MASTCOM.COM Blog

It should come as no surprise to you that video is being “consumed” across multiple platforms; TV, Internet and Mobile. In fact, the viewing of video is now considered a “global phenomoenon” according to Nielsen’s Global Consumer Report – August 2010.

70% of global online consumers watch online videos. That is good news. The even better news is that North Americans and Europeans lag in adoption. Why is that good news? Because it means that you still have time to be on the forefront of this booming trend by developing a quality video* and get it on your web site to help your customers, members or students understand what exactly it is that you do, sell or teach.

Whats next for us? Since 1904 we’ve been staring at screens. The new screens hitting the market are 3DTV, “Over the Top” (a TV with an internet connection) and Tablets, like the Apple iPad.

*Quality drives quantity in the video arena. If you want your video to be viewed, shared and remembered, it needs to be concise and professionally produced – luckily you know us here at MCG and our reputation for quality.

Those of us who live in the virtual world of web development have been watching the great debate that Steve Jobs has set off about whether the end of Flash is near, with HTML5 being the new standard. In fact, Apple confronts issue head-on in this article posted prominently on their site:

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

However, as much as we like Apple and their fantastic products, one recent article sums up our current thinking much better than we can on this topic:

http://www.longtailvideo.com/support/blog/11887/html5-video-not-quite-there-yet

Here’s one quote from the author:
“Flash will remain to be the technology of choice for some time. Right now, HTML5 is preferred for streaming to the iPhone/iPad.”

In other words, Flash will be around for quite some time with the main notable exception being “touch” based devices like the iPad/iPhone. While it may be true that HTML5 is the future, it’s not ready for prime time yet.

Here are just a few reasons:
- To increase the time a visitor will spend on your site.
- To increase your appearances in web search engines.
- To decrease the sales cycle–your prospect will be better informed.
- To create a consistent message.
- To increase your conversion rate for new visitors to your site.

How can you use video on your web site affordably and effectively?
- Find the right producer to assist you and tell your story.
- Keep it short and appeal to emotion if possible.
- Cut to the chase–do not waste any time getting to the point.

There are many examples of web video in past articles of this blog. Of course, there are many other uses of web video, like product demonstration, testimonials, meeting highlights, etc. The bottom line is that people prefer to watch videos over reading lots of text on a web site.

When discussing digital media projects, clients will sometimes ask us which is the best way to create and deliver their message — through video or Flash? It depends on a number of factors, the first being the source material. If you have mostly video, you should create a video. If you have no video, but lots of graphics, then it may be best for Flash.

Here are some other considerations:

Flash works/looks better than when your message needs to play back at larger sizes from the web. However, raster images and photos animated in Flash will require more bandwidth and are more likely to look “jerky” if moving.

Video works best for photos/raster images, movement/animation and syncing precisely to sound. However, the drawback for video is that image sharpness will be degraded by compression for standard DVD players and especially when compressed for the web. The frame rate also needs to be adjusted for web video. Typically web video is converted from 30 fps to 15 or even 12 frames per second.

Flash defaults to 12 frames per second which can look bad when converted to video, but usually looks fine on the web. All video is 72 dpi, or gets converted to 72 along the way. Everything on the web, including Flash, is also 72 dpi so there’s no such thing as 300 dpi video or Flash. However, it’s good to start with the highest possible resolution.

The bottom line is we need to know exactly what media and device it will be displayed on to recommend the best possible playback results. Call us today for a free consultation on the best way to deliver your messages at (763) 231-1881.

The goal of most business web sites is to convert prospects into customers. Visitors will give your site a couple of minutes of their time to hear what you have to offer, but not much more. They’re also much more likely to watch a short video than read a lot of text or click through several web pages.

A short profile video is inexpensive to produce and gives your prospects a reason to stay on your site longer and contact you, converting their visit into a sale. Video is the perfect medium to get to the point and sum up all of your key messages quickly and effectively. This example demonstrates how a value proposition can be made in less than two minutes with video:

Check out our short commercial: