Streaming Video Options

[djweb]

Hi,

I'm a newbie here and need some advice in regards to streaming video :)

I have a client who I'm developing an education website for, and they want to have a number of short videos available in a secure zone - visitors will pay to watch the short clips.

They don't want to use YouTube because the videos need to be of better quality and more professional, plus only viewed by paying customers.

Can anyone offer advice as to the best file format for streaming video on a website (are flash videos best?) and video player options, ie. are there free players available and how do you embed them on the page?

I originally looked at a hosted video streaming solution - vidEstream.com.au - but it can be quite costly and not sure whether it's necessary to go down this path, particularly if the videos are flash (??)

Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer me.

[Eye for Video]

Before going into some of the other questions, let’s address the “is streaming necessary?”. Since this is a pay per view type site, true video streaming (with CDN) may need to be implemented. This would depend in part on how secure your “pay per view” operations are (could someone get in and view without paying) and your assessment of the risk of those paid for videos being pasted on after purchase. It’s much harder (but not impossible) to record a streaming video on a viewers machine and then pass it on to a second (not paying) viewer. The cost for true streaming video can be 10 to 20 times as expensive as hosted video which is progressively downloaded. For comparison and more info on streaming:
http://www.upstreamnetworks.com/home.php?page=flash-streaming
As far as the pay per view part goes, after payment, I assume a username and or password will be required to access the videos. Whatever the scheme for that part, it makes no difference between true streaming and progressive download at that point. The point of difference comes while watching the video. Streaming is much more difficult to copy and pass on. PD videos will leave a copy on the viewers machine which could be passed on to none paying viewers. Both of these conditions will exist regardless of the video file format. Flash is not more inherently secure than .wmv, etc.
Which is best file format? Flash is currently the leader in cross browser compatibility. It makes little sense to use a .abc format if no one has the correct Web browser plugin to view the video. Flash video is ubiquitous across the Web, can provide high quality vs. filesize, and can easily be customized for individuality. It’s a good choice.
Player availability…. well there are free players like:
http://www.longtailvideo.com/players/jw-flv-player/
But if you spend the money for true video streaming and then go with a freebie player, it’s like dressing up a princess in second hand clothes. Add some class and uniqueness to your video site by using a custom designed player. The player can take any shape or design you can imagine. Make your site stand out and memorable. Here’s a couple examples:
http://www.cidigitalmedia.com/video.html
and
http://www.lynnjohnson.citradingcards.com:80/pcc/pcc_video_player.html
Find a Flash developer to create your own, custom player.
A couple of different ways to embed a player on the page, one is to use the <object> tag, a second, better way for Flash players is to use a bit of JavaScript like swfobject
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/swfobject_02.html
This may at least give you a little more info to process and work with.
Best wishes on your project,
Eye for Video
www.cidigitalmedia.com