Optimizing Videos For The Web

Optimizing videos for the Web
Movies optimized for the Web should be short in duration, small in dimension, and
optimized with the appropriate codec. We have seen videos 10 to 30 minutes long automatically
loaded and playing into home pages, some 50 MB to 175 MB in file size.
Although this may grab the attention of high-bandwidth users, it is better to respect
your visitors’ bandwidth and provide a static placeholder image and a play button.
Take a look at the Apple.com website for an example of a best practice regarding
showcasing video to a potentially wide-range audience (http://www.apple.com/
trailers/). Apple takes the approach of allowing users to choose different size movies
to better match their bandwidth abilities. Sizes from “small”(320 × 240 pixels) to
“HD”(1,920 × 1,080 pixels) can be viewed. Overall, this was a lot of up-front work
for Apple; it had to compress one movie many different times, into many different
sizes. However, the extra work pays off with satisfied site visitors who are able to
find content that meets their needs and the amount of bandwidth available to them.