The Search for the Ultimate Video Host
For the last eighteen months, I’ve managed to make video tutorials my little niche. I first benefited from them when learning ASP.NET 2.0. For those unfamiliar, their video tutorial catalog is unparalleled among all frameworks. Though I do enjoy sitting on the couch with a nice web development book, nothing – in my opinion – can be explained as easy and succinctly as a well delivered video tutorial.
Right around that time, I started thinking to myself, “Hey – this might be fun to do on my own blog!” It started with a bunch of truly horrible video tuts that were uploaded to YouTube. At the time, I literally had no knowledge of screencasting (not much different than now, hehe). I was recording through my computer’s built-in mic at full resolution, 30 frames per second, and then uploading to a site that over-compresses. As a result, the videos were just embarrassing as hell – not to mention the fact that you couldn’t even read the code after the compression.
Finding the Right Host
Let’s face it; recording these things is pretty tough. If you’ve created one yourself, I’m sure you’re aware of all the hiccups that can potentially occur.
- Software randomly stops recording
- The audio somehow falls out of alignment
- Lots of stumbling on your words – requiring post editing
- Determining the correct frame-rate, resolution, audio quality
- etc.
Over the course of the next few months, I experimented with nearly every video host available. Viddler, Vimeo, MegaVideo, etc. Though definitely better, the quality was still too poor – and pay sites like screencast.com, though fantastic, were out of my budget. Luckily, I believe through a recommendation from Twitter, I came across Blip.tv, which, even to this day, offers an incredible – and free – service. If you upload an .flv screencast directly, rather than relying on them to convert it for you, the final product is WYSIWYG – quite literally. As I understand it, they don’t do any further compressing.
Additionally, they setup an iTunes feed for you – which is really great for those (like me) who don’t have time to read through the documentation.
Enter Screenr
To my amazement, a new site called Screenr makes the process of recording video tutorials as easy as it can possibly be. Simply hook up your mic and press record – no software or configuration necessary. Next, consider the facts that they provide the video hosting for free and the quality far surpasses any free competitors – by a significant margin.
To me – this means that I can spend less time pulling my hair out, and more time teaching and learning – which is what I enjoy most. In no way is this a paid posting. On the contrary – I’m simply extremely impressed by the service – and what they have coming in the next few months. In fact, on Nettuts+ we use the wonderful Screencast.com service to host our videos at maximum quality. However, if you need to record a quick five minute video for your company or blog, don’t waste your time researching five different pieces of software. Just login to Screenr, press record, and be done with it.
Survey Says…
- Screencast.com: Wonderful video hosting – if you can afford it. A+
- Screenr: They currently limit recording to 5 minutes; however, you won’t find an easier system available. A+
- Blip.tv: For longer video tutorials and free hosting, you won’t beat Blip.tv. Just make sure that you upload an FLV – rather than a MOV file – for maximum quality. A-
Two New Videos Tuts Today
With all that said, I just so happened to record two new video tutorials today for Nettuts+.
Quick and Easy Filtering with jQuery
How to Redirect IE6 Users in 90 Seconds
If you just want the quick snippet for the tip above, here you go!
<!--[if lte IE 6]>
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
alert('Please upgrade your browser - seriously!')
window.location = 'http://www.mozilla.com/firefox';
</script>
<![endif]-->