Members BLAblablah Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Since I moved to HC, I've had it set as my Home Page. Whenever I pick up the laptop I like to read any new HC headlines before going on to SSS and the other forums. But now I'm gonna have to get in the habit of leaving my sound turned off...or risk disturbing or scaring anyone nearby. I absolutely realize the value and importance of Ads, but...just sayin Bear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Magpel Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Originally posted by BLAblablah Since I moved to HC, I've had it set as my Home Page. Whenever I pick up the laptop I like to read any new HC headlines before going on to SSS and the other forums. But now I'm gonna have to get in the habit of leaving my sound turned off...or risk disturbing or scaring anyone nearby. I absolutely realize the value and importance of Ads, but...just sayin Bear It's the talkin' banners what make Mypace so annoying too. But like the Shoshkele before it, this will pass. I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Well, the video hot spot is going to get used for more than ads. Actually all I've seen so far are NAMM show report videos, no ads per se. Ads will come at some point, as well trailers that point people to certain areas of the site. I must admit I like the idea of having videos on the home page But I don't log on at someplace where a boss might be looking over my shoulder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 I suppose I'm at a relative advantage. There's no sound in my browser's case; but instead, I now have to act on the following alert every time I load the page: Safari can't display content on this page Some content on this page requires an Internet plug-in that Safari doesn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 I'm checking into this. There are some issues with the AOL Mac browser as well. A concern is that Microsoft doesn't support Windows Media Player any more for the Mac. I'm also suggesting that users be able to set a default volume level that's remembered, so they can start with it muted if they want. Don't know if that's possible or not, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GioNYC Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hi Greg. I hardly post, but I've had HC as my homepage like forever. And I too come first thing everyday to check on things. The new add video it's kinda messing up my browser. One of the ideas to have controls to start and stop the video is a good one. Thank you for the time. Gio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BLAblablah Posted July 18, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Okay, now I'm on my Mac...and in a place where I would like to hear the Vid. But no Win media player! When I'm using my laptop (win) I'm far more likely to be around people that are startled by a sudden loud power chord...even if they do know me I'll adjust...and will even find the videos useful I'm sure. But untill then, I wish I had a physical volume control on my Vaio... Bear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deef Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Craig, you folks need to move to Flash video. This will cure the browser compatibility issues. Talk to the people at YouTube or check out the video player at Wimpy I understand that some people hate Flash, but that's because it has been so poorly implemented by sites in the past. Users who choose not to install the Flash player will simply not see the videos and can continue viewing your site as they wish. Meanwhile, HC will not have to rely on users and their chosen browser publishers to maintain updated Windows Media Player and/or Quicktime compatibility. The time is over for that sort of "our site only works if you have this browser" mindset in regard to managing internet technology. I used to webcast medical conferences utilizing Microsoft Media technology and I know the headaches that arise from relying on your audience to keep their client software up to date. When we contracted with an outside firm to take over the webcasting process, we brought up our concerns regarding media formats and browser compatibility. They said, "Don't worry, we use Flash video." Deef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 I'm happy to say that I haven't been subjected to any auto-play audio here -- but I can tell you that if I am it will be a HUGE negative... I STRONGLY recommend having the adverts default to sound off. Auto-play sound is one of THE top things-not-to-do listed by web design pros. It is on the cardinal don'ts at www.WebPagesThatSuck.com/... (OTOH, it was breaking that rule that gave the world the now (justifiably) world-wide-infamous "Glaucoma Hymn"! [DL link] That's from the prize-winningly-bad "Association of International Glaucoma Societies" site [wonder if they pulled a permit from the Dept of Redundancy Deptartment for that one?] If you go there... wear sunglasses. Many a wag has suggested the webdesigners were TRYING to do damage to people's vision with the color scheme.) (Back to the sugject at hand, autoplay audio on websites...) It is, in a single word, EVIL. Any site that has autoplay audio is a site that is soon on my list of ex-favorites. (Hmmm... I could see this backfiring on me. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 We're fixing it right now. The videos will default to not starting, so you'll just see the initial video splash screen -- no video or audio unless you select it. Also people didn't like the guitar chord at the beginning so we're going back to the filter sweep used on previous vids. Gotta go and re-render.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Good deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members songrytr Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 +1 on the Flash video option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ed A. Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Originally posted by Anderton I'm checking into this. There are some issues with the AOL Mac browser as well. A concern is that Microsoft doesn't support Windows Media Player any more for the Mac. Yes, that is getting to be a problem for us Mac users. The same thing happens if I go to CNN.com and attempt to play any of their video links. Isn't there a video technology that can be used that works on both Mac and Windows platforms (RealVideo, QuickTime, Macromedia, etc.)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deef Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Originally posted by Ed A. Isn't there a video technology that can be used that works on both Mac and Windows platforms (RealVideo, QuickTime, Macromedia, etc.)? Yes. Flash:eek:Video. Deef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ara Ajizian Posted July 18, 2006 Members Share Posted July 18, 2006 Anyone on a Mac should download the Flip4Mac application. Once installed all WMV streams will open with QT. It's awesome and it's free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BLAblablah Posted July 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by arracado Anyone on a Mac should download the Flip4Mac application. Once installed all WMV streams will open with QT. It's awesome and it's free. Cool...and Thanks! But I was sure surprised when the link took me to Microsoft.com... Bear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 The decision has been made to go with Flash as soon as possible, but for the meantime, to do videos with a soft intro so no one gets too scared. We're committed to having NAMM videos up, so...we'll see how long it takes to get the flash thing happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lazaraga Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 hc has always been full of poo this is just another form to ignore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ed A. Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by arracado Anyone on a Mac should download the Flip4Mac application. Once installed all WMV streams will open with QT. It's awesome and it's free. Flip4Mac doesn't yet work for Intel based Macs. The Universal Binary version is currently in beta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BLAblablah Posted July 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Make no mistake, I love this site...or else it wouldn't be my Home Page to begin with. It's just that when I clicked on the browser on my laptop (which is surprisingly loud for a 12") this morning, my startled friend spilled her coffee as she was walking by. In retrospect, it was kind of funny...at least now But I certainly didn't expect to start all this...sorry if it caused more work for you Craig. I actually look forward to all of the NAMM Videos. And I like a nice loud Power Chord (even through the tiny laptop speakers ) I think I speak for (most) all of us when I say...thanks for all you and the rest of the HC crew do. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Hey, no problem at all!! There's no "Running HC for Dummies" manual, so we need to do something, see what happens, then tweak. The flash thing seems like the way to go (not that I know any of this, it's the tech people). Meanwhile, I'll least we'll get some videos up there...I'm rendering away right now. BTW did you notice we opened a new heading at the top of the home page, "The Theater?" It's our new home for all the video content we've been generating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BLAblablah Posted July 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 The Theatre button is definitely a cool thing. I'll be pushing it often...especially after the NAMM/AES/MESSE shows. Regarding the "Running HC for Dummies" manual, should they decide to write one I would absolutely recommend Craig Anderton for the job. Wait a minute...DOH! I didn't mean it that way... Bear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Magpel Posted July 21, 2006 Members Share Posted July 21, 2006 Okay, now I must admit I've been enjoying these NAMM videos. Fair's fair. I generally find autorun content like this annoying, but this ain't so bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brittanylips Posted July 21, 2006 Members Share Posted July 21, 2006 FWIW, I think videos should be voluntary. It seems like every site on the internet is getting increasingly bogged down with artery-clogging transfatty multimedia. It's an online loudness war in the making. Clearly, popular sites want to leverage their popularity by stuffing as many lines of code (and ads) down your throat as possible, but there's a point of diminishing returns. "Salting the bacon" as a great musician once said about over-processing the goods. Despite the trendiness of rich formats, people flock to sites for simple reasons. The essence of this site is simple text - it's the primary currency of HC, the conduit to the people that make the site great. Not to diss videos. The NAMM videos are great. Maybe there should be a way to access them off of the main site that remains simple. It's what Google understands. The basic site remains simple, elegant, true to itself, not a big bucket of goo. Here's hoping HC remains simple, elegant, true to itself, not a big bucket of goo. -PeaceloveandBrittanylips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BLAblablah Posted July 21, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2006 What BL said...but keep the Theatre button. And certainly include anouncement of any new videos in the press realease section...where I have always gone first anyway. Bear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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