Dan Shaw’s Video FAQ’s

Why does my YouTube look blurry?
There are at least two reasons:
1. Click the little rectangle icon on the bottom right of the YouTube window, and the video resizes; it looks sharper in the smaller version.
2. YouTube streams huge amount of video data. One way they can do that is to compress the data.

What kind of video do I need for YouTube?
YouTube accepts files up to 10 minutes long in a variety of formats. They prefer to receive Apple Quicktime .mov files. For posting longer videos, option include Google. (This is true even though Google owns YouTube as of this writing, August 2007.)

What are all these video formats?
Windows has a video viewer built in, Windows Media Viewer, which uses .wmv files. Apple’s Quicktime also works on PCs. To download Quicktime free, go to Apple.com and click on downloads. There are several other formats, including Flash, .mpeg, and MP4. (Before downloading software, you may want to set a restore point. See: Essential Security Steps.)

Hi-Definition: Who can see it?!
You’ll need to view the video from a DVD on a Hi-Def TV to see all the glorious detail. Otherwise, unless you’re in a theater, or watching Hi-Def TV filmed and produced in Hi-Def (such as NFL and National Geographic Channel) and then broadcast from a Hi-Def Tower to a Hi-Def antennae (in a major metropolitan area), you’re not seeing Hi-Def. Typical computer monitors don’t display Hi-Def.

What do I do with my video once it’s on YouTube?
Promote it! Tell people about it, link to it from or embed it into your website, develop a YouTube account, post it at other video sharing sites, such as Revver, and Livelink. You may want to submit your video (on CD) to your local community access cable TV station. Make copies of your DVD and give them away and / or sell them!

How can I see my film?
Go to
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=heliad&p=r



What do I do when I get my CD?
View it on a computer using Quicktime. When you insert the CD, Windows should automatically open a dialogue asking what you want to do. Select “View in folders”. You should see now 2 files (at least). They are the same video in two different formats. If you have Quicktime installed already, you’ll see the Quicktime .mov file as an icon with a blue “Q” and the word “movie”. (If you have difficulty, go to Apple.com and download the newest version.) Windows PC users doubleclick on the .wmv file.
If you have asked to approve your video, then please do so promptly. If you need any changes made, be sure to email me the specifics. It is vital to post videos as soon as possible.
I may also send you a final version of your video on DVD in Hi-Def, for viewing in a DVD player on Hi-def and standard TV’s.
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel!