Learn from one the largest content delivery providers on how to build one-to-one relationships with your customers and give them access wherever and however they want it.

From mobile phones with wireless broadband to Blu-Ray players with integrated Ethernet, digital media is not just available on a PC any more. Consumers expect access from all of their devices—in the highest fidelity possible—no matter where they are, what time they access it, or how popular the content. These expectations extend beyond digital media to e-commerce purchases, web applications and business transactions.

Jason Thibeault, Senior Director of Technical Services, at Limelight Networks, answers these questions and more so you can develop content with consumption across different platforms and devices in mind.

Get this free white paper now
Learn more about the Limelight Networks CDN Network

Whether your goal on the web is to inform, amuse, sell, entertain, or persuade, your site needs to meet the escalating expectations of today’s Internet users. Rich web pages, rapidfire communications, huge software downloads, and an ever-expanding universe of digital media—ranging from the popular to the personal—require a new approach to content delivery. Partner with Limelight Networks to gain access to:

• Nearly 11,000 servers
• 25 regional Delivery Centers around the world
• 9 petabytes of customer content storage
• Direct connection with more than 900 access networks
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• Global network capacity in excess of 2Tbps

You’ll delight users with 100 percent availability and cutting-edge performance. Your business will benefit from the unmatched flexibility, scalability, and reliability of Limelight’s CDN architecture. Learn more about how they can accelerate your Internet presence in this Limelight Networks CDN Network Overview!

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YouTube Video Formats

Different formats are created depending on the dimensions of your source videos.   Here is a comparison of what versions you can expect when you upload your videos.  Other formats may be created as well, but at the time of this post, these are the ones you are most likely to encounter.  Once you upload your video and wait for all the versions  to be encoded, you can force YouTube to show you the different versions by appending fmt= and the format number.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf_PtJeTbuI&fmt=22)  The technique for embedding players with different formats is explained further in this post.

High Definition (16:9)  e.g.  Upload a 1280×720 or 1920×1080 video

• fmt=0 (Default low quality version)
  Video:  320×180 H.263 (Sorenson Spark) FLV Approx. 330 Kbps
  Audio:  MP3 Approx. 64Kbps 22KHz MONO
• fmt=6  (Higher quality FLV version)
  Video:  480×270 H.263 (Sorenson Spark) FLV Approx. 800 Kbps
  Audio:  MP3 Approx. 96Kbps 44.1KHz MONO CBR
• fmt=18 (High quality MP4)
  Video: 480×270 AVC H.264 MP4 Approx. 500 Kbps VBR
  Audio: AAC Approx. 128Kbps 44.1KHz Stereo VBR
• fmt=22 (Highest quality MP4)
  Video: 1280×720 H.264 MP4 Approx. 2Mbps VBR
  Audio: AAC Approx. 254Kbps Stereo VBR

Notes:
The full HD fmt=22 version is one of the best video formats seen on the web.  Unfortunately YouTube does not have a option to display it at the actual 1280×720 dimensions.

Standard Definition Widescreen (16:9)  e.g.  Upload a 480×270 video or any video that is 16:9 and less than 1280×720

• fmt=0 (Default low quality version)
  Video:  320×180 H.263 (Sorenson Spark) FLV Approx. 340 Kbps
  Audio:  MP3 Approx. 64Kbps 22KHz MONO
• fmt=6  (Higher quality FLV version)
  Video:  480×270 H.263 (Sorenson Spark) FLV Approx. 800 Kbps
  Audio:  MP3 Approx. 96Kbps 44.1KHz MONO CBR
• fmt=18 (Highest quality MP4)
  Video: 480×270 AVC H.264 MP4 Approx. 500 Kbps VBR
  Audio: AAC Approx. 128Kbps 44.1KHz Stereo VBR

Notes:
The 16:9 options are encoded at almost identical data rates to the 4:3 videos.  Again, I am surprised that they did not release a format at 640×360.
Standard Definition (4:3) e.g.  Upload a 640×480 video

• fmt=0 (Default low quality version)
  Video:  320×240 H.263 (Sorenson Spark) FLV Approx. 340 Kbps
  Audio:  MP3 Approx. 64Kbps 22KHz MONO
• fmt=6  (Higher quality FLV version)
  Video:  480×360 H.263 (Sorenson Spark) FLV Approx. 900 Kbps
  Audio:  MP3 Approx. 96Kbps 44.1KHz MONO CBR
• fmt=18 (Highest quality MP4)
  Video: 480×360 AVC H.264 MP4 Approx. 500 Kbps VBR
  Audio: AAC Approx. 128Kbps 44.1KHz Stereo VBR

Notes:
I am really surprised that they do not offer 640×480 version, especially now that they support HD sizes.  640×480 would be ideal for SD content on fast broadband connections.

How to set different YouTube formats in embedded players

If you have ever tried to embed a YouTube player to your site, you have noticed that even though they offer multiple size options, they only stream the low (fmt = 0) videos.   On the HD videos embedded players, they do offer a toggle for HD, but there is no option like this on the SD player and no guarantee that your site visitors will know it is there.

Fortunately, there is a easy work around so that you can embed videos on your site at any quality format (fmt) that your video has been encoded to.  Additionally, you can set the player frame size to match the encoded frame size of your video.

First, copy the embed code from the YouTube website.  It should look similar to the following snippet.

<object width=”640″ height=”385″>
<param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf_PtJeTbuI&hl=en&fs=1″>
</param>
<param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param>
<param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param>
<embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf_PtJeTbuI&hl=en&fs=1” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”640″ height=”385″>
</embed>
</object>

In both places where it shows the URL to the video, you will need to replace the code “&hl=en&fs=1” with “&ap=%2526fmt%3D22” where the 22 at the end corresponds to the format number you want to display.  Here is what it would look like for all the different formats above:

http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf_PtJeTbuI&ap=%2526fmt%3D0

http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf_PtJeTbuI&ap=%2526fmt%3D6

http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf_PtJeTbuI&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf_PtJeTbuI&ap=%2526fmt%3D22

For best results, you should set the width and height (both locations) to match the encoded width and height (+25 to the height in order to  account for the player controls) of the format number you choose.  For example, to display a full HD version (fmt=22) you will set the width and height to width=”1280″ and height=”745″ (720 + 25).  Here is a example of the embed code above modified to display the full HD version.  View Demo

<object width=”1280″ height=”745″>
<param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf_PtJeTbuI&ap=%2526fmt%3D22“>
</param>
<param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param>
<param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param>
<embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf_PtJeTbuI&ap=%2526fmt%3D22” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”1280″ height=”745″>
</embed>
</object>

Download and inspect your videos

If you want to learn more about the various formats that YouTube encodes your videos to, you should download them and look at the specs.  Although YouTube has started putting dowload links on some videos, with the right tools you can download any format of any video quite easily.  There are many sites such as KeepVid (http://keepvid.com) that allow you to enter the YouTube URL and download, but I have found in my experience that they do not offer downloads for all the formats.

The best method I have found so far is by using the Firefox extension Download Helper (http://www.downloadhelper.net/).  Once installed you simply navigate to the video page you want to download, select the format and start the video.  Then the drop down will appear in your toolbar to be able to download.

Once downloaded, you can use the free open source VLC player (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) to view either MP4 or FLV videos.  To view the specs for your videos I highly recommend the free open source MediaInfo tool (http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en).  MediaInfo tool  is amazing and will allow you to view everything from codecs to bitrates and other metadata available in your files.

Details from my fmt 22 YouTube HD Video

YouTube APIs and Tools

YouTube offers several APIs and tools you can use to further integrate YouTube’s content into your own website or application.   Basic tools include adding a YouTube search or video bar to your site in a few minutes without advanced web skills.

Search Bar Demo | Video Bar Demo

For developers looking to design their own embedded players in Flash or chromeless players controlled by JavaScript, the Player API has you covered.  The Data API allows developers using server-side programming advanced integration with virtually every aspect of YouTube, including uploading, searching, feeds, related videos ad more.  Full developer guides for different languages are provided.

The Getting Started Guide (http://code.google.com/apis/youtube/getting_started.html) is a great place to learn more about the available APIs and Tools.

The YouTube Community

If you have not been to the YouTube help forums (http://help.youtube.com/group/youtube-help?pli=1) ,  they offer a wealth of infomration and you should definitely check them out.  The Announcements forum will keep you up to date with the latest features added to the system and the “How do I…” section is good to find out more about issues you and other users may be experiencing and how to accomplish certain tasks within the system.    You can also post bugs and feature requests.

Related posts:

1. 10 Expert Tips for Encoding Web Video Keep these tips handy for the next time you encode...
2. How To Encode Your Videos For YouTube’s New High Quality Option Now that YouTube has started offering higher quality videos,...

When I wrote my first YouTube post 4 months ago entitled “How to Encode Your Videos for YouTube’s New High Quality Option” , I would never have thought YouTube would make the move to HD resolution so quickly.  They went from a maximum resolution of 480×270 directly to 1280×720!  I’m sure this change has caught many off guard and everyone is now scrambling to get their videos converted to HD to take advantage of the awesome new quality settings being offered.  Many users that are new to HD or encoding for YouTube are probably wondering where to begin.   This guide will attempt to explain the new changes in detail and show you how to encode your videos for YouTube HD.

YouTube HD Specs

I downloaded a few YouTube HD videos (Using the Firefox extension DownloadHelper) and used MediaInfo to peek under the hood to find out all the juicy technical details.  I have seen many sites speculate on the data rates and resolution of the new format but few are reporting accurate information.

Video

• 1280×720 at 29.97 progressive (other framereates like 24, 25, 30 should work as well)
• H.264 codec in MP4 wrapper
• Variable bit rate averaging 2mpbs

Audio

• AAC
• 44.1 kHz Stereo
• Variable bit rate from averaging 100kbps - 256kbps

So yes, for everyone wondering, YouTube is really in HD.  Next I will show you how to encode your files…

Recommended Settings for Your Videos

If you haven’t read my previous post, please do so now.  This new guide will give you the settings to use, but will not go into the same level as detail as the previous guide.  Most of the basics about preparing your videos are the same and there is no need to repeat it here.  These instructions are only for 16:9 HD resolution videos.  If your videos are 4:3 Standard definition, the settings in the first guide still apply.  I do not recommend upscaling 480i/p videos to 720p.

Depending on the encoding software you use, certain settings may not be available.  If you are unsure of what to do, please post your question in the comments of this thread.   If you would like me to encode your file(s) or give you custom settings for your workflow, please contact me at webvideotechniques@gmail.com

Now open your favorite encoding software, import your source file and enter the following settings.

Video

• 1280×720
• 29.97 FPS Progressive (Note: use whatever frame rate your source file is set to.  As long as it is progressive it should be ok.)
• H.264 codec in MP4 wrapper (I recommend the Main Concept encoder if you have access to it, otherwise x264 will be fine)
• Set your data rate from 4000kbps to 8000kbps (Higher data rates in the source video will give the YouTube encoder more data to work with)
• Enable 2 pass VBR encoding if it is available

Audio

• AAC  (Use MP3 if AAC is not available)
• 44.1kHz Stereo
• 256kbps data rate

I have tested these settings using SUPER, Handbrake, Sorenson Squeeze and encoding directly from Sony Vegas.  I set all of the settings as close as possible and was able to get acceptable results from all of them (although there was some slight issues with each application which I will discuss in a later post).  My source file was a AVCHD 18mbps 1920×1080 30p file which I converted to a JPG 99% QuickTime video prior to encoding since AVCHD was not supported across the encoders.

These settings should produce a 10 minute file well under the 1GB upload limit.  The file I encoded was 43 seconds and the encoded filesize was anywhere from 39 - 43MB depending on which software I used.

I have attempted to embed the HD version of the video below.  If it does not show you the HD version,  go to the following URL and make sure you click the “Watch in HD” link at the bottom right under the video player.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf_PtJeTbuI&fmt=22

Were you able to obtain great results with this guide?  Have a question about encoding or other video topic?  Please be sure to post your feedback in the comments.

Related posts:

1. How To Encode Your Videos For YouTube’s New High Quality Option Now that YouTube has started offering higher quality videos,...
2. 10 Expert Tips for Encoding Web Video Keep these tips handy for the next time you encode...

Now that YouTube has started offering higher quality videos, the old settings for encoding your videos should be tossed out the window. This tutorial will walk you through the steps required to encode your video for YouTube using the free SUPER Video Encoder . If you are using a professional software like Sorenson Squeeze or Apple Compressor, or even the inexpensive QuickTime Pro Player, many of the same settings will be available. Additionally, if your editing software supports H.264 (as either MP4 or MOV) encoding, you may be able to skip the reencoding process and export directly for upload to YouTube using the compression settings below. If you are unsure of the equivalent setting or would like me to include specific instructions for your application, please leave a note in the comments.

*******************************************

UPDATE 12/6/2008

If you are producing HD (16:9) videos for YouTube, you should refer to my latest post on how to encode for YouTube HD format located at:

http://webvideotechniques.com/123/bigger-and-better-encoding-for-youtube-hd

UPDATE 5/30/09

The default QuickTime H.264 export only supports up to 2Mbps as it uses the Baseline profile.  You may want to use SUPER, Handbrake or a professional encoding software like Squeeze or Episode Pro to compress your video.

This guide recommends SUPER, but I now prefer and recommend the free and open source encoder Handbrake (http://handbrake.fr/) 

This tutorial assumes that you already have edited your video and have exported to the highest quality possible.

Here are some tips for exporting from your NLE software before encoding:

• Export uncompressed video and audio as MOV or AVI
• Make sure your video is progressive/deinterlaced
• If your video is SD NTSC, then export as 640×480 (if you are using PAL you will need to crop first)
• If your video is 16:9 widescreen but  less than 1280×720, export as 640×360 (If your video is 1280×720 or above, then refer to the HD guide at http://webvideotechniques.com/123/bigger-and-better-encoding-for-youtube-hd)
• Use 44.1KHz Sample rate to avoid audio quality issues

The current high quality resolution on YouTube is 480×360 (4:3 SD) and 480×270 (16:9 Widescreen). During testing I found that uploading a 640×480 (4:3 SD) or 640×360 (16:9 Widescreen) produced a higher end data rate even though YouTube downsizes the resolution during encoding. Using the larger resolution (and data rate) source file also future-proofs your video if they decide to raise the quality level again in the future. That way you do not have to re-upload later if they change the size/quality. Now that they are allowing up to 1024MB (1GB) for uploads, there is plenty of room to go with the higher resolution version.

I downloaded a few of the new high quality videos and most have been approximately 400-500kbps Video and 120kbs for the audio, a nice bump up from the 250-350 combined data rates for the lower quality. One of the reasons that they look so good is due to the fact they are using the new H.264 codec in a MP4 wrapper for the video and AAC audio. The H.264 codec is the de facto standard for high quality video on the web today and the older Flash codecs Spark pro and On2 VP6 just can’t deliver the same quality level vs filesize at the same data rates.

Our goal is to upload the highest quality possible that will take full advantage of the current high quality video encoding as well as give us some headroom for future quality increases.

Enough with the details, just give me the encoding settings!

1. Open SUPER and import your source video. Make sure you do not change any default settings except for the ones noted below.
2. Set Output Container as: MP4
3. Set Output Video Codec as: H.264/AVC
4. Set Output Audio Codec as: AAC LC
5. Under Video Scale Size, check the More box and enter 640 : 480 (4:3) or 640 : 360 (16:9 widescreen)
6. Set Aspect to 4:3 for SD or 16:9 for HD/Widescreen
7. Set Frames per Second to match the fps of your source video  (Note: As long as your Source is progressive, you can use virtually any frame rate 24, 25,30, etc.)
8. For Bitrate kbps, choose 4080
9. IMPORTANT: Depending on the amount of movement and color in your video, you may need to raise the bitrate. During testing using a clip with a lot of motion, 4080 provided the best end results. If the video you export has blocks or artifacts, then you may try raising the bitrate to 5000kbps.
10. Make sure “Hi Quality” selected BUT NOT “Top Quality”
11. Uncheck 48k Audio
12. Select a Sample Rate of 44100
13. Set the channels to 2
14. For Bitrate kbps, select 256
15. Click the encode button to encode your video

Below is a screenshot of the SUPER interface with all of the correct settings:

Here is the equivalent settings in Sorenson Squeeze 5:

With the video that I used for this tutorial, I found that if I uploaded a video that was less than 4080kbps, then the end bitrate after YouTube encoded it was lower and if I raised the bitrate to higher than 4080kbps, then the end bitrate was the same as it was when I used 4080kbps.

Here are some details from my tests:

640×360 @ 3000kbps, end result was 480×270 @ 439kbps
640×360 @ 4000kbps, end result was 480×270 @ 501kbps (Sweet spot)
640×360 @ 5000kbps, end result was 480×270 @ 501kbps

For audio, the bitrate capped out at 124kbps.

Here is the final video (High Quality version) on YouTube (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ePOV7CWpLSA&fmt=18)

(Special Thanks to My Digital Life for the tip on how to get the embed code to show the high quality version)

If you have any questions or tips for encoding high quality You Tube videos, please post in the comments. Also, if you used these settings to encode your video(s) for YouTube, post links to your videos.

Related posts:

1. Bigger and Better: Encoding for YouTube 720p HD When I wrote my first YouTube post 4 months...
2. 10 Expert Tips for Encoding Web Video Keep these tips handy for the next time you encode...

Jeroen Wijering’s JW FLV Player is one of the most versatile website media players available. You can easily embed it into your website to display any media format supported by the Adobe Flash Player. Now at version 4, the JW FLV Player has been in active development for many years and has an active forum & user community.

One of the biggest drawbacks of most website media players is the lack of support for content management systems, blogging platforms and other 3rd party applications. This is where the JW FLV Player shines with multiple plugins available to easily use the player in your Wordpress blog, Drupal/Joomla website and many more applications.

Below is a demo of the player using it’s default skins. I was able to embed this player into the post using only one line of code!

Features

• Works with FLV, MP4, MP3, AAC, JPG, PNG and GIF
• Supports RTMP and HTTP (Lighttpd) streaming, RSS, XSPF and ASX playlists
• Version 4 has fully skinning support and a skin library
• Uses FlashVars for configuration
• JavaScript API for interactivity with your website applications
• Full documentation and easy to follow tutorials
• Active community and Wiki
• Plugins available for easy integration with a wide variety of CMS, blog, and other systems.

The JW FLV Player is a free download for non-commericial use (Creative Commons license) and commercial licenses are available starting from 20 euros.

WebVideoTechniques is a big fan of the JW FLV Player and we use it for all of the videos on this website. We like it so much that we have given it a full 5 Star rating. If you are currently using different player or looking for a player for your next project, look no further than the JW FLV Player.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Learn more & downlad the JW FLV Player at http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=JW_FLV_Player

While you’re there be sure to checkout Jeroen’s other projects including the JW WMV Player (based on Silverlight), the JW Image Rotator and Longtail Video, a innovative way to monetize your online video projects. In the future we hope to look at these other projects in greater detail.

If you currently use the JW FLV Player or have any questions, be sure to post your feedback in the comments!

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This is the first free download offered by WebVideoTechniques. It is a free :30 clip that was shot with a Canon Vixia HF100. It has been slightly compressed to keep the file size down and converted to a QuickTime MOV 1280×720 at 30fps so it is easy to use with most editing software.

Web sample version and link to download after the break.

If you have any specific footage you would like to see, other formats to download or anything else to say, please post in the comments.

The license for this clip is 100% free for any personal or commercial use.

Click here to download the free HD footage (.zip - 123 MB)

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There are quite a few recognizable names like YouTube and Blip.tv, but most of them I had never heard of including Break.com,  ExpertVillage.com, Jaman and more. Although some of the information is out of date considering how fast things change on the web, most of the sites listed are still active.  In addition to online distribution, Scott also lists some sites that offer DVD Burning and DVD Merchandising services. If you produce web video and would like to look into ways you can get paid for your work, then this list is a great starting point.  Be sure to check out his book as well.

http://www.scottkirsner.com/webvid/gettingpaid.htm

Do you know of any other ways to make money on your web videos or tried any of the services in the list?  Be sure to post your feedback in the comments!

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New Features

• Variety of audience & device preset bundles
• 3 new H.264 MPEG4 codecs including support for Flash H.264 video
• Enhanced filters for deinterlacing and other video & audio preprocessing
• Surround Sound 5.1 and 7.1 encoding
• Vast input codec support
• Watermarking for all output formats

Squeeze 5 Pro encodes to many popular formats including MPEG 1/2, MP3, MPEG 4 and H.264, Real, QuickTime, Windows Media, Flash FLV (Spark Pro and On2 VP6) and supports the advanced encoding settings which are not available in other encoding software. This is one of the main reasons that makes Squeeze a natural choice for video professionals looking to deliver the highest quality at the lowest filesize.

Unfortunately, all of that power does not come cheap. The pro version of Squeeze 5 is $599 for Windows and $779 for Mac. Both versions include the On2 VP6 codec for high quality FLV encoding. If you don’t need all the features of the regular pro version (eg - Windows Media, QuickTime, MPEG 1/2, Real encoding) the Squeeze 5 for Flash Pro might be a better option for only $299. A product comparison is available on the Squeeze 5 product page to help you find out which version is best for your needs.

Squeeze has come a long way over the years and Squeeze 5 raises the bar considerably. I think it is probably the all around best video encoding software available today.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Learn more and download a free trial at Sorenson Media

Related posts:

1. Flowplayer: Open Source Flash Video Player For Your Website Adding Flash Video to a website without using a...
2. Calculating Bitrates For Web Video To accompany his latest book on Flash Video, Robert Reinhardt...

If you are looking to start a career as a video blogger or just looking learn more about live streaming services and web video distribution be sure to check it out.

Tools For Your Video Career via TechCrunch

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Website Magazine
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Each issue of Streaming Media Magazine will focus on a special theme, but every issue offers must-read features, commentary, and reviews for readers in all markets. Written and edited by industry practitioners, experienced users, and streaming business experts Streaming Media Magazine is the trusted resource for organizations investing in enterprise, news/entertainment, and education applications for streaming and other digital media. Subscribe Now!

Videography
Videography’s objective is to offer its readers—film, video and audio professionals in the production and post-production communities—a current, relevant resource for business and technology information. The magazine’s readers depend on its combination of news, reviews, interviews and tutorials to keep them informed and connected to their industry. Subscribe Now!

DV Magazine
Since 1993, DV (Digital Video) Magazine has served the information needs of professionals involved in the production, postproduction, and delivery of digital video. Written and produced by experts in the field, DV (Digital Video) provides objective, hard-hitting, and in-depth product information. Subscribe Now!

Keep in mind that these are top quality leading publications available at no cost! Make sure to subscribe while the offer is still available.

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2. OpenFootage.net - Free Open Source Full HD Timelapse & High Resolution Textures Don’t have a camera that can shoot HD? Need...