Dear Producers; Do HD videos sell that much more than regular?

[Comfort Eagle]

Because, and this might just be me, but waiting upwards of an hour for almost a gigabytes worth of 12 minute video is terrible inconvenient. The clips often actually stop halfway through and I'm forced to restart sometimes two or three times before the thing goes through. Generally, most guys don't even bother doing non-HD alternatives at all anymore.

Is the demand for HD so high that it's really insane to not go, or does everyone just assume that's what the people want? I gotta say, those old 150-300 MB videos really didn't look that much worse.

 

[turtleboy]

I can't speak for others but from my experience, HD clips account for about two thirds of my clip sales with SD versions making up the rest (I don't bother with ipod formats etc) I expect they will continue to overtake sales of lower res formats as computers and hand held devices continue to become faster and more powerful, and broadband speeds increase. The quality is noticably sharper on higher res monitors and as monitors become larger, many people will expect their clips to be bigger and hold more detail.

That said, a typical 12 minute 720p vid should generally only work out at around 400-500mb. Sometimes clips are rendered at bit rates that are way too high and this results in much larger files that sometimes have playback issues also.

Full HD (1080p) clips will be much larger and will cause stuttering on computers that don't have the neccessary hardware capability - I don't think full HD versions are all that common in clip stores at this stage however, as they take so long to render and the file sizes are massive!

 

[TickleCuties]

I offer most of mine in HD only (not full, but regular HD) - and a few folks have started asking for smaller file sizes, so I'm beginning the process of converting them down to standard def.

 

[JaneyD]

Not sure if my opinion is welcomed in this thread since I am not a producer, but I wish to share my insights as a student of commarts.

I believe that it is important to keep up with the times. Especially with technology. Sure downloading HD videos may take up more time than the regular lower resolutions, but as a producer you would like to cater the best quality goods you can to your consumers. If not, then maybe the competition, in this context other clipstores, may attract more consumers (including yours) and you will lose your market.

HD vs SD is sort of like cassette to CD, or CD to mp3, or VHS to DVD. Or the best analogy would be our camera phones increasing megapixel capacity.

Sooner or later the standard would be what is HD today, and HD in the future would be more than just 720 or 1080p.

I get your point @Comfort Eagle, adapting to change takes time and getting used to.

Hope my opinion sheds light on this topic.
-J

 

[LD_Tickler]

I see an enormous difference between HD stuff and SD, I wouldn't be at all surprised if demand for HD was really that much higher.

 

[tommee]

I stay away from HD because my computer struggles when playing them. I appreciate the producers that offer varied format selections. Is there anything available that can correct this? I currently have Windows Vista. Buying a new computer isn't an option at the time but I would think there is a reasonable solution out there.

 

[LD_Tickler]

I stay away from HD because my computer struggles when playing them. I appreciate the producers that offer varied format selections. Is there anything available that can correct this? I currently have Windows Vista. Buying a new computer isn't an option at the time but I would think there is a reasonable solution out there.

New graphics card and more RAM. There's nothing that can't be fixed by a new graphics card and more RAM.

 

[kcantankerous]

I tend to get low res myself because I am not very sensitive to the difference. I can see it but it takes up more space which I don't necessarily like lol. However, I agree with Turtle, Janey and the others who mentioned the keeping up with the times. Turtle I appreciate your candor regarding the breakdown of clip sales.

As someone into accounting and finance I think about the business of ticking production, specifically because I obviously have a fetish for it. Anyways, one day I'd like to break down the business and see how it all works. I don't plan on competing in this arena but it is fascinating to me.

I remember Drake explained how he did things in great detail in another thread that he started. Still I'm wondering if thinks changed since then.

Thanks,
K

 

[mabus]

Not sure if my opinion is welcomed in this thread since I am not a producer, but I wish to share my insights as a student of commarts.

I believe that it is important to keep up with the times. Especially with technology. Sure downloading HD videos may take up more time than the regular lower resolutions, but as a producer you would like to cater the best quality goods you can to your consumers. If not, then maybe the competition, in this context other clipstores, may attract more consumers (including yours) and you will lose your market.

HD vs SD is sort of like cassette to CD, or CD to mp3, or VHS to DVD. Or the best analogy would be our camera phones increasing megapixel capacity.

Sooner or later the standard would be what is HD today, and HD in the future would be more than just 720 or 1080p.

I get your point @Comfort Eagle, adapting to change takes time and getting used to.

Hope my opinion sheds light on this topic.
-J

Your opinion is welcome in any thread you please, JaneyD! If someone doesn't like it, just ignore them.

I'll always prefer the highest quality video possible, because I like the super def in everything - I go to movies because the image is the best possible.

After years of really crappy, low res clips with garbled audio, I happily welcome the HD revolution.

But I think it shouldn't be a problem for producers to offer the lower quality - it's just a few extra buttons on the keyboard for a quick render for smaller file.

 

[the tickleshow]

I see mine selling at about a 50/50. I think a lot of people have a hard time with the files being so large, but i also think there are a lot of people who would love to see the videos larger and crystal clear. That's why I always release the SD clip first, then HD (720p) and then again in 1080i HD, which is remarkably clear, but also large in size. As a former TV Producer who actually helped bring a TV network into the HD world, I have a strong preference for the 1080i HD, but not everyone has a huge internet connection.

 

[JaneyD]

I totally agree with this as well. We had this activity before in our photojournalism class wherein we would rate the pictures' overall quality and composition, and most of us rated this one picture from the Japan Tsunami disaster as the best of the 5 pictures presented. We assumed that all were taken by a pro level camera, but little did we know that that picture was taken from a simple point and shoot camera that had a maximum of 8megapixels.

So yeah, it is not just the equipment you have, but its what you can do with it. As Thom Hogan puts it, "the best camera is the one you have in your hands."