Videos are starting to trickle in for MakeInternetTV.org and we've got the latest installment. You'll find this video in chapter 2.4, Composition & Motion.

Here IndyMogul.com's Eric Beck discusses the importance of shot variation in a video, especially during a long monologue. Thanks MakeInternetTV! Watch the video and go read the chapter yourself: click here.

Make Internet TV: Shot Variation

We've been slacking in the "How to..." tutorials department. What have we been doing? We've been cruising the Internet, of course. What else is there to do?

This is the kicker. I have been working on creating tutorials for everyone to use. Then I found the "freevlog" blip.tv blog and there are 12 glistening tutorials made by the fantastic Ryanne Hodson and Michael Verdi at Free Vlog (http://freevlog.org). If anyone remembers, Ryanne came to Boston last summer to be the official videoblogger of the ACM conference.

Make a Screenshot for PC and Mac

• Make a screenshot on a Mac:

• Make a screenshot on a PC:

  Thanks to Ryanne and Michael at freevlog.org!

Intro to: Make Internet TV

You've found the ultimate "how to..." of the "How to..." Tutorials blog here with Participatory Culture Foundation's Make Internet TV website. This website covers the basics of how to produce video with the Internet as you main distribution platform in mind. Not only does the interactive site discuss the planning, shooting, editing and distribution phases of the video production process, but there are tips on where to host your video, what to use to encode it, RSS tutorials and more.

Learn more about the video production process in our video classes. You can learn more about the Internet stuff in our "Create Your Own Dynamic Website Class" 2 Mondays, April 30 & May 7 6-9pm.

Check out MITV: http://makeinternettv.org

I used to spend hours perfecting the settings in Compressor for Final Cut Pro so the the video looked good, sounded good and was the file wasn't very large. Then I used encode a short version of my video just to see what the settings did to my beautiful, full-quality material.

After previewing the result, inevitably I would not be happy and tweak the settings just a little bit. Then, I would need to encode a short section again. Check the quality, tweak, encode and so on.

I don't have to do that anymore. Not since I found ViddyUp (formerly known as Podner).

For $9.95, I get a no headaches, great looking video ready for iPod Video player, iTunes, Blip.tv and YouTube. No fuss. And if you are a Cambridge Community Television member, you can use our copies in the edit suites.

Here is how:

1. Out of iMovie or Final Cut Pro, export a full frame Quicktime Movie.
2. In Final Cut Pro, for a quick export, uncheck the "self-contained" check box. This allows a fast export, but you can't move the file to any other computer because it references the existing media files.
3. Drop the exported Quicktime file into Viddyup's
   Here are the settings that I like:

4. iPod
5. 320 width x 240 heigth
6. MPEG-4
7. Quality:Good

Good luck!

Apple just sent out a notice today for those already hooked into the iTunes store about formatting your video so that it looks good on TV. Yes, I wrote on your TV. Apple released a new gizmo a while back that wirelessly connects your computer to your TV. No more balancing your laptop on the top of your TV with RCA and mini plugs dangling out everywhere. Apple TV is small set top box that grabs all your media from you computer and allows you to play it on your TV. That is, for about 300 bucks.

Here is the breakdown from Apple:

Recommendations for Formatting Video Podcasts

1. If you're encoding your video podcast at 320x240, please increase the resolution to either 640x480 or 640x360 (depending on the aspect ratio of your source files). Why? Because video podcasts at this resolution look great on Apple TV and still port to video iPods. Lower resolution podcasts might also work on both platforms, but they don't look nearly as good on a widescreen TV. As always, make sure to test any encoding changes you make to ensure device compatibility. QuickTime 7.1's "Export to iPod" function will ensure that a video file is encoded at a width of 640 and is iPod-compatible.
2. It's best not to create two different podcast feeds for different resolutions. By doing so, you dilute the popularity of your podcast and reduce exposure in our charts. It's better to have one feed high in the charts than two that are lower.
3. If your source files are 16:9, stick with that aspect ratio. Don't add letterboxing to make them 4:3. By doing so, you prevent the video from expanding to fill a 16:9 widescreen TV and instead end up with black space on all four sides. Also, your original source files should be at least 640 pixels wide.

   Of course these are just recommendations. We understand that there are good reasons for 320x240 (bandwidth bills) and 720p (looks fantastic). Do whatever makes the most sense for your show.  For more information on formatting video, see the recently updated spec:

   http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html

   To see a sample of excellent podcasts that also look great with Apple TV, check out the Apple TV Podcast Showcase .

   There you go. For information on how to prepare your RSS for iTunes, look for a future post.

Now that some folks have been using the auto-cross posting option with Blip.tv, I wanted to add this helpful hint into the mix.

I noticed many of our bloggers are using the flip style player from blip. Though that does work great and is the default, did you know you can change the style that blip posts your videos on our site? Some of the other player styles imbed the video and look a little bit nicer.

Here is how:

1. Log in to your blip.tv account.
2. Select "Distribute" button on the left side of the browser.
3. Click "edit" button next to the drupal blog you setup to auto cross post.
4. (I recommend the following:) Playback Style: "in-line"
5. Preferred Format: "Flash Video .flv"
6. Centered Player

Let me know if you find a style that works for you.

Cheers!

Most blog posts or videos on-line have a small image that gives a preview of the video. We call these small images “thumbnails” and they are the easiest way to promote the content of your video. To make a thumbnail, you’ll need an image file (JPEG, TIFF, GIF, etc.), an image processing program, a webhost (you can use CCTV to host one thumbnail per blog post) and a couple minutes.

1. Process Your Image for the Web
   There are a few software applications suited for making thumbnail images. For Mac OSX, I recommend Xtralean’s ImageWell. This free program is well-suited make great looking thumbnail images. For advanced users, use Adobe’s Photoshop “Save for Web” functionality.

   Inkwell for MacOSX: http://xtralean.com/IWDownload.html
   Photoshop for Mac or PC: http://www.adobe.com/go/tryphotoshop

2. Size & Type Does Matter
   Smaller file sizes (not necessarily smaller images) work best on webpages. Here are the specifications I recommend:

   Photos
   JPEG – 200 pixels wide x 150 pixels tall, 72dpi

   Graphics - logos and icons
   GIF – 200 pixels wide x 150 pixels tall, 72dpi

3. Post Your Image to the Web
   If you create a blog post on CCTV’s website, you can host the image there. Also, if you are posting video to blip.tv or YouTube.com you can upload the thumbnail image through their on-line form. To get your own blog on CCTV’s website, just sign up for an account by clicking on the register link on the left hand side of this page.

   To post the image in your CCTV blog post, just log-in, click "create content," click "blog entry," and scroll down until you see "Choose File" button. Select this button and find your file you made with Inkwell or Photoshop.

   Stay tuned for a more in depth tutorial on using Inkwell and Photoshop in the near future.

Your blip.tv blog and cctvcambridge.org blog can mimic each other by setting up your blip.tv account to autmagically cross post to your cctvcambridge blog. If you are having trouble making this work, don't fret, I am here to help. Just drop me a line at jason at cctvcambridge.org. I can even do it for you, if necessary. Here is how:

1. Log-in to your blip.tv account.
2. Click on “Distribution”
3. Click “External Blogs”
4. Click “Add Blog”
5. Under blogging system type, select “Drupal,” click “Next”
6. In the admin location, type: http://www.cctvcambridge.org/node/add/blog and then click, “Next”
7. The “API Endpoint” address is: http://www.cctvcambridge.org/xmlrpc.php
8. Enter your log-in information, your username and password for cctvcambridge.org
9. Select from the drop down menu, “YourName: blog"

To edit the way the post will look in your cctvcambridge blog:

1. Go to your blip.tv account and select “Distribute”
2. Click on “Jason: blog” account and click “edit”
3. Decide on how you want it to look working through the form. You can see a preview of the final product at the bottom of this form. There are options for a flash player, a quicktime link and many others.
4. Click “Save.”

From now on you can choose to have your posts to blip.tv cross-posted to your blog by checking off the new "cross-post to my blog" box. You'll find this checkbox on all of blip.tv's post forms.

The latest addition to our CanoScan family of scanners in the ComputerCENTRAL lab is the CanoScan 9950F. According to CNET editor Rebecca Viksnins, the scanner’s “blue-backlit power button and shiny, black body make it look more like a BMW than an office machine.” This machine, however, is much more than just any old scanner.

The 9950F is a multi-function, digital imaging solution for any photo fanatic. Users can scan, copy, create .pdf (Adobe’s portable document format), and email image with the touch of a button on the front panel. The included adaptors can also handle slides, film negatives from 35mm up to 4 x 5 in. formats. Bring in up to thirty frames of 35mm film and the included software will batch process them.

For film enthusiasts who understand the importance of resolution, the 9950F can scan at an incredible 4800 x 9600 dpi color resolution, 48-bit color depth and over 281 trillion possible colors. I didn’t there were 281 trillion possible colors.

The only feature it lacks, I guess, is a cup holder.

Here is a quickstart guide for use in our lab: CanoScan 9950F Quickstart.

The following techniques for promoting your show largely apply to local Cambridge residents promoting their cable television show. BeLivers take note. For those producers who want promote their show on the Internet, that tutorial is forthcoming. However, you can take these concepts and easily apply them to the web world. Remember, the best promotion is still word-of-mouth.

1. Identify Your Audience:
   Who do you think will be interested in your program?
   Whom do you want to reach?
   How can you best reach them?

2. Create Cohesive Promotional Materials:
   Flyer (typically 8.5” x 11” or larger)
   Handbill (postcard-size flyer)
   Business Card (free printing at www.vistaprint.com)
   Press Release
   Public Service Announcement for Radio and/or Television Broadcast

3. Develop mailing/posting list for your promotional materials:
   Make a list of local businesses that have agreed to allow you post flyers
   Gather contact information of local newspapers, magazines and radio stations, including name, email address, telephone number and physical address.

4. Distribute Your Promotional Materials:
   Email or snail mail your press release to contacts
   Make follow-up phone calls to contacts
   Post flyers in business windows
   Use CCTV internal promotional avenues
   BeLive Announcement
   Public Service Announcement to be aired on CCTV channels
   Word of Mouth Advertising – carry handbills and/or business cards with you to be ready for distribution to friends and/or new acquaintances.

5. Calculate the effectiveness of your promotional campaign:
   Create a formal and/or informal survey of your audience
   Use the information you’ve gathered to re-structure your promotional campaign to be more effective in the future.

Here are some real easy examples of ways to use tags. The first one is New England Stories. It's as simple as stated on the website: "[o]nce you have a video you want to submit, head over to blip.tv and post it with the tag newenglandstories. The site's admin, Steve Garfield, will then recieve notice, either through RSS or by manually searching, that a new video has been posted with the tag "newenglandstories." This video can then be published and displayed on the New Englad Stories website either automatically (via RSS) or by hand.

Check out the webpage: http://newenglandstories.com/vlog created by Steve Garfield

New England Stories is inspired by Minnesota Stories: http://mnstories.com created by Chuck Olsen

Felicia Sullivan started the conversation about tagging conventions on the ACM listserv. I am interested in if anyone wants come up with some general guidelines. Once we agreed upon them, I we could send it out as a flyer and start creating RSS feeds based on them.

Below is a suggestion for tagging conventions for public, educational and government access:

Thus, a video from Cambridge Community television would be tagged like so: pubaccess ne ma cctvcambridge

Thought this would help the discussion move forward.

CCTV is hoping to have 100% digital playback from our video server by September 2007. To facilitate this transition, we are taking a number of steps. The first step is to translate your Final Cut Pro projects into MPEG2. This is a relatively easy transfer from a full resolution Quicktime movie (.mov) to MPEG2 using Mainconcept Encoder.

Linked here is a .pdf tutorial I made to help people with making an MPEG2's for server playback.

OR

http://cctvcambridge.org/files/makempeg2.pdf

Be on the look out in the future for Final Cut Studio that has MPEG2 exporting built into its Compression program.