Viddyou: The Blog.

Motionbox Announces Acquisition of Viddyou, Inc. Personal Video Sharing Service

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:36:42 -0700

Motionbox Announces Acquisition of Viddyou, Inc. Personal Video Sharing Service:

(More Details Coming Soon!)

We’ve recently completed an upgrade of our server capacity...

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:23:03 -0700

We’ve recently completed an upgrade of our server capacity to make Viddyou faster and better than ever. If you’ve got a “need for speed” you’re going to love our latest improvements!

Recently we’ve taken aggressive actions to curtail the...

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:51:29 -0800

Recently we’ve taken aggressive actions to curtail the amount of spam videos appearing on Viddyou. We take a hardline stance against spam in all forms and believe that Viddyou is more than a place for faceless companies to advertise their business without having anything invested in the Viddyou community. Viddyou is about real people sharing precious moments and communicating through video.

Thank you for your continued support in making Viddyou something special.

Anyone have a candle?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:02:00 -0800

Update 12:11p - We’ve gotten power restored to all of our servers and just brought the site back up. Everything appears to be working correctly. If you have any persisting issues please contact us.

11:02a - We’re dealing with a power outage that is affecting everyone at our data center and some of our servers are still down. We hope to have this resolved shortly. We’ll post here when everything is back up and running. Sorry for the inconvenience.

One of the most common questions we get asked is for our opinion...

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:17:00 -0800

One of the most common questions we get asked is for our opinion on what export settings to use when uploading high definition video on to Viddyou. It can be a tricky task to balance quality with upload time and the other factors that can contribute to how well your HD videos play back on the web.

Since each video program varies in the settings for exporting HD video we’re going to highlight some of our favorite programs over the near future and show you what settings are the best to use for optimum quality and performance.

Our first program is Apple’s Quicktime Pro. This powerful cross-platform piece of software is a great tool to have for any home video producer. It retails for less than $30, and is a great way to compress, clean up and make simple edits to your movies before sending them off to share with everyone.

To export your HD video using Quicktime Pro go to File, then select Export. Once the save screen has come up select “Movie to QuickTime Movie” under the Export: option. Then click on the “Options…” button. Below are our recommended settings for 720p HD video:

Settings…
Compression Type: H.264
Frame Rate: Current
Key Frames: Every 30 frames
Quality: High
Encoding: Best quality (Multi-pass)
Data Rate: Restrict to 3000 kbits/sec
Optimized for: Download

Size…
Dimensions: 1280 x 720 HD
Deinterlace Source Video: (checked)

Audio:
Format: AAC
Channels: Stereo (L R)
Rate: 48.000
Quality: Best
Target Bit Rate: 96 kbps

We’ve made an update to our video player that will improve...

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:52:40 -0800

We’ve made an update to our video player that will improve High Definition and High Bitrate performance on older and slower computers.

Also, Flash 10 is now available and we recommend that everyone upgrades to the latest version. The newest Flash 10 player provides speed and functionality enhancements, and is available for OS X, Windows and Linux.

Back To Normal!

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:55:32 -0800

This morning between 6a-9a PST we had a period of exceptionally heavy load that caused some users to have issues using Viddyou.com. Our team worked to re-distribute the load and we are happy to say that we are now back to normal (10a PST).

Today we released a great update to our video sharing and...

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:21:00 -0700

Today we released a great update to our video sharing and embedding process. These new enhancements will make it easier to embed your videos on blogs, websites, social networking sites and anywhere else you want to share your high quality Viddyou videos.

To access the new menu click on “Share Vidd” while viewing a video, and then click on the “More Embed Options?”

Check out this high def presentation that Gabe Newell gave at...

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:05:06 -0700

Check out this high def presentation that Gabe Newell gave at Valve’s E3 2008 presentation on the making of Left 4 Dead hosted exclusively on Viddyou.

Small Update Today

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:16:49 -0700

We launched a small update this afternoon along with several bug fixes. Among the issues we’ve resolved: a formatting bug on our Manage Videos page (thanks evannoah), Flickr Photosets and Photos should now be displaying properly for everyone (thanks EpochGraphics) and our reply upload form has been fixed as well (thanks Cottonwood).

As always, if you have any questions or comments about your Viddyou experience please feel free to talk with us.

Big Update!

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

We’ve been hard at work all Summer adding new features, upgrading, and more. There’s a lot happening at Viddyou all the time and a lot of that has to do with all of you, your great feedback and continued support!

Exciting New Things Are Happening Today…

Today we have added new features that continue to make Viddyou the best and most private home for your personal video. Point your browser to www.viddyou.com and explore the latest enhancements to the best personal video service available and read on to learn what’s been added…

Summer Is More Fun With New Features.

Some quick highlights of the new goodness that Viddyou is bringing to you.

High Bitrate (HBR) Video For All:
High Bitrate video provides more detail and higher resolution for enhanced clarity and full-screen playback. Previously HBR was only available to Premium accounts but we’re now offering 640x480 HBR video to all FREE accounts!

Premium users enjoy an expanded range of HBR compatible resolutions detailed here and more!
New! Faster Optimized HD Video Players:
We retired the old video player and wrote this one from scratch with a focus on being faster for smoother playback of HD + HBR video on more computers with some new features added in.
One Player — All Of Your Videos:
We have upgraded and added a new player that lets you embed ONE player that will let you playback ALL of your videos for your blog or personal website from within the player!
Expanded Privacy Options:
Want to embed a video on your blog, website or a social network and have it hidden to public view on Viddyou? Now you can! Select “Hide On Viddyou” under the More Options link when uploading or recording and the video will be hidden on Viddyou, but still able to be shared on external websites.
Expanded High Definition (HD) Video:
Viddyou is proud to offer full 1080 and 720p HD for your videos and we keep making it better. Viddyou has added support for 4:3 HD formats of 1440x1080 (1080p) and 960x720 (720p) for increased camera support.
Viddyou Is Faster On Your 3G iPhone:
Apple has upgraded the iPhone to blazing fast 3G enabling you to watch all of your videos while you’re on the go from your iPhone at iphone.viddyou.com faster than ever! The old iPhone will still work too so fret not.
FREE Viddyou Die-Cut Stickers:
(View Here) While supplies last we’ll send you out some Viddyou stickers to gloss up that computer, car, bike, or whatever you end up sticking them on. Login to Viddyou and Message Ryan with your address to get some!

Upgrade To The Premium Experience!

For less than $3.00 per month you can add HD video, expanded privacy controls, online backup and downloading of your original videos and more features that you can’t get anywhere else. Upgrade Now…

Commercial Use + Viddyou.

Viddyou accounts are for personal use, but if you have commercial interests we would love to discuss a usage plan tailored exactly to your business needs. Send an email and let’s talk!

All The Best,

Aaron + Ryan

DNS Move Tonight

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:39:04 -0700

Tonight we’re moving some of our DNS servers. This update should be transparent and hopefully will not affect any of our members, but because of oddities in the global propagation of DNS data there is a very slight chance you may briefly be unable to visit Viddyou.com. If you continue to have problems visiting Viddyou please feel free to contact our support team.

New Resolution & New Feature

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:06:00 -0700

While the bulk of tonight’s update relates to our back-end systems, there are a few changes you will be able to notice. In our last blog entry we mentioned that HD support for 1440x810 would be forthcoming, and we are excited to announce it is now available for our Premium users.

We’ve also added a new feature for all users that will allow you to record or upload a video and embed it on your blog (or MySpace, Facebook, website, etc), without having the video appear on our /explore page, or to any user (except for yourself when you’re logged in) in your viddstream.

This new feature is a great new opportunity for those that want to take advantage of the high quality video options we offer at Viddyou, but have already established other ways of sharing with their friends and families - now they can have the best of both worlds.

To take advantage of this new setting, check the “Hide On Viddyou?” option under the “More Options?” menu when uploading or recording a video. You can also select this option on videos you’ve already uploaded, from your video management page.

What's New This Week

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:15:26 -0700

Right before the Fourth of July holiday we pushed a new batch of updates. Here’s a quick overview of the two main updates:

1. We’ve overhauled the way still images are generated from your videos. Video thumbnails are now sharper, clearer and smoother.

2. We’ve added additional support for several new High Definition resolutions. This means, that in addition to the common 1280x720 and 1920x1080 HD formats, Premium members will now be able to upload several other less-popular HD variants, and have their video processed at the native, uploaded resolution.

Here’s a complete list of the HD resolutions currently available to our Premium members: 1280x720, 1920x1080, 1440x1080, 960x720, with support for 1440x810 coming shortly.

Today we’ve updated our video blog application for...

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:40:18 -0700

Today we’ve updated our video blog application for Facebook. This release now allows you to add the Video Blog application to Facebook’s Pages. So your customers, business, or fans can enjoy beautiful High Definition video, and all of the other wonderful benefits of Viddyou, right on your organization’s Facebook page.

This release also fixes some minor bugs you may have encountered in Firefox or Internet Explorer.

If you’ve already installed our Video Blog application on your Facebook account, there’s nothing you need to do to take advantage of the new capabilities. If you haven’t installed it yet, what are you waiting fo r? ;)

Record Video On Your iPhone

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:15:00 -0700

This week saw the announcement of Apple’s new iPhone coming out in July. And while we were excited to see GPS and 3G coming in the new version, we were really bummed they still haven’t built in support for recording video (something that, to us, should be a no-brainer).

If you’re still looking for a way to record video on your iPhone we recommend using the iPhone Video Recorder by DreamCatcher, which we recently added support for. Using this application and your iPhone, uploading video to Viddyou is as easy as sending an email.

For more information on using your mobile phone to post videos to Viddyou, please check out our help section.

Our friends at Noisepop have partnered with the SEIU (the...

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:49:00 -0700

Our friends at Noisepop have partnered with the SEIU (the largest Union in the country that represents hospital and healthcare workers, doormen and other service employees) to produce this short film entitled “No Free Lunch” staring Lewis Black with original music by Radio 4.

For more information about their campaign, you can read their writeup in the NY Times or head to their official website.

3/4 HD (960x540) Support Now Available

Thu, 22 May 2008 17:05:10 -0700

Today we’re announcing 960x540 support for Premium Accounts. If you work in iMovie you’ll find that the “best quality” output is 960x540 - which is 3/4 720p resolution - when Premium members submit files at this resolution we’ll now maintain those dimensions at a bitrate above our Standard Definitition videos. This is a great way for those who want a good looking video that doesn’t have the computing and bandwidth demands of 720 or 1080 HD. This is also the same resolution that the Apple TV uses.

Tonight we’re launching a very exciting update to our...

Wed, 21 May 2008 00:11:00 -0700

Tonight we’re launching a very exciting update to our popular Facebook application that will make the integration between Viddyou and Facebook tighter than ever before.

Beyond an overhaul to the entire Facebook application interface so that it will look and feel like the experience you are accustomed to on Viddyou.com, we have added two new ground-breaking features:

1. Upload and record directly to Viddyou without ever leaving Facebook for free. Plus, our Premium members will be able to upload High Definition video and record for twenty minutes, just like they can on Viddyou.com.

2. The ability to designate your videos ‘Facebook Only’. This powerful new privacy setting allows you to share your videos under the same privacy restrictions that you have set up through Facebook, regardless of whether or not your Facebook friends have a Viddyou account.

In order to take advantage of these new features you’ll need to have our Facbeook Video Blog application added to your Facebook Account. C lick here to add it, if you haven’t done so already.

Existing users of the old version of our Facebook application will need to enter their Viddyou username and password to link their Facebook and Viddyou accounts, and take advantage of these new features.

Twitter Notification Fixed

Sun, 18 May 2008 21:41:34 -0700

For those of you that use our Twitter Notification feature (it sends a quick tweet whenever you post a new video), you may have noticed that recently those tweets stopped tweeting.

Thanks to Viddyou user Eilla, we became aware of the problem and were able to track it down to a change Twitter made to their API that we weren’t aware of. We’ve taken care of fixing it, and we apologize for the interruption. So everything is back to running great again! :]

Ed. Note: These things always seem to happen on Sundays, don’t they?