This week, regular reader Ian McMillan wrote to me noting a website which until now I haven't mentioned. I have printed his letter below as I thought it would be of interest to anyone who regularly uses video sharing websites such as YouTube.
—
Presently, my familiarity with the world of HD television and camcorders doesn't go beyond demonstrations in tech shops, so I was very interested when I came across Vimeo (www.vimeo.com). Whilst there exists many video sharing websites (YouTube being the current daddy) Vimeo sets itself apart from the crowd by offering videos online in high definition.
A regular YouTube video has a size of 320 by 240 pixels and mono sound but those on the Vimeo HD website are 1280 by 720 pixels (widescreen) and have stereo sound. To see a good example of the difference this makes, please take a look at the following video [http://www.vimeo.com/844044] - as you can see it is clearly far sharper than a YouTube video. Whilst there has been talk of YouTube launching its own HD service, Vimeo is currently the only provider with true HD videos on the web.
Like Joost and the BBC iPlayer, there seems to be a steady increase of television programmes being broadcast online. As a result concerns have been raised that ISPs are suffering due to the amount of bandwidth users require. Internet connections that rely upon copper wires aren't particularly well suited for online videos, and a more efficient way to deal with such bandwidth would be fibre optic cables.
Something to consider is that online HD video will stretch any current computer and Internet connection to its limits. To receive it properly you will need a reliable broadband connection of 2Mbps or more, and a modern computer. It is also worth bearing in mind that if you currently have a cap set by your ISP of a few gigabytes a month then this will soon be used up when downloading online videos. In the future, people may be able to go to the Internet and download the latest Hollywood movie in HD format in a few minutes, but we are still a long way off achieving this under real world conditions.
—
Those used to 'full' high definition 1920 x 1080 will possibly be dissatisfied by the quality of Vimeo videos; however it is irrefutable that they are both of superior quality and at a faster download speed than those of YouTube.
It is unlikely that this website will pose any real threat for Youtube as there are several fundamental differences between the two. Vimeo has gained a reputation for attracting the more artistic viewer as a result of the high quality of videos and the fact that only user created videos are allowed. Whilst YouTube state that they don't allow copyrighted material, in reality the situation is quite different with the service being awash with TV shows, music videos and movie excerpts.
I am surprised that after spending so much money on purchasing YouTube a few years back that Google have done so little improving it until recently; the servers are slower than ever, the videos are still of a poor quality and often both the content and the comments remain completely uncensored. Whilst Vimeo have chosen not to compete directly and may not be the ones to steal the YouTube crown, they certainly show the way things can be done.
—
Presently, my familiarity with the world of HD television and camcorders doesn't go beyond demonstrations in tech shops, so I was very interested when I came across Vimeo (www.vimeo.com). Whilst there exists many video sharing websites (YouTube being the current daddy) Vimeo sets itself apart from the crowd by offering videos online in high definition.
A regular YouTube video has a size of 320 by 240 pixels and mono sound but those on the Vimeo HD website are 1280 by 720 pixels (widescreen) and have stereo sound. To see a good example of the difference this makes, please take a look at the following video [http://www.vimeo.com/844044] - as you can see it is clearly far sharper than a YouTube video. Whilst there has been talk of YouTube launching its own HD service, Vimeo is currently the only provider with true HD videos on the web.
Like Joost and the BBC iPlayer, there seems to be a steady increase of television programmes being broadcast online. As a result concerns have been raised that ISPs are suffering due to the amount of bandwidth users require. Internet connections that rely upon copper wires aren't particularly well suited for online videos, and a more efficient way to deal with such bandwidth would be fibre optic cables.
Something to consider is that online HD video will stretch any current computer and Internet connection to its limits. To receive it properly you will need a reliable broadband connection of 2Mbps or more, and a modern computer. It is also worth bearing in mind that if you currently have a cap set by your ISP of a few gigabytes a month then this will soon be used up when downloading online videos. In the future, people may be able to go to the Internet and download the latest Hollywood movie in HD format in a few minutes, but we are still a long way off achieving this under real world conditions.
—
Those used to 'full' high definition 1920 x 1080 will possibly be dissatisfied by the quality of Vimeo videos; however it is irrefutable that they are both of superior quality and at a faster download speed than those of YouTube.
It is unlikely that this website will pose any real threat for Youtube as there are several fundamental differences between the two. Vimeo has gained a reputation for attracting the more artistic viewer as a result of the high quality of videos and the fact that only user created videos are allowed. Whilst YouTube state that they don't allow copyrighted material, in reality the situation is quite different with the service being awash with TV shows, music videos and movie excerpts.
I am surprised that after spending so much money on purchasing YouTube a few years back that Google have done so little improving it until recently; the servers are slower than ever, the videos are still of a poor quality and often both the content and the comments remain completely uncensored. Whilst Vimeo have chosen not to compete directly and may not be the ones to steal the YouTube crown, they certainly show the way things can be done.
