If you haven’t read my initial blog about Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/d99dl6 , I encourage you to do so before reading this blog, because this article is a real-world example of what I lay out in that post.

With that said, here goes:

While sipping my coffee this Sunday morning, I read in the print section of today’s Baltimore Sun a McClatchy newswire story about OLED displays and how they are about almost to enter our everyday lives.

This is just the sort of article I like to refer to in the “David’s Website Picks” section of my website http://tinyurl.com/4lw9ag

So I went to the Sun website www.BaltimoreSun.com and tried to find the article.  Hmmm, maybe just me, but I couldn’t find it.

So I went to the McClatchy website http://www.mcclatchydc.com/ and hmmm again, still couldn’t find it.

But when I Googled for the article, sure enough, the Chicago Tribune had the story.  www.ChicagoTribune.com  (actual story: http://tinyurl.com/lxgqq5)

(OK, I know there is a battle going on where newspapers are trying to get some compensation from the major search engines like Google for what I just did, and there is probably merit in that, but regardless, for users like me and you, the bottom line is that with enough effort, we can usually get an online link to the story somehow.)

OK, next . . . those familiar with my website know that the “David’s Website Picks” section (again http://tinyurl.com/4lw9ag ) was something I included right from the launch.  I envisioned it simply as a way to make relevant resources on the web more accessible to my network of contacts and clients.

It has proven to be useful in several ways.

For one, I often direct phone callers (99% of whom are on their computers when they call me) to the section for quick answers to inquiries like international broadcast standards.

And if I am reading my traffic reports correctly, indications are that this section is very popular with visitors who are just browsing or surfing for media info.

Ok, in Part 1 about “Why I Twitter,” (again: http://tinyurl.com/d99dl6 ) I mention the power of the blog.   So now I am able to  reap the fruits of the past two years of blogging from my contributors, guests and me.  To date, www.DavidRyanMediaSolutions.com now has over 100 posts.

Keep following me now . . .

As I read today’s article in the Sun about OLED displays, I recalled that  tech expert and good friend Chris Vazquez, one of my site’s contributors, wrote a column awhile back  about OLED screens.

So this morning, I posted the following at the top of page 3 on my “David’s Website Picks” section:

OLED screens are coming: http://tinyurl.com/lxgqq5 and here is Chris Vazquez’ column on them: http://tinyurl.com/kq9xw7

BUT WHY STOP THERE?   I also posted the same listing in my Twitter account:  www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

And I’ve also set it up so that my Twitter posts automatically also get posted on my LinkedIn page: http:tinyurl.com/DavidRyanLinkedIn

And I post links to all my blogs on my Facebook page. www.Facebook.com search for “DavidRyanMediaSolutions.com”

And . . .

Get the picture?

Let’s keep analyzing this further.

Notice that at the end of Chris’ blog I tell readers how they can contact him (he is tops by the way — a better installation designer and engineer you will never find chris.vazquez@verizon.net ) . . .

and I put in a reminder plug about my core business activity: media replication (CDs, DVDs, videotape) and multimedia services.

and I suggest another blog that might be of interest . . . an article about HTML, XML and XHTML by Leslye James (now Reaves).  http://tinyurl.com/pw7bqp

One concluding observation, and I believe it’s a critical one.  While there is some overlap between those who follow my website on a regular basis and those who follow me on Twitter, I beleive there are still pretty much two distinct camps involved here.

Those who follow my site tend to be more of a ”browsing” frame of mind.  I can tell from the traffic logs that they like to hang around the site for as many as five or six pages per visit.  

Those who come to the site from Twitter seem to be in a different time warp.

I want to be sure I am marketing to both (and I think you do too.)

I welcome your comments below.

Again, feel free to contact me directly at dryan@videolabs.net or 301-217-0000 x104

And yes . . . to repeat, I invite you to follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

If you enjoyed this post, you might also be interested in checking out other blogs on marketing and observations by David Ryan.  Click on the categories after reaching the followng link: http://tinyurl.com/o6orkp

I’ll spare you most of the details, but it basically all started with the trip to the Howard County General Hospital ER http://www.hcgh.org/content/ on a Saturday night after having a severe reaction to something I ate.   In the process, gastric fluids got into the lungs. 

The digestive distress passed rather quickly, but an alert doctor observed that my vital signs were going downhill fast and determined that pneumonia was setting in quickly.  He reversed my heading for discharge, and to my surprise, steered me toward the ICU unit. 

Now we all are aware of the current national debate on health care reform.  And I will not tread into that explosive political arena in this blog.  (see P.S. at bottom of this blog for a most interesting update and link re: Howard County General being featured in a NPR story about health care reform)

But as I was in the ER, the ICU and then the regular ward (total stay was 7 days), I did make a number of marketing observations — both positive and negative, from the perspective of “the client.”  (Robert Middleton, my marketing guru, www.actionplan.com, would have been proud of me.)

Let me start by saying that I smile when people say to me, “Oh, I wouldn’t be good in sales.”  In  my mind, every employee is a salesperson, and we all should realize the importance of that role.

That’s why I’m fond of saying that a receptionist should treat his or her job as “Vice President of First Impressions.”  (I didn’t come up with that - I got that from a seminar I attended 10 years ago with marketer Keith Hatschek, who has since concentrated his work in the music field http://web.pacific.edu/x2357.xml)

And the concept of “everyone is a salesperson” was so obvious to me during my hospital stay at Howard County General.

Think about it.  How do we draw our general opinions about whether a hospital is a “good” patient-oriented hospital or “bad” one.  Isn’t it really based on a few stories you may have heard from others plus perhaps a personal or family experience or two?

So what hospital employee does a patient have the most contact with from which to conclude whether they have had a good or bad experience?

Doctors? - not really — we think of them almost as “independents.” 

It’s the nurses, right?

To prove the point, here’s a common perception in my Ellicott City, Maryland neighborhood:  “Go to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore for the best doctor care, but try to avoid staying over as an in-patient.” 

Now I was an in-patient at Johns Hopkins over 20 years ago, and I had an excellent experience.  But that negative perception about Hopkins, whether accurate or not, still persists in my neighborhood.  Dig down a bit, and one learns that it actually stems from conversations at gatherings based on the experiences of just a few of the neighbors.  (Hint: bad news travels fast at neighborhood social events) 

OK, given that my assumption about nurses carrying a lot of marketing power is accurate, I’d have to say my reaction to my experience at Howard General was mixed. 

On one hand, I had exceptional care from a veteran nurse named Ellen in ICU (I’ll detail more below).

But on the other hand, there were the ER nurses who got so confused with paperwork and bureaucracy that I was actually “lost” for two hours in a corridor waiting for an X-ray.  My wife finally had to invoke something akin to ”habeus corpus” to have me retrieved.

The confusion continued as bewilderment with internal procedures caused another ER nurse to delay my getting to the ICU for 90-minutes.   We finally convinced him to just wheel us up to ICU, and we’d sort it all out there.  When we arrived, the reception by the ICU staff was like, “Where have you been?  We’ve been waiting for you!”  Hmmmm . . .

Finally, what was I to make of the nurse who came in during the fifth day of my stay and asked me what I was in for.   I thought to myself, ”Perhaps you might want to glance at the paperwork at the station before coming in to see me?”

But let’s end on a positive.  Let me go back to that nurse, Ellen, in ICU.  I don’t know her last name (maybe their marketing dept will let me know). 

You could tell from first introduction that Ellen enjoyed her job and was aware of the noble service her profession provides. 

She was well-informed about my condition from the start. 

She was friendly yet firm in making sure I stayed on course toward recovery. 

And then one other thing — she knew how to strike up a brief conversation with me at just the right moment (straight out of Dale Carnegie’s classic book, “How to Win Friends and Influence Others” http://tinyurl.com/zxczy).  We chatted about my daughter and her teenage kids.

Ellen was not the only example of positive nursing I experienced during my stay at Howard County General.  There were certainly others who were top professionals as well.  (For example there was the Asian-American nurse, down in the regular ward, whose name I think was “Yun?,” who worked efficiently and adroitly, yet unobtrusively, while prepping me for discharge.) 

But I think you get my point.  The best overall “salesperson” for Howard County General Hospital during my experience was the nurse named Ellen in ICU.

Now, some of you may discount my assertion by replying, “Sure, in ICU, the nursing to patient ratio is 1:2 or even 1:1, . . . not true elsewhere in the hospital.”

OK, I take the point.  But I learned in our brief conversations that Ellen had worked in almost every other department during her tenure at the hospital.  Something tells me she exhibited the same positive marketing qualities throughout her career. 

What to take from all this? 

When reviewing your business activities, are your front-line employees acting as top marketers and salespeople for your organization, as Ellen is for hers?

I welcome your comments below.

P.S. How coincidental that as I drove home on Fri June 19, I heard NPR feature Howard County General Hospital in its coverage of health care reform http://tinyurl.com/nvrj8e

If you enjoyed this article, you might also want to check out “Fast Track to More Clients,” http://tinyurl.com/4ykpa6

Remember, if you need CDs, DVDs or video duplication or multimedia services, contact me, David Ryan, at 301-217-0000 x104 or dryan@videolabs.net

Also follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

We can provide those services for both standard def and HD videotapes: http://tinyurl.com/6bpxje

and to DVDs as well: http://tinyurl.com/5vgp9m

So a logical next question is what are the options with Blu-ray discs?

Well, as I explain in the above-linked blog, line 21 captions, which are possible to carry through on some DVD recorders, will not get carried through on Blu-ray for the simple fact that Blu-ray is dealing with HD, and there is no line 21 vertical interval in the the HD format.  HD captioning is carried by a metadata stream.

“Ah,” but you say, “yes, but we can author .scc files to standard DVDs and have them act like line 21 captions.   So, isn’t there something like that for Blu-ray discs?”

OK.  Time to turn to one of my expert resources.

We at Video Labs have a client/vendor relationship with several captioning/subtitling providers.   With all the tech developments in media these days, you can imagine that we are always asking and answering questions with our contacts at these companies.  So I asked the above question to good friend and account exec, Heather York, at Vitac www.vitac.com

She replied, “The Blu-ray (player and DVD) was developed without closed captioning specs.  That’s pretty much all there is to it.  Blu-ray does not support closed captioning.  The logic is that users can select subtitles through a DVD menu.”

And frankly, even in standard DVD situations, I find that when given the choice of adding either a .scc file for captions or an .stl file for subtitles, most clients choose the subtitles because they are most aesthetically pleasing.

So there you have it.  No captions for Blu-ray discs, but subtitles yes.

By the way, as I’ve mentioned in other places, another great source to check all-things Blu-ray is “Blu-ray Disc Demystified.” http://tinyurl.com/9qaxjw  One of the listed authors is locally-DC based Chuck Crawford, whose wife and biz partner, Samantha Cheng, also contributed extensively.  The book is really an EXCELLENT resource.   Specifically, on pages 6-29 to 6-30 they talk in detail about Blu-ray subtitles.

Changing the subject a bit, you may also be aware of the current challenges some cable and satellite customers are facing these days in accessing closed captions for DTV andor HD programming.  Here’s an FCC status report on this: http://tinyurl.com/5kjj2a

Heather York mentioned that HDMI cables are also presenting a challenge.  These are the cables that HD viewers use to connect all their HD gear.  These cables are not setup to pass through closed-captioned information. 

Heather adds, “HDMI will only pass captions that have been decoded at a source prior to your TV set.  This means that if your cable box is connected to your HDTV via HDMI, you have to turn on the captions THROUGH THE CABLE BOX.  This is truly confusing, as many cable boxes have to be turned off to even get to the caption menu, and has caused a lot of problem for viewers.”

And one other thing: since Blu-ray players are set to read captions, if you put a standard DVD with captions (either with line 21 info or .scc file), the DVD will play, but the captions cannot be accessed. 

Stay turned.  This will all undoubtedly get worked out.  The question just is when.  For now, let’s just cross our fingers and hope we all get through the DTV transition ok.

And we’ll be sure to keep you updated here at www.DavidRyanMediaSolutions.com

Your comments are most welcomed below.

If you enjoyed this article, you may want to also check out my blog about captions for HDV: http://tinyurl.com/cpwfan

To learn more about our Blu-ray disc duplication capabilities, check out this blog: http://tinyurl.com/a6jqd6

Contact David Ryan at 301-217-0000 x104 or dryan@videolabs.net

Also follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

OK, you are producing a shoot in an office where you are conducting an interview with a high-ranking official of an organization.  She has just exited the office for a bit to allow you and your crew time to set up.

She has left her computer on, and you actually want it to stay on and have it seen in the background of the shot.

As the crew sets up, you overhear that they want to plug in two 600 watt lamps and one 400 watt lamps.  And the question arises, ”Are we going to blow a circuit?”

Uh, a voice goes off in your head crying, “Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!,” as you  recognize, perhaps more than anyone else in the crew (since it was you who spent days setting this shoot up), that being responsible for a black-out in this interviewee’s office  would not be a good thing . . . AT ALL!

But hey, you can impress the crew (and amaze your friends!) by remembering the diagram above, which reflects Ohm’s Law (named for 19th-century German physicist, Georg Ohm http://tinyurl.com/q8k6e6 )

E = Pressure (measured in volts)

I = Movement [or the amount of electricity going by one fixed point at any one time] (measured in amps)

R = Resistance (ohms)

The formula works like this:  E =  I x R or I = P/R or R = E/I

You know that the voltage of wall plugs in the US are 120 volts, so you have the value of E.

And you remember the maintenance engineer saying during the scout (you did the location beforehand with a tech crew member, right?) saying that the office was on a standard 20amp circuit breaker.  So you know somehow you have to be sure you stay under that number.

“But wait a minute,” you say, “What’s about the “watts” of the lamps — I don’t see anything in Ohm’s law about that?”

Well, let’s digress a moment and look at an analogy.

Let’s take the water coming into your house.

The water pressure from the street would be analogous to E.

The movement of the water flow would relate to I.

And let’s say the pipes in their normal configuration create a resistance to the flow of the water by an arbitrary value of 1.

Now, if you were to replace one foot of the intake pipe with a thinner diameter of pipe, you’d in effect be increasing the resistance to the water flow right?  So the value of R would increase to let’s say 2.  And that would lessen the flow or movement (I) of water out the tap, right?  So see, the formula works . . . as the R increases, then I decreases.

“OK, but again, what about the ‘watts’?” you ask.  Stay with me.

We still don’t know how much actual water in gallons is coming out the tap, right?  Or another way of putting it, how much actual “work” or “power” is being generated out of the tap.

That’s where the next formula, Watt’s formula (named in honor of Scottish inventor James Watt http://tinyurl.com/2cszwe ), comes in:

Power (watts) = E (volts)  x I (amps)

Let’s go back to the water analogy to analyze this formula.

If you increased the water pressure from the street connection, more water would come out the tap, right?  Or if you could do something to increase the water flow, that too would increase the end result (aka ”work”), right?

The formula therefore makes sense.

So, using Watt’s Law, we can answer the question of the camera crew.

P = E x I

or said another way, P/E = I

Plug in the numbers:

1,600 watts / 120 volts = 13.3 amps, or well under the circuit breaker limit of 20 amps.  (Please note: commercial building standard circuit breakers are 20amps, most home setups are 15amp breakers, except in kitchens which are usually 20)

Now it pays to be cautious here.  For example, what about the computer and printer your interviewee left on?  And how about the camera and monitor?

Your crew should be able to tell you how many amps their gear pulls, and for anything else on in the room, you can look at the small print on those devices. 

With whatever info you find, either expressed in amps, ohms or watts, by applying the two formulas, Ohm’s Law & Watt’s Law, you should be able to figure out the total electrical “draw.”

Now if you read this far, ok, yes, there is an easy online calculator to help you figure this all out:  http://tinyurl.com/pua2yc  But hey, you wanted to know the logic behind it all, didn’t you?  That’s why you are a producer — you are naturally curious! (smile)

As always, I welcome your comments below.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in Chris Vazquez’ article explaining what “anamorphic” means:  http://tinyurl.com/59jtfd

Need captions for HD tapes? http://tinyurl.com/6bpxje

Contact David Ryan at dryan@videolabs.net or 301-217-0000 x104

Follow me on Twitter @ www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

Well, there are a number of reasons, but let’s take a hard core business marketing reason first.

Paraphrasing an oft-used line from a couple of political campaigns, “It’s all about the blog, stupid.”

Let me digress . . .

I have been to several networking events of late and in discussions with others have asked, “So, have you been delving into Social Media any?”

The answer has usually been something like, “Yeah, I have a Facebook and LinkedIn page.  I do keep up with Facebook, and less so with LinkedIn, etc.”

I then ask, “Are you Twittering?”

The answer has been pretty much along the lines of, “Whew, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with that!”

And I fully appreciate that answer.

Hey, there are much better experts on social media than I, and I sometimes wonder myself whether Twittering is akin to New Year’s Eve in Times Square with everyone shouting, but no one listening.

But alas, again, from a strict business point of view, I can tell you that Twitter is working for me.  And here’s how:

As you know, I consider this site as an “added value” resource for my network of clients and contacts.  And you might also be aware that my team of contributors http://tinyurl.com/d6wtrg and I blog extensively on this site.

The blog subjects range from tape and disc technical explanations to marketing tips, and from IT, multimedia & web topics to writing tips.   I also throw in a few “contemplating my navel” posts as well . . . (just to keep everyone  guessing).

The point is that the blogs are a major factor in adding search engine ”relevancy.”  For example, when you type in a search on Google, what determines the order with which the search results are listed?  There are a complex array of factors, and this all falls under the realm of “search engine optimization,” but one of the most important factors is how much new content is on a particular site.

For example, the Google “spider,” (the black magic algorithm that constantly surveys the net — aka the “bot,” I guess short for “robot”) likes to see new content every few days on a site.  So, more new content means a higher relevancy rating for a site.

And what’s a good way to add new content?  Yeah, you guessed it, blogging.

Another relevancy factor is traffic to the site.  (I know, like duh, without traffic you have no business)  The “spider” though monitor the traffic.

And another factor is “linkage.”  The “bot” actually takes notice of how many links from other sites exist to your site.

So, putting all those factors together, you can start seeing my strategy:

1) write blogs

2) drive traffic to them and the site in general with a monthly e-zine

3) also drive traffic by including links in e-mails to clients re: certain relevant blogs of interest — maybe something we just talked about on the phone, etc.

4) add links to my website from my LinkedIn and Facebook pages. (Yes, these count as ”links” to the “spider.”)

Now enter Twitter . . .

With Twitter, because of its instant message-like milieu, I can send out to my “followers” a link to each blog as soon as it is posted.  You can see how that increases both traffic and linkage.

Furthermore, I also “tweet” a link to each monthly e-zine I send out (I post the e-zine on my website as well as e-mail out to 1,300+ addresses).

Get it?

As I said up top, there are several reasons why I Twitter, and I’ll be writing about the others in future posts, but I think you can see one reason as to why David Ryan Twitters:

“It’s all about the blog . . . (not stupid, oh ye “smart one!”)

Now, if you aren’t already, I invite you to follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

Also feel free to contact me at dryan@VideoLabs.net or 301-217-0000 x104

Finally, I need to give credit to the marketing advisor who resonates with me, Robert Middleton of www.actionplan.com.   He has been a strong advocate of utilizing Twitter in marketing.

You might also be interested in reading my blog about my attending one of Robert’s workshops last year: http://tinyurl.com/4ykpa6

I like to say that I work with people whose job is “to get the message out.”  And although I sell media replication and multimedia servicves, my job is deeply affected by my writing skills.  I am sure it’s no different for you.

Now, you may not recall your days in English class with fondness, but I suggest you should think of the comma as your friend when it comes to your written communications. 

You can check out this link for a refresher on the details of proper usage of commas: http://tinyurl.com/rwlyb, but to sum it up, remember that the main  purpose of a comma is to inform the reader of your written work where to take a breath.

That’s important when writing e-mails, proposals, resumes . . . and yes, even when Twittering and texting.

Here’s what works for me:  Whenever possible, after writing a first draft, I save it as that, a draft.   I then either take a break or move on to something else.   I often have three or four drafts of e-mails and several proposals in various drafts stages at any one time.   Even when rushing and facing a deadline, I find that getting away from the document for just a few moments can be beneficial. 

Then upon return to the document, I read what I’ve written with fresh eyes.   That allows me to read the document more as my recipient will read it.

 

Here’s where the comma comes in.  I make note of where I stumble, or where I meant to pause, but didn’t.  Those are places where I consider putting a comma.

 

Now there is one caution.  If I start having too many commas, I then consider rewriting the sentence altogether.  In other words, I strive not to allow myself to use the comma as a crutch for poor writing.

 

Use the comma to your advantage.  Remember, it’s your friend. 

 

As always, your comments are welcomed below.

 

For more writing tips, check out the “Better Writing with Susanne” column in the Contributors & Guests section of this site: http://tinyurl.com/d6wtrg

Contact David Ryan at dryan@videolabs.net or 301-717-3747.

Also follow David on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

]]> http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/28/the-comma-is-your-friend/feed/ http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/20/antietam-and-saturn/ http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/20/antietam-and-saturn/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:17:31 +0000 David http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/?p=833 My wife and I arrived at Antietam Battlefield National Park in Washington County, MD, with a few hours of sun left in the day.  The astronomers from the Tri-State Astronomers www.tristateastronomers.org were holding their semi-annual Star Party for the public.

My wife, Susane Stahley (see “Beter Writing with Susanne”  http://tinyurl.com/4w47mn ), is producing a documentary for Maryland Public Television www.mpt.org to complement Ken Burns’ upcoming series on America’s National Parks.

Susanne’s research brought her in touch with the astronomers who are kindly lending assistance with some of her filming at the battlefield.

So we went to the sky-watching event, and as Susanne went off to do her production scouting, I wandered around the grounds.  As in other major Civil War battlefields, there are numerous markers and monuments to those who fought.  You may recall from your history studies that Antietam, with a total of nearly 23,000 casualties, was the Civil War battle with the most casualties in any one day of the war.  http://tinyurl.com/dzhajg

Those who know me are aware of my passion for history and the fun I particularly have in researching family history.  I had two great-grandfathers who fought in the Civil War on the Union side, and Susanne had one as well.  One of mine, a German immigrant, was with the 15th NY Engineers from June, 1861 to June 1863.

Several years ago, while viewing his military pension records at the National Archives in DC, I actually came across original letters written by my relative from various battlefields , including the Peninsula Campaign of the summer of 1862 and at Fredericksburg in December, 1863.

But I did not know how involved his unit was in that battle of Antietam of September, 1862.  From my research to date, it had seemed that the official regimental history for the 15th glossed over that battle.

Well, as I wandered around Antietam Battlefield that evening, I saw the imposing New York state monument, and then upon closer scrutiny I saw the name of the commanding officer of the 15th listed among the leaders of the units that were at Antietam.

Now, it is possible that the 15th Engineers were held in reserve in nearby Sharpsburg and did not see action in this battle.  Union Gen. George McClellan was severely criticized for not engaging his full force — an unfortunate trait of his throughout his command of the Union forces.  But it was good to add another piece to the puzzle that the 15th were at least actually there amidst the campaign.

As the skies got darker, and people arrived to look through the telescopes, I couldn’t help but think about the odd juxtaposition of watching the heavens (viewing Saturn and the Orion Nebula http://tinyurl.com/dzgszx were particular treats) on ground where such carnage had occurred.

The event for me was one of those times when many thoughts run through one’s mind and at the same time a lot of things fall into perspective.

Between the one-day horror that took place at the battle of Antietam and the seeming timelessness of space, I realized once again that I am just grateful to be alive.

So I arrived to work that Monday with a new relaxed sense of purpose.  While I will continue to keep my clients’ interest foremost, I have a renewed resolve to not take myself toooooo seriously.  And a corollary of that . . . I recall what Robert Middleton www.actionplan.com says: Marketing has to be fun for a salesperson if it is to be effective.

As always, your comments are welcome below.

I can be reached directly at dryan@videolabs.net or 301-217-0000 x104.

I also invite you to follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

If you enjoyed reading this blog, you might perahps like to read my thoughts inspired by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday: http://tinyurl.com/c564ek

]]> http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/20/antietam-and-saturn/feed/ http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/15/closed-captions-for-hdv/ http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/15/closed-captions-for-hdv/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:28:19 +0000 David http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/?p=782 Hmmm, I received a call about this the other day.  You may have read my blog about how we here at Video Labs are now offering HD closed-captioning services  and we are doing so for HDCAM 1080 masters.  But this was the first inquiry I received regarding cc-encoding for HDV. (further info about HDV format).

Well, our Video Labs engineer, Rodney Hammond, and I both set off to research that.  Rodney talked to Sony, and I searched the web.  Our conclusion: we are convinced that the answer is that the HDV format does not support closed-captioning.

But you may ask, “Well, wait minute, miniDV can carry that info, why not HDV?”

Ah, remember that miniDV is an SD format and carries the closed-captioned info in line 21 of the vertical interval.  HDV is a high-def format, and as the above-mentioned blog explains, in the HD realm, captions are carried in a metadata stream.  And as you may know, although HDV is a fine format, it is not as robust as its uptown relative, HDCAM.

Also, it makes sense if you think of it from Sony’s point of view.  If you were trying to get broadcasters to use your high-end HDCAM format as a  standard, would you also allow to have available as a substitute a much less expensive cousin?  No disrespect meant toward Sony — hey, it’s just smart business. 

And maybe there is a technical limitation as well as to why HDV doesn’t support closed captions.  Please let me know dryan@videolabs.net or comment below if you have info regarding that.

And let’s take that another step further.  As I’ve said to all I meet, PLEASE  let me know if you have any contrary information to any tech info I may relay.  There’s no room for ego in today’s fast-changing media environment.

Contact me at dryan@videolabs.net or 301-217-0000 x104

Also follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution

You may also be interested in reading my blog about captions and subtitles for DVDs: http://tinyurl.com/5vgp9m

]]> http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/15/closed-captions-for-hdv/feed/ http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/02/disc-prep-mistakes-to-avoid/ http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/02/disc-prep-mistakes-to-avoid/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:09:42 +0000 David http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/?p=612 We pride ourselves at Video Labs in getting your disc duplication and replication orders turned very fast.  

 

We LOVE our clients, but occasionally the delays we run into are created by those same beloved clients.

 

Now, we almost always work through any challenges, but again, to do so often involves a delay. 

 

So here is a list of some of the more commonly client-created challenges that I’ve observed.  Remember, the whole purpose here is allow us to better to serve YOU!

 

Failure to Finalize the master:

When making a master CD or DVD, one must finalize a master disc.  This is a process that in effect “closes” a session.  Some disc encoding programs automatically do this, others have you choose that function.  The reason some programs give you a choice is if you are dealing with a rewritable or multi-session disc.  (Just fyi, we cannot use such RW-created discs as masters.)

 

Not thoroughly checking the master before sending it to us:

Once you finish creating your master disc, please check it out on several computers – if an audio CD also on a standalone CD player – and if a DVD video, check also on a DVD set-top box.

 

Haven’t cleared all the content rights:

We are a licensed replicator, and as such, we assume the content rights to the material being copied are cleared.  We ask our clients to complete a brief form affirming that.  (Yes, we actually do get audited.)  When those rights haven’t been procured, the project grinds to a halt.

 

Problems with the artwork:

We can provide you with online-accessible templates and specs for the disc face and packaging artwork.  When artwork is delivered to us that doesn’t match those, then inevitably the back and forth that takes place can cause delays.  Now, of course, even when we receive ideal files, we still sometimes get back to clients with some suggestions, but those are normal “tweaks,” not time-consuming overhauls.

 

Review/Approval Delays

For almost every job, we will send you something to approve one last time before completing the order, whether it be a check disc, a hard copy proof or .pdf scan of the artwork.  We cannot finish the order until we receive back an ok to proceed.  If the person or persons who have to approve on the client side are not accessible, the job will obviously be delayed.  So our best advice is that clients line up the “chain of approval” ahead of time and have everyone “standing by” so as to turnaround reviews quickly.

 

OK, that’s it for now.  Again, we are here to serve YOU.  And it is in that spirit that I present this blog. 

 

I appreciate your business!  As always, I welcome your comments below.

 

Feel free to also contact me at dryan@videolabs.net  301-217-0000 x104

 

 

P.S. If you haven’t read it before, you may also be interested in reading my blog about disc face printing: http://tinyurl.com/59psy8

 

Other contact info for David Ryan:

www.Twitter.com/DRMediaSolution 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidryanmediasolutions

 

]]> http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/04/02/disc-prep-mistakes-to-avoid/feed/ http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/03/30/when-a-competitor-closes-it-doors/ http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/2009/03/30/when-a-competitor-closes-it-doors/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:55:40 +0000 David http://davidryanmediasolutions.com/?p=584 Dance on the grave?  Hardly.

Opportunity?  Perhaps, but that needs to be handled with respect.  I’m as competitive as the next salesperson, but in such situations, it’s too easy to “overreach.”

So what is the best way to proceed?  I believe it involves responsibly making  your network of clients, contacts and prospects aware of the situation, and of your desire to be of service . . . and then step back and let them choose the next move.

We presently have a case in point here in the DC area.

You may have heard that a local CD/DVD manufacturing competitor of ours, Imatek http://www.imatekcd.com/ has recently closed its doors.

Ok, I’ll be frank . . . there are some other competitors I’d feel worse about closing, but regardless of my personal opinion, let’s face it, a lot of good people inevitably get hurt when a business closes.

So I will say just this:  If you have worked with me before, then you are already aware of the excellent customer service and competitive pricing I can provide. 

If you haven’t used Video Labs before, I invite you to contact me dryan@videolabs.net  301-217-0000 x104 to discuss with me further how we can be of service.   You may also find it useful to check out what clients say about me at http://tinyurl.com/44uw9j 

Furthermore, those who have worked with me know about my referral discount policy: http://tinyurl.com/6om562  I will extend this to include, through April, former Imatek customers who have not used Video Labs previously.

Again, I appreciate your consideration.

And regardless of what you do, keep marketing out there!  It’s more important now than ever.  You may be interested in reading my blog listing some marketing tips for these tough times: http://tinyurl.com/bq6gu9

As always, I welcome your comments below.

(You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DRMediaSolution or LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidryanmediasolutions )

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