Larry Kless' Weblog

Happy birthday YouTube!

2025-02-14T23:20:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 20-year anniversary of YouTube—a platform that has defined online video, reshaped digital culture, and empowered millions of creators worldwide. What began on February 14, 2005, as an online video dating site founded by ex-PayPal employees Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, has since transformed into the world’s largest video-sharing platform and the second-largest search engine after Google. Just a year after its launch, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006—a move that cemented its dominance as the #1 video sharing site with over 5.1 billion videos.

With its massive reach, YouTube has cultivated an entirely new industry of YouTube Creators, giving rise to web series, podcasts, music videos, personal vlogs, with over 360 hours of content uploaded to YouTube every minute. It has become a launchpad for influencers, musicians, educators, and entrepreneurs—turning everyday people into global sensations with 83 million people watching 1 billion hours of video content daily.

For a closer look at YouTube’s impact, SEO.AI’s content team has broken down key statistics in comprehensive detail, highlighting the biggest YouTube channels and most-watched videos of all time, and a lot more interesting YouTube statistics are here. The platform’s massive success has shaped the online video industry, making it the default destination for video creators and viewers alike.

NPR’s Taylor Haney pointed out that YouTube’s role in viral moments, such as the iconic “Lazy Sunday” video, helped define the early days of viral content and brought online video into the mainstream and finally gave the power to independent online video publishers.

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan shares four big bets for YouTube in 2025 in this video from the YouTube Creator Liaison. As Mohan states, TV is the primary device for viewing YouTube in the U.S. surpassing mobile by watch time.

According to Mohan:

YouTube will remain the epicenter of culture
YouTubers are becoming the startups of Hollywood
YouTube is the new television
AI will make it easier to create and enhance the YouTube experience for everyone

Over the past two decades, YouTube has evolved from an online video dating site to global media giant for digital entertainment, reshaping the way we consume content and engage with creators worldwide. It all started on April 23, 2005, when co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded the first-ever video to the site, “Me at the Zoo”—a simple 19-second clip video that unknowingly ignited a revolution of user-generated content. This democratization of online video transformed YouTube into a global hub for content creators, offering anyone with an internet connection the chance to self-publish videos and reach millions without the need for expensive equipment, professional video skills, or traditional media networks.

As YouTube celebrates its 20-year anniversary, its influence continues to grow—shaping culture, empowering content creators, and revolutionizing how we experience video content.

Happy 20th birthday, YouTube! 🎉

A TikTok Moment Reveals a Major Production Failure #StageBlunders

2024-12-09T23:56:00.013-08:00

One of the most important aspects of production is safety. Careless mistakes can get people hurt.

In my experience, nearly every production team I've worked with over the years has been dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone involved. Much like a doctor’s pledge to "first, do no harm," the event managers, producers, and production teams I know and trust always take their responsibility seriously—not just to put on a great show for the audience, but to make sure the performers on stage and the production crew are protected too.

So, when I saw this Tik Tok video by @lexdawgie in my Instagram feed reposted by @popcravenow on Threads, I had to call out the event producer and stage crew involved in this production failure.

@lexdawgie Even after all these years, Bonnie and Caroline are still saving Elena #tvd #thevampirediaries #ninadobrev #candiceking #katgraham #elanagilbert #carolineforbes #bonniebennett #epiccons ♬ original sound - Lexdawg

While no one was hurt and those on stage laughed it off, the outcome could have been very different.

As industry professionals, it’s on us to use our experience and common sense to keep things safe and make sure everyone on stage is out of harm’s way.

What are your thoughts?

Tune up your Internet

2024-07-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

Source: Copilot Designer

How long has it been since you've had an Internet tune up? Are you using the same Internet router that you've been using for years? Are you getting the biggest bang for your buck on your Internet service package? In our online world where network services and work are interconnected, I recently did a tune up of my home network, and after numerous complaints of dropped Zoom calls and low network speeds, let's just say, it's been life changing.

It's faster and more stable and reduced the FOMO related to not being able to get online. For so many students who moved to online learning there has to be a solid stable Internet connection. For remote workers who’ve been working at home for years now quality of service is a must to get the job done. After tuning up my home network, I was able to get a significant boost in service. If you haven’t done a tuneup in a while, I highly recommend that you do this for yourself. Why put up with terrible service? Your family, your coworkers, your colleagues and managers will all be appreciate your initiative and your online video and live streaming experience will be better.

As I was researching the subject based on my own experience, I found some helpful and practical tips in Nelson Aguilar’s article, “Boost Your Internet for Free: My Secrets to High-Speed at Home”. He talks about planning when you move do some research before you relocate and upgrade or shop around for The best service.

For streaming, you may not know it, but you might be sacrificing quality for convenience if you’re using Wi-Fi rather than a wired, ethernet connection directly to your router. See this article from Hailee Seltzer’s article, “What I Discovered Testing Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet Performance in My New Place” for an in-depth review on why you should be using an Ethernet connection for video streaming. She found extremely higher rates and quality of service than Wi-Fi by using a wired Ethernet connection.

Speed test by Ookla

My home office Internet speed vastly improved with a new Xfinity XFi Gateway and upgraded service. My old router couldn’t even handle the amount of data throughput that I had been paying for which was just a big waste of money each month. I’m now getting download speeds over 900 Mbps and upload 40 Mbps on the wired connection. AT&T fiber is available in my service area with speeds up to 5 Gbps at the introductory cost which is more than my Xfinity triple play monthly service cost. So, I’m not ready to make that jump and switch services at this time. The one gigabit per second AT&T fiber service is the same monthly cost as my Xfinity package, which includes television and a landline service. This recent Forbes article compares the cost and services of broadband service providers, “ Best Internet providers of July 2024.”

While searching for a good thumbnail for this blog post I used copilot to search this topic which generated the following tips.

When it comes to tuning up your home network, think of it like giving your Wi-Fi a thorough checkup. Here are some practical steps you can take to speed up, stabilize, and secure your Wi-Fi:

Router Placement: First, consider the location of your router. Avoid hiding it in a closet or placing it in a far corner of your house. Instead, position it out in the open, as high as possible, with minimal walls obstructing its signal. If your router has external antennas, try pointing one vertically and one horizontally for better coverage 1.
Upgrade Your Router: If your router is more than a couple of years old, consider upgrading to a newer model. Look for routers with 802.11ac support, which delivers faster speeds. Even budget-friendly 802.11ac routers can provide excellent performance 1.
Check Wi-Fi Channels: Ensure that you and your neighbors are not all using the same Wi-Fi channel. Overlapping channels can cause interference. Use tools like Wi-Fi analyzer apps to find the least congested channel and adjust your router settings accordingly.
Optimize Wi-Fi Settings: Explore your router’s settings. Adjust the channel width (20 MHz for less interference, 40 MHz for more speed), enable Quality of Service (QoS) to prioritize certain devices or applications, and update firmware for security and performance improvements.
Secure Your Network: Change the default Wi-Fi password to a strong, unique one. Also, consider enabling WPA3 encryption for better security.
Position Access Points (APs): If you have multiple access points (APs), strategically place them to ensure strong coverage throughout your home. Measure signal strength where you’ll be using your devices to find the optimal spots 2.

Remember, a well-tuned home network ensures smoother streaming, faster downloads, and reliable connectivity. Happy Wi-Fi tuning! 😃🛠️🛜

Sources:

Digitaltrends https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/how-to-make-your-wi-fi-faster/

Zoom Presenter AV Tech Checks – Are you ready for your close-up?

2022-05-10T21:43:00.009-07:00

Virtual events aren't going anywhere any time soon and as companies have shifted to a full-time remote workforce over the last two years, most people have figured out how to join and participate in virtual meetings. While most meetings don't require you to turn on your camera, which can save you from a bad hair day or even getting dressed for your work day, there are many occasions when you have to start your video and smile at the camera. So, when the time comes for you to turn on camera, unmute your mic and share your big presentation in a virtual meeting on Zoom or Teams or any virtual event platform, are you ready for your close up?

As follow up to my last two posts, Build your own Micro Studio and Your Virtual Production Home Studio – There's No Place Like Home, this post shares a checklist my team and I created for our Zoom presenters to help prepare them for virtual stage. We usually schedule a day or more of tech checks with each our presenters before the virtual events that we produce. The tech checks usually take only 15-minutes depending on the level of knowledge and comfort our presenters have with Zoom.

Zoom Presenter AV Tech Check List

Internet Connection

• Use Zoom app not web browser (keep app updated)

• VPN off (it consumes too much bandwidth)

• Wired Internet preferred vs. Wifi (tether to mobile as last resort)

Communications

• Zoom controls (video, audio, chat)

• Host will ask to unmute/turn on camera (Host can’t turn on their cameras and need to ask)

• Intercom for communication with production team behind the scenes

Clock

• Timer counting down amount of time to present (available for produced events)

Audio & Video

• Video - controls, on/off

• Audio – sound check, use computer audio, USB mic or built-in mic vs. telephone

Content

• Share content using Zoom share or with video capture card

• Pin “slide” window to see any Zoom video full screen for your local view

Background

• Virtual or physical background

Lighting

• Natural or artificial lighting (even lighting)

Camera framing

• Camera angle and eye contact (head and shoulders in view with camera at eye line)

Your Virtual Production Home Studio – There's No Place Like Home

2022-04-30T21:55:00.004-07:00

Photo credit: Room Rater @ratemyskyperoom

As follow up to my last post, these pro tips come by way of @NewscastStudio from an April 2020 column There’s no place like home – your home studio simplified by Angry Badger Productions. While we've all been doing non-stop virtual meetings now for over two years – and most of us have our office or home virtual production studio set up – there's always room for improvement. In this blog post, Angry Badgers' Director of Photography shares his Pro Tips for setting up your virtual production home studio or "at least to make improvements in your current set up."

The top ten topics are:

Color Temp - keep lights the same color temperature
Illumination Level - you should be the brightest part of the picture, use soft light, watch out for backlights
Camera Sensitivity/Dynamic Range - make sure you have enough light so your picture isn't too grainy
Contrast Ratios - don't over light, keep lights at medium brightness
Manual Controls - use manual controls, don't just use auto settings
Camera Support and Placement - get camera a few degrees above eye line, that's the most flattering, stack books, boxes or anything you have to get the right angle
Monitoring - keep an eye on your stream, monitor on an iPad or other device
Framing and Composition - stay centered in the frame, use rule of thirds, keep background simple
Connectivity - use a wired ethernet cable directly to your router so you don’t have to rely of Wi-Fi, it's a more stable connections
Prompter - use an iPad or another laptop below the camera, printed scripts and index cards work too

Gear tips:

Three-light kit with stand
Compact light with great features from Moman
Super compact light with great features from Supon
A simple Joby GorillaPod works well in the home

@NewscastStudio The trade publication for broadcast production, including broadcast technology, engineering, production tools, set design, gfx, augmented reality and virtual.

#WFH Look better-Check out our #lighting #Protips for #homestudio from #AngryBadger via @newscaststudio https://t.co/exiBZFoJqi pic.twitter.com/O0hTeUBbDz
— Kathryn Mosher-Boule (@kmosherboule) April 17, 2020