Vegas Buzz

James B. Wilson

Vegas Buzz Video

Featured Columnist

We've all been there. Despite our best efforts, our carefully crafted videos look great on some sites, and terrible on others.

This is because most video networking communities will accept your video in one format, but actually convert it and display it in another, primarily Flash, or .flv (flash video files).

So for example, if you uploaded an .avi or .wmv file, it will be stored on the video site's servers, but linked to a converted file that is displayed whenever someone hits PLAY. 

Lately, YouTube has made a feature available that enables a viewer to select 'high-quality' or 'normal (lousy) quality.'

Of course this is a losing proposition as most people will not go as far as to click the 'high-quality' link, and will simply play the video as is. After all, people are busy, and have lots of videos to look at.  It's a bit much to ask unless you ask them specifically. Or, it's a delicate surgical procedure where they need to see it in the highest quality.  Even then, people have to be told, and may not always do what they're told. So, the most elegant solution is to find the location on the video site's server where the video you originally uploaded is located.  I hate to say it, but I discovered this by accident. I'd explain it, but it's complicated.  But here's how you can do it.

First, make sure you've downloaded and are using the FireFox browser.  You can use IE, but it's a little more involved.

Find the RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed for your video.  It will typically end with the extension .rss, .rdf or .atom.

In the case of our example, the video in question is represented by the feed http://vegasbuzzvideo.blip.tv/rss

where (rss) refers to the newsfeed representing the video located at http://vegasbuzzvideo.blip.tv

Open your FireFox browser and cut and paste the newsfeed URL http://vegasbuzzvideo.blip.tv/rss into the address bar. Click GO, or hit enter.  You'll see something like the following excerpted display:

Each media file grouping consists of two files:

an .wmv file at the top (or whatever file you originally uploaded - .avi, .mp4, etc.) and a .flv file below it.

Be careful when cutting and pasting the file link

Be careful as the full link will not be displayed, only that part of the file name from the user name forward.

So always right click and select 'copy link location' to obtain the location of the highest quality version of your video. 

Paste the link into your address bar and bookmark it, or save it in a notepad file.

If you've been following along, you'll see a link like this:

http://blip.tv/file/get/Vegasbuzzvideo-RayGirardKangenWaterTestimonial837.wmv

This is the full link to the highest-quality version of your video, which is an exact duplicate of the one you uploaded.

Send this link to your friends, prospects and subscribers, and anyone else that needs to see your video in all its true original glory.

Next time, we'll deal with a few of the less commonly known sites you can submit your videos to.

Until then, see you online!

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Author's Bio

Jim Wilson is a video producer with 30 year's experience, including TV commercials, cable TV infomercials, and for the past five years, Web Video in various forms, including streaming video.

He is a recognized authority on independent online news syndication, podcasting, Internet radio and all forms of web video.

He is founder of Vegas Buzz News, and chief producer and editor of the Vegas Buzz Video Network and has done thousands of  video and radio interviews.

He is also an accomplished radio producer having produced syndicated radio programs such as the popular Jay Michaels' Rewind the Rhythm www.rewindtherhythm.com and the 'Exhausted Parent Show' featuring Stacey Powells.  He is soon to be host of a new radio magazine the Vegas Buzz Radio Hour, featuring 'The Billion Dollar Brain Trust,' a program targeting independent entrepreneurs and business owners.

He may be reached by email at  jwilson@vegasbuzznews.com

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