Multimedia – Gabriel Catalano®

Y… ¿un ‘plug-in’ no es un ‘complemento’? | manualdeestilo.com

manualdeestilo.com

Con el término inglés plug-in se hace referencia normalmente a distintas funciones optativas que mejoran el funcionamiento de otros programas, de los que dependen, o que les dotan de pequeñas nuevas capacidades.

En internet, esta palabra suele hacer referencia a dos conceptos: al complemento necesario en un navegador web para poder ver o ejecutar material multimedia de distintas fuentes (por ejemplo, para ver los vídeos de YouTube, es necesario descargar el complemento para Flash de Adobe) y a los accesorios (también llamado en inglés add-on) que mejoran o amplían las funciones del propio navegador.

Además de por complemento, en algunos casos también se puede traducir por extensión.

Códecs de vídeo: ventajas y desventajas de los diferentes tipos

Marilín Gonzalo | http://bitelia.com

Después de la Guía básica sobre contenedores, códecs y formatos de video, surgían las preguntas por las diferencias entre los tipos de códecs, o por lo menos entre los más populares. Obviamente no necesitarán esto por ejemplo si usan un programa como VLC para reproducir videos, que ya resuelve perfectamente el problema de los códecs, pero nunca está de más un poco de información para saber cómo se comprimió o qué calidad tiene lo que nos estamos descargando.

Recordemos que un códec es una pieza de software que se dedica a codificar y decodificar una señal de datos digital. Los archivos de video sin compresión ocupan mucho espacio, y por eso es necesario algo que los comprima para reducir su tamaño y que sean manejables. La información se comprime en el momento de guardarla en un archivo y se descomprime en tiempo real durante la visualización.

Normalmente los algoritmos de compresión que se emplean conllevan cierta pérdida de de datos, por lo que el objetivo es lograr la calidad más fiel al original posible produciendo un archivo lo más pequeño posible.

Hay varios tipos de códecs de video disponibles. Cada uno de ellos ha sido implementado por diferentes compañías y tiene su propio algoritmo. Tienen distintas especificaciones y su aplicación se extiende a distintos campos. Generalmente se adaptan a los standards de la industria.

Se diferencian en general por varios factores, como la tecnología usada para la compresión o el algoritmo, la plataforma que los soporta, el sistema operativo en el que corren, entre otros.

Los códecs que provocan pérdida de información para conseguir un tamaño de archivo reducido son llamados lossy. Hay códecs sin pérdida pero por lo general no vale la pena un aumento considerable del tamaño del archivo por un cambio imperceptible en la calidad del video.

Algunas características de los códecs más usados (…) Continuar leyendo «Códecs de vídeo: ventajas y desventajas de los diferentes tipos»

VW: The Original Click

puromarketing.com

Genial, Un nuevo comercial de Volkswagen nos habla de las imitaciones en Youtube

5 Content Marketing Ideas Worth Stealing RECOMENDADO

It was about the “deal” …closing the sale. It was sometimes called “Hit and Run” marketing.

Content Marketing is about creating compelling, contagious content and sharing it freely on social networks and blogs.

It is about building a relationship with your prospects and customers that builds credibility and trust that turns propsects into buyers and customers into high value repeat buyers.

The initial goal is to obtain the buyers permission to receive that content whether it is a subscription via an opt-in email or a Facebook social opt-in ” like” that delivers information into the Facebook news and “Timeline” stream.

Creating content is time consuming and a creative challenge.
8 Content Marketing Challenges

These are the challenges among many.

Finding inspiration and ideas for the content
Creating it
Making it relevant
Resourcing it
Managing it
Monitoring it
Measuring it
Making it “Liquid” and Contagious

Sometimes you need some inspiration and you need to try some new ideas and different media that may provide a nudge to try something different and creative outside your comfort zone.

As Steve Jobs says “Stay Foolish”
The Power of Multi-Media

Many of us still don’t think about alternative media to text and articles because online video is still in its infancy. YouTube has only been with us for 7 years and in the world of business and brand marketing this is only a “blip”.

We need to “switch on” our multimedia mind and consider other media rather than just words to get our message out to the world that wants and demands multi-media.

Images and photos are much more likely to be shared than an article or a white paper. Videos or infographics will be shared at high velocity compared the the humble “written word” that have been with us for millenia.
Idea 1: Include Images and Photos

There has been a significant evolutionary shift on the social web in the last 12 months as marketers and social media network startups have realised the growing power of visual content.

By the end of 2011 the number of photos being uploaded to Facebook had reached 250 million a day.

This number hasn’t gone unnoticed and has led to 3 key and noticeable events and changes.

The “Success” of Pinterest
Google+ being launched with the user interface designed to display photos, and images in high defintion and in a large format.
Facebook responding with the Facebook “Timeline” designed to give images and photos greater prominence. In fact you can now “feature” an image in a bigger size. Expect this change to be migrated to Brand “pages” in the next 6 months.

Photos and images drive high engagement on Facebook and if I look at my top ranked content on my Facebook page , measuring the virality index using the Facebook “insights” tool, the top 10 are all images or photos.

Some are cartoons that are relevant and congruent with my other content written or visual and with questions are used to drive conversations, stimulate and create stories.

Written by Jeff Bullas
Vía 3wfactory.net

Marketing in the past often consisted of one off campaigns that didn’t build a relationship with your customer or prospect.

It was about the “deal” …closing the sale. It was sometimes called “Hit and Run” marketing.

Content Marketing is about creating compelling, contagious content and sharing it freely on social networks and blogs.

It is about building a relationship with your prospects and customers that builds credibility and trust that turns propsects into buyers and customers into high value repeat buyers.

Creating content is time consuming and a creative challenge.

8 Content Marketing Challenges

These are the challenges among many.

Finding inspiration and ideas for the content
Creating it
Making it relevant
Resourcing it
Managing it
Monitoring it
Measuring it
Making it “Liquid” and Contagious Continuar leyendo «5 Content Marketing Ideas Worth Stealing ***RECOMENDADO***»

How Limitations Improve Design

We often complain about the multitude of limitations which we’re faced with every day as designers.

From browsers, to screen resolutions, to user interactions, we seem to constantly be struggling to find some way of thinking outside the tiny little box of “best practice” which we’re constrained by.

Limitations are abundant but are they really such a bad thing? Is it possible, even, that they actually produce far better results than if we did not have them?

Ikea for example, starts with price and then work backwards. Their main concern is the price of the product to the end user. It’s up to the designers to create something appealing which fits within that.

We often complain about the multitude of limitations which we’re faced with every day as designers.

Limitations are abundant but are they really such a bad thing? Is it possible, even, that they actually produce far better results than if we did not have them?

Sometimes Freedom Isn’t a Good Thing

Without constraints, things can get crazy. There is no better way of outlining this than by looking at a platform with generations of unrestricted designs that have been… well.. awful. We are of course talking about our old friend, Adobe Flash.

Now I’m not saying that all Flash sites are bad, or that all people who make them are bad designers. Nothing like that. The fact remains, however, that as a platform Flash has very few design limitations which has lead to some very questionable Flash sites in years gone by.

The sites I’m talking about are the ones which go full screen as soon as they load, have some crazy navigation that involves dragging a carrot over to a bunny rabbit and then waiting for a big animation to complete before the next page loads and you’re presented with equally confusing navigation options.

Designers of these types of interfaces often think they’re “fun” – but usability case studies frequently prove them to be nothing more than a visual explosion of terminal car accidents. Being able to do so much with Flash with relatively little effort is dangerous. It takes away the mentality of “What should I do?” and instead promotes the mentality of “What can I do?”

An animation, graphic, sound effect, or interaction without purpose isn’t design, it’s decoration. Unless what you’re adding to the design is in some way contributing to the message which you’re trying to convey to the user, it isn’t worth anything.

The most important part of any design is the message: good design sends the same message to everyone. It should leave no room for interpretation. Continuar leyendo «How Limitations Improve Design»

The Video Encoding Guide: Codecs, Formats, Containers And Settings Explained

Video encoding is the science of codifying the bits of data that make up a digital video recording into a unified whole according to a set of specific standards and parameters. If it sounds techy, it should. In simpler words, video encoding is the process of taking your original movie, as recorded by your camcorder, mobile phone or webcam, and preparing it for delivery in a digital format according to specific technical standards. This MasterNewMedia guide brings you everything you need to know about the key differences between major video file formats / containers and codecs.
video_encoding_codecs_formats_containers_settings_by_canon.jpg
Photo credit: Canon

From .WMV to .MOV and from .AVI to .FLV, this guide presents the best information available online on what you need to know about the use and characteristics of the major video file formats, containers and relative codecs.

When you video encode a clip, you are saving your video into a specific «format» much like you can do with a Word document or a digital image. A Word document can be encoded in .RTF or in .TXT, just like an image can be encoded in .JPG or .BMP formats.

Obviously, different types of encodings are good for different applications and devices.

Broadcasting, live streaming, burning to DVD and archiving all require different video encoding parameters while your computer browser, an iPhone and your gaming console have all different expectations when it comes to playing back video files. And this is why knowing a bit about video encoding, video file formats and containers is quite important if you intend to publish and distribute digital video.
In the video universe it is easy to get lost, as the formats, codecs and file containers generate a universe of possibilities and variables that are initially not easy to understand.

If you want to upload and publish a video on YouTube, for instance, you would have to choose specific encoding settings and file formats, whereas your choice would be different if your video clips are to burned on a DVD.

As an online publisher you may already be familiar with some of these issues, but as new technologies like HTML5 and WebM are starting to make inroads, you are going to need to better understand the key differences and the pros and cons that such different formats entail for you.

To help you achieve this goal, the MasterNewMedia research team has prepared a comprehensive guide to bring together all of the «fundamentals» you need to master to fully understand the basics of video encoding, specifically:

* What is video encoding
* Video file formats and containers
* Comparison of video codecs
* Encoding settings for Internet video publishing
* Video publishing settings for YouTube

Here is the MasterNewMedia Video Encoding Guide in detail:

Video encoding is the science of codifying the bits of data that make up a digital video recording into a unified whole according to a set of specific standards and parameters. If it sounds techy, it should. In simpler words, video encoding is the process of taking your original movie, as recorded by your camcorder, mobile phone or webcam, and preparing it for delivery in a digital format according to specific technical standards. This MasterNewMedia guide brings you everything you need to know about the key differences between major video file formats / containers and codecs.
video_encoding_codecs_formats_containers_settings_by_canon.jpg
Photo credit: Canon

From .WMV to .MOV and from .AVI to .FLV, this guide presents the best information available online on what you need to know about the use and characteristics of the major video file formats, containers and relative codecs.

When you video encode a clip, you are saving your video into a specific «format» much like you can do with a Word document or a digital image. A Word document can be encoded in .RTF or in .TXT, just like an image can be encoded in .JPG or .BMP formats.

Obviously, different types of encodings are good for different applications and devices.

Broadcasting, live streaming, burning to DVD and archiving all require different video encoding parameters while your computer browser, an iPhone and your gaming console have all different expectations when it comes to playing back video files. And this is why knowing a bit about video encoding, video file formats and containers is quite important if you intend to publish and distribute digital video.
In the video universe it is easy to get lost, as the formats, codecs and file containers generate a universe of possibilities and variables that are initially not easy to understand.

As an online publisher you may already be familiar with some of these issues, but as new technologies like HTML5 and WebM are starting to make inroads, you are going to need to better understand the key differences and the pros and cons that such different formats entail for you.

To help you achieve this goal, the MasterNewMedia research team has prepared a comprehensive guide to bring together all of the «fundamentals» you need to master to fully understand the basics of video encoding, specifically:

What is video encoding
Video file formats and containers
Comparison of video codecs
Encoding settings for Internet video publishing
Video publishing settings for YouTube

Here is the MasterNewMedia Video Encoding Guide in detail: Continuar leyendo «The Video Encoding Guide: Codecs, Formats, Containers And Settings Explained»

25 Flash Portfolios for Your Inspiration

Although HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery are able to accomplish a lot of exciting results and gaining popularity, Flash is still used by a number of impressive websites. In this post we’ll showcase 25 Flash portfolio sites. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next year or two with the future of Flash. For now, here is some Flash inspiration.

John Wright

Eric Campbell

Kiluka

Continuar leyendo «25 Flash Portfolios for Your Inspiration»

Recorta partes de un video con el programa “VidCrop”

Autor: Gaby MC | Comentar »

“VidCrop” es una herramienta para recortar partes de un video y centrarnos en un punto en especifico. Muchas veces cuando tomamos video las partes que rodean el objeto principal estorban y no es necesario mostrarlo, si quieres eliminar estas partes el programa “VidCrop” es lo que necesita.

Programa VidCrop

La herramienta “crop” es una función muy conocida en la edición de imágenes, y ahora también la puedes aplicar en el video con el programa “VidCrop”, con la que puedes recortar todo el rededor que no te interese y destacar una parte especifica.

Este programa funciona con todo tipo de formato como AVI, WMV, MOV, MP4, MPG, MKV, RMVB y ASF. Con un simple click puedes comenzar a recortar la imagen y hacer crop en la parte del video que quieres destacar. Al terminar puedes elegir a que formato se va a convertir tu video, ya sea en formato AVI o WMV.

Autor: Gaby MC | Comentar »

“VidCrop” es una herramienta para recortar partes de un video y centrarnos en un punto en especifico. Muchas veces cuando tomamos video las partes que rodean el objeto principal estorban y no es necesario mostrarlo, si quieres eliminar estas partes el programa “VidCrop” es lo que necesita.

Programa VidCrop

La herramienta “crop” es una función muy conocida en la edición de imágenes, y ahora también la puedes aplicar en el video con el programa “VidCrop”, con la que puedes recortar todo el rededor que no te interese y destacar una parte especifica.

The Case of the Stolen Laptop: How to Encrypt, and Why

There’s an investigator I know, top of her profession, who once put her laptop in the trunk of a cab. By the time she reached her hotel, the laptop was gone. This happens thousands of times a year at airports, train stations, libraries and coffee shops. Sometimes the thief wants your hardware. Sometimes your data turns out to be more valuable, or its loss more damaging. (It’s pathetically easy to find examples.) And sometimes the victim is not a matter of chance.

In this case our investigator was onto something hot. She was closing in on a high-profile scandal that disturbed the interests of powerful and resourceful people. Maybe her bag was jacked by a petty thief, but Occam’s Razor pointed another way. She had to assume her targets now knew anything they could glean from her computer. I found her to be oddly undisturbed by this. She said she had followed the first rule of prudence, which is not to write anything down — especially in digital form — that you really, really need to keep secret. But I thought she was nuts to believe she lost nothing sensitive. It is astonishing what current forensic tools can learn from your computer.

By Barton Gellman

The Case of the Stolen Laptop: How to Encrypt, and Why

What the F**K is Social Media [SLIDESHARE]

by jeremywaite

If you’ve not seen this before – I hope it informs, educates and inspires you in the same way that it made me look at a few more things differently…. (Thanks Jacquelyn & Marta)

What the F**k is Social Media NOW?

View more presentations from Marta Kagan.

Via:
http://jeremywaite.wordpress.com

El reproductor doubleTwist lanza una versión para Android

doubletwist android El reproductor doubleTwist lanza una versión para Android doubleTwist, el reproductor multimedia desarrollado por DVD Jon como alternativa al iTunes de Apple, acaba de lanzar una versión oficial para dispositivos basados en Android.

Esta aplicación viene a cubrir un punto pendiente de la plataforma Android. La aplicación se sincroniza con la versión de escritorio que tengamos en nuestros equipos con la posibilidad de importar toda nuestra biblioteca de música y vídeos, así como gestionar podcasts o incluso importar las listas de reproducción de iTunes o de Windows Media Player.

La aplicación incluye los controles básicos de reproducción, gestión de puntuaciones, búsquedas de canciones por artista, álbum, título o lista de reproducción y accesos directos a vídeos y podcasts. Para Monique Farantzos, co-fundadora y CEO de doubleTwist:

El nuevo reproductor de doubleTwist para Android trabaja directamente con el software de escritorio doubleTwist, en la misma forma que el iPod e iTunes trabajar juntos.

En un futuro esperan lanzar un widget para controlar el reproductor desde la pantalla incial de Android y la posibilidad de sincronizar la biblioteca multimedia mediante conexión WiFi. Continuar leyendo «El reproductor doubleTwist lanza una versión para Android»

Sleek Interface Designs from DeviantART

We encounter user interfaces everywhere in our daily lives. When I look at interfaces, they always inspire me and I hope that they will inspire you too. Here are 40 creative interface designs from DeviantART for your inspiration.

1. AdvancedUI: Status Screen

AdvancedUI: Status Screen Continuar leyendo «Sleek Interface Designs from DeviantART»

Get to the Choppa! Composing the Mobicopter Theme

AuthorAugi

Judging from the overwhelming volume of positive tweets about our new site, one of the most heralded features is our Mobicopter.

The Mobicopter system allows you to control an onscreen helicopter, in real-time, from your mobile device.

I was extremely excited to design the mobile user interface for the system. But, as exciting as the concept is, I wanted to give the user interaction just a little push beyond the ordinary, to take the experience to the next level.

After a bit of thought, I realized I had to create the Mobicopter Theme Song to end all Mobicopter Theme songs – to take users on a journey down the proverbial highway into the zone of danger.

But Why? How?

As an Art Director I spend most of my days pushing pixels & sketching out ideas for new UI’s – a job that I’ve found more & more to be my passion in life. However, I have a strong belief that all creatives, no matter the discipline, can learn from each other’s formative process. I’m a photographer & musician in addition to designer. I’ve found that those disciplines have helped to feed new structure, discipline, and thought into my daily work.

I’ve played the guitar since I was 13. I actually began my college years with the intention of becoming a jazz musician, before entering the digital design world. So, the opportunity to stretch some musical muscle was particularly exciting for me.

Creating the Mobicopter Theme

As a child of the 80’s, the word “helicopter” is inextricably linked to the TV show, Airwolf.

The Mobicopter Theme is a thinly veiled homage to Airwolf’s main theme. I made sure to keep the intervals & key different than the original, and I threw in a turnaround to mix it up a bit.

Logic Pro

I use Apple’s Logic Studio as my workhorse for ideation, recording, mixing, and finishing touches on a song. All guitar processing is handled by Native Instrument’s Guitar Rig 2. Logic is a great piece of software that I’ve come to think of as my sonic Photoshop. It can handle light sketches of musical ideas, while still allowing me to develop those same ideas into fleshed out and processed compositions.

Ideation + Recording Guitar Parts

Logic Pro2

When sitting down to record something, I dial in the initial guitar tone, find the tempo that feels comfortable, and set up kicks on quarter notes as a base groove. Logic allows you to set up a desired interval to loop and then record different takes within that loop seamlessly.

Recording different takes is extremely important to my workflow. Concentrating on the nuances of phrasing, the different takes allow me to pepper subtle variance throughout the performance. It also enables me to come up with entirely new parts while improvising ideas. When you stumble across the perfect take, you want to make sure it’s laid down to a track.

Guitar Synth – Main Theme Continuar leyendo «Get to the Choppa! Composing the Mobicopter Theme»

Can a Blog Be Useful For Marketing an Offline Business?

A lot of people are looking into the potential of blogging as a form of marketing for their offline business. In fact, it seems that the 2009 economic factors are leading even more people to look to blogging as a way to make some money – and not all of it online. So, would it work?

I am an evangelist for internet business. I love it. However, most business still takes place offline. It is just a fact. So, if you are looking to promote your business online, you may look to blogging as a potential medium.

The thing to remember about a blog is that it is, in essence, a platform for:

Communication
Community building

The importance of communication in marketing isn’t anything new. Offline businesses have done direct mailings for years, so the idea of providing routine, free information and using it as a promotional vehicle is likely not news to anybody. Continuar leyendo «Can a Blog Be Useful For Marketing an Offline Business?»

Figuring out what adapter to use when you are traveling is a bitch

Let’s be honest. Figuring out what adapter to use when you are traveling is a bitch. Do I need Adapter B Plug 6? Or is it Adapter E Plug 11? Well Josh and I worked together and launched a new feature at FLIGHT 001 where you can just type in the country you are traveling to and we will pull the adapter you need. Your life, simplified.

Check it out.