Web Services Blog

Video Standards and Guidelines

Video Standards:
The standard file format for video is MPEG-4.

Sizes:
Format: Small (talking head)
size: ~240 x 180 3:4 16:9
Data Rate: 400
Frames: 10 fps
On2 VP 6

Format: Medium
size: ~360 x 240 3:4 16:9
Data Rate: 200
Frames: 10 fps
On2 VP 6

Formatting standards for special occasion files that do not fall under the “small” or “medium” formats may be available upon request.

Other Video Requirements:
Video will not pop-up as a standalone browser window.
Media player skin design will not be user configurable.
Media player will be embedded into template design.

We highly encourage you to use descriptive copy with your video.

Note: Captions are required on all video content placed on any Clemson University Web site. This is to ensure Section 508 Accessibility compliance as mandated by the state of South Carolina. This guide is being further developed by the Web Leadership Team and will soon update the information here.

Video Guidelines:
Videos for the Web should contain either closed captions or a link to a transcript. If these options are not available, the individual posting the video must make a transcript available upon demand. The contact information for the person responsible for providing the transcript must be included with the video.

Video for the Web must comply with all applicable state and federal laws for intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademarks.

If you are posting audio and/or video available to the public on the Clemson University domain, you must notify University Relations, Robbie Fitzwater at rfitzwa@clemson.edu. When non-compliant videos/pages are identified by OWS or the New Media Team, they will contact the responsible department or individual to resolve the issue.

Archiving: A copy of the video must be on tape, DVD or server as long as the video is on the Web for legal purposes and to replace any corrupted files. The owner of the video is responsible for contacting Clemson University Archive/Records Management to determine whether or not a copy needs to be in the University Archives as well.

Video on YouTube:
Clemson University’s YouTube channel has been reorganized to help give you access to all the latest Clemson-related videos. The channel is managed by the Clemson Marketing Services Department, with the goal of including all University, college, departmental and alumni-related videos. In order to continue to build an expansive library, we need your help in gathering all existing and future Clemson videos.

Only official and approved Clemson University, college, departmental and administrative unit videos, or select videos approved by the CNMT, will be posted to Clemson’s YouTube Channel.

The channel will serve as a key promotional tool for your college or department, receiving thousands of views every month. Additionally, once videos are uploaded, they can be embedded on Clemson Web sites and Facebook pages.

Learn more about Video on YouTube here.

Resources:

Approved by the Web Leadership Team, March 10, 2008
Under review by the Office of General Counsel, April 7, 2008

Video Podcasts

Recommendations for Formatting Video Podcasts:

If you’re encoding your video podcast at 320×240, please increase the resolution to either 640×480 or 640×360 (depending on the aspect ratio of your source files). Why? Because video podcasts at this resolution look great on Apple TV and still port to video iPods. Lower resolution podcasts might also work on both platforms, but they don’t look nearly as good on a widescreen TV. As always, make sure to test any encoding changes you make to ensure device compatibility. QuickTime 7.1’s “Export to iPod” function will ensure that a video file is encoded at a width of 640 and is iPod-compatible.

It’s best not to create two different podcast feeds for different resolutions. By doing so, you dilute the popularity of your podcast and reduce exposure in our charts. It’s better to have one feed high in the charts than two that are lower.

If your source files are 16:9, stick with that aspect ratio. Don’t add letterboxing to make them 4:3. By doing so, you prevent the video from expanding to fill a 16:9 widescreen TV and instead end up with black space on all four sides. Also, your original source files should be at least 640 pixels wide.

Of course these are just recommendations. We understand that there are good reasons for 320×240 (bandwidth bills) and 720p (looks fantastic).

Do whatever makes the most sense for your show. For more information on formatting video, see the recently updated spec: http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html

To see a sample of excellent podcasts that also look great with Apple TV, check out the Apple TV Podcast Showcase.

Created by iTunes Podcasting Team, April 2007