seoul, Korea – Zenitum Inc, is a web app that offers you a simple way to meet your interviewee online, record interviews in a side-by-side player view and immediately embed your recording to your blog. Simply brilliant!

In this tutorial, I’ll show you a walkthrough of Wetoku and how to use it to your advantage…

Visit WETOKU.com

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As Easy As Meeting, Recording And Sharing

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Register For A Free Account. Login To Your Account.

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(1) First, register for your free account. Then (2) login to your account.

Click “Start Your interview” Button

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Input Interview Details

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Input your “Title”, “Interviewer” and “Interviewee” fields.

Next, click the “Advanced Options” link to reveal more options. In this tutorial, I’m selecting “Private” for my Privacy Options, so this video will not be showcased publicly. Add your “Description / Notes”, then click the green “Next” button.

Pro Plan Features: Watermark Logo, Pre-Roll Videos & Higher Quality Video

If you upgrade to a Pro plan, you’re offered a few more advanced options.

(1) You have a choice of opting out of using a watermark logo, or add a custom watermark logo.

(2) And you can also sport preroll videos (under 20MB, in FLV or MP4 format, sized to 256×192) that appears next to your interview recording video.

In your Pro plan, you also have the ability to increase your video quality too.

If you require your interview recordings to sport your branded watermark, preroll videos and better quality video, I recommend upgrading to the Pro plan.

Copy & Send “Invitation Link” To Your Interviewee

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Copy your unique “Invitation Link” and send (via email, IM, Twitter, Facebook or pigeon mail) it to your interviewee.

I find Wetoku brilliant in this aspect, as they’ve super simplified the process to having your guest on video with a simple link and no need for any software or app downloads.

Modify Video And Audio Settings

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While you’re (1) waiting on your guest to get online, you can modify your (2) video source and (3) audio source.

You will undoubtedly achieve a better quality video and audio recording if you have better quality video and audio sources. In addition, consider lighting your environment for a better end result.

Yay! Your Guest Is On…

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Now that your guest is on, they can also modify their video and audio settings.

A text box to the right gives you options to text your guest in the case audio is not present or either of you would like to text private notes to each other during the interview.

When both of you are ready, click the red “Record” button.

On Air

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A blue “REC” symbol to the left of your window will reveal the recording is “ON THE AIR”.

When you’re done, click the “Stop” button.

Finalize Recording Or Retake

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You have a choice to finalize your recording by clicking the “Done” button. Or click “Re-do” for a retake.

Copy Embed Code

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Simply highlight and copy your “Embed Code” to paste into your website or blog.

Your other option is to click the “Customize your embed player” button for more choices.

Customization Options

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If you choose to modify the settings above, which I have, click the “Preview and get the embed code” button to reveal your changes.

New Embed Code Preview

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When satisfied, highlight and copy the new “Embed Code” to your website or blog.

Talking Heads Unite!

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Wetoku has built a gorgeous and simplified app to power your interviews. Now, there’s no excuses not to offer video interview recordings on your website/blog!

I especially like how Wetoku has provided side-by-side video windows, instead of picture-in-picture ones. Simply brilliant!

What do you think? Could you use this for your business? How do you foresee leveraging this beta video app? Appreciate your feedback ;-)

Repurpose Your Videos Into Audio Easily For Maximum Marketing Leverage

November 13, 2009 by Sherman Hu  
Filed under Podcasting, Productivity, Video

Repurposing your content and leveraging your web marketing efforts saves time and makes good business sense. In this article, I’ll demonstrate how to repurpose your videos into audio files easily for maximum marketing leverage.

Why would you want to generate audio files from your videos?

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01. Mainstream Popularity: For starters, podcasting has evolved into a broad mainstream medium. Today, a vast majority of media entities are using podcasts to expand their existing radio, TV, cable or satellite audiences.

A survey by eMarketer projects growth of the US podcast audience to balloon through 2013. The projections show 37.6 million people downloading podcasts monthly, more than double the 2008 figure of 17.4 million. This also represents 17% of Internet users, growing from 9% in 2008.

If podcast downloaders and the number of downloads are poised for double digits growth, it would be wise to integrate it into your marketing mix.

02. Additional Learning Modality: Offering your audience another learning modality with audio / podcast media embraces auditory learners. A percentage of your audience dislike watching video and would rather listen to an MP3 file on their iPod any day of the week. Catering to this crowd increases your percentages of more of your audience engaging with your content.

03. iPod Generation: As shared above, there’s a percentage of your audience that listen to audio files or podcasts enroute to work, while exercising in the gym or while walking their dogs. Unlike videos which require their active attention, your audience can drive, walk or be active while listening to your content. Catering to this “multi-tasking”, active audience with audio podcasts is a wise move to engage this crowd.

04. Podcast Marketing: Distributing (aka syndicating) your podcast channel/feed to podcast directories is a sound strategy to increase your exposure on the web, listenership and credibility in your niche. Using software like “RSS Submit” (DummySoftware.com) to syndicate your podcast feed to the top 50 podcast directories will make easy work of expanding your reach with your podcasts.

05. Inexpensive Technique: With the lesson I’ll share below, the price tag (free) to accomplishing this task will be very attractive to small & medium sized businesses (SMBs) on a budget.

Step By Step Process To Repurpose Videos Into Audio

Disclaimer: The process below will not teach you how to create a video OR detail podcast marketing with your audio. This step by step process will simply show you how to repurpose a video into audio simply.

Video Tip: To export your videos to a Quicktime .MOV file, follow these instructions from Blip.tv: http://blip.tv/learning/export

The assumption is that you have a video you’ve created and I’ll walk you through how to repurpose your video into an audio file easily. This process is free, convenient, does not require the use of other software, and once complete, you’ll have access to the linked audio file on the web – ready for your podcast marketing.

This process takes advantage of the transcoding process Blip.tv offers to all its customers. Blip.tv will automatically transcode your videos into audio MP3s, iPod-friendly MPEG-4 (.M4V) videos, and Flash video (.FLV) from your one .MOV uploaded video file. Let’s dive into the process…

Login To (Or Register For) Your Blip.tv Account

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01. In your browser, visit Blip.tv account, click the "Login" link to access your account

03. To register for a free Blip.tv account, click the "Sign Up" link to begin your registration.

Upload Video

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Once logged in, roll your mouse over the "Upload" tab, revealing the drop-down table. Click the "Web upload" link.

Fill In Title, Description Fields. Upload Your File & Thumbnail.

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01. Title: describe the title of your field here. Write your title to read naturally to visitors, while including your important keywords.

02. Description: describe your video in this field. I recommend including your URL to your destination page or site before your text description.

03. Your File: Click the "Choose File" button to upload your video.

04. If you have more than one format of the same video to upload, click the "Add additional format/captioning" link to do so. This is optional.

05. Thumbnail: If you desire a start image for your video, click the "Choose File" button to upload your thumbnail image.

Video Licensing

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01. License: Click the drop-down table to reveal a selection of available licenses you can add to your video. (Note: The selection highlighted in blue above is not an indication of what you should select. Choose a license that best suits your needs.)

02. If you have a web address to a custom license for this video, add your URL in this field.

Categorize Your Video

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01. Tags (keywords): Add all appropriate keywords pertaining to your video

02. Genre: Associate your video to a select genre in this drop-down selection of genres

03. Content Rating: Click the drop-down table to select the appropriate content rating for your video

04. Language: If your video is in English, leave this field as is. If not, change the language setting.

05. Event: If you want to associate your video to a current event, you can add the name of the event in this field or click "Find Event" to locate one that has already been added.

Populate The Distribute & Publish Fields

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This is the section where the magic happens!

01. Cross Posting: To cross post to these services, checkbox the desired target destinations. (Note: In order for Blip.tv to cross-post to these sites, you’ll need to enter your access codes of your accounts into your account settings first.)

02. Internet Archive Cross-Uploading: The Internet Archive is another destination that is popular and receives Google love. Select the checkbox if so desired.

03. Conversion Targets: We’re finally here! Select the 2 checkboxes as Blip.tv will convert your Quicktime .MOV file to .M4V (for iPods and iPhones) and .MP3 audio files.

I wouldn’t bother about the Privacy Settings as you want your video as public as possible, right? So leave this alone.

Upload Your Video

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The final step is to click the orange "Upload" button to begin the upload process including cross-posting and converting to additional formats.

Post-Distribution Results View

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In your Dashboard, you’ll see the video you’ve uploaded, along with status updates of your conversion and cross-posting activities.

In this sample video in my account, you can see conversions to .FLV, .M4V and .MP3 completed, and completed cross-posts to Twitter, del.cio.us and Flickr too.

Now, let’s seek the link to the completed .MP3 converted file by clicking either the video title link or the "Share" link.

Save The .MP3 Link

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Locate your video’s "Files and Links" module in the bottom of the right-sidebar.

Click the [+] sign to expand the module.

You’ll see the "MP3 Audio (.mp3)" field and URL to the audio file. See the "Right Click > Save" link? That’s how you can save the link for embedding into your blog or downloading to your computer.

Maximum Leverage Through Media Repurposing

With the mainstream popularity of podcasting and iPods, offering podcasts to your listening audience is not only an inexpensive venture but wise and effective to expand your reach and credibility.

The steps above details the easy and convenient process of converting your videos to audio. Armed with this knowledge, now its your turn to convert your videos to audio to maximize your marketing leverage.

If you decide to try repurposing your videos into audio using this process, I’d appreciate your feedback on how this process worked for you.

Animoto Adds New Video Feature

August 31, 2009 by Sherman Hu  
Filed under Video

Animoto is now accepting your video clips in creating Animoto videos – a super addition to Animoto’s easy video creation service!

For those who aren’t familiar with Animoto, its proprietary engine spits out dynamic, music-video/video-trailer style videos, simply by combining your photos and music (or use their stock pics and music), along with captions, to produce engaging videos that are synced to your music, which you can embed anywhere or burn to DVDs. Learn more about growing your business using Animoto.

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Previously, you could only upload your own (or use their stock) photos to create Animoto videos. With the recent addition of using video clips, you can easily knock out dynamic and engaging videos in a cinch.

I created the video below, simply with just their stock videos in the video library. I could’ve added stock photos, but I was curious how it’d look with just the use of videos. This opens up a new way of using Animoto videos, and creating engaging videos for your business. Play the video and let me know what you think. Could you imagine the possibilities for your business?

Simple 3-Step Process


1. Get your video clips – upload your video clips from their video collection, your computer  or retrieve it from another site (Flickr, Facebook, SmugMug, Picasa and Photobucket).

Animoto claims you can retrieve it from your phone, but I assume they mean when the phone’s connected to your computer and acting as an external drive.

Mix your videos liberally amongst your pictures and text captions.

2. Select your video highlights – spotlight the parts of your video/s you like best with their built-in video editor.

Animoto recommends 3-5 seconds for best flow, though you have up to 10 seconds to play with per video.

3. Fine tune your preferences – Animoto offers you the the choice to hear your clip’s audio or allow the soundtrack to to play instead. To select more than one highlight per clip, you can use the duplicate feature.

The UI and experience in creating the above sample video was so smooth and pleasant, I could see creating many more videos using video clips in my Animoto mixes. Congratulations Animoto – a job well done!

Register for your free Animoto account (with limited features) or an inexpensive business account (with important features like removing Animoto branding on your videos) today – it’ll make you look like a video editing genius!

What are your thoughts on this new feature? Do you like the process in using Animoto and their new video feature? Tell me about your experience…

Merry Christmas to you & yours from The Hu’s

December 17, 2008 by Sherman Hu  
Filed under Events, Video

Many blessings to you and yours from The Hu’s! Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Wishing you bountiful blessings of health, wealth and prosperity ;-)

ps. Below is the video player offered by Animoto, the service used to create this video.

 
icon for podpress  Podcast Video [2:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (308)

 
icon for podpress  Podcast Video [2:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (346)

 
icon for podpress  Flash Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (285)