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We recently mentioned that Tammy's website would be undergoing some updates and changes to make her site better and more accessible. Today I get to introduce one of the proposed changes: Flash Videos. Why Flash Videos? The primary reasons are accessibility and flexibility.
In regards to accessibility we have had a number of comments about users being unable to watch videos (currently in WMV format). Our current digital camera captures video in the MOV format (Apple QuickTime) and the current media application we use to compose the videos (Windows Movie Maker 2) outputs another proprietary format (Microsoft's WMV). The first problem is that WMV and MOV files are limited to the Windows and Mac operating systems for most users. Because of this there is a limited install base (84% for WMP and 66% for QuickTime). Flash resolves this for the most part. 97% of web browsers have Flash installed and the Flash player is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. With Google Videos and YouTube throwing their weight behind the Flash format for videos it has become an unofficial standard. We received a number of emails about movie format issues from Mac and Linux users so this should make the most people happy :)
Another reason we are going with the Flash format is because it allows a little more control on our end. We can actually embed the video right into a page--which results in more people watching the video. People are much more likely to push a large "PLAY!" button than a small text link to a media file you download and then view in the media player of your choice. Austhetically, it is nice having a physical "object" on the screen space where the video plays. The embedded Flash player we are using allows us some room to grow in the future with playlists, streaming, thumbnails, autoplay/buffering options, etc.
The only real drawbacks are file conversion and compression (an extra step for every video) and the code to embed a Flash video into a page is a little more complicated than a simple text link to the media file. Not really a big deal as I have been working on the videos for Tammy, so she won't have to make extra time for videos that take away from working on her website :) With no further ado here is Tammy's Ingenuitea Review in Flash format.
Please let us know if you have any problems with this video. Thanks!
| Tammy's Ingenuitea Review |