Client provided video
Including video clips on internet web sites is becoming more popular as technology advances. For those who have DSL and cable connections, download time is not an issue and we offer beautiful streaming video clips as large as several Mb in size. For those with 56k connections or slower, we offer a smaller, more compressed clip as an option.

Due to the large size of audio and video files, the digital file must be compressed down to a much smaller format before it can be placed on a web site. All the videos we include on web sites are "streamed" so web site visitors don't have to wait for the entire file to download before the video starts to play. This requires specific server configurations which we already have in place, that allows us to offer the best quality and fastest downloads possible.

Playing the video requires that the visitor have the appropriate plug-in. This may require a separate download and installation process before they will be able to view your video.

The good new is that both DSL and cable connections are becoming more and more popular. Many web sites have already upgraded to offer higher quality, higher resolution video clips for those viewers who are using faster connections. The quality of this video is significantly better than video prepared for slower connections.

Even more important is that Under Watercolours uses the same sophisticated technology used by the large production companies and the movie industry for online video clips to deliver the best quality video clips we can. With the new video compression available, we can produce clean, high resolution videos at the click of a mouse.

We serve up video in all sorts of flavors, so those visiting your web sites can view the video clips without having to download additional plug-ins. The most popular formats include QuickTime, RealVideo and Windows Media. Other formats are also available.

The best way to decide on the type of video you want to use is to visit the web sites for the companies that produce the video plug-ins and look at online video that is currently being used on other web sites. In most cases we recommend that you give the web site visitor an option of which video format they want to download.

Audio is another great way to add mood to your web site, but it should be given as an option to the user. Tropical local music while viewing a slide show can work beautifully but only by the choice of the user. Web site statistics recognize that most people are on the internet while they are at work. To have an audio cut or music start without any warning is usually not desirable and can quickly scare someone off of your site. Especially if they are trying to avoid being found out by their boss or co-workers!

The following pages provide excellent examples on how video can be incorporated into your web site.

Castaway Island, Fiji
Here is an example of a good use of audio. The viewer has a choice of whether or not they play the Real Audio background music while the slide show is playing.

Don Flynn Pictures
Film producer Don Flynn offers video clips in a variety of formats.

Odyssey Adventures, Truk Lagoon
On the Odyssey site we decided to put all the video onto one page into a "Video Gallery". In this example we offer the videos in two sizes in QuickTime format. All the videos on the Odyssey site were compressed using Sorenson Video 3.

Cuan Law and Lammer Law
On these sites the videos were spread throughout the site. Appropriate video clips were incorporated into the applicable pages. Examples of video clips in both QuickTime and RealVideo formats in several bandwidth sizes. Currently the movies on this site are compressed using Sorenson 2, but will be updated in the next several weeks.

For more information about internet video...

QuickTime (www.apple.com)
QuickTime is the Apple technology that makes video, sound, music, 3D and virtual reality come alive for Macintosh and Windows. Apple's QuickTime Plug-in for Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer lets you experience QuickTime content directly in the browser window. You can also view QuickTime VR (Virtual Reality) panoramas and objects.

The QuickTime plug-in works with existing QuickTime movies, and with movies prepared to take advantage of the plug-in's "streaming" feature. The streaming feature will present the first frame of the movie almost immediately and can begin playing even before the movie has been completely downloaded.

Real Audio and Real Video (www.real.com)
RealNetworks is the pioneer and established market leader in streaming media technology on the Internet. In only several years, RealNetworks software systems have become by far the most pervasive method of streaming media on the Internet. RealNetworks offers two plug-in players. The RealPlayer G2 is a free player that will play all RealAudio and RealVideo content, however, we have noticed the "free" version is riddled with advertising.

According to statistics from Under Watercolours web sites that give users the choice of both QuickTime and Real Video, half choose one format and half choose the other.