Sam... you should post a feedback thread as the others have. Also, if you have a higher def version, you can upload it to Vimeo or Youtube and for vimeo at least if you link it in your opening post you can have folks view it at a better resolution rather simply. Look forward to seeing your entry.

Meryem, Kevin, Mat,

What happend to Sam's entry?

I have been rendering most of my Vimeo and YouTube HD stuff using a a 1280 x720 mp4. The level rate I rendered to left me about 140 megabytes for my 3:18 render. I think it translated very well at both Vimeo and YouTube. I really don't know a lot of people who are using windows media video to up load, so I am curious why Meryem is suggesting that for the windows side ?

I didn't see Sam's file anywhere. I'll check here in a bit to see if it's there.

Mac users can download Flip 4 Mac for free to watch WMV files. Works fine on my Mac

I will try and start a feedback thread in the morning, as I will have to upload my video, which is on my harddrive at home.

Edit: The file was uploaded to the cahllenge site on Oct 29th, if it makes it easier for you to find it with a time frame.

Sam,

Your file's no where to be found. I checked the upload list thread here and didn't see that I ever posted it on that either.

Upload it again and we'll get it posted for you.

not my suggestion - it has been requested many, many times by PC users...and I sure don't know enough about PC workflow to deny it...other than the fact that mac users have to download flip4mac to watch it...

...and have had lots of feedback from all sides that they don't like to be forced to download 3rd party apps...

round we go again!

guess I'll have to render there to get a feel for it.... I will transfer very rough low def versions sometimes, but hadn't considered Window Movie files to be that desirable.


Edit: Follow up: Okay I rendered to a Window Media file, at the same 1280 x 720 as I used for my mp4 files, and I have to say it looks very good. So drop that objection on my part.

Well, I downloaded Flip4Mac just cause I was missing out on other WMV files on the internet from other film boards.
So, no objection from me on that one. :)

Not ever owning a PC, how easy is it for PC users to view H.264 files? Or do PC's have any problem with Flash 9 files?

Flash 9 supports H.264. You just change the extension from .mov to .flv and you have a Flash 9 file. Not sure how that works in PC land though.

I have no problems viewing h.264 or flash videos. I use VLC and it does a fine job with almost anything I throw at it.

I agree that we should keep an archive of all of the videos. I frequently go to uwolchallenge.com just to enjoy some of the old entries.

BUT I sure would like to see everyone's work in HD. Is there some way we could have a link from the uwolchallenge website to a copy hosted on vimeo, youtube or exposureroom. That way we keep the archive, don't really increase the bandwidth, but provide a way to view in higher resolution. If the hosting site at some point deletes the entry at least we would have the lower res archived copy. And truth be told, I get better playback performance from a Vimeo HD video than from the uwolchallenge website.

I think having the archives really show how far we've grown as filmmakers. Take a look at the old entries and you can see the results of a global group of filmmakers banding together to help each other make better films all for the greater good of the planet.

We can't download a third party viewer for a major platform codec?

I can see if it was some weird Divx codec or something. I wouldn't install that either. But for Windows Media and H.264 files? I can make the sacrifice for the greater good of the planet!

I agree with Kevin.

I would rather listen to people complain (ignorantly) about a 3rd party install, and in turn get to watch the videos in much better size and quality. I am bewildered to think that someone is watching videos here and is scared of 3rd party installs like flip4mac and quicktime. I am even more bewildered if it is participants in the challenge itself. h.264 and wmv have got to be the 2 of the most widely used codecs for the last several years.

I would argue that we simply allow h.264 since quicktime is a free download for PC and comes loaded on Mac as the native media player. However, I can understand that some people are encoding on PCs and might only have software that writes to wmv.

I say let people submit wmv and the mac folks can get flip4mac to playback wmv within quicktime. Let Mac people submit h.264 and the PC folks can get quicktime which includes the ability to playback h.264. Both are free. Both are easy. Both work. If people have trouble doing that, then we welcome them to the world of digital video on the internet. And we get a warm fuzzy knowing that they'll be able to view even more stuff than UWOL thanks to our helping them expand their playback potential.

:D

Thanks Kevin,

I am uploading the file again.

It will be fine if I don't qualify, as the date has gone by for uploading, but I know that somewhere in cyberspace, my original upload is scattered around, in little bits and bytes, one day maybe getting to you.

here is the info that I get, once the file is uploaded:

file1x_original:17_UC15_hideandseek.mpeg
file1x:17_UC15_hideandseek.mpeg
file1x_status:OK
popup:on
target_dir:/export/sites/uwolchallenge.com/docs/deadbolt/deadbolttest/UPLOAD1/uploads

Sam.. it is clear you went through the process of uploading, early even... and you have a post to that effect. I'm quite sure Meryem will grant dispensation if you ask. You NEED to ask though.