The Beta Birth of MillionDollarWebTV.com

Yes, it's true. Have the picture here to prove it.


And no, we cannot give you a link to it. Yet.

We are starting to test basic functionalities now. First thing is graphics and video placement on the home page pixel grid. We must optimize the layout process to place the maximum number of images on a 1000x1000 grid. The idea is, obviously, to automate things as much as possible. What is possible with image sizes varying from a minimum of 10x10 pixels up to hundreds by hundreds? We don't know but are working on it. If you have a solution we'd be glad to talk to you about it. Leave us a note!

The Fix Is In

And the egg is on my face. As you can see the SearchVideo widget now works. Whoever made the fix: Microsoft?..AOL?..I thank you. Now, could we just have better selection? Less game ads? Less ads? Am I asking for too much? How long will I be punished for my rush judgement?

I promise to clean up my act. Then again, I might not. That's no fun. So I will continue looking for new video search services, test them and fall on my face again. Hah - you expect that? You need entertainment?? Give me tips. I'll perform the dirty deeds. If I don't hear from you, you'll be at the mercy of my blind instincts. Is this what you REALLY want?

Microsoft Knocks Itself Out Via SearchVideo

This true. I found out yesterday. Double checked today. On PCs with Windows you get to see only the Grey Rotating Arrow of Death, like this one:




for the SearchVideo widget I installed inder the logo in the right column a bare 2 days ago. However, it turns out about 95% of the videos found and served up by this new AOL search engine/service is for XBox 360 games, accompanied by lots of MS ads ;-(

LOL...and don't bother installing the very latest Flash player and browser: IE 7, Firefox 2, Opera 9 either. None works with this SearchVideo widget. Which is for the best, I swear. You can take my rotating arrow for it...if you are one of the lucky Windows users.

Vimeo, You Lost My Video

After easily spending an hour to write the caption, tags, uploading a 23 Meg video, waiting for it to convert to Flash, copying the embed code and inserting it into the new FrySmart™ page on CulinArt's website, what happens?

The video is steaming down to my test page like a charm. I kick my heels back. Life is good. Until...it just disappears!

Upon switching to my the iTV21 pages on Vimeo - yep, that's me - I find everything, but EVERYTHING related to the FrySmart video GONE. I try to IM Dalas, the tech support guy on AIM. You're not glued to your PC Sunday night Dalas, leaving me in the lurch???

So I fire up Blip.tv, go through the hoops again, to get to where I started. Thank YOU, Vimeo...yes, I read you were in beta...now I KNOW.

AsiaMedia :: JAPAN: Video-sharing web sites enjoy explosive popularity

Free Internet sites such as YouTube, where anyone can post video for household or mobile phone use, are becoming explosively popular around the world.

But TV broadcasters say programs are often shown on the sites without permission from copyright holders. (MT - REALLY???!)

Read on...there is and interesting tidbit about CNN having begun to show video on its home page of incidents and accidents taken by people outside the network...

AsiaMedia :: JAPAN: Video-sharing web sites enjoy explosive popularity

Testing, Testing - VIMEO Testing

So Vimeo claims embedding videos from it's site to WordPress blogs works flawlessly? Ha! I believe it when I see it below...although this is a Blogger blog...



PMS Queen - Music Video from June Marshall on Vimeo

YES, this is IT!!! FYI, the PMS Queen is the one using PMS as a license to torture you. In her case, "P" stands for Perpetual. Avoid at all cost!

Thanks Vimeo - you just won me over, the second time!

A Squidoo Poll Predicts the Future of i(p)TV

iTV aka internet TV, IPTV, Web TV, streaming video, web video...people, make up your minds!

As one of the resident experts on iTV at Squidoo, I find true morsels of wisdom there sometimes. Here is one, in the form of a screen shot I took from a slightly less than scientific poll by 7 - yes, seven - people on the future of TV. Here is some statistics even Mark Twain would like - this one doesn't lie. It's not biased either - so it might even be a good indicator....

Trouble in VideoLand

S*#& - my videos neither pop-up or display in an embedded player in my WordPress powered MakeiTV.com postings. Why not? Why me? Why don't the Easy Inline SWF and Video Popup plugins work? Why???!!!

There is one more plugin to try - just activated WP-Video. It says, "Add Google, YouTube, Metacafe videos very simple." Will try it ASAP and report - even better, have my videos running - "very simple!"

Pop-up Video Is So Yesterday

Confession - no, not about pop-ups, pop-unders, pop-anything. I have another blog, exactly like this, at MakeiTV.com. I use it to learn the capabilities of blogs and blogging software to create video blogs. (vlogs for you, acronymistas).

MakeiTV.com is built with WordPress, a very innovative, beautifully designed, and modular blogging software from, you guessed, WordPress.org. I installed an inline Flash video plugin to see if it can consistently deliver flash videos. Why Flash? Because it is the de facto video format on the web. If it works, we'll be well on our way to producing a real video blog. Obviously, I have not been able to make this work on Blogger as yet.

The song video you should see there was written and sung by our favorite author-artist, June Marshall. It's part of her album, "Booby Trapped: Men Beware the Dirty Seven Sisters!" Being an equal opportunity gender-basher, she also made another album, "The Dirty Seven: Ladies Beware!" about the kind of men women should avoid. We'll feature a song video from that album too, hopefully soon. Ouch!!!

P.S. You can get the best deal on her albums, books, and ebooks from Newmedia Publishing. Or download her songs from iTunes, AOL Music, MSN Music, Yahoo Music and a host of other sites.

VEOH - VE OH? - VidEO H?

I still don't know. They don't tell you. You can, however, do a lot on this website (still in beta):
 
* Broadcast videos of any file size, length, or resolution.
* Auto-syndicate to YouTube, Google Video, MySpace, and P2P Internet TV . 
* Make money through sharing in advertising revenue or pay-per-view.
* Create your own channel with your own uploaded videos and from others.
* Let viewers subscribe to receive new videos as they are released.
* Embed a Flash player on your website. It's like having your own channel.

MT:  They have been in beta at least since late summer, when I first checked them out. How long would anyone want to stay in a testing/fine-tuning mode? Makes me wonder.

Anyway, uploading a 2 minute infomercial, "The College Monkeys' Survival Guide" was quick and painless. Auto-syndication to YouTube etc. was cool. Creating and managing your own channel(s) and subscriptions are also great features, BUT require you to devote a lot of time and effort to produce your own videos. Yes, you can and should add feeds from other sources that complement yours. That's also a very effective way to have your feed syndicated at no cost. At the end, it is still YOUR show. Making it successful will keep you VERY busy.

While the College Monkeys video no longer runs, you can see it here, just for kicks.

Squidoo this Video

Meaning, you build your own personal recommendation or expert page online, complete with a video feed from YouTube. It is REALLY easy:

1. Choose the YouTube module
2. Name and describe your module
3. Select your video
4. Define display options
5. Save

This is the quickest way we've found so far to video-enable a page or blog, although it is specific the Squidoo and only works with YouTube so far. Another issue could be that the audio might get out of sync with the video. Still, the overall effect is pretty impressive, especially as you add other modules, like instant voting and group discussion. I did all of these on our Squidoo Page in no time at all and the result speaks for itself.

Ezonics Webcam Zones Out

You want to upgrade your webcam or get a new one? Avoid any webcam from Ezonics. We are just returning our brand new iContact Pro II unit. It is advertised as "Mac compatible," which to them means:

1. It does not work with iChat
2. It's microphone (a separate Bluetooth device) does not come with a Mac driver

Their customer service will tell you that. After you point out that their their own web site and catalog say it works with iChat (never mind the mike), they just shrug it off. No "We are sorry about the wrong information, your troubles, etc." No remorse. No customer service. Just plain arrogance.

MT: Avoid Ezonics. They don't owe up to their own word. Fortunately, I bought the unit at Provantage. Although they mark webcams as "Non-returnable," they immediately offered to take it back after hearing about my travails. What a great service - and great prices too!

AOL Video annihilates YouTube!

Imagine that! The “College Monkeys’ (aka Students) Survival Guide” rap music video infomercial we ran from the end of November till the 31st of December tallied the following statistics:

AOL Uncut Video: 2602 views
BLIP.TV (Best independent video site we’ve found so far): 82 views
Google Video: 20 views
Grouper: 11 views
Mobango (Mobile video site): 85 views - Nice surprise!
Revver: Couldn’t access site on 1/1/2007….
VEOH (New video site in beta): 64 views
YouTube: 31 views….
Yahoo Video: Couldn’t find video on 1/1/2007….

Surprising but very useful numbers!

It’s only 2006 - and News at Seven is made by an automated news-video generator

his just in (at least for me):

From the Intelligent Information Laboratory (InfoLab) at Northwestern University comes News at Seven, an automatic system that crafts daily news shows. It finds the news you are interested in; edits it; finds relevant images, videos, and external opinions; and then presents it all using a virtual news team working in a virtual studio. News at Seven is a uniquely compelling experience that can present traditional news–augmented with supplemental images, videos, and opinions from the blogosphere ALL WITHOUT HUMAN INTERVENTION….

Check it out at: http://www.newsatseven.com/index.php

[PT = my personal take]: And the next step will be to tap into the webcams all over the world, relegating us to writing commentaries, until that gets automated…which will become really horrific when the authoring software acquires far right (not left, of course) tendencies….

Yes, and a Happy 2007 to you too!

The Making of MillionDollarWebTV.com

This is our first large iTV project in the works NOW! You shall read, hear, and see everything that’s going into its development, marketing, sales, operation, and so on and on. This is an adventure you don’t want to miss! Why? Because it literally is an AD VENTURE. That is a web TV ad venture….

Imagine having your ad image, video, and links on the front page of MillionDollarWebTV.com. With only a million pixels (1000×1000 pixel grid) available, it will be prime web video/TV estate for individuals and businesses. Ads and videos will be online for a minimum of 10 years. AND, as an advertiser, you’ll also receive a Profit Share Certificate, entitling you for a proportional share of profits accruing from the operation or sale of the business.

So tune in - and if you have a web presence or business, tune it up with an ad on MillionDollarWebTV.com.

Why make iTV?

Internet TV is in its infancy. We use this blog to share the joy, pain, and sometimes plain stupidity (ours) that creeps in while making it happen. Making iTV is new. Making iTV is exciting. Making iTV is fun and can be profitable. Let’s find out together.

You’ll learn what we learn. You’ll see what we see, mash up, or dish out. On Dish TV one day, that is. Join our blog and community. Add your comments, questions, tips, and stories. Use ours to shorten your learning curve. iTV is taking over the cyberwaves. Surf is up - surf with us!