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Just Imagine began life with an expertise in video production, before switching focus to website management and other web services.
Over the years we have produced several award winning documentaries (see below) and written and produced quite a few commercial videos and TV advertisements. Today we focus our video efforts in much the same way as we do our copywriting, as content for websites.
Website Video Content
The Internet can serve as both a delivery vehicle for your compressed video project or it can serve as the actual medium. Herein lies the difference between a video file that is "downloaded" from a website and one that is "streamed."
A video intended for the website visitor to download and then play is really no different from any other file. It's probably just bigger. The file is handled just like you'd handle an image or a PDF file. You upload it to the server and then establish a link to it. Once the link is there all a visitor need do is click on it. If he has the appropriate software to play it all is well. If not, he may have to download a plug in. But once the file has been encoded (put in a format that can be played on a computer), there is no additional cost to placing it on the website, other than any extra storage fees that may apply.
Streaming video, on the other hand, is a more complex beast. First, the video has an additional processing step. Second, unlike downloading a file, a streaming piece has to play while it downloads. This requires certain software on the host server and also typically involves an additional monthly charge based on how many times the video was viewed. Streaming packages are purchased in what is known as "concurrencies." Concurrency refers to the number of visitors who can watch the video simultaneously. The price usually starts at "3" and goes up.
The difference between traditional video and video for the web
Once you have the streaming vs. downloadable issue, then it's generally a good idea to edit the video for the Internet, especially if you choose streaming. Because video must be heavily compressed - meaning frames or elements in certain frames are removed to make the file smaller and thus faster - many of the "edits" (fades, fly ins, etc.) don't play well online. So we suggest a re-edit in most cases.
Also, length is an issue. If you have a captive audience - say you're a manufacturer and your using your website to distribute a product video to your distributors - you probably have to worry less about this issue. But if your video is intended for the general public, it probably shouldn't take hours to download.
Just Imagine Video Credits
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