random question

[rusty_halo]

Is there an alternative to YouTube that doesn't slap its own branding all over your videos? I have a friend who wants to embed some of her own vids on her website (no copyright worries) but she hates all the YouTube ads. I figure if anyone will know, it's fandom. Any advice?

Thank you!

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

Comments

[10zlaine.livejournal.com]

i totally didn't read very far into the website (got there via a search at videohelp.com), but sopcast.com looks like it might be in that neck of the woods? i don't know if it brands, tho.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[elsaf]

At least with some hosts, you can put your own video files up without having to go through a site like YouTube. The advantage (in addition to no branding) is that you can use better quality video files -- if you have the space and bandwidth to stream them.

Also, I have a program suite called Swish that includes the ability to make Flash video (which is what YouTube uses), which isn't as nice as .MOV or .WMA, but vastly reduces the bandwidth needed to stream it. So, you can, in effect, be your own YouTube.

ETA: The URL for SWishZone video conversion: http://www.swishzone.com/index.php?area=products&product=video

The SwishZone suite is a lot cheaper than Adobe Flash, but has a lot of the same utility.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thank you!

Do you need anything special installed on your server to stream the video, or do you just upload/embed the flash file and it works?

[elsaf]

Disclaimer: I haven't actually done this, though I did set myself up for it when I had a freelance client who was talking about wanting video. However, my understanding is all you need is to have the relevant mime types defined on your server.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Awesome. Thank you for pointing me in this direction. (Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out!)