First What You Should Know About Video Conferencing
What are the best practices for video conferences? Sales meetings are prime examples. According to Computer Link Magazine, a notable firm produced a 3000% percent improvement in the sales-cycle with a Fortune 500 client by utilizing video conferencing on the internet.
Not only can sales grow when video conferencing but the technology can be used in the training of employees, brainstorming sessions, healthcare consultations, interviewing prospective employees and education. These are just some of the areas that gain substantial benefits from video conferencing. Friends and families also utilize video conferences to stay in touch and to celebrate major and minor events.
There has been much debate in the world of business regarding face-to-face versus video conferencing. Studies have reached different conclusions. For example, conclusions have been reached that worker productivity increases with video conferencing; stays the same and actually decreases. So what do you do, should you consider video conferencing at all?
It’s important to make the correct choice when deciding whether to use video conferencing or a face-to-face meeting. The decision can have a significant influence on the effectiveness of the meeting and profits for a company. Let’s take a look at the types of video conference meetings that can deliver substantial benefits to corporations and small businesses.
Meetings Requiring Quick Decisions
Video conferencing provides the opportunity for quick decisions which just can’t be achieved when participants have to hop on an airplane. Making a swift conclusion based on group input by a teleconference deprives the primary decision maker the opportunity to notice body language and facial expressions. These visual cues can be important factors in determining the confidence the key members have regarding the decision. Communication experts claim that 70% of communication is non-verbal and video conferences allows you to view these non-verbal communications.
Video Conference Sales Meeting
Video conferencing allows decision makers who are out of the office to be involved in the beginning stages of the sales process. They also provide a convenient opportunity for important business members to watch recordings of vital meetings.
Video conference sales meetings communicate with prospective customers that you are a state-of-the-art company and efficiency and technology is an important factor in your business strategy. This could be your “edge” over another firm.
Additionally, video conferences allow sales people to assess the interest of the prospect and determine if spending time to travel to a personal meeting is worthwhile.
Insights from an Actual Video Conference Sales Meeting
An article from Computer Link Magazine features an actual case which demonstrates the significant reduction in the sales-cycle which can be achieved with video conferences on the Internet. The company featured in the article received an inquiry from a Fortune 500 company located in Mexico. Through a few emails the two companies quickly agreed to a time for a video conference. During the meeting the customer’s objectives were examined and a real-time demonstration of the company’s product was provided. This was followed by a discussion regarding the benefits the client would receive from the product. That day, another technical review meeting was scheduled. In less than 29 hours the seller had found a highly qualified prospect that then had a strong understanding of the product and was also quite interested in finalizing the sale.
A standard approach to the sales opportunity would typically include numerous phone calls, mailing brochures, more phone calls and then traveling to Mexico. The firm estimated it would take from 30 to 45 days with a basic sales approach to accomplish what they achieved in less than 29 hours.
Video Conferencing versus Teleconferencing
Sales people have the opportunity to demonstrate how their products function with video conferencing, which simply cannot be done with a teleconference. Some studies have concluded that live video meetings are about 80% more helpful at creating a solid bond with people. Stronger bonds can create more sales.
Although a teleconference differs from a video conference in that it has the benefit of being inexpensive and can be attended without being in a designated room or in front of a computer. By this very nature, teleconferences are still an important business tool and preferred by some in certain scenarios.
Worker Productivity with Video Conferences
Studies have concluded that constant travel leads to stress, sometimes depression and a variety of illnesses. This can affect a business’ productivity and employee morale. When people stay home and utilize virtual collaboration, they may stay healthier and their productivity is typically higher.
Although somewhat controversial, some studies claim that video conferencing actually increases productivity. When employees are together in face-to-face meetings their conversations tend to leave the topic and perhaps wander over to sports, politics or personal stories. Video conferencing can help to keep the meeting on track both in time schedule and agenda. Some companies utilizing video conferences even claim they can bring products quicker to the marketplace by reducing the time spent commuting.
Video Conferencing to Train Employees
For companies with numerous locations, significant travel savings can be had by training with video conferencing. One big benefit is that employees can watch a recorded training session several times to make sure they comprehend the instructions.
Connecting Employees
A video conference can solve the problem of branch office employees feeling they are not personally connected with employees at the main office. When the company celebrates a new sale or an important achievement all the employees throughout the country and even world can celebrate together. Personal bonds will strengthen, which can lead to increased productivity, improved morale, and thereby lower turnover rate.
Hiring Employees by way of a Video Conference
You can interview prospective employees from all over the country when you use video conferencing. You can significantly increase the chance of hiring the best candidate and saved on travel expenses at the same time! Some employment recruiters however, have suggested that this format for employment works best for candidates less than 25 years of age or for preliminary interviews.
Possible Negatives of Long Distance Meetings
There have been some documented studies of the possible negatives of video conference meetings. According to a study by J. Sniezek and M. Crede, titled Group Judgment Processes and Outcomes in Video Conferencing vs. Face-to-Face Groups, the face-to-face meeting participants displayed a higher level of confidence in the decisions they made versus participants in long distance meetings.
Some companies have found that employees often go along with the ideas of the group at their location during long distance collaborations. It’s important for management to review all the top suggestions from video conferences to prevent this type of “peer pressure selection” from occurring. Also, participants don’t have the opportunity to get to know the other meeting members during break times and scheduling an international meeting across numerous time zones can be difficult. That being said, the savings that a firm realize with video conferencing may well outweigh any negatives.
In Conclusion It’s Time to Try Video Conferencing
Sales meetings, hiring employees, meetings requiring quick decisions, and bringing employees together are some of the prominent best uses for video conferencing. It should be noted that in the future the term face-to-face meeting may have to be replaced with the phrase a “handshake meeting.” Young people are growing up with text messaging, seeing their friends’ faces on their computers in real-time. With social websites such as My Space, it’s common for young people to have friends scattered all over the world they have never actually met in person. Numerous articles on the Internet mention having face-to-face meetings by way of computers. In the future, workers might be amazed to learn that their predecessors actually spent time and money flying on a plane to have a face-to-face meeting or a “handshake meeting”. Perhaps future generations will think it’s best to have all types of communications with variations on video conferences.
Choosing the best video editing software can seem a daunting task given the wide range of products available at the moment. However with a little help to remain focused on what is important you should be able to make a good choice.
One of the key points to keep in mind is, “What is it that I am I REALLY going to do with the video editing software that I choose?” The answer to that question has to remain uppermost in your mind when selecting the best video editing software for you.
All of the major home video editing software companies offer camcorder to DVD video editing solutions that make them almost inseparable from each other. So concentrate on what you REALLY need.
The first thing to establish is what is the format of the material you will be working with and what will be the formats that you will want to produce in the end. Input will be determined by your camcorder or your DVD recorder or whatever the source of your material is. Take note of the format your device records in and make sure that one is covered first.
Then realistically take a look at how you would most likely distribute your final videos. DVD? Blu-Ray? Uploading to YouTube or similar? Make sure the software you choose can output to the format you want.
So, your first task in deciding on what video editing software is suitable for you is to work out what your most common source video files will be and what your most common video output will be. That represents the core of what you will be using the software for and should be your main focus.
Like any other competitive market, video editing software is caught up in a never ending race to keep up with technology as it develops and still make the product seem “sexy” to the customer. The point is you probably don’t WANT to buy video editing software. What you WANT is a finished video production.
The problem for the software company is that they know you NEED to buy video editing software but that is not what you WANT! They have to make you WANT it! And because of that we get “bells and whistles” features that make you WANT IT but most likely will never need.
Video Transitions:
Transitions are the little inserts that go in between two clips to make the scene change. If you look at a movie you will notice when the scene changes it either cuts to the next scene with no transition, this is called cut or a straight cut. It fades to black then fades into the next scene from black called a cross fade through black. Or, finally, the two scenes merge into each other softly and this one is called a cross fade. There you have it, pretty well the entire gamut of transitions that professional video editors use!
All video editing software programs offer at least 50 transitions each. Newbies use ALL the available transitions because they look cool the first time they see them. The reality is NOBODY ever, ever wants to go back to their house again to look at their latest production because their heads are still spinning from the last one! Ignore transitions as a deciding factor, all video editing software programs have them and they all have more than you need.
Video Overlay:
An overlay track, simply put, is the ability to put one video in the background and have another visible on top of it. It is that “picture in picture” effect you have seen on TV and in movies. You can also put subtitles in an overlay track or still photos or a bunch of other things to really get creative. You need about five for good control but you would never use more than that otherwise, once again, no-one is going to want to watch the mess you have created!
Audio:
There is no video editing software at the consumer level that offers truly excellent audio control and features. They are video editing programs not audio editing programs. Some have pretty good control, some don’t, if you are going to demand pro level audio then you need dedicated software for that.
The ability to handle Dolby 2 channel is a bare minimum and 5:1 Surround should be standard. The program should offer two audio tracks to play with in addition to the sound in the video track. That leaves you plenty of room for music, narration or effects.
Smart Render:
Rendering is the term used when the video editing software is making the final file of your newly created video. Up until rendering, in any consumer level video editing software, all the cuts, additions, changes and adjustments you have been making are “virtual.” The original footage is never touched. So rendering puts all that together and produces your final video file in the format you have chosen as the viewing format.
Any of the highly compressed formats such as MPEG2 (for DVDs), MPEG4 etc invariably suffer from loss of quality when they are re-rendered. The degree of loss of quality varies but it is essential that any video editing software you choose has the ability to recognise those files it does not need to re-render and simply copy those sections resulting in the high quality possible being retained. It should also offer good control over the properties of the final video.
So there you have it, stay focused on what is important and keep the “gee whiz” stuff to a minimum and you will do fine!
Lance Carr is an ex-patriot Australian living in Taiwan running a business consulting company. His grasp of the Chinese language ranges from poor to laughable and in most circumstances his actual use of the Chinese language results in laughter.
Lance Carr is an ex-patriot Australian living in Taiwan running a business consulting company. His grasp of the Chinese language ranges from poor to laughable and in most circumstances his actual use of the Chinese language results in laughter.
Video Editing Software
Best Video Editing Software Reviews
Creative Zen guide: how to make best videos into it from DVD and other video files?
Designed and manufactured by Creative Technology, the new player of Creative family Creative Zen sounds fantastic and features a brilliant color screen capable of displaying photos and video. So enjoy music and movies with it proves to be wonderful. Then in this guide, I will give you useful information of how to make the best videos and songs in your Creative Zen to let you enjoy this wonderful experience anytime and anywhere.
To make your video and songs perfect, first you need to know what kinds of videos can get the best effect in your player. So I will give you some information about Creative Zen video firstly. Then I will tell you how to do it.
Part 1: what formats does Creative Zen support, how to make the best settings?
Part 2: how to make best video and songs from DVD?
Part 3: how to get perfect video and songs from all kinds of videos?
Part 1: what formats does Creative Zen support, how to make the best settings for your Creative Zen?
The video formats for Creative Zen: MJPEG, WMV, and AVI (MPEG-4 SP, DivX, Xvid), while MPEG-1, and MPEG-2 are supported, but must be transcoded with the included software.
The audio formats for Creative Zen: MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, and Audible 2, 3, and 4 formats.
The best settings: video resolution: 320×240, video Bitrate: 500 kbps. Audio Bitrate: between 96 to 128 kbps.
Part 2: how to make best video and songs from DVD?
To get videos and songs form DVD, I recommend you powerful software –[url=http://www.nidesoft.com/dvd-to-creative-zen-converter.html]Nidesoft DVD to Crteative Zen Converter[/url]. I recommend this converter as this converter can not only convert DVD to Creative Zen player in high quality at fast speed, but also it has full functions that enable your set your videos to be perfect and best.
Then I will tell you how to use it step by step.
[url=http://www.nidesoft.com/downloads/dvd-to-creative-zen-converter.exe]Download the converter[/url], installs it.
Step 1: Insert the DVD disc into the DVD Drive. Click the Open DVD button, browse your computer, find the DVD folder of the movie, open it and select titles and chapters you want to convert. Also you may preview it in the right window.
[img]http://www.nidesoft.com/image/tutorial/dvd-to-creative-zen-converter-1.jpg[/img]
Step 2: Click the “profile” button and select the format for your Creative Zen. You just need to select “Creative Zen Player Video (*.avi)”
Step 3: set your videos to be best.
Click the “settings” button, you may set your video resolution and bitrate with the parameter I mentioned above.
You may also edit your videos with the crop, effect and trim functions.
Step 4: click the convert button, the conversion will be completed in a short time.
Tips: Rip official DVD movie is illegal, so make sure you are authorized before you rip them.
Part 3: how to get perfect video and songs from all kinds of videos?
To get perfect videos and songs into your Creative Zen player, I will recommend you another wonderful converter–[url=http://www.nidesoft.com/video-converter.html]Nidesoft video converter[/url].This converter can convert all kinds of video into Creative Zen, it also enables you make settings while conversion.
[url=http://www.nidesoft.com/downloads/video-converter.exe]Download the converter[/url], installs it.
Then do it in this way:
Step 1: Click “add” button to import your videos from your computer. Select the video files you want to convert. Also you may preview your video in the right window.
[img]http://www.nidesoft.com/forum/creative-zen-guide/creative-zen-video-converter.jpg[/img]
Step 2: click the “format” drop-down list and select the “Creative Zen Player Video (*.avi)” format for your player. But if you want to get audio files from the video you may select the “MP3 – MPEG Layer-3 Audio (*.mp3)” format for your Creative Zen music.
Step 3: under the preview window, you may set your videos by few clicks. Here you may set your video size, crop mode, video quality and audio quality to make your best video for Creative Zen.
Step 3: click the “convert” button and start the conversion. The conversion will be completed in few minutes.
Ok, now just enjoy movies and music with your Creative Zen player. Need more information? Just post here, let’s fix it out together. ^_^
I have got a Blackberry Storm as my birthday present and I was deeply in love with the gorgeous screen. I can’t wait to fill the 8gb card with videos to show off to all my friends. Before that I have tried watching a movie on my blackberry that I had already ripped with iPhone/iPod touch settings, The video works but the file size is unnecessarily large and the audio didn’t match up with the video well when playing on the Blackberry. I collect information here and there and at last get the problem solves. So below is the details shared here.
Output video format: mp4
Output audio format: mp3
Video:
Video Size/resolution: 480×320
Video Bitrate: 1200kbps
Audio:
Audio Bitrate: 64kbps
Channels: 2 channels
Now if you have no idea what to do with that, then here are some simple instructions for you.
First you need a third-part software. I use Nidesoft program, probably the best Blackberry converter available. I download from its official website: Nidesoft.
Note: the program you downloaded on nidesoft is free trial version, you are limited to creating video files that are a maximum of 2 minutes long.
In order to convert videos longer than that, you will need to purchase the software with 25 dollars, or download the full version somewhere on google.com
Then if you convert videos from DVD, you should use Nidesoft DVD to Blackberry Converter and follow the step-by-step ways.
Step 1: Launch the program; Insert the DVD disc into the DVD Drive. Click the “Open DVD” button, browse your computer, find the DVD folder of the movie, open it, select some titles and chapters you want or you may select the whole video to convert.
Step 2: make settings: click “profile” drop-down list to select “BlackBerry MPEG-4 Video (*.mp4)” format, click “Settings” to set video size and bitrate. If you want to combine two or several titles into one, you may select titles and click blank box before “Merge into one file” to merge them together.
Step 3: click “convert” button to convert videos. Then it will be completed in few minutes.
However, if you convert from other videos, you should use Nidesoft Blackberry video converter with the following ways.
Step 1: Launch the program and Click “Add” button to load source video files to be converted:
Step 2: make settings: click “format” drop list to select “Blackberry MPEG-4 Video (*.mp4)” as output video format. Set your video size and quality under the preview window.
Step 3: Click “Convert” button to start to convert video format.
After the file is converted, just transfer the file to the videos folder on your BlackBerry through the Desktop Manager and enjoy your newly created video. By the way, the file converted can not only used on Blackberry Storm, but also other Blackberry phones such as Blackberry Pearl, Bold, curve.
Ok, until now you have got the whole idea of how to do with it. But you may encounter some other problems when doing it. Below are my problems and solutions I have collected after long time practice, list here to share with you.
I think there’s a virus in this Program!!??
There’s no virus in Nidesoft. One person reported being infected by Backdoor.Graybird, but if you got it from the site I linked to in my post it did not come with the download. If you downloaded it from somewhere else on the web then I am not sure. Probably malware/spamers have uploaded it to phishing sites to snag people. Always make sure you download things from their original website, or from a trusted location like download.com, and always run antivirus and scan stuff you are installing.
The higher the resolution, the better the video quality?
Not necessarily at all. If you’re converting a video that is 640×480 and convert it to the same 640×480 resolution then all you’re leaving is more work for your phone. I understand the login behind it, the pixels get compressed and shop up more clear and sharper. But if you compress these pixels in the conversion process wouldn’t the same thing happen? So why not just convert straight to a 480×320 and save your Storm the trouble?
The higher the bitrate, the better the quality?
Yes, that is true. However, the higher the bitrate, the larger your video files. So it is not necessary to raise your bitrate very high when you feel your video quality is fine. I have spent hours working different settings and the best results have hovered around 1200 kbps.
Where do I find the files? You may change the output directory by press “browse” button, or the destination will be set automatically at C:temp, you may press “open” to find the files.
Can I get ringtones into my Blackberry with the above idea?
Yes, you can. You may get ringtones in that way both from DVD and video. But you need to make a little different settings. As Blackberry audio support .mp3 format, you need to select “Blackberry MP3 Music (*.mp3)” as the output file format. Then drag the converted file into ringtones folder in your memory card.
I’m trying to convert a movie purchased from itunes but the Nidesoft software gives me an error. When I view the details of the error it tells me not enough space on my drive. I have plenty of space. Now when I tried it with a movie (same extension .m4v) that was ripped in the past, it works. Any suggestions??
Meet DRM.
Itunes store video files are encoded with fairplay digital rights management that means they will only play on Itunes, Ipod, or AppleTV. I have found another thread to solve this problem, go to: http://forums.crackberry.com/f135/howto-put-drm-protected-files-your-storm-pics-118585/
Why are there black bars on my video?
Even though it looks “widescreen” the storm is native 4:3 not 16:9. So unless you want to stretch everybody and make them tall and skinny you will still have the black bars.
Is there a way to make it fullscreen without the black bars?
Yes, you can crop the file when you do the transcode, but I haven’t done it with Nidesoft Blackberry video converter yet. I’ll post it when I figure it out.
Ok, that is my details and I would keep updating my thread when got more solutions.
