Finally YouTube supporting 16:9

Finally YouTube has starting supporting 16:9 video. Actually, supporting is not the right word. YouTube has totally ditched 4:3 in favour of the newer aspect ratio.

Of course YouTube did previously support some 16:9 content in full screen mode, but now it’s all 16:9 (and a larger screen area too!). So now instead of having 16:9 aspect movies played in 4:3 with letterboxing, you will get 4:3 pillarboxed into a 16:9 display.

Does this mean we’ll get better content on YouTube? Of course not. But it will look better ha.

Although I am very glad to see this feature available (i shoot in 16:9), I’d personally like to see the option available of choosing your player to suit your movie aspect riatio, especially when you think of the absurd amount of 4:3 footage out there. It would be interesting to see what everyone else thinks.

When I Grow Up I Wanna Work in Advertising

I think this quote sums up my last few months -

When I grow up I want to pitch new business… fill out mindless RFPs

Actually I love pitching for new business. I could really do without the RFPs though.

I was just skimming through my YouTube favourites and ran across this classic monster.com ad still makes me laugh (and cry). Looking at the traditional advertising agency model, it seems that 3-4 years on this ad is almost more relevant than ever.

However, as blunt and in places scathing as this ad is, it still doesn’t dampen my passion for advertising. Sure it just highlights the downsides of our industry, but it doesn’t mention the thrill of nailing a campaign. I love the variation (especially in digital), I love the challenge, and I kind of even like the deadlines! I guess it’s the same with any job – you gotta take the good with the bad!

Anyway, I am sure everyone has already seen it, but here it is again.

online video, meet digital tv!

I remember first getting to play with a video camera in high school some 20 odd years ago. We made a 5 minute school video and it took a week. The editing console looked like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Now I can shoot broadcast quality video on my HD camera, edit it in iMovie or whatever, and have it on Vimeo or YouTube in a couple of hours. According to Google, 13 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and is growing daily. That’s outrageous!

People are watching video online. What’s more everyday people are using it to get heard. Just last night The ONE News YouTube Election Debate was televised nationwide in New Zealand, where you had a chance to ask the 2 main party leaders questions that were important to you by creating a short YouTube video. The best questions uploaded to this site were broadcasted live during the debate and the leaders had to answer them. If that’s not an advertisement for how online video can make you be heard I don’t know what is.

TVNZ ondemand - some of the shows are free to view via the embedded player on the website.

This convergence of online video and conventional TV is only going to become more prevalent. TV will become ultimately more like online video – it will become targeted and it will be measurable. TVNZ has already released it’s new online-video service, TVNZ ondemand – providing on demand television to New Zealanders via their computers. There’s a good mixture of content on the site, from shows that have just been shown to older popular shows.

Combine this with the recently launched “Freeview” Digital TV and radio in New Zealand which is served via satellite or UHF aerial, and TV as we know it is definitely changing. Now regular television shows (when available), instead of being broadcast in only an analogue transmission, are offered in DVD quality and sound delivered in a widescreen format. Get that pumped in to your future wireless enabled handset – phone or ipod or whatever, and now you’re really talking!

“The growth of long-form video online—defined as TV episodes, Web-only shows, complete sports events and full-length movies—will create a wide range of inventory” – David Hallerman, senior analyst at eMarketer

So what does all this mean for my home videos? Well, unless the quality of my content improves significantly, not a lot. Having the technology, and having the talent to produce compelling and entertaining content are two entirely different beasts. It’s an over-used saying, but content really is king. However, with all of these delivery mechanisms constantly improving, it’s pretty damn exciting isn’t it?