[thelist] video format choices

[Norman MacLeod]

While a few may have disabled Flash because they feel that it's a "garbage
delivery" system, most have not.  The Flash Player has higher penetration to
the desktop than any of the other video presentation plug-ins or
stand-alones.  It's more highly OS-agnostic than its competition.

The number of people who have disabled the Flash plug-in is low because you
have to figure out how many people are annoyed enough with the Flash garbage
ads to want to disable it in the first place...and then you have to reduce
that number according to how many end users have the knowledge to go in and
disable it, and further reduce it according to how many end users even
realize that disabling the plug-in is an option...

That said, it's a complex and feature-ridden development platform that takes
time to learn well.  There's a lot of Flash that's happening on the Internet
that's not recognized as such because it is appropriately implemented.  Yes,
there's also some Flash garbage floating around...and there's also more than
a little HTML rubbish out there, too.

It's all in the skill and design sense of the developer and his or her
ability to carry a vision into on-screen reality.

If you wish to take an MPEG file and move it to Flash, you don't even need
to use Macromedia Flash...a substitute process that takes away much of the
learning curve (and expense) is...

	MPEG --> Dr. DivX (high-resolution AVI) --> 
	Sorenson Squeeze --> insert in HTML page -->
	publish to server

While perhaps not as simple as a single-step conversion with some of the
other software pieces out there, this process results in a highly superior
end result...and if you're in this to make money, isn't that what you're
after?

Dr. DivX is available as a download for about US$50, and the Flash-making
version of Sorenson Squeeze (makes FLV and SWF output) is available for
about US$120.  

If you've got a good chunk of bandwidth available to you, you might want to
see what you can do with the current generation of Flash in making video
presentations.  The page accesses 36 of the best implementations out
there...

	http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/flashpro/video/gallery/

I had not done much in the way of Flash implementation until the current
generation arrived.  I'm doing more now, because I feel that it's a
technology that has adequately matured to be used in my work.  Others might
not agree...that's OK with me...I just do what I want...and so, likely, do
you.


	Norman

...responding to...
=====================

If it is something that is coming from videotape, Flash is *not* an option.
That, and I would recommend against Flash as it's used so often for garbage
that at least a few people out there have disabled their Flash plug-in (or
not installed it to begin with).

--
Shawn K. Quinn