»video«

Google Video Search has changed their playback integration of embedded video files. They now use a combination of Javascript and Flash to present the content. Once you click on the playback icon on the bottom left of the image, the content will be replaced within the page, and any reload is necessary.

As I can remember Google is using Flash for the first time in one of their search pages. So, G: Keep on flashing!

... http://video.google.com

Asa Dotzler, one of the Mozilla developers, announced a video contest for a Firefox ad today:

"Over the last month or so we've been hard at work building some very cool infrastructure to take Firefox marketing to the next level. Previous text-based efforts have been quite effective but we know they can't convey the real joy and excitement that people get from using Firefox. Only video can really get that across so we're going to be asking you all to bring Firefox to life with an exciting video campaign."

First step of the campaign will be short videos of (otto normal) testimonials using Firefox.
Acually the second step is the more interesting part of the contest: everybody is asked to make an idea and produce a 30 sec ad for Firefox. Are you creative enough?

Read the announcement

About eight years ago Jackob Nielsen's analysed TV vs. computers and came to the point that broadcast TV is a medium for relaxation, where the "user" sits back and becomes immersed in whatever the program directors decided to air.

Now in the days of video blogging and broadband web news he did the experiement again and got the same results: Eyetracking data show that users are easily distracted when watching video on websites, especially when the video shows a talking head and is optimized for broadcast rather than online viewing.

Jackob Nielsen: Talking-Head Video Is Boring Online

Here comes two new sites that makes heavily use of video in Flash:

• The new Cayman S
• Saturn RELAY

YouTube is a cool site where you can submit and watch/discuss user created and uploaded vids. Nice use of flash video!

"They said they were gonna do it and by gum, they've done it (not always a given in the tech world, ya know) – Skype now does video conferencing via the use of a third-party plug-in from Dialcom. Dialcom's Spontania Video4skype will allow Skype users (Windows only for now – surprise, surprise) with a connected webcam to make video calls via the Skype client. The Spontania plug-in was actually built to be integrated into any third party VoIP application, so expect this to be adopted by other VoIP services in the not-too-distant future."

via Engadget - www.engadget.com

Take a look at this promo sample of how video with integrated transparency could be integrated into our websites: Studio 8: Meet Your Match

... http://www.vlogmap.org/