Internet video streaming

[pvideo]

I am going to be providing video for a commerical internet site. I think that they will want the video to open on the webpage frame rather than in its own player application frame. I have used wmv files for streaming in the past but I probably need a different encoder. Is it time for Flash? Can H264 be used? I am using Edius 4.61 now with SD video.
Pam

[bescunpui]

I guess FLV will do the job. The best quality I got was from On2 Flix products. See this video.
It's a mpeg promo encoded at 700 kb flv video.

[STORMDAVE]

The biggest variable you need to figure out is who your audience is. The majority and go by that. If they are old timer dialup users, then you need to do multiple versions of the same video. If broadband, you have many options.

FLV is the best choice because most people have flash players. The second best one is WMV then QuickTime.

I always prefer QuickTime because the quality is much better in my opinion (H.264). But I use other formats if the clients require it.

[rob stowell]

The latest flash player plays h.264 I think- so there should soon be less reason to use flash- or wmv/silverlight. This is a good move! (That "on2" flix enoder looks great, but expensive)

[STORMDAVE]

Yes. The higher quality videos on YouTube are already using H.264.
I bet that will force a lot of people to update to the latest flash so good news to all of us.

[swsw1550]

Just watch the latest version of On2 Flix Encoder, I had to install the previus version as I had problems with Edius exporting to a file, it would crash and throw up errors, I worked out that it was the On2 flix Exporter, I installed the previus version (prior to it supporting Java) and Edius print to file works great again, I figure it must have to do with the Java support.

Steve

[vortigern]

I would IMHO not get too tied up in quality. People looking at Youtube are going for content and not quality. Even TV stations here in the UK regularly show Youtube content which in an earlier TV era would have been deemed untransmittable due to quality. I use a couple of free encoders to make flv and swf files which are perfectly accepted by the viewers of same.

[pvideo]

I have used wmv in the past and been happy with quality and playback acceptance. I have not used flv and am sort of ambivalent with both possible encoding problems and cost. H.264 would be great for us, because it is built into procoder. I like the way www.everydayhealth.com displays its video clips using wmv, and they a very clean.
Pam