Video Player Builder

This is a very basic form to help you get your videos into a Manila web site.

The first step is to shoot (or capture) your video. The Distributed Learning unit has a couple of video cameras you can borrow. So does the Library. But if you're planning to do a lot of video recording, we suggest you consider buying your own. The price is dropping. Good quality cameras are reasonably priced - around $500 to $600. We also have a device that lets you capture video from VHS tapes.

Next, you have to edit the video. There are lots of good video editing software packages available. Some are free and come with your computer - like iMovie on Macs and Movie Maker on Windows XP. The Distributed Learning unit uses something called Pinnacle Studio 10. You can book the software and the computer and try it out. We'll be happy to show you how it works.

Once your production has been shot and edited, you'll have to decide how you want to distribute the video. If you plan to use it on the web, you'll want to "compress" it so it downloads more quickly. We use a program called Sorrenson Squeeze to compress (squeeze) the video to smaller sizes. There are newer - and less expensive - options available now. But since we own it already, that's what we use.

When you "squeeze" your video, you'll have 3 basic options. There are lots of choices. But in basic terms, you can have Large, Medium or Small videos at the end of the day.

This script makes the assumption you have used Sorrenson Squeeze and have chosen one of the three sizes. If you've used something else, this may not work as expected. It also assumes you only want to post your video to a Yukon College Manila site. If you want to burn a CD or move your video to another server, this script may not work.

With the caveats out of the way, let's get started building the code you'll use to post the videos to your Manila site.

Here are instructions to post Quick Time movies.