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Need advice for hosting (or shrinking) a Large Video File

by MarketingVet09
13 replies
Hey Guys, I have a video file that is 550mb...


I'm well aware of Amazon S3 and have used it before, but they charge 12cents per GB of bandwidth transfer...

So that would mean the video playing just 2 times would cost me 12cents, far too expensive for me...


So I'm looking for some cheaper options... All I know is I could try to use youtube with a player that will allow me to cover the logo... And I could use Vimeo Pro that charges $200 for 250,000 Plays (regardless of bandwidth). This is for a whiteboard video that needs to autoplay (with no controls showing)


Does anyone have any other suggestions? Or alternatively, does anyone know a way where I could dramatically reduce the size of the video file but keep the same great quality (or very close to it)?


Any help would be greatly appreciated!
#advice #file #hosting #large #shrinking #video
  • Profile picture of the author Gail_Curran
    How long is the video, and what format?

    .
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    • Profile picture of the author helisell
      You need to look for a free video converter any-video-converter.com
      or similar.

      Save it as mp4 at various bit rates and upload the one with the best ratio of size/quality
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    • Profile picture of the author MarketingVet09
      Originally Posted by Gail_Curran View Post

      How long is the video, and what format?

      .

      The video is 26 minutes long... As far as format, it's mp4, but I can of course convert to any format I need to.
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      • Profile picture of the author Brandon Tanner
        Originally Posted by MarketingVet09 View Post

        The video is 26 minutes long... As far as format, it's mp4, but I can of course convert to any format I need to.
        A 26 minute web video should not be anywhere near 550MB. You should be able to compress it down to a fraction of that size without any noticeable loss of quality.

        If you don't already have a good converter, this one works well.

        1) Drag your MP4 file into the converter

        2) Select "To Mp4" at the bottom

        3) Click the + button ("Add your preset")

        4) For the frame rate, select 15 FPS (which is sufficient for screen capture / talking head videos).

        5) Leave all the other settings as is then click "OK" --> "Convert".

        If the resulting file is still bigger than you want, then you can convert the video again using a lower video bitrate and/or reducing the frame size. Just experiment until you find a good compromise between video quality and file size.

        One other tip... if the MP4 video is meant to be streamed online, then use this on it before you upload it (but after you convert it). That will allow the video to begin playback much quicker.
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        • Profile picture of the author DJL
          I can vouch for Brandon Tanner's recommendation of the converter at Freemake.com, a free download.
          I applied it to a 10.9 MB WMV video file, converting it to a 7.7 MB MP4 file with no discernible loss in quality.
          Originally Posted by Brandon Tanner View Post

          A 26 minute web video should not be anywhere near 550MB. You should be able to compress it down to a fraction of that size without any noticeable loss of quality.

          If you don't already have a good converter, this one works well.

          1) Drag your MP4 file into the converter

          2) Select "To Mp4" at the bottom

          3) Click the + button ("Add your preset")

          4) For the frame rate, select 15 FPS (which is sufficient for screen capture / talking head videos).

          5) Leave all the other settings as is then click "OK" --> "Convert".

          If the resulting file is still bigger than you want, then you can convert the video again using a lower video bitrate and/or reducing the frame size. Just experiment until you find a good compromise between video quality and file size.

          One other tip... if the MP4 video is meant to be streamed online, then use this on it before you upload it (but after you convert it). That will allow the video to begin playback much quicker.
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  • Profile picture of the author joaquin112
    Imho Youtube is your best option.

    Look at the video in the following site:

    Shoe-In Money

    It looks very professional and it's free to host at YouTube. Just look in his source code to see how he did it.

    Joaquin
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    • Profile picture of the author MarketingVet09
      Originally Posted by joaquin112 View Post

      Imho Youtube is your best option.

      Look at the video in the following site:

      Shoe-In Money

      It looks very professional and it's free to host at YouTube. Just look in his source code to see how he did it.

      Joaquin

      Yea that looks pretty awesome.. I've saw something like it before... Now seeing another huge internet marketer using it, makes me even more fond of using it...


      I guess I just have to now find out how they do the skinning / covering up the player...


      Do you have any idea if he is using some software or simply wrapping the video inside a picture?
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      • Profile picture of the author joaquin112
        Originally Posted by MarketingVet09 View Post

        Yea that looks pretty awesome.. I've saw something like it before... Now seeing another huge internet marketer using it, makes me even more fond of using it...


        I guess I just have to now find out how they do the skinning / covering up the player...


        Do you have any idea if he is using some software or simply wrapping the video inside a picture?
        Well he uses a lot of CSS to make it look that way. I'm not sure if there are any easy ways of doing it (plugins), except hiring a designer or doing it yourself.

        Joaquin
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      • Profile picture of the author BurtL
        Originally Posted by MarketingVet09 View Post

        Yea that looks pretty awesome.. I've saw something like it before... Now seeing another huge internet marketer using it, makes me even more fond of using it...


        I guess I just have to now find out how they do the skinning / covering up the player...
        He's just disabling the controls using the advance youtube modifiers,nothing fancy about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author MarketingVet09
    Thanks a lot brandon.

    I'm going to try and get the file down to a smaller size and use 15fps.


    Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author ecoverartist
    Handbrake is awesome for this sort of thing. I use it all the time to convert large videos to mp4 (usually using the iPod/iPod Touch setting) and the result is good quality with a much lower file size. I believe their site is handbrake.fr
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  • Profile picture of the author kpmedia
    You really need to "shrink" this prior to upload.

    I work with video professionally, and would use the high-priced software for myself .... but any-video-converter works well. (I know the name is spammy as hell, but it's pretty good software. Get the paid one, not the crippled freebie.)

    Some of the others are fine, Handbrake etc, but this is truly monkey-proof if you know little about video.

    I'd use that, then upload your masterpiece.
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    • Profile picture of the author RanjitB
      S3 is a good service for you to start. The service price is very resonable as well.

      I use open source software depending on the purpose simply because there are some quality software out there. Needless to say that paid services have quality service and support.

      Handbrake is a good piece of software. It depends on you whether you are comfortable using it. I know some top marketers use it. Specially if you want to be on your budget and DIY type of person, it is a right choise. It is good for the start and you can use high quality ones when your project generates money.
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