Disqus - Latest Comments for mrgus

Re: RØDECaster Pro Multitrack To microSD : How It Works PLUS More Features In Update 1.2.0 Explained

Angus Farquhar — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 03:54:45 -0000

We'd really love the option to record the multitrack audio post-fader. We want to be able to record live-to-tape but with the option of being able to edit something out, but recording pre-fader means that we actually have to do a proper edit after recording or just have the stereo file without the option to edit. We also do live streaming and with the USB output being pre-fader it means we can't use the physical controls to ride the faders during the live show.
We'd love it if it were an option in the same way as it is an option to include the processing or not in the multitrack files.

Re: VIDEO: First ‘moving’ look at Moto8ight GSXR Cafe Racer Kit Bike.

Angus Farquhar — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 11:44:07 -0000

Looks a bit like a '90s Spondon with a fairing. Not bad if the price is low, but I bet it ain't.

Re: This is the Saroléa SP7 that will race the TT Zero this year!

Angus Farquhar — Tue, 31 May 2016 07:19:25 -0000

That is one good looking bike

Re: How GoPro and ULTA Beauty Get Video Embedding Right

Angus Farquhar — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 06:35:38 -0000

Interesting article, thanks Greg. The two examples you use though are both posting videos created by users, not necessarily themselves. In these cases it makes complete sense to embed the Youtube videos as that is where they are already hosted.

What about content creators though, does it still make sense to duplicate the same video across both channels? You mentioned in your post the (essential) need to use in-video CTAs to subscribe or see related content and acknowledged that these would really need to be different for on-site and Youtube watched videos, so how do you propose dealing with that.

I'm still not clear whether you are arguing that people should be putting more videos on their site, not just on Youtube, or whether you are saying specifically that using Youtube hosted videos (as opposed to OVP hosted videos) are beneficial to have on your site.

I have seen a number of posts recently from people saying that using the same Youtube video on your site as is on your channel will negatively affect your pages ranking as the Youtube video will always outrank it.

Re: Why Aren't More Brands Embedding Their YouTube Videos on Their Websites?

Angus Farquhar — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 12:53:28 -0000

I think I'm with you on this one Grant, Greg closes the article by asking how we convince managers of the benefits of embedding Youtube videos but he hasn't actually demonstrated any.
We are having this debate in house at the moment with our main site run on Brightcove and a sub blog using Youtube embeds to test the impact so I am keen to hear all evidence from both sides as it really isn't clear what the benefits of either approach are.

Re: Where NOT to Place Annotations on YouTube Videos

Angus Farquhar — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 05:22:37 -0000

Thanks Thom

Re: Where NOT to Place Annotations on YouTube Videos

Angus Farquhar — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 13:00:40 -0000

I saw those. Is that something coming for mainstream users? We are a partner Non-profit which always complicates things

Re: Where NOT to Place Annotations on YouTube Videos

Angus Farquhar — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 11:18:11 -0000

I was a little confused by the talk of mobile as well. As far as I was aware, no annotations work on mobile so it doesn't affect their use at all, or has this changed? it really needs to

Re: Developing a Better YouTube Strategy | Wistia Blog

Angus Farquhar — Fri, 30 May 2014 07:37:44 -0000

This isn't as big a problem as you might think. As Tom Breeze say, you can turn off the related videos in embeds so this is only an issue on youtube.com and it is easy to overcome there too.
You can't turn off the related content but you can very easily edit your own video to stop it being a problem. Simply by adding a title screen to the end of your video with specific calls to action (whether that's you're own related videos or a signup link to your own site) you can delay the related videos long enough to make them have a negligible impact. If you keep the endboard on screen for 20-30 seconds then people will either have taken the desired action or moved on to another video well before the related videos from Youtube appear.
It also helps to make this endboard dynamic so it keeps peoples interest. Adding other videos in windows rather than just a text link or static image will make a big difference.
Also, as you say, the annotations in Youtube are ugly so it is essential that you embed the actions you want people to take, actually in the video itself as graphics that you create. You can then use the 'spotlight' annotation to highlight the area and make it clickable. If you go in to the colour options for the annotation there is an option to make it transparent so no-one can actually see the element itself; just the graphic that you have made clickable. This also has the benefit that you don't have to be quite so accurate with drawing the shape of the annotation and making it look perfect which can be a real bind when you have loads of them.
This is how we do it on our videos: http://youtu.be/xOQ06JbOs9E...
Hope this helps

Re: Can Video Thumbnails be Manipulated for Google Search Results?

Angus Farquhar — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 05:53:14 -0000

We have had this happen on a few pages where we have removed the video but the page has not been re-indexed. I thought it would be a temporary thing but it has lasted for a significant time so this could be simply a quirk rather than intentional.

Re: Smartphone And Tablet Traffic Now Accounts For 41% Of YouTube Views

Angus Farquhar — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 12:36:02 -0000

If mobile is taking off in such a big way and they have had a dedicated mobile team for such a long time then why have they not managed to implement annotations for anything other than the desktop experience. It is really frustrating for content producers and viewers alike who cannot click on the links edited in to the videos.

Re: My new standing desk – day one, and how it helps business

Angus Farquhar — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 18:14:37 -0000

I remember going to Denmark years agio on a business trip and every office had a desk that was fully adjustbke vetween sitting and standing. I've always loved the idea but never managed to fit it in to my life. I think I would stick out a bit at a standing desk in the middle of sn open plan office!
Apparently the CEO of tge company I visited used to raise his desk to the standing position then put a chair in front of it any time an employee wanted a meeting to talk about a pay rise, so he coukd tower down over tge top of them.

Re: No a la carte TV option? Then you lose a customer

Angus Farquhar — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:06:53 -0000

Agree 100%

Re: The Guardian Pigs advert shows ads can be interesting

Angus Farquhar — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:05:33 -0000

T-Mobile Flashmob, VW Vader, Old Spice guy, Evian Babies, Skoda cake...and thats just off the top of my head

Re: The Guardian Pigs advert shows ads can be interesting

Angus Farquhar — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:38:05 -0000

This is a great ad and worthy of praise but i think you're being a bit harsh to say advertisibg is largely inneffectual. its not a problem with advertising but a problem.with the creativity of the adverts. I can name a lot of adverts that are both memorable and improve the image of the brands, many if which have been huge successes online as well. The trou le is there is also a lot of bad advertising that actually leaves you thinking worse of the brand. How this kind of creative ever gets signed off is beyond me.

Re: http://angusfarquhar.tv/post/1050183209

Angus Farquhar — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:32:28 -0000

no problem. Glad to help. Hope it all goes well.

Re: http://angusfarquhar.tv/post/1050183209

Angus Farquhar — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:05:49 -0000

It is not 100% essentialy but it is generally felt that the best image is gained with a shutter speed double that of the frame rate, so 1/50 for 25fps or 1/60 for 30fps.
This gives you enough blur in the image to be pleasing to the eye and disguise some of the 'video' quality, but not too much to cause a problem with strobing. Any slower or anywhere above 1/250 and the image will appear to jump between frames rather than flow.

Re: What really ended EMAP’s golden days?

Angus Farquhar — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:02:36 -0000

Interesting pair of articles coming from two very different directions. It was such a shame that it was only the people on the very ground level the could see what was truly going on.

It often felt like every level of management was holding a bullshit umbrella up to the next level up so they couldn't see how bad it was underneath. From the top it must have looked pretty rosey, but from the bottom looking up all you could see was all the shit stuck underneath.

Reading the HufPo article does put a lot of things in context though, I think it wasn't just the flexibility at the top that was lost when Arculus/Miller left, the problems filtered all the way down. As you said Dan there were so many ideas that could have been taken and run with in an agile way, that were either just neglected or trampled on whole heartedly. The ones they did decide to run with really were obvious bad choices right from the start.

And then there were the strong brands and ideas that people managed to make work despite the amount of wading through treacle that had to be done. A small number managed to perform really well but eventually got dragged in to the mire as the business decided that it was a bad idea to let things flourish outside the fold without following 'the proper processes', i.e. the ones that were killing the rest of the business.

It really was a frustrating place to work, with so many incredibly creative people being constantly held back from achieving their full potential both for themselves and for the company. I mean, who could possibly have predicted way back in 2007 that video advertising would be one of the biggest growing areas of ad spend! The company now has no dedicated video producers as far as I know when other companies around them are staffing up whole departments and making money commissioning out their extra production capacity to advertisers. What a revolutionary idea!

Still makes me sad to have had to work through such a wasted opportunity. But hey, I did alright out of the skills I taught myself there so I can't complain too much. Just wish I could have put them to better use for the company that I developed them for.

Re: Panasonic AG-AF100 - Finally a proper video DSLR

Angus Farquhar — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:50:52 -0000

Don't get me wrong, I do like the Red very much, but it seams like it may suffer from the same problems as the DSLRs, in that you will need to buy a bunch of additional kit on top of the body to make it what you want.
It will also need a lot of putting together each time you want to use it, which for ENG type stuff is a problem.
I'm sure it will be great for shooting work where you have a lot of time to work on each scene, but I'm looking for something that I can wip out of a bag and start shooting in seconds. The Panasonic seems to fit that bill and still provide that glorious depth of field.

Re: Report recommending ‘Google Tax’ seems rather confused

Angus Farquhar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:10:27 -0000

I'm with you on this one. We've known for a long time that traditional media is struggling, so falsely propping it up is never going to be a viable solution. People will continue to jump ship to better and more convenient sources of content.
I love reading the paper but hardly ever buy it because it just doesn't fit my life. I do however have many small gaps in my schedule where I regularly check various news sources so a 'hyperlocal' site/blog is ideal and I use them quite often from various sources.
They don't have to be exclusively area based either, my wife works for a local youth charity and they are currently looking at this kind of thing to engage with the people they are trying to attract to their centre.
In this instance they will need to make it both relevant to local people but also relevant to the correct demographic so it will be even more niche.
Being a charity though they are always short of resources so this kind funding would be a welcome help and provide a valuable resource to a community rather than chucking it in to a dead-tree landfill.

Re: CES 2010 breaks all my records for video and content production

Angus Farquhar — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:01:34 -0000

It was a lot of hard work (still is with another 14 still to edit) but well worth it.
Qik video was shot just using an iPhone and the 4G connection. Made for a very quick process but, yes, we did have to be careful of the sound which is why all the shots are so close to Ben's head.
There are ways to improve the quality of picture and sound from a phone or small camera which I had a quick look in my other post. http://tumblr.com/xhn5d5qkz
The best way to improve the sound is to use a tie clip mic and there are plenty of options for pluging in to small cameras and iPhones from wired to wireless and for all budgets. It's easily the best way to improve the perceived quality of your videos.

Re: - Angus Farquhar, Online Video Producer

Angus Farquhar — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:27:30 -0000

Thanks. Now to see if we can keep it up

Re: Why newspapers will need 1000 true fans…

Angus Farquhar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:50:35 -0000

If media starts adding more in depth content to their sites behind a pay wall then doesn't that just become another method of consuming the traditional media product?
Couldn't there be a two pronged solution with the existing short 'hard news' style articles being given away for free then for the 1000 fans there is the full length articles that could almost be an exact replication of what is printed or broadcast but in a much more useful indexable media.
One of the key driving factors to websites moving to bite-sized content was the need to not cannibalise the 'core' product, but if the full length content is pulling in as much revenue as the print/broadcast element then that is no longer a problem. Why can't we have the best of both worlds?
Here at Which? (www.which.co.uk) we have a similar model. Our core, indepth, lab tested reviews are behind a paywall, while our lighter stuff (news, first looks, advice) is all out there free of charge to entice people in and convince them that it is worth stumping up the cash for the hardcore research.
And it works, (revenue was up this year) you just have to make sure that the core thing you are selling is valuable enough to keep people onboard and you have a big enough team of people looking at retentions rather than just take the money and run.

Re: Johnston Press manage a Facebook facepalm moment…

Angus Farquhar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:56:19 -0000

Totally agree with you on this one Dan. I know our previous employer came very close to making the same decision, reasoning that it would save them a fortune in bandwidth and make people work more.
I can understand the impetus to save money but, as you said, cutting off this kind of thing is ultimately going to cut of the company from forward thinking in a digital age and as a result make them less money, surely.
On the issue of people wasting time of Facebook, I firmly believe that this should be an issue between managers and staff. Not a corporate decision at all. If staff members can get all their work done and properly and still have time to go on Facebook then good on them, it's up to their managers to monitor their work output as they should be doing all the time. If employees are able to waste so much time online then maybe they either don't have enough work to do or they're bad at their job. Either way it's their line managers problem to sort out.
Letting people use the internet will make it become part of their everyday conciousness and seems the most likely way to start to get heel-draggers to start thinking digital when planning for the future.

Re: Ads and Paywalls won’t save newspapers and magazines

Angus Farquhar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:01:09 -0000

Nice piece Dan and I totally agree that the only way that news organisations are going to make money is to play on the loyalty people have and find something that gives them extra value.
http://www.pressgazette.co....
But I think there might be a chance if they provide extra value to advertisers that could persuade them to pay more than the base rate, but that is going to be a difficult one to prove. There will always be someone else who claims the same value but offers cheaper prices.
After reading a couple of recent things:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/m...
http://twitter.com/ukaop/st...
I have to take issue with mleis' comment. I do think that mobile devices are the way forward but so far they simply aren't catching peoples imagination and I think the gap between them becoming popular and the non existence of print revenue will be too great.
Also worth baring in mind is the fact that the profitability of newspapers is a very recent thing. Since the beginning newspapers have found it hard to make money, many have come and gone and those that have survived long term have often done so at the behest of a generous benefactor, whether that be an individual, foundation or business.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it is better to settle for a small profit margin than one that is in terminal decline. The trouble is getting shareholders to see that sense, they don't lie slow rising or flat lines on a chart. That's where the generous benefactor comes in.