HTML5 Video: Don't get too Excited, It's Not Quite There Yet

Apple's launch of the iPad and its successive arguments with Adobe over Flash accelerated HTML5 video development. One could argue that today's tech industry is in a state of video tag euphoria.  Although many high level discussions regarding online video are circulating through the blogosphere, the practical side of HTML5 video development has been overlooked.  Therefore, when working hands-on with HTML5 for video development, it becomes clear the standard faces a major threat.

The video tag is still in its infancy and misses certain core functionalities. As developers demand these features, browser vendors are tempted to implement incompatible solutions instead of agreeing upon standards.  These hasty developments, already underway, are setting HTML video up for the same chaos  as HTML styling in the pre-CSS era.
Here are a couple of the most pressing issues:

Codecs

The H264 versus OGG debate is ongoing, but all browsers have placed their bets - Firefox and Opera favor OGG, Internet Explorer and Safari choose H264.  Chrome plays it safe and does both.

While their reasoning is noble, Firefox's choice to support just OGG isn't practical. The majority of online video content is encoded in H264. Nearly all mobile devices that support web browsing use H264.   Desktops and laptops can do hardware decoding of H264.  By contrast, content in OGG is virtually nonexistent and the number of mobile devices supporting OGG decoding is devoid. The lack of hardware decoding for OGG makes playback of HD content a resource hog.  Apparently, developers don't want this.

Perhaps OGG (or VP8) will gain traction in the coming years. However, developers want to use HTML5 video today. And today's online video format is H264.

Streaming

HTML5 does not specify a streaming mechanism yet. While this is being worked on (W3C: Fragments, Media Multitrack API), it means that live, DVR and long-form video content cannot be played using a video tag. Most browsers do provide an alternative, such as utilizing the range request header to do pseudo-streaming, but this is no long-term solution.
Safari, however, does provide a working streaming solution. It is easy to use (although a simple ingestion tool is still missing) and follows the emerging standard of chopping up videos into small fragments and delivering those to the browser. Unfortunately there are small differences between Safari's implementation and that of, say, Silverlight and Flash:


1) Safari requires the video fragments to be wrapped in an MPEG TS container, while both Flash and Silverlight use MP4 containers.
2) Safari uses M3U8 text files to tell the browser which video fragments are available.
3) Silverlight and Flash both use XML files.

Since streaming is the single biggest block missing in HTML5 video, other browsers may rush to implement their own streaming solutions (for example, IE9 might support Silverlight's fragmentation and manifesting). A single standard is needed for HTML5 video streaming to ensure its usefulness.

Fullscreen

While a small feature at first sight, fullscreen playback is essential to the success of HTML5 video. Fullscreen video captivates the viewer, greatly enhancing the visual experience, and tends to increase viewer engagement.  Without fullscreen, HTML5 video is mostly useful for presenting short clips.

Browser-wise, things get a little complicated. The W3C video draft specifically states that browsers should not provide a public API to cause videos to be shown full-screen. The underlying reasoning (phishing) is valid, but technologies like Flash and Silverlight have already proven that simple restrictions can mitigate these risks.

Meanwhile, developers have demanded fullscreen playback and browser vendors worked around the W3C spec to implement custom solutions. In Firefox 3.6, fullscreen viewing is available by right-clicking a video (no API). In Webkit (the rendering engine both Safari and Chrome are based on), fullscreen mode can be activated by means of ALT-clicking (semi-API). Both options are too obscure to gain any traction. A single public API with clear restrictions is needed.

Conclusion

Video is an important part of today's internet. It deserves to become a first-class citizen and the video tag provides the opportunity to make that happen.  Browser vendors should be stringent when building solutions that are both practical and compatible.  If not, crossbrowser HTML5 video will be too difficult, not to mention expensive, to implement.  This presents the risk of web development regression.

In favor of its advancement, we cannot allow this to happen.  Online video will go mobile and big screen.  It also needs to become accessible and searchable.  HTML5 video will advance the progress in these areas, if developed carefully and intelligently.  However, without compatible solutions, online video is in definite jeopardy of a setback.

University Athletics Recruiting Moving Online

A growing number of universities have begun to distribute digital editions of their media guides and other recruiting materials

On Tuesday, April 13, 2010, the NCAA further restricted the ability of athletic departments to send recruiting materials (e.g. media guides, marketing collateral, etc.) to prospective student-athletes. The NCAA Legislative Council approved new rules that prohibit institutions from distributing printed media guides to prospective student-athletes and their families. Electronically transmitted correspondence is limited to e- mail and fax with no color attachments with recruiting information, except for questionnaires and a media guide.

As US collegiate athletics has grown to a multi-billion dollar industry, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) has taken steps to restrict the amount of marketing information universities can send to prospective student-athletes and their families. Recruiting is the life-blood of a program and as recruiting becomes more competitive, schools are looking for innovative ways to differentiate themselves. Media guides (books with statistics on the university athletic teams for use by the media) have become a primary recruiting tool: universities would pack media guides with recruiting information and send printed copies of these high-quality catalogs to prospective student-athletes. The new regulation prohibits this practice but still leaves the door open to distributing media guides electronically.

Digital editions comply with new regulations

A growing number of universities have begun to distribute digital editions of their media guides and other recruiting materials to prospective students. These interactive digital books offer a fantastic way to continue to educate prospective student-athletes while complying with the new NCAA regulations.

PROemags, the one of the industry leaders in interactive digital publishing software, that is at the forefront of this trend. PROemags enables universities to provide prospective student-athletes with high quality interactive reading experience (pictures, video clips, links, news feeds, etc.) that immerses them in their institution.

Here are a few examples of how some University Athletic Departments that have brought their media content online:

• Fresno State Bulldogs
• George Washington University
• Texas AM
• NCAA Champion Magazine

Click here for a "Free Trial" of Proemags Publicator or if you would like more information about converting your recruiting materials to interactive online digital magazines, contact a Proforma Certified Publishing Specialist.

More information on the new regulations:NCAA Division I Legislative Council rules on printed media guide legislation
“Athletics Publications. An institution may produce a printed media guide; however, an institution shall not provide a printed media guide or any other printed athletics publication not listed in Bylaw 13.4.1.1 to a prospective student-athlete, his or her parents or legal guardians, the prospective student-athlete's educational institution or any individual involved in the coaching of a prospective student-athlete. It is not permissible to make a printed media guide or any other printed athletics publication not listed in Bylaw 13.4.1.1 available free of charge to a prospective student-athlete, his or her parents or legal guardians, the prospective student-athlete's educational institution or any individual involved in the coaching of a prospective student-athlete, even if such publications are available to other members of the general public free of charge. An institution may not create a printed portfolio of information (e.g., pictures) to be used in the recruiting process. An institution may provide a media guide to a prospective student-athlete via a digital media storage device (e.g., compact disc, flash drive).”

Android Outsells the iPhone: No Big Surprise

Android Outsells the iPhone: No Big Surprise

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Apple could face U.S. Antitrust Scrutiny

The U.S. antitrust watchdog may launch an investigation into technology giant Apple’s policy towards the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, says a media report.

The U.S. department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission officials are looking into whether the company is unfairly forcing developers to use Apple’s own tools to develop applications for the iPhone, iPad and iPod, the Financial Times reported.

“U.S. authorities have signaled an interest in a potential antitrust probe into whether the software underpinning Apple’s ground-breaking iPhone unfairly locks out competitors, ” the report said attributing the information to a person familiar with the matter.

The interest of the regulators comes in the wake of a recent dispute that broke out between Apple and software-maker Adobe over the latest version of the software, which was unveiled last month.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs had last week took the unusual step of writing a public letter explaining his decision to bar Adobe’s software from his company’s devices.

According to the daily, the U.S. Justice department and the trade commission are still making the decision as to whether to launch a probe and a decision is expected within a week. The report said Mr. Jobs sought to explain on the Apple website last week why the company’s devices did not support Adobe’s Flash, a widely used video-streaming technology.

“Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true,” the daily said citing Mr. Jobs

Print is not Dead, but Most of the Magazine Industry will be Digital in 2020

Read moreThe answer of course is, no, we are neither dead nor dying, but the analysis also suggests a near moment in time when digital revenues will surpass print revenues for publishers. So, it isn’t about death, but rather about the realignment of our resources and expectations.

According to the report’s author, David Renard, “Over the next 10 years, the magazine industry will experience deep-rooted change from primarily a print-oriented business to one where digital products will represent the largest share of a smaller periodical industry. We expect digital to be the primary source of revenue for magazines past the 2016-2017 time frame.

Read more 

Why Our Mobile Viewer is going to be Browser-Based...

When we decided to create a Mobile Viewer, one of the most important choices to make was whether the solution should be application - or browser-based. Should digital publications be available as downloadable apps, or through the native browser on the device?

We analyzed the many options that confronted us and came to a clear conclusion: While app-based readers provide many useful options for PROemags customers, the browser-based solution holds several key advantages that simply can’t be ignored.

In short - the PROemags Mobile Viewer will be a browser-based solution and here’s why...

Creating reach for our customers is a key mission for PROemags
Making digital publications immediately available to readers on the move is of immense value to both readers and PROemags customers alike. Many of the arguments for a browser-based reader have to do with maximizing your reach.

A web-based mobile reader has lower entry-barriers than an app...It’s a simple tech argument: The browser is already installed, a application is not. To get to the app, several steps must be taken: Go to the app store, search for the app you want (you need to know the name beforehand), click it, enter password, wait for download, wait for install – and you’re off. Now, this can be a speedy process, depending on how tech-savvy the reader is. But no matter how you look at it, clicking a link on a website is a much simpler process.

A key advantage of having your digital publication available in the browser is the instant access that readers will experience. No need to download and install an app. Simply place a link on your website or place it in a newsletter, and your readers will have instant access to the mobile version of your publication.

The importance of links
It sounds almost archaic in this web 3.0 world to be talking about the importance of hyperlinks. But none the less, this basic element of the web is still today what ties it all together. Sharing interesting content among friends is key. It’s an often over-looked fact that mobile apps provide no global system for sharing content outside themselves or deep-linking. With apps, you’ve left the sharing to those already in the know who have the app installed. Those who don’t – the ones that you are most interested in reaching – face the high entry barrier discussed earlier, before they can get in on the fun.

Expanded visibility with e-readers for mobile devices
App stores today, be it Apple’s or Android’s, are struggling with their own success. The number of apps available (140,000 and counting for Apple) makes shelf-space an asset in free-fall. In the golden days of the app stores, simply being there would bring you eyeballs – today, you’ll be one in a crowd. Not that the Internet is any better – with hundreds of millions of websites out there competing for eyeballs and revenue, it’s tough to attract attention. But with search engines, we have a mature system for directing the traffic. Search engine visibility can be developed when your solution lives in the browser – not so with an app.

App stores are walled gardens
Apple’s unpredictable and dimly lit policies on what content is allowed and what is not allowed highlights a major problem for app developers: You are not in control of your distribution. You are subject to an approval process which at best is slow and strict, at worst unpredictable and censoring. Not so in the browser.

Browser-based mobile viewers are a better match across platforms
Developing apps is unfortunately a platform-specific game. They only work on specific devices. Today, the map is relatively easy to chart with iPhone OS, Android OS, Web OS, Symbian and RIM OS. But other operating systems are on the way, with even more fragmentation to come. To make matters worse, open source OSs like Android present a particular challenge. Since Android is open source, you now see a plethora or variations of the OS from mobile operators and handset manufacturers, adjusting Android to their devices and wreaking havoc in the app development community. Your app may work on one Android phone, but not another.

Browsers also come in different flavors. But the protocols, formats and web standards provide a mature framework to develop within.
We've seen some impressive app-based readers, especially on the iPad. With apps, you can do great things in terms of navigation as well as look and feel. There’s no doubt that app-based publishing has advantages and will continue to grow. It’s important not to see the two solutions as mutually exclusive. But your readers start out in the browser, and it’s of utmost importance to have attractive and valuable content right there and then if you are to keep your readers as readers...so this is why we have started out with a browser based solution when creating our Mobile Viewer...one thing we can say is that your readers will have the most rich mobile viewing experience among any digital publishing platform available in the industry. Stay up to date in this bog for the official release of the Mobile Viewer in May 2010.

Copying links and settings between publications

We commonly get asked by our clients whether we can copy publications, unfortunately that is not currently possible within the system but it is however possible to upload a new PDF publication and copy links between publications. This is extremely helpful if you need to make a copy of a publication or have a publication with the same content but different covers and do not have the time to redo all the links.

The “Import Settings” function is a valuable time saving feature which allows you to copy links and forms from one publication to another and be placed at exactly the same position as the original publication.  The one thing to make sure though is that your number of pages is identical to the original version.

Instructions for use.
1.    Go to My Publications
2.    Click Edit Publication on your new publication
3.    Under the Basic Tab click the button on the bottom right hand side saying “Import Settings”
4.    In the Window that opens select the original publication from the list
5.    Check the relevant tick boxes under Settings to get “Links” will copy links to the new publication  and “Forms” will copy all the forms from the original publication to the new one.
6.    Click the “Get Settings” button

Your links and forms will now be copied from your original publication to your new publication