myUSN+Video+tips

 Video editing can be a pretty daunting procedure, and time consuming at that (and it is complicated by the fact that we use a variety of capture devices, "cameras," that record in a variety of formats (.avi, .mov, .mod). Add to that myUSN's file conversion and upload requirements and we have an issue that is essentially a technical one.

Josie and I have been working on video this past week, with small success, and today I did some snooping around in MyUSN **Help**, which I certainly should have resorted to sooner. All I did was search " video codec" and that brought me to some very good stuff. I attach it below.


 * Is there a recommended file type for upload?**

While WhippleHill supports a variety of video file types, all file types (except .flv) are converted to the .flv file format during upload. This is because the media player works best with .flv files. Since .flv files do not require processing when they are uploaded, there is no reduction in final output quality as may happen with other supported file types. Regardless of the file type, it is still important to use WhippleHill's recommended video settings.


 * Recommended Video Settings**

The recommended video settings are:


 * Audio sample rate: 22050
 * Audio bitrate: 56k
 * Video bitrate: 512kbit/s
 * Video framerate: 30
 * Dimensions: 800 x 600


 * Is there a video compression recommendation?**

WhippleHill's previously inexpensive compression recommendation, Sorenson Squeeze, has actually become fairly expensive ($199+) and more complex. We found that Flix, a compressor from On2 Technologies, is a simple, inexpensive tool for $39. It can be purchased and downloaded from this link http://www.on2.com/index.php? 387 If you choose to use Flix, here is a brief step-by-step tutorial to help you get started.

What about file sizes? For Bulk Upload WhippleHill's application code separates the processing of files from the uploading of those files. Therefore, users can upload file sizes up to 200MB, click **Save & Exit**, and go about other tasks while the files are processed. Videos and Audio files appear in their respective albums as they are completely processed.

For viewing video files WhippleHill recommends keeping video file sizes small to accommodate users with a slower Internet connection. Therefore, videos with a file size of 50MB or larger should be broken into smaller files and posted within an Album. This way the user can view the video in segments vs. trying to view a single longer video.

Lots of learning resources are here--NOTE: USN does not pay for the Media Gallery portion of Whipplehill: https://help.whipplehill.com/ display/help/Media+Gallery

I highly recommend using Help! Try your own searches!

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