Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:38:41 +0100
Making Video Accessible
With the increasing popularity of online video comes the increasing need to maximize the accessibility of its content. If your video contains relevant information, deaf or blind people should be able to get to it. And people who use exotic browsers or platforms should too. This doesn't mean you have to offer 20 different versions of your piece. A clever combination of the right formats, the SWFObject javascript and the Flash-based JW Player can do the job as well.
JW FLV Media Player 4.2
The JW FLV Player is an easy and flexible way to add video and audio to your website. It supports playback of any format the Adobe Flash Player can handle (FLV, MP4, MP3, AAC, JPG, PNG and GIF). It also supports RTMP, HTTP and live streaming, various playlists formats, a wide range of settings and an extensive javascript API.
The skinning functionality allows you to completely customize its looks and the brand-new plugin architecture allows you to easily extend the player with features such as captions, sharing, recommendations, searching, analytics and adserving. You can already find a string of plugins at the LongTail Video site.
If you would like me to do a paid player customization, please email with a brief job spec along with your budget (nothing below 1,000 Euros, please).
JW Desktop Player 1
The JW Desktop Player is a small and simple player you can use to play FLV, MP3 and MP4 files on your MAC or PC. It looks like the one above here. To play a video, simply drop it on top of the display. Because the player uses the Adobe AIR framework, it is a very small download and lightweight application. Installation is free and easy: just click the badge below here to install!
Building JW Player Plugins
Version 4.0 of the JW Player introduced an API architecture which allows developers to build flexible plugins to the player. Example applications are ad serving, search engine integration and data analytics. LongTailVideo.com serves as a hosting and distribution platform for the plugins, as well as player skins and CMS modules. This tutorial is aimed at Flash developers who have a solid understanding of ActionScript 3 and want to start developing plugins.
Javascript API Examples
The Flash-based JW Player can be controlled with an extensive javascript API (Application Programmers Interface). This page will introduce you to the fundamentals of player scripting and you will find some examples and source code showing the usage. This page is a bare list of all examples discussed here, plus some extras.
JW Image Rotator 3.17
The JW Image Rotator (built with Adobe's Flash) enables you to show a couple of photos in sequence, with fluid transitions between them. It supports rotation of an RSS, XSPF or ASX playlists with JPG, GIF and PNG images, a wide range of flashvars (variables) for tweaking both behavior and appearance and an extensive javascript API.
HTTP Video Streaming
There's two ways to deliver video files over the web; by progressive download or by using a streaming server. Downloads are cheap (no licensing) and work with any server, but do not offer content protection nor seeking to undownloaded parts. Streaming servers (like FMS, Wowza or Red5) offer these functionalities, but have to be installed on your server(s). Since serverside access and/or knowledge are not available to every developer, there's the in-between solution of HTTP streaming, through the use of a small serverside (PHP,ASP) script. Let's have a look:
Web Video Compression
Nowadays, broadband connections are widespread amongst the internet. Finally, video can be effectively added to website. But which player and video codec to go for? And how to get your video out there? This article features some tips and tricks for compressing and delivering video to the web.
Skinning the JW Player
The JW Player now includes skinning, through a separate SWF file that contains all graphical elements and layout. Custom skins are easy to publish: with just one variable in the embed code, one can assign a skin to the player (an example). This tutorial explains how to create your own custom skins.
(Note: Wes Coughlin from Vidlivery.com has also created a screencast on skinning the player.)
JW WMV Player 1.1
The JW Player for Silverlight is a simple yet flexible player for displaying Windows Media video, audio and (live) streams on your website. While not yet widely installed and not as feature-rich as Flash, Silverlight is excellent for publishers who have content encoded in WMV or WMA. The player features a similar list of variables as the JW Player for Flash, with the exception of playlist support. The 1.1 version also introduces a javascript API.
Bits on the Run
Bits on the Run is a clear and powerful webservice for encoding, managing and streaming online video. It is easily connected to existing CMS systems, videoproduction suites and advertising networks, allowing creative companies to professionally setup their internet tv. Get a free trial account to immediately experience the system!
Embedding Flash
There seems to be a lot of confusion about the code needed to properly embed Flash objects within a website: it's the most frequently asked question at this site's forum. The rise of social networking sites like Myspace (who filter lots of codes) and the Eolas patent enforcement have thrown quite some confusion into the mix. In this tutorial, I'll shortly align the best options to embed Flash.
LongTail Video
LongTail Video is a company I co-founded to provide online tools to video publishers. In addition to my player, LongTail provides an AdSolution that is exceptionally simple, works with any ad format and enables small publishers and large publishers alike to monetize their videos instantly. Read more or simply sign up now and start earning money from your videos TODAY (average time before running live ads: 1 hour!).
MappedUp
MappedUp is a Flash application that geographically displays an RSS news feed. You can insert your own feeds, one from Flickr, or use an aggregated feed from the accompanying website mappedup.com. If a feeditem contains images or movies, they are shown directly inside the app. MappedUp constantly checks its source feed at runtime so any newly released articles immediately pop up.
SYNC
Sync.nl is an online magazine for entrepreneurs and professionals interested in the cross-section of science, business and technology. The site features a unique personalization engine and a revenue-sharing publishing model. SYNC started out as my graduation project from the Design Academy Eindhoven. For the time being, the site is only available in Dutch.
Special Thanks to Google for their wonderful mapping api.