Client Requirements

Streamed and Progressive Videos for the www.excel-london.co.uk website. Fast Start and hinted tracks based on internet connection.

Technologies Utilized

Darwin (QuickTime) Streaming Server, Apache, Cleaner, Media 100, RTSP, QuickTime.

Results

Fast Start Web Server Delivery of Movies (where the movie will start playing whilst it is still being downloaded), compared to 'download-and-wait' this is done via Apache and 'hinted' flat files. Streaming Server Delivery, using Darwin Streaming Server, where the user can skip to chapters in the movie

big:production shot on location ExCeL London's new corporate video, editing and finishing it at their inhouse digital post production facilities. The video features a wide range of the different types of event that the London venue hosts. ExCeL London were so happy with the finished movie that they asked us to put it up on their website as a video introduction to the venue.

With the master video still in our non-linear editing suite, it was simple procedure for us to create digital versions for the web. We decided on a media format (QuickTime) that avoided streaming tax on a Streaming Server Level.

We then made the production edits for the online version which was then re-encoded for the web using Cleaner with alternates. Because the data rate of the movie must be below the user's internet connection speed for the movie to play at all, we created movie alternates (such as modem, ISDN, ADSL and T1 version) to allow a wider spectrum of users to access the video. Using QuickTime we were able to interrogate each user's connection speed and so send them the most appropriate alternate version.