Does the World Need Another Media Player?

The fine folks over at Layers Magazine have published the article:

Does the World Need Another Media Player?

This time its had the benefit of being scrubbed by an editor (not just spell-checker). You can read it here:

http://www.layersmagazine.com/column_adobe_mediaplayer1.html

.

A few folks have commented on the length of the article... here’s the Spark Notes version:

• Flash Video is getting really popular
• The Adobe Media Player will be easier for corporations, schools, and government to use due to Adobe's greater acceptance over Apple (and especially iTunes).
• The media player supports several models that are attractive to content creators
• The media player supports very rich statistics on media consumption
• The application is going to move onto all sorts of devices and platforms in the near future.
• If you are a podcaster... I predict the Adobe Media Player will have as great of an impact as iTunes did on podcast consumption.

The article is long... but worth the read... I promise.

Interesting Video to Explain Podcasting

Adobe Demos Future Technology at NAB

Adobe has actually posted their "secret" presentation from NAB. Hart Shafer talks about four cool things Adobe has up their sleeve.

You

SO

need to watch this... trust me. BTW (for those of you waiting... they did show

OnLocation

for Mac in this demo).

School of Podcasting Interview about Video Podcasting

Thanks to the

School of Podcasting

for having us on the show. I had a chance to catch up and talk with the host about what folks need to think about when moving into the world of video podcasting. The interview also features my co-author (and business partner) Mark Weiser.

You can get the interview for free right here (

http://www.schoolofpodcasting.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=330803

) and you should also check out their other shows which offer great perspective.

-Rich Harrington

’Toon Your Video in Adobe CS3 Production Premium

Want to create a cartoon effect for your video? Be sure to check out this step-by-step tutorial I wrote for Layers Magazine.

“Sure, clients want it…that “cartoon look.” But let’s face it; good animation is hard to come by. Unless you have a gaggle of animators locked in your closet, you’ll need to get creative. Sure, you could break out the pencil and paper (or maybe even try shadow puppets), but we’re here to offer you a different solution. By harnessing the power of Adobe CS3 Production Premium, you can convert video frames into vector art into film-resolution movie files. Curious? It’s all possible with the power of the Production Premium.

Read on

.”

Time to Comment on Advertising and Measurement Standards

The Association for Downloadable Media just unveiled Advertisement Unit Standards and Download Measurement Guidelines. They'd like public comments on both. They encourage public comments in order to refine and enhance the documentation. The public comment period will end on May 16, 2008. You can download and comment on the draft standards for advertising and measurement

here.

The open comment period will conclude May 16, 2008.

Two Updated Final Cut Pro DVDs

I just released two newly updated Final Cut Pro discs. We updated our Absolute Training for Final Cut Studios Disc 1 & 2. Both DVDs are full current for Final Cut Studio 2 and include hands-on training files as well as HD resolution training and iPod files.

Apple Final Cut Pro

Volume 1: Getting Started in Final Cut Pro

Volume 2: Going Deeper in Final Cut Studio

Also, you may have missed that we recently released the following titles. These also include HD and iPod versions on the same disc.

Apple Color

Volume 11:

Introduction to Color

Volume 12: Advanced Color

Bundled for Savings

Apple Motion

Volume 13: Getting Started with Apple Motion

Volume 14: Going Deeper with Apple Motion

Volume 15: Advanced Techniques with Apple Motion

Bundled for Savings

Animoto Creates Rocking Slideshows

Looking for something different? I discovered

Animoto

at this year's SXSW conference... Load up your photos, pick a song, and within a few minutes you have a rocking music video. You can use their cleared music or load up your own. Thirty-second movies are free, full-length videos cost $3. You can get a full year's access for $30.

The whole process is a piece of cake. Be sure to check them out – 

here.

You can post the videos to a website, download them for an iPod, or even use YouTube to share. The videos you download

Here are a two more of mine that you can check out.

Three-Point Lighting

Author & video podcaster Richard Harrington explains a fundamental of video production - Three-point lighting.

Cool Link for Beginning Podcasters!

You can buy this quick reference guide in bookstores ($5.95), but the Quamut guide to Podcasting is also available on line -- and the content is free! This is a nice, quick overview of podcasting. Check it out!

A Brief History of Podcasting
How to Listen to Podcasts
How to Build a Podcasting Studio
How to Plan a Podcast
How to Record a Podcast
How to Edit Your Podcast
How to Publish Your Podcast
How to Promote Your Podcast

M-Audio Recorder

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington demonstrates the M-Audio (

http://www.m-audio.com/

) recorder and explains how you can use it in your video podcasts.

New Book on Video Podcasting is Out

Our new book called Producing Video Podcasts is shipping. We're really happy with how its turned out. It's a comprehensive title that explores all aspects of producing video podcasts (as well as web video).

If you are a budding podcaster or a multimedia professional I strongly encourage you to check out the book. Here are several links to give you a good idea of what its all about.

The Book:

To Order

–

Read Chapter 1

–

Table of Contents

–

Index

The Website

–

The Podcast

Terrific Online "How-To" Videos

Check out these free online videos from "Digital Juice." These short, funny, and informative videos cover everything from lighting to audio, to using logos to working with high-def. They're great for anyone interested in online video production!

Visit http://www.digitaljuice.com/djtv/

21 Years of Apple Evolution

When I look at what Apple has accomplished its been an interesting journey. The company has released a ton of great products (and also a few clunkers). I have found a

great image

that lets you see much of the product line laid out chronologically. After all, you can't get to the great Mighty Mouse without first passing the "hockey puck."

It really is pretty interesting to

see the "big" picture

. Be sure to click on the graphic so you can zoom in and view.

What's Your Angle?

While it may seem a little cliché, another way to refine your show’s concept is to ask the standard Who, What, Where, When, and Why questions.

Who –

Who is going to watch the show? Who is going to host the show?

What –

What topics will the show cover? What genre or format will it use?

Where –

Where will the show be recorded? A studio? On location?

When –

When will the show come out? Weekly? Monthly?

Why –

Why would a viewer subscribe to the show? Why would they come back for another episode?

Open Television Network Launches

Podcasters looking to monetize their content have a new option called the Open Television Network, powered by klickTab. The site has been under development for a long time and has now launched.

“klickTab is a unique service that lets you create single item, or channel feeds (aka podcasts) where there is a charge per item downloaded.

As a content owner, you create an account for yourself at

http://www.opentvnetwork.com/contentowners

.  You can check out the process through the screencasts on that page, along with some resources on encoding, hosting and protecting content.

Once you have created an content owner merchant account, you then create the feeds (podcasts) and add items to those feeds. We provide you with an embed code that has the klickTab graphic and all necessary code behind it so that a viewer customer can click on the link, enter their email address and password and download the link to iTunes or Miro. In iTunes or Miro they can browse the previews (trailers) you provide, buy content items, manage them, view and/or synchronize to an iPod or stream to an Apple TV.”

You can find more details on their

site

and in this

article

.

Warm Up Your Voice for Podcasting

Before You Record...
Did you know that you can prepare your mouth for podcasting? If your mouth is dry, you may inadvertently make unattractive mouth sounds, such as tongue clicks. And that doesn't sound nice!

Before you speak into the microphone, drink and swish your mouth well with warm water, not cold water (which will constrict your vocal chords), and not hot water. Don’t drink milk, which will cause mucus, and avoid bubbly soda or sugary fruit juices. Don’t eat right before you podcast, and use lip balm, to keep you from smacking your lips.

Did You Just Say "Um?"
Do you say "um" a lot? I know I do. I've noticed if I slow down and try to relax, that I don't say "um" quite as much. But it's still a challenge for me. I'd love to hear what other people do to not say "um."

Bruce Sharpe, the inventor of the Levelator, says it's important to edit out distracting sounds, such as “um” or other mistakes in the sound editing process. After you have identified the segment of sound you want to delete, he recommends using a cross fade on the volume next to the cut sound section so that the sound cut-off doesn't sound quite so abrupt.

I use Garage Band for audio editing, so I haven't tried it out this plug-in, but if you’re using Audacity to do post-production editing, you can download Bruce Sharpe’s handy plug-in to smoothly handle cross fades with Audacity. This plug-in can be found on http://www.singularproductions.net.

Happy Podcasting!

New Podcast Advertising and Traffic Standards to Be Announced

Mashable.com, the Social Networking News site reports that “the Association for Downloadable Media

has finally announced a date

for when they plan to release their long awaited Advertising and Sponsorship Standard and Guidelines for Traffic Measurement - April 16th. The announcement will be made during the

upcoming San Francisco ad:tech conference

.”

Click here

to read the full article.

DC Podcaster Alliance Meeting Video

In this 7-minute video, meet some DC Podcasters. Monthly meetings are free! Join us!


Recorded on February 16, 2008

Featured members:

Mary, "The Fletcher Prince Podcast" and "Living Well With Autism"
Naomi, "Tales of a Single Parent"
Yvonne, produces documentaries
Ray, "The Produce Picker Podcast"
Will, "Cloudy Day Art" (poetry podcast)
Oxana, "The Microfinance Podcast"
Michael, "DC Derby" and "Inside AOL"
Ray, "ABC News"
Jason, "Audio Editing"
Busybee, "Story Telling Podcast" (coming soon)

Meet us at the Meetup