Archives for October 2005
Vloggers Grow Up
Many people begin making vlogs for posterity’s sake. But who would have guessed that vlogs made for posterity would be relevant to non-family member viewers and would, in fact, be some of the most interesting vlogs to view?
Several young vloggers have recently grown up before our eyes thanks to posterity, and have made interesting content to boot. For example, Phil Hamilton, of Phil Hamilton Hits The Big Time, is a sixteen year-old high school student that has recently begun learning to drive. This post is not only hilarious (Phil and his mother CLEARLY have different priorities here) but also harkens a universal nostalgia to all who have previously endured driving lessons from a parent.
The young man behind I Am Dooser has recently started going to college. His video about this recent phenomenon is simple but cuts to the chase, and made me proud of him despite me never meeting him in person. He has recently done a follow-up to his announcement as a college freshman by asking vloggers for art to hang on his bare dorm walls. I, for one, need to get on this ASAP. Thank goodness I never lived in a dorm.
Finally, Ian Mills of The 05 Project has hit the vlogosphere with a double-whammy, creating a two-part post announcing the beginning of college AND the beginning of life as a working stiff, and is dealing with the reality that too much work plus not enough time equals very little sleep. His previous posts dealing with the hiring process are also hilarious, and bring to light all of the dreaded/anticipated moments of the hiring call-back.
Please go check out these posts if you haven’t done so already, and be sure to leave comments on their vlogs, as we all need a little encouragement from time to time.
Published by Jennifer Rundle on October 14 .
2 Comments.
King Kong Vlog on DVD
Universal to release “King Kong” diaries DVD:
“Universal is taking a novel approach to marketing its upcoming, big-budget film “King Kong” by releasing a DVD documenting the making of the movie a day before the film hits theatres.”
That is newsworthy.
I wonder how the media would react if there were video segments available on the web, released regularly, that did the same thing?
Now THAT would be totally groundbreaking!
Hmm…
Wait a minute. They already did it. It’s the KongisKing.net Production diary.
Granted, there is no RSS 2.0 feed with enclosures, and you’ve got to comment on the message board instead of the blog post, and www.kongisking.net” is in no way affiliated with the official King Kong production or film,” but these behind the scenes glimpses into the production of the movie were truly innovative.
This is one little baby step by a major studio to get video blogs, or vlogs, into the home.
Maybe we can learn something from them?
Published by Steve Garfield on October 14 .
3 Comments.
New Video iPod to Ship Next Week
I was sure Apple would disappoint again. Rumors of a video iPod had sloshed through the interweb before, leaving nothing in their wake. We at WATM heard the rumors, but didn’t know which way this latest wave would break. But today the rumors left a gift—The promise of a video iPod. Steve Jobs announced the new video-enabled iPod would ship next week. This is a major development in the quickly evolving world of RSS-distributed video. Looks like content will be delivered via iTunes, either for money, if it’s TV content, or for free, if it’s videoblog content. If you haven’t added your vlog feed to iTunes yet, now would be a good time. There is a lively discussion on the Yahoo Videoblogging Group about the technical constraints of the new release—What video formats will work, and so on, but this is bound to change the landscape of how people watch video, and what kind of video they will be able to watch.
Published by Jonny Goldstein on October 12 .
1 Comment.
Road Node 101 Update
I spoke with, or rather Skyped with Jan McLaughlin the other day about their adventures and experiences with Road Node 101. I just missed them in Cambridge, Mass. last weekend, and now they’re in Maine. Find out how the leaves are in Maine, where else they’re going, and what they’re up to.
Published by Clark Saturn on October 12 .
4 Comments.
VlogDigest: Oct 7-05: New and Veoh
VlogDigest: Hosted by Clark Saturn, recorded live from New York City.
This week on Vlog Digest we take a look at:
Agent Xenon (agtxenon.blogspot.com) is great. I found them via Freevlog’s New Vlog feed. Agent Xenon has a feed, subscribe already!
Next, coming from Undergroundfilm.org: This post was great: “Things I have worried about” a short animated film by Lev, of ingredientx.com
Then, a newish aggregator/host/IPTV site: Veoh.com
Keep on vlogging!
Published by Clark Saturn on October 12 .
2 Comments.
Video iPod: For real?!
Keep your browser’s set for snapback to Apple’s website today. We may actually see a release of that much rumoured Video iPod today. Think Secret originally reported that a Video enabled Ipod was not likely to launch at today’s media event. In a new report, Think Secret changes their tune with evidence that Apple is hosting an event at BBC headquarters to coincide with their media event today which certainly might suggest some sort of video-type tie-in.
Of note to vloggers is the following nugget “Should video playback be incorporated into tomorrows iPod, it may not be with an emphasis on commercial movies”.
That should be music to all vloggers ears.
Update from engadget:
New iPod announced! The new iPod, as speculated, features video capabilities and the wider display, but it’s still a music-first device.
The device will feature a 2.5-inch display, QVGA resolution (320 x 240), and will MPEG-4 h.264 (natch), and presumably Quicktime.
The new iPod will be 30% thinner than the current 20GB iPod (making it 0.44-inches thick—say wha?), and will feature a 60GB version (which should be thinner than the current 0.63-inch thick 20GB iPod), and editions of both in black.
The 20GB should go for $299, and the 60GB for $399. They’ll be shipping next week.
Published by Graham Walker on October 12 .
4 Comments.
Interview With Charles Hope of blip.tv
Charles Hope is one of the people behind blip.tv. I bumped into Charles after a screening of videoblog works at Anthology Film Archives in lower Manhattan. At dinner after the screening, he told me a little bit about blip.tv. I was so impressed I created an account.
Published by Jonny Goldstein on October 11 .
No Comments.
Videoblogs on The Big Screen in NYC!
Watch Videoblogs on the big screen!
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 6-7pm
Anthology Film Archives
32 2nd Street @ 2nd Ave, NYC
Bring your friends, your enemies, yourself.
Brought to you by Node101 :: NYC
Published by Ryanne on October 11 .
No Comments.
The Cameras Behind LBV
Watch the video
Personally I’m biased and loyal to Canon cameras. Whenever anyone asks which camera they should buy, these two models are recommended before their needs are even explained. Of course, these two cams are not meant for professional quality production, but my needs are strictly Web-based (and the occasional DVD). The specific Canon models we use on Lean Back Vids are the Optura 400 and the PowerShot SD300. Matter of fact, I was so convinced after seeing Pete’s Optura 400 that I went out and bought my own.
The reason Canon is our brand of choice is because of their focus on optical technology and their case construction. Pickup either of these cameras and you can feel that they are made of higher quality materials than most Sony handhelds.
As for digital video, these two cameras are great. The Elph provides the ability to capture spontaneous moments since you can easily carry it in your pocket all the time, and the Optura can be fit into a cargo pants pocket. My favorite feature of the Optura 400 is the ability to shoot in 16:9 widescreen mode. To make things even more dramatic, I also use a wide-angle converter lens. This distorts the view around the edges, but there are no more problems getting up close and maintaining the setting.
Here is a quick statistical comparison:
| Specifications | Optura 400/500 |
PowerShot SD300 |
| CCD Type | 1/3.4 inch | 1/2.5 inch |
| Video Length | SP: 80 min. LP: 120 min. |
Variable |
| Photo Pixels | 2,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
| LCD Size | 2.5 inch | 2.0 inch |
| Physical Size | 2.1 x 4.2 x 4.0 in | 3.39 x 2.09 x 0.82 in |
| Weight | 1.2 lb. (530g) | 4.59 oz./130g |
| Approx. Price | $525 | $260 |
Note, the video captured from a mini-DV tape is interlaced and needs to be de-interlaced using software. The drawback is that the de-interlace feature is not available in iMovie or Movie Maker. Another thing to note is that it is harder to compress full, rich colors and maintain quality versus the washed out video from a point-and-shoot camera. Oh, and let this video be yet another lesson in videoblogging 101 - look into the lens and not the viewer.
Published by Matt Savarino on October 11 .
2 Comments.
Meg is vlogging at vidiLife
Meg has her own page over at vidiLife.
According to the vidiLife site, they are the hottest new social networking site.
They would say that.
vidiLife allows you to create a free video blog which supports comments. vidiLife also lets you link to your videos from other sites.
Uploaded videos are encoded to Windows media server video streaming format, so it doesn’t look like there are any RSS 2.0 feeds with media enclosures.
I’ve been able to watch a few videos, but sometimes the site asks me to log in. I’m not sure why that is, unless some of the videos are preview videos.
vidiLife has a TV page, where they are soliciting members to make thier own vidiLife TV shows.
One of the first member created shows is Live from the Club, which gives you a glimpse into the club scene.
vidiLife has features of a social networking site where you can add people as your friends.
I didn’t see any video rating system in place.
I’m sure that this is just one of the many video community sites that we are going to see emerging over the next few weeks and months. How popular it becomes depends on the fickle finger of fate.
Published by Steve Garfield on October 11 .
1 Comment.
