Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Video Slide Show Productions

Writen by Sandra Clukey

Slide show companies are popping up all over the internet. People are taking their pictures and placing them on CD's, DVD's, or VHS for personal use and for gifts for all occasions. People everywhere are hiring companies to make wedding slide shows for receptions, graduation slide shows, anniversary slide shows, birthday slide shows, memorial service slide shows, vacation slide shows, holiday slide shows, and just about anything you can think of slide shows. But how do you know which slide show company to choose?

It use to be that when we took our photos of our special occasions: weddings, vacations, reunions, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, family, friends, pets and so on, that we'd get the photos developed and place them in a photo album or a shoe box. A couple of our very favorites would be placed in frames. But, the photo album or shoebox would then sit on a shelf or under a bed or in a closet or somewhere where they'd be neglected and hardly ever looked at. In the meantime the photos themselves are drying out, cracking, and turning yellow. When we do go to look at them they're never as good as we remember because they've aged.

Placing our photos on CD, DVD, or VHS preserves the photos forever. They will never crack, fade, yellow, or get damaged. Future generations can enjoy the same quality in a hundred years as we can today.

Turning your photos into slide shows, video albums, or photo montages makes the photos fun to watch and more people will enjoy viewing them with you. So how do you know if you've found a quality slideshow company? An important rule of thumb to remember is, "If the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is". Creating slide shows is a service related industry; no real slide show creating company can give you quality work without putting quality time into it. The less the price, the less the amount of time going into it. You might as well go buy yourself the cheapest slide show software you can find and do it yourself.

A quality slide show creating company has invested thousands of dollars to be able to produce the highest quality work for the consumer. In addition, they will spend the time needed to clean up your photos and create a quality CD, DVD or VHS that you can be proud of. Although, like in any industry, you'll need to beware of those who overcharge, the bottom line is; the more time a company puts into creating your slideshow, the higher the cost of that slide show.

When comparing prices, don't forget to compare the contents of the package. This will make a tremendous difference in the pricing and the quality of the slideshow you receive. But don't fall for bogus charges such as transition charges. What are slide shows without transitions? So shop around, compare prices, packages, and view some slide show samples.

Viewing slide show samples is very important to choosing your video slide show production company. If you're satisfied with just the simple fade-in, fade-out photo montage style slideshows, then you have a lot to choose from. If you want something fun, exciting, emotional, creative and unique, then there's very little to choose from. The slide show company you choose should value your precious memories so much that it reflects in the slide shows they create. To a true slide show creator, creating quality slide shows is comparative to an artist who is creating yet another masterpiece: each one is unique, creative, evokes emotion, no two are exactly alike, and all are worthy of displaying to everyone you know. At Sands of Time Multimedia Creations, slide shows are works of art. Visit us today and experience the difference!

Sandra Clukey has years of experience and an intense passion for turning still pictures into beautiful, sentimental video albums for people everywhere and is the lead slideshow creator for Sands of Time Multimedia Creations. http://sandsoftimemultimediacreations.com/ A cutomer recently stated, "There's something magical about your slide shows and the way they just bring the memories to life". View some of her samples here and experience the difference! http://sandsoftimemultimediacreations.com/index-1.html

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

How To Chat Through Macromedia Flash Communication Server And Other Information

Writen by Angel Abdulnor

Businesses and individuals alike are constantly looking to find new ways to communicate for work related and entertainment purposes. Things like How to chat through Macromedia Flash Communication Server are some of the most commonly sought out information by those looking for better communication options over the internet.

The Macromedia Flash Communication Server really does offer users an eclectic assortment of services. Some of the ways how to chat through Macromedia Flash Communication Server include virtual conference rooms, whiteboard applications, multi-player games and live messaging just to name a few. The Macromedia Flash Communication Server is the only system you will find at the moment that can handle numerous different communication and media applications. While those wondering how to chat through Macromedia Flash Communication Server would not actually be using a server it is simply called this because of all of the functions and capabilities that it offers users.

One of the best features users will come across while learning how to chat through a Macromedia Communication Server is it's ability to increase the speed of real time message distribution. By being able to provide scripting, storage, security, and management a Macromedia Flash Communication Server can perform like a traditional application server that is dedicated to it's own applications. However the one thing it cannot do that an application server can is provide connections to external data such as databases. If users wanting to know how to chat through a macromedia flash player wish to do this they need the assist of an additional product.

Even though a Macromedia Flash Communication Server can provide it's users with a great number of combinations of applications it's one downside is it's need to be aided by other Macromedia Flash products. One of most products most relied upon by the Macromedia Flash Communication Server is Macromedia Flash Player 6. The flash player is the primary user interface for those wanting to know how to chat through a Macromedia Flash Communication Server and is needed for just about all applications offered by the communication server.

When an individual learns how to chat through a macromedia flash communication server they really do have the opportunity to create some very rich media and communication applications. Some say users can even create applications without having to utilize a large number of other macromedia flash products. To really utilize a MacroMedia Flash Communication Sever users should have an excellent understanding of all the applications that they are using,be able to experiment with applications that are created and most of all have a lot of patience.

Even with potential system flaws, by deciding to learn how to chat through a macromedia flash player businesses and individuals alike can really make the most of communicating through the internet.

http://www.torontochat.ca/

Toronto Chat

Monday, June 2, 2008

Ondemand And Live Streaming Video On The Internet

Writen by Cathy Linderman

Using streaming video is a choice driven by many factors…

Streaming Video over the internet is in essence a task that has been occurring for the last ten years. But with the recent updates in technology and broadband being available around the world, only recently is it now considered a top trend for the internet. It's available for everyone to learn and use.

Businesses and organizations, both small and large, are using streaming video for communicating, training, informing, educating, promoting and selling services and products across the internet. One major decision an organization or business must make is what their major usage of video on the internet will be for them. This decision is usually the determining factor on whether or not the information is offered on-demand or live.

What Is On-demand Streaming?

On demand means that viewers click on a link for that video and actually watch it either immediately on the website or as it progressively plays in their media player on their computer. The event that is being displayed as video actually has occurred another time and not necessarily the same day of viewing when doing on-demand.

Many television stations will state coming live to you from….but this is not really occurring at the time you are watching it. It was taped live and being presented at a later date. This is referred to as 'simulated live'. When you watch American Idol on television, it states it is live from wherever they are that day, but actually it was taped months ago.

What Is Live Streaming?

Live streaming is when it is actually happening at that moment you are watching it. A live stream is delivered to it's viewers within seconds of it happening. Many sports games now are coming 'live' over the internet. They are happening at that exact time.

Events can be streamed live from one side of the world to the other with high quality viewing. Our company did a stream of a live sporting event in Germany and viewers watched it in Canada, Europe and the United States. It was occurring live at that time, and viewers watched it as it happened.

Corporations are doing live trainings from their headquarters in one country to offices in other countries – live and on-demand. Universities and Colleges are doing long-distance training of courses live with interaction amongst students and professors from one side of the world to another. Live streaming is being used in many ways for events around the world. When the new Pope was inducted it was one of the largest live streaming events in the world over the internet.

Cost Can Be a Determining Factor

Many live events take a more experienced, and professional crew to produce as encoding (compressing and decompressing to send that large file) is done at location prior to sending it over the internet. Content Delivery Networks (CDN's) can be expensive if doing large on-demand or live streams of extreme length. Smaller video streams can be uploaded to your website using your own hosting service. Whether or not you have to use DRM (Digital Rights Management) is also another factor to consider. So there are a lot of factors involved in streaming on-demand and live video.

So your first decision when consider streaming video over the internet is whether it can be on-demand or whether it must be live. Your event at hand will determine that and your viewers' needs will also affect that decision. The extra costs for a live crew on location can be a determining factor also.

Copyright 2006 Cathy Linderman

Cathy Linderman currently works with internet audio and video and her business provides related resources, practical training and products for all websites, whether personal or business. Cathy and her business associate, Komee, are known for their simple, practical, easy-to-learn techniques for using audio or video on websites.
Editor: Komee Carpenter
http://www.GlobalInternetBroadcasting.com

Sunday, June 1, 2008

When Does A Corporate Video Add Value

Writen by Joel Loader

A professionally made corporate video production can greatly enhance your company profile and can be used in a variety of applications. Listed below are a number of the most common uses for corporate video.

Promotional Video Production

A promotional video is a dynamic, fast moving commercial, often with a musical accompaniment, and can be used to promote any of the services or products that your company has to offer.

Promotional videos are used for a variety of purposes. They can be used to engage the audience at the introduction to a multimedia sales presentation, conference, or training seminar and are also very often used running on a loop on exhibition stands and in company reception areas. These promotional videos can also be incorporated into CD ROMs and DVDs as an introductory piece.

Promotional videos can be highly effective and powerful at communicating your company's strengths in a dynamic and exciting way. The same video promo can also be used for a variety of applications, thus reducing filming expenses.

Executive Broadcast Video Production

One of the biggest problems facing directors of large multi-national companies or plc's is attempting to communicate on a personal level with their immense and geographically diverse audiences. Executive broadcast corporate videos enable the senior member, or members, of a company to dedicate a couple of hours of their time to being interviewed, and tackling any major questions or issues which may have come to light. By using a corporate video, they save themselves the huge cost, and time, of travelling from place to place attending conferences in order to achieve the same result.

An Executive Broadcast can be used for a multitude of corporate and training video applications, from welcoming new employees to a company, to communicating new management strategies or simply sharing your vision of the companies' future with your staff. Corporate video production can provide the ideal means of explaining your businesses core values to the customers, and can even be the perfect medium for communicating price sensitive announcements to city institutions and the press etc. There are many other uses for executive broadcasts and video production companies will work with your business to create tailor made executive broadcasts to suit your company.

Customer Testimonial Video Production

Customer testimonial videos are recorded interviews where a customer is asked to give their feelings on a product or on a company's service. Customer testimonial video production is becoming increasingly essential in the current business climate. Customers often like to hear the opinions of their fellow consumers, and customer testimonial corporate videos can be the ideal way to communicate this information.

Customer testimonial corporate video can be in the form of short clips of customers describing their reaction to a product or company, or maybe longer interviews of customers dealing with specific or more in depth viewpoints.

Customer testimonial video production can be used for a variety of purposes, from forming part of a video promotion, as an endorsement on exhibition stands, as part of a general sales presentation, or even to be used on an e-business card, and then given out at events, exhibitions, meetings etc. Customer testimonial videos can even be useful when assessing one's own business, as they can be used to create video case studies of customers, and thereby assess the product from the customer's side.

Conference and exhibition Video Production

Conference and exhibition video production can take the form of entire programmes of their own, or just as short clips to be incorporated into another, longer corporate videos that report on conferences or exhibitions that companies have held.

When a company has a large event, or exhibition, it is not always possible for all the people who need to attend to be there, but with so many issues being discussed and products being demonstrated, with conference and exhibition videos, these events can reach a much broader audience. The relaxed environment at these type of events, enable a much more laid back attitude to come across from the people being interviewed, and it is easier to get an honest opinion, something which can never be undervalued in any business.

Once filmed, conference and exhibition videos can either be put onto DVD for video presentations, or distributed on CD-ROM, through the internet or via your company's intranet.

Once an event has been filmed, it can be put to a variety of applications, from the obvious use of providing a record of the event for all who were unable to attend, to taking simple sound bites of interviews for incorporation into sales and marketing presentations. Conference and exhibition corporate videos also provide a great opportunity to capture presentations from guest speakers that the people who couldn't make it to the event would miss out on. A good corporate video production will reflect the atmosphere at the event, and can be an excellent way to encourage staff and/or customers to come to these events in the future.

Video Production for Tourism

The medium of video is unequalled in promoting the full tourist experience to potential visitors, with video production being an ideal way of marketing the amenities, attractions, and individuality of a city or tourist destination on an individual, local or even international level.

In the form of a CD ROM or DVD, the potential scope for video production for tourism is immense. A video will allow viewers to interactively explore a given destination, take a virtual tour around a hotel or enjoy a guided trip around a city with a well known presenter.

Most reputable video production companies will offer to create a tourism video, DVD or CD ROM as part of a larger marketing package, creating eye-catching packaging and inserts to complement the promotional programme.

I-MOTUS is one of the UK's leading corporate and training video production companies. Our team uniquely combines proven business savvy with some of the television industry's brightest creative talent to provide a fresh approach to the most challenging of marketing and communication briefs. http://www.i-motus.com/ - IM01EZ