Have you ever wanted to know how you can create your own video hosting site allowing users to upload video, automatically convert it to FLV, and display it for the world to see? A recent post at Daniel's Random Mutterings (DRM - how clever) explains exactly how to do this with open source tools. Using a Djano CMS system, FFMpeg for the FLV encoding, FLVtools2 for writing meta information, and FlowPlayer for embedding the SWF file you'll have everything you need to get started. The code is pretty straight forward and a great starting point. Now go forth and create your new video distribution empire.How to create your own YouTube site
Have you ever wanted to know how you can create your own video hosting site allowing users to upload video, automatically convert it to FLV, and display it for the world to see? A recent post at Daniel's Random Mutterings (DRM - how clever) explains exactly how to do this with open source tools. Using a Djano CMS system, FFMpeg for the FLV encoding, FLVtools2 for writing meta information, and FlowPlayer for embedding the SWF file you'll have everything you need to get started. The code is pretty straight forward and a great starting point. Now go forth and create your new video distribution empire.Flash from the Brawney Man
Our sister site, Ad-Jab, blogged about this site yesterday. Brawney Academy is an advertising site for Georgia Pacific's Brawney Paper Towels. Under the auspices of a reality show, our host, "Brawney Man," leads eight manly men through some sort of outdoor sensitivity training. Only the first of what looks to be eight video episodes has been posted so far, but lots of other stuff to do on the site including your own training in manly sensitivity. If you work at it, you too could attain the Brawney Academy goal by becoming "[d]ependable and strong, but caring"...and thus, like the Brawney Man himself, "a literal human representation of the paper towel's qualities."Not too sure about the whole reality series concept, but I like the site design. The combination of photo-realistic elements and retro graphics is worthy of a Disney Imagineer.
[via Ad-Jab]
Giving Flash a whole new dimension...
...so to speak...To see what I'm talking about, try out the Philips Bodygroom at shaveeverywhere.com. Warning: The contents of this site are rated PG-13. Don't go if you find yourself easily offended. But for the use of innuendo in marketing, this site should win an award of some sort. AND its a really well-put-together Flash site. Nice use of video loops to keep things engaged. As a cyclist who shaves his legs, I watched this purely for informational purposes ;-) (cyclists are known to be a little gadget crazy)...but it gave me a chuckle or two to start off my week. And a good laugh is always a nice way to spend a Monday.
[via Scott Fegette]
ABC gets Flash video right
Finally someone has taken our advice and started displaying premium content via Flash video with embedded ads. As I
have said in this space before, content
providers need only create Flash based video content to distribute their stuff to viewers and then they can grab the
largest online viewing audience of any video app. Larger than Windows Media Player, larger than Quicktime, larger than
all other video types.
ABC has created and released a new Flash based video player for four of its shows that embeds video with non-skippable ad content from AT&T. Users can choose from four differenct shows (Desperate Housewives, Lost, Commander and Chief, and Alias) and view content in each with sponsor advertisments within.
Screenshots and more after the jump.
You Tube gets a player upgrade
Friday You Tube released a new player face for its video. They are incouraging users to check out the new
player and tell them what they think. I like the player more than the older one, but its not as 'pretty.' You Tube
added needed features including a scroller that can be easily selected and moved to jump through the playing video, a
volume control, and a time stamp. Improvements I would like to see include the release of an API so developers can
embed You videos in their projects and even adjust the player to add of remove functionality. Plus I would like to skin
the player with various colors and designs. They could even use an API to promote the site to content providers for
targetted use on sites. Maybe E! could start embedding E! content with custom skins and active dynamic Flash
content.
The video played at the link below is from Bruce Springsteen's set at Jazz Fest in New Orleans this past weekend.
PVP Alive: the Troll Screentest
So today has just been filled with toon related posts, hasn't it? In January, Scott Kurtz started a new animated
venture called PVP Alive. The short Flash-based animations were meant to bring PVP into a fully animated funny future,
but no new releases have come out since mid-January (for many reasons I'm sure). So head over to the PVP Alive page,
watch and laugh. The toons show how a still artist can easily use Flash to jump into motion and sound. Of course the
work isn't at the same level as Homestarrunner.com, but it is a good start.
Hopefully some Flasher traffic will incourage Kurtz to pump out some new animations.What Rocky could do in 30 seconds
No this isn't a boxing post, just a heads up to an animated short about a movie. Angry Alien Productions has
been making 30 second versions of classic movies for quite a while. In July of last year they started premiering
on the Starz network and then online. Their latest Brokeback
parody is really hard to quick so I've decided to just pass on a link to the Rocky story as portrayed by bunnies in
30 seconds. Why watch a two hour epic when you can just jump into Flash?
Camera Object lends a hand to Minority Report knockoff
Quasimondo has a site full of artistic experiments using Flash, Java and Javascript. His latest project dives into the
newly modified Flash 8 Camera object to create a fully interactive video game that is a knockoff of the pre-crime
system from Minority Report the movie (read the short story, its darker). The project grabs hand movements from the
user's camera to define how to turn a cube on the stage and even has a new option to add the user's photo (via the
camera) to the face of the cube. As usual this is not a spy program (as noted at the bottom of the developer's page),
unfortunately Quasimondo didn't pony up for Flash Media
Server.
via CNET
via CNET
Flash soon to be THE way to distribute content
Duh, right? David Utter of WebProNews is quoting Adobe
as saying that Flash is gaining market share faster than Microsoft's Windows Media Player for online content, according
to an AccuStream iMedia study.
SWF has already passed Quicktime and Real to become the second best way to display streaming media. Now if various
companies (Viacom's MTV and Comedy Central) would just realize that distributing their content via Flash would allow
for easier creation of interactive fun for their viewers and even makes a better way to wrap advertising content around
and within regular content... I really hate waiting for a video ad to pas in the middle of my video,but wouldn't mind
having the ad wrapped around the content, much like a regular web page. What do you think, will content companies wake
up or will they continue to distribute their content to a limited audience defined by one operating system rather that
by an (almost) universal browser plugin?update: Of course if you look at Macromedia's Flash Pro and video page, you'll see that Flash is already able to be seen by more users than WMP.
Chevy Apprentice: More Video Editing on the Web
Following off of my post yesterday about Jumpcut, I'll throw this one out there too. Chevrolet has a Flash site in support of the new Chevy Tahoe where
you can make your own commercial and save it on their site. Similar idea to Jumpcut if not as full-featured...and of
course, Chevy is supplying most of the content... You can start to see a convergence of ideas around how Flash can be
used on the web. I think the word about the "Flash Platform" is starting to sink in...It's interesting how folks are already subverting the Chevy application. Check out the videos: C.I.C.L.E.'s here and Rocketboom's here.
[via C.I.C.L.E.]
Jumpcut: Video Editing on the Web
This is very
cool! Video editing on the web, complete with effects and transitions, in a Flash-based application! Jumpcut is taking the services provided by Google Video and YouTube up a
notch by giving users the tools to create as well as the tools to post and share. You can even remix a video
you find there and repost it. And its all written in Flash! So we have the wedding of Flash as a tool for interactive
environments with Flash as a tool for content delivery (video).Really great stuff! Check out my current favorite video up on Jumpcut here. Definitely some future internet stars here!
[via Campbell Anderson]
Take your Flash to your TV
We usually concerned with Flash as a means of
creating interactive, multimedia pieces for use on a personal computer, but Chris Georgenes reminds us that Flash can
be used for a lot more. Check out his article, "Migrating Flash Projects to
Video" on the Flash Dev Center site. He
has some great tips on taking your Flash movies to DVD and broadcast TV. I especially like the nod to Flashants' SWF2Video. A couple of years ago, I
had to reanimate pieces in AfterEffects for DVD menu backgrounds that I'd mocked up using coded animation in Flash
because I couldn't figure out how to output the dynamic Flash movie to video. More recently, I've seen GeoVid's Flash to Video Encoder at work and
been pleased with it, but I'm definitely going to check out SWF2Video now too!Check out Chris' sites to see his work: Mudbubble and KeyFramer
Hillman Curtis Interview you may want to listen to
Back in art school, one of my first Digital Media
classes (they teach art using digital media as you medium, yay weird web art) required me to buy a certain Flash
5 book by a Mr. Hillman Curtis. Unfortunately the book was extremely useful as an art reference, but next to useless
as a Flash reference. It did inspire me while creating a few projects this year, so when Jan Kabili emailed
me about an interview by Inside Mac of Curtis that was online I found myself needing to tell you to check it out.
Curtis is known for experimental and commercial Flash based design going back for a number of years and currently he is
working on a new video project. Feel free to download the interview for yourself and check out the main Hillman Curtis site for some inspiration of your own. Link goes to iTunes
download of interview.
The AP just screwed up without Flash
The Associated Press just announced a new video streaming
service this week and has totally screwed the pooch with it. They are using the now popular Microsoft video DRM format
that has taken hold of other services like Vongo, Comedy Central and VH1. Unfortunately this means they are going to
make it harder for their users and in turn the viewing public to see their content. Use of Micorsoft video
(specifically WMP10 based video) cuts out all non-Windows, non-IE users. Why not follow the better trend in web video?
Why not call up Adobe and see about hooking into one of the better ways to serve up streaming video, Flash. Sure you
could choose, Real or Quicktime video, but Flash video can be edited to include custom look and feel that doesn't
change based on Operating System or Web browser. But this would require opening up to a new standard and would mean
conforming to your user rather than forcing the user to conform to you... Personally I see this as useless. Consider
the fact that AP video is currently displayed by the Washington Post within a Flash-based
player.
via Romenesko
Flash on X-Box 360
Our big blog brother, Engadget posted a great
tutorial this morning showing you exactly how to run Flash (and therefore Flash-based-games) on you very own X-Box 360.
Head on over for the full tutorial. Unfortunately the Dashboard upgrade released today by Microsoft will break this
hack, but if you want to wait on the update try it out. I wonder if you could use this for basic FLV files too? If so,
this would be a cool way to stream Google video (via the online player, not the purchased kind) or YouTube video to
your X-Box 360 for HD viewing. Enjoy.
