Technical aspects

There are several programmes that we can use in order to edit and publish videos on Internet. We have worked with this software:

1. Recording: it is better to use a digital video camera (DV format). This type of cameras allows us to transmit the information directly to a computer.

2. Edition: once the images are in the computer they must be edited using specific programmes. We recommend two of them:

• IMovie 4.0: This software works on Macintosh (minimum system X.2). Every Mac computer includes this very easy to use software. It is prepared for educational aims, for students from ten years of age. You can edit one video track and two audio tracks. This is enough for the videos we want to make. Macintosh computers have the video and audio cards needed for video edition incorporated and so they are apt for school usage.
  - More information.
  - Handbooks: English and Spanish.
  - Our links.
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• Pinacle Studio 8: Windows incorporates the Windows Movie Maker software but we need a specific video card to import the digital images from the video camera. Pinacle is one of the most popular video cards and it includes an easy to use video edition software. One video track and two audio tracks can be edited.
  - More information.
  - Handbook (50 Mb)
  - Our links.

3. Exporting to AVI format: the software we have been talking about work with DV format images and so the size of the video is very big. We need to export the film into an appropriate format so that it can be visualized and publish on internet.

When you are exporting the video you can choose the format and the size of the film. You have to select AVI format and minimum 400 pixels of width. If your film is not too long you will be able to burn it on a CD and watch it on a computer. You can also put this videos on internet but the people who want to watch it will have to download it before. If you want to publish videos with this format the size must be smaller. Decrease the number of pixels of width, the number of frames per second (fps) and the size of the film will significantly decrease. The film on this format shouldn’t have more than 5 Mb in order to be appropriately watched on internet.

4. Video streaming: using video streaming the films can be watched from internet as they are being downloaded. This means real time. To publish videos on this format you need:

• A server with a video server program. Windows offers a free program called Internet Information Server with Windows Media Services extensisons. Some internet servers offer this kind of service (for example: Arsys allows you to publish 50 Mb of video -but only allows 5 simultaneous “watchers”- under their standard fees).
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• Change AVI format into WMF. You can use WindowsMediaEncoder (it is free). Before installing this software you have to install VideoMediaPlayer sot that you can visualized streaming videos.
  With WindowsMediaEncoder you can change videos from one format into others (including streaming). It is worthy to do two versions of the same video: 24kbps for those with a low internet connection (modem) and 109kbps for those with cable or DSL connections. You must change the extension of the final file from .wmf to .asf.

5. Link your video from a web page: the videos must be in a server with a streaming video server, but your web can be placed on every kind of server. You have to include the video in the first server and then make a link from your web page to the video file (for example: mms://217.76.128.22/folder/name-of-the-video.asf).

Here you have some links where it is explained how to link your videos:

• Video included on a web page.
• Easy link from your page without visitors having to change the server.
• Our links.

If you want to send us your videos you can do it in both formats: .avi or .asf