HD versus SD and the VideoBloom Platform

Lately, we've been fielding a lot of questions regarding High Definition online videos.  As it's becoming much more common to shoot in HD, many VideoBloom users have been asking how to upload their HD Web videos, how to best optimize them for Web viewing and wondering if HD is even a good idea.

First off, the VideoBloom platform works well with HD so if you have shot in High Definition, you still can manage and distribute HD video from our platform just as you would in Standard Definition (SD).

The real question though is - Is it advantageous to shoot in HD or are you better off staying in SD mode?

Well, it depends.  HD has the advantage of giving you more pixels to work with.  As a result, your picture is going to be cleaner and more detailed.  Take a look at the HD-SD comparison on the VideoBloom platform below:

                                     HD Video                                                     SD Video

Additionally, when shot in Progressive Mode your HD Internet videos won't have "interlacing".  This will give your online videos a smoother picture and avoid the tearing look that happens when interlaced videos are put on the Web and viewed on a computer display.  

On the other hand, HD uses more bandwidth than SD so viewers with a slower Internet connection may find their online video viewing hindered by constant buffering.  Furthermore, because HD is shot in a much higher resolution, (often 1920 x 1080 pixels versus the typical SD video of 640 x 480 pixels) the file sizes can be a bit unwieldy to use when creating your online video.  

Another factor to consider: currently the VideoBloom platform encodes all non-Flash videos (.flv files) using the medium Flash setting (400 kbps with audio at 96 kbps), which means SD videos with smaller dimensions may actually appear clearer and less pixilated than HD videos uploaded to the platform at larger dimensions (i.e. full-sized HD videos).

So what's an online videographer to do?  HD or SD?  With the needs of your end-user in mind, we recommend aiming for the best picture quality balanced with easy user accessibility. 

For more information on tech recommendations for HD video and the VideoBloom platform, please visit our Idea Center.

Social Networking:  Not Just for Photos of Your Kids

Unless you've taken up residence under a rock these past few months, you've probably heard a lot lately about social media and social networking tools.  Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn...  they've become the new, must-have accessory for small businesses.  
 
And with good reason.  Social networking lets businesses put their products and services in front of a (literal) worldwide audience while offering the opportunity to interact directly with current customers and stay on top of their needs and wants.  Social media can be a perfect supplement for existing Web sites, and for businesses that don't have the resources to create and maintain a Web site it allows them to stay in the Internet mix and maintain a Web presence.

So, what's the one thing that makes social media profiles even more effective? Online video.  

In the same way that putting Internet video on your Web site can increase customer interest and drive business your way, online videos on your social networking sites can:
 

• Increase your Web exposure by putting your business in front of an extended audience (the 60 million Facebook users, for example)
• Give Web site owners additional opportunities to show up in search queries and give small business owners who don't have a Web site a chance to show up at all (caveat: you'd want to optimize your online videos for search)
• Allow potential customers a quick and easy way to digest your marketing message
• Generate leads and revenue by sending customers directly to your Web site or to your phone number (we recommend including preferred way of contacting your business on all profiles and Internet videos)

Want to see concrete examples of how to use social networking and online video together as a sales and marketing tool?  Check out our profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and MetaCafe.  If you like what you see become a follower, a fan, a subscriber or a friend!

Or get started with VideoBloom's easy Web video uploading tools by clicking here.

The VideoBloom Team