VIDEO Tutorial
Adding Video to your Webpages

This lesson will assume that you have studied HTML at one or more of our recommended Design Sites and here we will show you how to create and add Video to your webpages!

There are three parts to this tutorial... (1) How to actually create a Video (2) How to upload it to your PC and (3) How to code your webpage to show the Video...

You need a Camera to make a Video, and Camcorders are the best choice... there are TWO Basic types of Camcorders... Digital or Analog, either will work, but Analog Camcorders are cheaper and require less extra Hardware for uploading. When you shoot your Video, you must keep the length as short as possible, because the File Size can become quite LARGE for lengthy Videos, and users on a 56K Dial-Up Connection, might not wait forever for them to load! A good rule of thumb is: For every 30 seconds of footage, the file size will increase by 1 Megabyte! In the case of an Analog Camcorder, make sure that it has Audio and Video output jacks, and for Digital Camcorders, a Firewire output jack!

For Analog Camcorders, you will need this Hardware: Pinnacle Systems Dazzle 80 (about $50 to $60... you can find it also at some Computer Stores) and for Digital Camcorders you will need a Firewire and a Firewire PC Card

This tutorial will concentrate on Analog Camcorders, using the Dazzle Hardware to convert the analog audio and video signals to a digital format for your PC Video Capture Software

For Digital Camcorders, check with a Computer Dealer about Firewire and Firewire Cards and how to use them...

So go ahead and get the Dazzle Hardware connected to your Camera Audio and Video Jacks, and connect the other end, the USB Connector to your PC...

NOTE: ALWAYS TURN OFF ALL HARDWARE INCLUDING YOUR PC, CAMERA AND DAZZLE WHILE MAKING OR DISCONNECTING WIRE CONNECTIONS!!!

Now you will need to install Video Capture Software on your PC, so that you can open it, and click the "Capture" button and make any necessary preliminary settings required to Capture the Video to your PC

There are many Video Capture Software Programs available today... you can look at www.Download.com and see what's available... and your Windows Based PC probably comes with one pre-installed, Windows Movie Maker if you are using Windows XP (Operating System)... and if you are using XP and you do not have the Movie Maker installed, you can Download It Here... so you can go ahead and use it if you want... study the "Help" sections and capture your video, edit it and save it to your computer... Here is an Excellent Tutorial On Windows Movie Maker ...however it is very limited in what file types it can output (.wmv or .avi) ... as an alternative we highly recommend Video Convert Master ... it's easy to use, free to try, then about $25.00 to buy... and our tutorial will concentrate on using it for explaination purposes; but if you use another Software Program, simply read it's "Help" links to learn how to use it!

Now after you have made all your wire connections and installed Video Convert Master, go ahead and turn on everything (but don't start playing your Video Movie just yet), then open Video Convert Master and read the "Help" links (Very Important)... then click the "Capture" button along the top panel:

A window will open and your PC will sence what Hardware is connected to it and indicate this in the window in the "Video Device" and Audio Device" boxes... be sure to check these drop down boxes and select the CORRECT devices for the Pinnacle Hardware! Then go ahead and click the "Start Capture To File Button"...

Next another window will open to allow you choose where to SAVE your Video file on your PC... if you just leave it as is (recommended), it will be saved to your My Documents Folder in .avi file format... so now position this window (drag it) to the far right (as shown in the screenshot below) and position your mouse pointer OVER the SAVE Button... then click your Camcorder "Play" button to begin playing your Video Movie... you will see it playing in the View Box to the lower left (the Audio will NOT play, only the Video, but rest assured, if your wire connections are OK, the Audio signal will be Captured along with the Video signal) and at the SAME TIME or when you want to start SAVING the file... click the SAVE Button with your Mouse pointer!!! Don't forget this important step!!!

When the Video is finished, click the "Stop Video Capture Button" and hit the "Stop Play" Button on your Camcorder and turn it OFF...

Now you need to Convert the Video (if you so desire to convert it) which is stored in your My Documents folder as "Capture.avi", to another file format for coding into your webpage. We recommend converting it to .wmv (windows media video) because most users will have the Windows Media Player installed on their PC's but even so, it should play regardless, IF they have CONFIGURED their Player correctly, AND if they have UPGRADED their Player to the latest release level... so close the afore mentioned windows and click the "Browse" Button on the Video Convert Master Panel... find the Video file and select it, this will load it into the "Input Filename" box... next click the Wmv Button at the top of the panel... this will cause some new dimentions and info to register on the panel, as you will see, namely the "Output Filename" will show something like "Capture_NEW.wmv" and the Width and Height Dimensions (in the boxes near the bottom) will now be changed to 160 and 120 pixels... Next click the Wmv Profile box dropdown and select "Windows Media Video 9 for LAN, Cable Modem, or xDSL (100 to 768kbps)"... this will change the Width and Height boxes again to 320 by 240 pixels... now hit the "Convert Now Button" ... after your Video is sucessfully converted you can close out Video Convert Master, then goto your My Documents Folder and we suggest RENAMING your new video to something that you like, say "myvideo.wmv" ... then you need to use your FTP Program and Upload it to the location at your Online Web Host to be able to code it into your webpage... as PART 3 of this tutorial will explain!

Continue to Part 3 of this Tutorial

Have any Questions just...

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