Blog by Steve Garvey (CEO) on 30 April 2012
HTML code has always struggled with video and audio on different devices and browsers, requiring customisation between each. Given that the way we interact with the web has changed so drastically over the past five years, HTML5 offers a fresh approach, unifying the user’s experience with video and audio tags across every browser, operating system and device.
What does that mean for video on the web?
- Less cross-browser, cross-platform fine tuning is required, removing incompatibility issues;
- No need for multiple encodes and multiple video formats;
- It’s easier to incorporate video into websites as the player is in the browser already;
- World Television Channel Players which used to be in Flash now use HTML5 which means they are supported by multiple browsers and operating systems, including tablets;
- Viewing is faster because the browser begins to download the video straight away rather than loading the video player first.
The only issue standing in the way of this much-needed consistency is the internationally-approved standards subscribed to by each browser. Chrome supports MPEG4 and WebM standards. Internet Explorer, Safari, iOS and Android support MPEG4 and Firefox and Opera support WebM.
With Firefox recently announcing an imminent change to the MPEG4, all major browsers will soon subscribe to the same unified standard format, meaning HTML5 will be able to deliver consistent video viewing. But for how long? Google has recently announced it will withdraw support for MPEG4 in favour of WebM... Fingers crossed they reverse their decision. Having waited for so long, both distributors and users of video would benefit from a consistent standard across all browsers.
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As the debate over Final Cut Pro X rages, I spoke to our Head of Post Production Ryan Norman about how things look from the coal face.
Final Cut Pro X is the latest edition of Apple's professional video editing software. Most editors use either Final Cut or Avid Media Composer. Final Cut Pro X has, according to Apple's marketing, been totally rebuilt and for once the marketing message is true. Problem is, not everyone likes it.
Final Cut Pro X is built for a tapeless production environment, in other words one where everything is available as a digital file. That's fine in theory but the truth is we're not there yet. Although we have switched to completely tapeless acquisition, we still get a lot of tapes either from clients or from our own archive. We also need to distribute
video to some people on tape. So for now, we couldn't work solely in Pro X without using third-party software to do our digitising, complicating any tape-based ingest.
Another big stumbling block is that, surprisingly, you can't import projects from older versions of Final Cut. So the project you cut a few months ago would be out of bounds for your new edit.
It's not all bad. Pro X uses the computer's processor power much more efficiently, speeding things up so that you can deliver the finished programme more quickly. It also brings all editing into the timeline, removing the 'source/record' style of editing. Apple say this makes editing faster and easier especially if you're already expert in Final Cut Pro, like Ryan.
Pro X is a radical departure and it's no surprise that it's shaken things up. No doubt Apple and other developers will quickly launch upgrades to fill the gaps, but it's hard to believe Apple wanted to create a reaction as controversial as this.