Seeking opinions on video clip formats on web sites

[*Shira*]

I know a lot of people like to host their video clips on youtube. This thread is for those who DON'T do that, those who instead put their video clips on their own web sites. AND, this thread is for those of you who visit such web sites and want to view the clips they contain.

What are people's current thoughts with respect to which video formats to provide? Do you like the Flash video format that youtube uses but requires you to have Flash installed and working? Do you like the MPG format that is cross-platform but doesn't stream? Do you like the Windows WMV format, which streams and plays nicely with Windows Media Player but doesn't like other players as much? Do you like the Apple QuickTime format that streams but requires you to have the QuickTime player in order to view it?

On this web page, I offer three formats, MPG, Windows Media Player WMV, and Apple QuickTime MOV: "There's a Place in France" - That "Snake Charmer" Song

Is it overkill? Should I just pick one? Are people confused by having multiple choices?

If I should just pick one, which one? Should I choose MPG because it's universal and plays in whatever player the person already has, or is it a problem because it doesn't stream? Should I choose WMV because of the market share dominance that Windows has? Should I choose Apple QuickTime because not only is it Mac-friendly but it's also increasingly common on people's Windows machines thanks to iTunes? Should I pick Flash video due to youtube having popularized the format?

One of the reasons I'm asking is regarding the web site that I built for my sister-in-law, a surgeon: Comprehensive Breast Care of Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Dr. Juliann Reiland-Smith, Female Surgeon Specializing in Breast Cancer . On both her "who we are" and "what we do" pages, I have video clips of her talking about her practice. Currently, there are two versions of each clip, one in Windows WMV format and one in Apple QuickTime MOV. She has received feedback that people are confused regarding which one to click on, so she's thinking it might be better to provide only one. The risk, of course, is that if we provide only one, then some users may have to download special software to view it.

Opinions? Recommendations?

[mahsati]

When I visit sites, I prefer flash or quicktime b/c they both stream and I already have both installed for use with other sites, but I am less likely to play any file format that requires me to download a video file before playing.

I have a scriptblocker that requires me to actively choose which things to load (for safety) which is why I prefer youtube overall. If a dancer prefers not to use youtube, I would be most likely to view their videos if in flash.

edit: However, I don't like flash websites...different can of worms :)

[danielabellydance]

I don't know the technical terms of what I prefer, but I like it if the video will play *right there* (and I don't have to open something else like Window Media Player) and I don't need to install a plugin or whatever else they ask me to do. Which is why I really prefer when people just embed Youtube videos on their sites.

[Asim]

She has received feedback that people are confused regarding which one to click on, so she's thinking it might be better to provide only one. The risk, of course, is that if we provide only one, then some users may have to download special software to view it.

Opinions? Recommendations?

Provide both. The White House blog does it well, providing Flash-based video, as well as download links for higher-quality versions -- and also doing the same on their YouTube channels. Take a look at the Bo's first day blog entry there for an example of how they do it.

If you have the space, and the extra interest, this provides the best of both worlds; the big YouTube flash box is an obvious marker for people, who've learned that the box means "video", reducing your levels of confusion greatly. Meanwhile, those more savvy can download w/o incident.

As to format for the download video...*sigh* Honestly, either way you go, you'll have issues -- this is part of why the Flash video format is so popular, is it's ease-of-use! And once you get off the bog-standards, like WMV and MOV, it becomes a mess -- AVI is a container for a host of encodings, as is MPEG/MPG. But when push comes to shove, you're likely best off, if you have to pick one and it needs to be as small and cross-platform as possible, with the MPEG 4 codec. And yes, that's again like the WH blog, but it also is what I've seen used extensively on the 'net. The downsides include taking a heck of a long time (lots of CPU churn!) to process...

[laura 2]

As to format for the download video...*sigh* Honestly, either way you go, you'll have issues -- this is part of why the Flash video format is so popular, is it's ease-of-use! And once you get off the bog-standards, like WMV and MOV, it becomes a mess -- AVI is a container for a host of encodings, as is MPEG/MPG. But when push comes to shove, you're likely best off, if you have to pick one and it needs to be as small and cross-platform as possible, with the MPEG 4 codec. And yes, that's again like the WH blog, but it also is what I've seen used extensively on the 'net. The downsides include taking a heck of a long time (lots of CPU churn!) to process...

One of the reasons I offer the alternative of viewing my clips on YouTube as well as for download from my site is to avoid the above. When I only had clips on my site, I was getting complaints from clients, friends and family that the clips "didn't work", that they "crashed their computer", etc. It was such a hassle trying to trouble shoot other people's computers and figure out why they were having problems. Since at the time I was doing IT support over the phone as a day job, the frustration of having to do it on my Belly Dance time as well nearly caused me to take down my Video Clips page entirely.

Now that I offer both options, I don't fret about what file type I upload to my site (I use .wmv, for the most part). I just upload it, and if people have a problem, there's a clear link at the top of the page that says "If you cannot download the clips from this page, they can be viewed on YouTube here" Since I added the option, I've not gotten a single complaint about problems with my video clips.

[andalee-oriental]

I don't like Quick time. I like streaming. I also don't like it to open in another window, I want it to stay embedded in the Website. That's my preference.