New Feature: Videos

[Tech Admin]

Hello everyone! I just wanted to announce that we are testing a new feature that allows you to upload videos to your posts. When you click the "Manage Attachments" button, you should see an option to upload a video. Here is a screenshot:

Capture.JPG

It is also located right under the message area when you are making a new post/thread. If you add a video there, it will start uploading immediately.

I recommend starting with some small videos if possible. The current limit is 500MB for videos.

This is a new feature, and I expect there to be some bugs, so please do not hesitate posting problems that you may be having.

So to launch the first public video here, here you go:

[freebird5825]

Ooooo neat!

Here's a short clip of very gentle waves coming onto shore on Lake Ontario. Runtime 1:42, 33.5 Mb. Try to stay awake.

[KingB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 Ooooo neat! Here's a short clip of very gentle waves coming onto shore on Lake Ontario. Runtime 1:42, 33.5 Mb. Try to stay awake.

I tried, but fell asleep at 00:10

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingB I tried, but fell asleep at 00:10

Then you missed the hot bikini babe stroll by at 1:07

On a related note - is there a way to purposely undo the automatic 'embedding' of youtube links? Sometimes I really don't need to take up all that space, esp when quoting someone who posted the link. And esp when you get "embedding has been disabled, visit youtube to view'....

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Then you missed the hot bikini babe stroll by at 1:07 On a related note - is there a way to purposely undo the automatic 'embedding' of youtube links? Sometimes I really don't need to take up all that space, esp when quoting someone who posted the link. And esp when you get "embedding has been disabled, visit youtube to view'.... Disabling 'parse' in options, and even code tags don't seem to strip it. Sometimes a link/title is all we need, not a full preview. -ERD50

Just manually delete the link within the quote, takes a few seconds (like I just did)?

New feature looks cool, if I ever shoot a vid worth sharing...though I am sure others will.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Just manually delete the link within the quote, takes a few seconds (like I just did)?

But I still want the link, and probably the title - it can be important to the context in a quote, and sometimes the link/title is enough in an original post. I just don't need the whole youtube player taking up 5" of screen for each one.

Every time I try to strip down the link, the forum software detects it an 'formats' it for me. It's a nice option, but it would be better if configurable.

File this under "First World Problems"


Hmmmm, let me try a 'shortened' link:

Joey DeFrancesco Trio - Fly me to the Moon - YouTube


Ahhh-hah!! That worked - at least in 'preview'. One small extra step, not too bad. Now I just have to be able to remember this. And hope some 'clever' programmer doesn't figure this out, and decide to make the SW 'smart' enough to decode shortened links!

Here's the shortened link, hopefully in it's raw form:

http://goo.gl/YxyRh

FYI, google shortener can sit in your toolbar (at least in Chrome, but there are others):

http://goo.gl/ygGS6


-ERD50

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 But I still want the link, and probably the title - it can be important to the context in a quote, and sometimes the link/title is enough in an original post. I just don't need the whole youtube player taking up 5" of screen for each one. Every time I try to strip down the link, the forum software detects it an 'formats' it for me. It's a nice option, but it would be better if configurable. File this under "First World Problems" Hmmmm, let me try a 'shortened' link: Joey DeFrancesco Trio - Fly me to the Moon - YouTube Ahhh-hah!! That worked - at least in 'preview'. One small extra step, not too bad. Now I just have to be able to remember this. And hope some 'clever' programmer doesn't figure this out, and decide to make the SW 'smart' enough to decode shortened links! Here's the shortened link, hopefully in it's raw form: http://goo.gl/YxyRh FYI, google shortener can sit in your toolbar (at least in Chrome, but there are others): http://goo.gl/ygGS6 -ERD50

Love the Fly Me to the Moon Link! One my fav songs fur sure And look, it works just fine.

[martyb]

This could get REALLY interesting.......

[Nords]

So if the forum server(s) can handle 500 MB videos, what are the plans for the sizes of the other types of attachments?

[ERD50]

Would you consider moving this down to "Manage Attachments"?

While it's a nice feature, it will probably get used very infrequently. It seems much more common to post youtube videos than to post personal video files ( which could be uploaded to youtube anyhow).

So why take up screen real estate that I need to scroll past to get to the 'submit/preview' button, when I might use this feature once out of a thousand posts? And it's just another form of attaching a file - why break it out in its own space?

Though that was a nice way to make everyone aware of it, it's right in our face. But now we know.

-ERD50

[Janet H]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords So if the forum server(s) can handle 500 MB videos, what are the plans for the sizes of the other types of attachments?

The videos are stored differently (off site service) and afaik, right now there aren't plans for a change

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Would you consider moving this down to "Manage Attachments"? While it's a nice feature, it will probably get used very infrequently. It seems much more common to post youtube videos than to post personal video files ( which could be uploaded to youtube anyhow). So why take up screen real estate that I need to scroll past to get to the 'submit/preview' button, when I might use this feature once out of a thousand posts? And it's just another form of attaching a file - why break it out in its own space? Though that was a nice way to make everyone aware of it, it's right in our face. But now we know. -ERD50

Yes - we will move this, please be patient

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet H Yes - we will move this, please be patient

Thanks. I can be patient, it's just a very, very minor annoyance. Vertical space is at a premium on browsers.

-ERD50

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet H ... right now there aren't plans for a change

I drafted about six responses to that, but I'm wasting our time.

Let me just point out that the new kid on the block, the Mr.MoneyMustache forums (The Money Mustache Community - Index) has a max file attachment size of 10 MB. He's also running one of the Web's top 25 personal-finance forums.

And they aren't even trying to make a profit from their members.

If you're getting all your business from the newbies, then that's great. But maybe it's worth looking at the top 50 posters (ranked by # posts) and figuring out how many of them have become much less active in the last year or two. Hopefully your new members are making up for the quality lost by the departure of your older members.

[ERD50]

I can live w/o huge attachments. Publish it somewhere and provide a link.

JMO - ERD50

[obgyn65]

Very cool new feature. Thank you for doing this.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet H Yes - we will move this, please be patient

Small point, but any update on this? While the feature could be handy on occasion, it's not getting used much (I'm not aware that anyone has used it?). Moving the buttons out of the way and down to the "Manage Attachments" area would eliminate having to scroll past it for every reply.

Thanks! -ERD50

[Nodak]

I may have posted about this before but want to try this feature. In 1966 a friend and I found a 1916 Cadillac in an old barn and unsuccessfully tried to buy it. forty years later we learned it had been restored and went to see it. Here is the photo when we found it and a video from 2008.

[ERD50]

Cool, thanks for posting the video!

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting that the feature be eliminated, just moved to the attachments section, so we don't need to scroll past it for every post.

-ERD50

[ERD50]

Other than the test below, has anyone used this feature?

-ERD50