Resources to guide you on the digital media bi-ways

• "A Guide to Great Web Video: Preprocessing Tips" at streamingmedia.com
  

  Delivering good quality video almost invariably requires preprocessing of source video. Contributor Barb Roeder lays the groundwork in discussing some of the most important preprocessing filters.
  

• An In-Depth Look at Video Compression
  This original tutorial is a great starting place for newbie compressionists who want to get the most from their compression utilities.
  
  
  • Part I: Preprocessing Audio and Video for the Web
    
    
  • Part II: Compression Parameters for Web Codecs
    
    
  • Part III: Batch Processing and Productivity Tips
    
    
• "The Other Side of Compression"
  New codecs from On2, DivX and ZygoVideo reviewed by Barb Roeder
  
  
• See also MPEG Resources and QT Tutorials and Books.

Broadcast Engineering articles

MPEG resources

Training Classes

Archives

About the Author: Barb Roeder, Founder, BarbWired LLC has been a prolific writer for streamingmedia.com, StreamingMedia magazine, as well as DV and Broadcast Engineering magazines. Most articles are in-depth technical explanations of the technologies you need to delivery your digital media more effectively.

Broadcast Engineering articles

• "The Scalability of Web Video" September, 2009.
  Scaling Internet video to meet changing network conditions is required for a seamless end user experience. To streamline production, broadcasters look to scalability for the varied bandwidths of delivery platforms, from 100 kb/s-200 kb/s for wireless to 3 Mb/s and higher for HD delivery, and everything in between. This article discusses the options, deployed and in development, that can make this a reality for both producers and consumers of online video.
  
  
• "Multiformat Encoding" March, 2008.
  Today, the myriad array of formats, networks, and devices used on the delivery and consumption of video and audio streams creates a true challenge for broadcasters. As advertising dollars shift to take advantage of these mobile audiences, it makes sense for broadcasters to develop their infrastructure to reach them as well. Technically, there are several stages in the process that need to be addressed to maintain quality and compatibility with the current field of delivery destinations including what playback devices are being targeted, what encoding parameters will best match these platforms, and whether multiple formats should also be encoded.
  
  
• "Turning Online Services into Revenue" June, 2006.
  Today, as the industry matures, there is more and more evidence that streaming media can be a profitable arm of a broadcasters business model.
  
  
• "TV Broadcasting on the Internet" August, 2005.
  Technology for Internet delivery of audio and video channels has evolved, allowing broadcasters to create a full range of content 24/7 and cater to niche markets worldwide. In addition to the infrastructure needed for encoding and delivery, a large-scale effort to deliver content to a diverse audience will require automation, content management strategies and methods for tracking usage. The key is to cater to an audience that looks for personalization in all aspects of its viewing experience, including interactivity, viewer controls and the ability to schedule a convenient viewing time and location.
  
  
• "Tools for DVD Production" September, 2003.
  DVD sales and rentals have exploded and low-cost players, and drives have found a place the corporate environment as well. Video producers need to look toward new tools to keep them competitive in this arena, and developers are answering that call with affordable and feature-rich applications to create professional content on a DVD.
  
  

See also Digital Archives and QT Tutorials and Books.

MPEG Resources

• "MPEG Basics for Producers" DV Magazine, May, 2000.
  The better you understand how MPEG works, the better your MPEG video will look. DV now requires a free membership to view articles, but I'm working on getting this one on my site permanently. Email me at barbwiredllc@earthlink.net if you'd like a copy.
  
  
• "MPEG for All" by Barb Roeder, Streaming Media Magazine, Sept/Oct 2001.
  The multi-level standard for packaging and delivering digital media could be the key to opening new doors with your content. We shed light on the maze of MPEG specs, and pay special attention to the emerging standard, MPEG-4.
  
  
• "Choosing Compression Formats" Broadcast Engineering, October, 2004.
  This article takes a look at how MPEG stacks up to other proprietary compression formats for producing content online, on DVDs and in high definition.
  
  

See also MPEG training classes and find out What's on the frontier with MPEG-4.

QuickTime Tutorials and Books

• "Creating Rich Media with Quicktime" by Barb Roeder, as seen in the Premiere issue of Streaming Media Magazine.
  Some of the lesser known, but most powerful features of Quicktime are discussed in this article, complete with examples and step-by-step instructions on how to make and use text tracks , HREFs in QT movies, sprites and Flash integration. If your business is streaming media, you need to take a look at what QT can do for you.




• "Embedded Players, Skins and More Fun with QT and Flash"
  This tutorial takes a look at some of the options available with the newly released QuickTime 5 architecture from Apple. Customizable skins and movie controllers are covered, with an in-depth description of how to use Macromedia's Flash application to do it all. Includes online examples of progressive download and true streaming QT movies.
  
  
• Revolutionary Quicktime Pro 5 and 6
  Why just watch when you can interact? With the future of interactive media expanding all around us it's good to know that you can realize the projects you have in mind and get them out into the world. Barb Roeder contributes a chapter to this Friends of Ed publication entitled: "Transport: Delivering to the Audience" covering DVD options and network delivery of dynamic Quicktime content.
  
  

Digital Archives

• "Choosing Compression Formats" Broadcast Engineering, October, 2004.
  This article takes a look at how MPEG stacks up to other proprietary compression formats for producing content online, on DVDs and in high definition.
  
  
• "The Future of Internet Broadcasting" Broadcast Engineering, April, 2003.
  How does Internet broadcasting meet the needs of a diverse audience wanting to pull content whenever and wherever they want to view it?
  
  
• "DVD Production Tips" Broadcast Engineering, August, 2001.
  Bit budgeting allows the developer to plan for the video and audio content, and the client to brace for the cost of the project.
  
  
• "Getting Started with Streaming Media"
  The basic steps to delivering streaming media to your audience are as follows: produce, capture, encode, serve. The question for content producers and broadcasters is how to follow the trend and stay ahead of the technology curve in this evolving industry.
  
  
• "MPEG for All" by Barb Roeder, Streaming Media Magazine, Sept/Oct 2001.
  The multi-level standard for packaging and delivering digital media could be the key to opening new doors with your content. We shed light on the maze of MPEG specs, and pay special attention to the emerging standard, MPEG-4.
  
  

Please contact us for other opportunities to meet the needs of your business, staff and customers.

BarbWired --- Your technology training source