I get asked quite frequently about the equipment I use to produce these videos. What type of camera do I use, what microphone, what lighting…and…is that backdrop behind me or a green screen? Well, in this video, I share everything I use to produce these videos.
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WVU #39 – Review Canon Vixia HF S10 Part 2
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Video Review of Avid Studio – WVU #124
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Review of the Kodak Zi8 – WVU #72
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WVU #32 – Editing Video From a DVD
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WVU #46 – SpeedBit Video Accelerator Review
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Posted by Dave on Feb 26, 2010
WVU #29 – 3D Compositing In Sony Vegas Pro
Posted by Dave on Mar 20, 2009
How To Use An iPad To Light Your Videos
Posted by Dave on Oct 21, 2011
Working great in TX, thanks for the updates!
Dave, it worked but there were buffering issues.
-Lawton, Florida, US
Hi Dave,
Video is working fine!
Have a good day,
Leo
Came through beautifully here in So Cal, no buffering at all. Let us know what the new video delivery system is Dave
Usually based in Uk but I’m in Florida at the moment and all is working well.
Thanks for all the great info.
I also have buffering issues with all your videos.
Danno in Texas
Hi Dave, the video rolled perfectly and looked great. It appeared to download quite quickly.
Have a great weekend.
Brooks
Hi Dave.
No problems with your video here in the UK. Good presentation and video quality.
Thanks
Worked in Phoenix with some buffing slow downs.
Final Cut Pro? I thought your tool of choice was vegas pro?
Buffering issues here in South Australia. About 5 hiccups total. Does Final Cut Pro have a way to add an extra second or two to your play speed – I know that Adobe Premiere Pro does? That usually fixes the buffering issues if your streaming server is reliable. Thanks, Nat
Hi Dave,
Excellent quality videos both in delivery and presentation. My location is Cork, Ireland.
Thanks for all your informative video tips and interviews.
Hi Dave
I didn’t have any problems watching the video.
Can I ask you a question?
Why don’t you use a ‘backlight’ in your video’s.
I thought it was a cardinal rule that you had to use 3 lights?
John O’Hara
United Kingdom
works great as usual wish i had more time to take suggestions
Dave,
Works great! here in Montreal. Can’t wait for the other weeks….
Great work!
Robert
Productions REJ
Worked perfectly here in Keller, TX! In fact, the entire video downloaded in 29 seconds (while playing of course).
No problem with video… works fine.
How do you feel about using Chroma Key for a backdrop in case I get tired of the same backdrop?
Played great here in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Dave, it worked but there were buffering issues here in Bogota, Colombia. About 15 hiccups total. Fyi, usually I watch your videos without buffering issues. This is the first time. Thanks for your info.
Dave, it worked fine with no buffering issues. It looked very sharp and clear. I am in western North Carolina.
It looks like a winner.
Hi Dave…
There are buffering problems and sometimes the video ends before completion. I’ve noticed this in most all your weekly production tips. Thought it was my fault, however yours is only one that presents this problem with buffering and non-completion… Hope this helps.
By the way… great content – will be talking soon about your training!
Greg S.
Forgot to mention location… New Orleans, La. Good ole USA!
Greg,
If the videos are ending before completion, that usually means your browser’s cache is full. Here’s info on how to fix it:
http://webvideouniversity.com/blog/technical_stuff/2008/10/20/help-videos-buffering-or-stopping-half-way-through/
Dave
Dave, as always, your video’s are clear and very to the point. Based on a talk with you via the phone a month or so ago, I bought the Canon VIXIA HV30 HD-DV Camcorder which I love and am getting ready to start uploading high quality video myself.
Thanks for all the great tips and have a great year !
Michael Neal
hello Dave,
I am pleased to report that your video is sharp and clear when downloaded from Osaka, Japan.
Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! (happy new year)
Davide
USA – Atlanta, GA
No problems viewing the videos. Thanks for answering my questions
Dave, always good to know the equipment you use. I also had buffering issues.
Rick
Buffering problems here in Washington. Never had problems before, and other sites are fine.
If you’re looking to roll this out as a service using just a dedicated server at Liquid Web, there are much better solutions available–especially if you want/need to scale things.
Oh, and that feedback bit was very clever to pique curiosity about your video hosting service!
Oops…just noticed you’re using BitGravity for the video hosting, and Liquid Web for the web hosting.
The AS-Flash Video Player can buffer quite a bit when playing HD content. Maybe that’s the buffering problem. Do you do anything to detect the visitor’s bandwidth before loading HD video? Maybe HD is a little overkill for a talking head video?
Absolutely perfect… no delays, great quality… Seattle WA.
Working perfectly fine in Virginia on IE 8 beta 2. Thanks again for another great video.
Video is perfect and runs smoothly without such buffering problems some people are experiencing which really has to do with their own internet connection and computer issues.
Working great in Fairlawn, OH. Comes up FAST, plays perfectly while rest is loading. Looking forward to another year of your great and helpful tips.
Hi Dave,
The video ran fine for me.
…….And….I’m curious as to why you didn’t use a 3rd light as well.
John O’Hara asked the same question in his remarks, I’m curious too.
Thanks,
Jack
Hi Dave,
I’m in Western Australia, it’s 10:41 Saturday night.
Too much buffering, just about every few seconds. It would probably be okay weekdays and at daytime.
Would speedbit video accelerator (premium) help solve the problem?
Wilda
A third light from above brings with it reflections off Dave’s head. That demands the dreaded powder and I do believe that is why Dave chose 2 lights which look great and completely natural against his backdrop. Lighting rules are not hard and fast but are meant to be adapted for the situation. Just had the same situation myself in a shoot this week.
Dave, just a thought, did you use dv kitchen to encode? If so you could post several clones of the same video at different bitrates and resolutions as the software allows to see just what is best for your varied clientele here. We could all repost on how each video works in our different locales to give you a load of info.
Worked great for me in Ohio. Hey Diane, see you’re in Fairlawn. Stay warm!
Buffering problems, otherwise fine.
Had three “buffering” pauses, but as it is 18:30 here in Essex (UK) when my ISP usually crawls to a low speed anyway, can’t complain.
Hi Dave
Lots of buffering issues here in Canberra Australia.
I’m another one interested in you referring to Final Cut Pro. I had been about to get Vegas Pro on your recommendation. What’s made you shift?
Adele
Hi Dave,
Video perfect here in Boston–why no back light?
Thanks,
Bill
Hi All,
Here are the answers to the common questions above:
Final Cut and Sony Vegas: I use both Mac and PC, Final Cut and Sony Vegas…equally. For video podcasts, I prefer Final Cut on the Mac because my videos go on iTunes (special requirements), and Mac software tools speed this production workflow for me.
Backlight: I don’t use a backlight in many of the videos on this site because I’m bald and there’s the issue of the light shining off my head. If I’m using a dark background I will use a backlight to create separation between myself and the background…and…I’ll take the necessary steps to reduce my head shine (gels and flags). But for the blue background videos, they come out OK without a backlight, so I skip the extra hassle (I would use one if I had hair).
Buffering: The videos for this test are high bit rate videos (1,500) in H.264. That means your internet download speed must consistently be above 1.5 mbps. Want to check your download speed? Go here: http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/. That also means your computer must be powerful enough to handle H.264 videos without hiccups (you have to have a decent processor in your computer). To put it all in plain English, these videos require 3-4 times the horsepower that it takes to watch videos on YouTube.
Australia Video Problems: Unfortunately, the “Internet Infrastructure” in Australia doesn’t provide the same performance available in other areas of the world. So if you live in Australia, you’ll likely have buffering problems with my videos (including high-quality videos elsewhere).
Hi Dave,
Your Video Tips are great! I was wondering if you have done a video on low cost lighting. I usually go where the natural light is, but sometimes I wish I had some lights and I don’t want to break the bank. Thanks! Jewels
@Julie Griffith – I cover lighting techniques in my paid training at http://www.webvideouniversity.com.