Does Streaming video have to be FLV format?

[David Ruhland]

I am trying to layout a pretty simple meat and potatoes website using go daddys "website tonite" product. They say i can upload videos, but I am wondering if it has to be in FLV format to be viewed as a streaming clip on the site or what format is optimal?

I called the folks at godaddy and they were a lil confused by the question.

I told them i want it like a yourube video..you just click and the video starts streaming? they suggested WMV? which makes no sense to me....

So anyone that is putting vids on your site that you are producing out of vegas what format are you using? I do understand if i want to use FLV i need to buy a converter.

Thanks

[Larry Reavis]

FLV produces low-quality images. Ditto for .WMV. I use GoDaddy too (but not their "tonight" option - not sure what it requires).

Currently, the best quality for low bandwidth is .MP4. If you'd like to assess the quality of a low-bitrate (500kbps) encode, see my sample:

Physics: The quantum explanation"

You can read how it's done at:

http://www.bubblevision.com/underwat...Tube-Vimeo.htm

However, HTML5 soon will become the norm, for it will play on tiny hand-held devices, like the phones, etc. You can read the on-going attempt to get it working (final specs are not yet completed, but interim specs work - sorta).

[Seth Bloombaum]

The first question is, are you to upload in some intermediate format, which then, like youtube, will be transcoded to whatever they're doing? In which case, a WMV can be a good choice, or, an h.264/Sony AVC, either of these should be at a high bitrate.

Or, are you to create the actual clip that will be displayed? If godaddy is supplying the player, there should be specs for the clips. And the Sony Forum thread that Larry references above is a pretty good method for creating h.264, if godaddy's player will take it.

Or, are you supplying the player? The Sony thread is still a pretty good method for h.264 to be played in an embedded Flash player... selection and config of a Flash player is slightly more than a trivial html task, but there's a forum for that here at DVInfo.

I have to also agree with Larry that video in HTML5 is a mess, in that Apple has decided to implement it in i-devices differently than everybody else. I could go on, but, it would be a politics-of-product-marketing rant, we can skip it. "Soon"? I don't think so. The waters are pretty murky.

[David Ruhland]

I will not be supplying the player. Everything i do now is h.264 I will get it up and running and post a followup

Larry...your sample is exactly what I am trying to do...

HTML5? Ive just mastered 3GP not that long ago! LOL