If you’ve been looking for a reason to invest in a DSLR with HD Video capabilities, consider the new multimedia features and demands of the next version of the Web, which is coming very soon.
One of the many blessings of being married to an MIT graduate is that every other month a fascinating magazine called Technology Review, which is produced by MIT, arrives at our house. It’s a great read if you want to be up on the latest technologies and what people are working on for the future. You don’t have to be either an MIT grad or married to one to get it.
The most recent issue’s cover story, “The Web is reborn; HTML5 rewrites our most important shared technology” talks about the language behind the World Wide Web and how it’s poised for a major upgrade that will improve our surfing experience. To learn more about how HTML5’s new features can profoundly change your surfing experience, read How HTML5 Will Shake Up The Web, also on Technology Review’s web site.
But what caught my eye in reading about HTML5 was how it would drive the upcoming role of, and demand for, video. You see, here at the ALC we’ve been writing a lot lately about HD Video DSLRs, and these articles have been quite popular. So, I figured that any video-related opportunities would be of interest.
Growing Appetite for Online Video
It isn’t news to many of you that news and sports web sites have a growing appetite for video content to go with their still photos. Capturing video at the same time as shooting stills seems like a good idea. That appetite for video is only going to increase, and it’s going to go beyond news and sports sites. HTML5 is going to make it more tempting for companies to add video to their sites, and therefore, the demand for original video content can only increase.
Opportunity Knocks
If you make a living with still photography or aspire to do so, and have been thinking about getting into DSLR videos to enhance your marketability, now is the time to get serious.
Here are four reasons why:
Traffic: Right now, all Internet traffic adds up to 12,684 petabytes per month (a petabyte is a million gigabytes. Video downloads make up 37% of all current Internet traffic. By 2014, overall Internet traffic is expected to top 42,000 petabytes per month and video will have a 46% share of it—more than the total volume of Internet traffic today.
Technology: Then there’s HTML5 technology. It won’t rely on plug-ins such as flash; instead, it will natively load and show multimedia content. That will make the ability to share videos easier, faster, and more universally adaptable. With easier video viewing possible, content providers will compete with each other to provide the most compelling content in games, graphics and yes, video.
Content: While much video watching will be TV shows and movies, there will be an increasing demand for original video. Look at how successful YouTube has been, built primarily on original videos.
Timing: Finally, there’s the timeline: Safari, Chrome, and Firefox all expect to be 100% compatible with HTML5 sometime next year, and both Safari and Chrome are compatible with at least 88% of HTML5 right now. (You can see some HTML5 sample sites at here HTML5gallery.com, below, as well as here and here)
Now is the time to invest in a HDSLR and to learn how to use it (Mike McNamara’s HDSLR primer is a good starting point) . Get some basic video editing software like Adobe Premier Elements and practice. Buy a good tripod, a microphone, location lights—the works. Assign yourself some projects and make them interesting. Get inspired by watching some videos on Vimeo, a great place to view serious videos. Look into video stock agencies and see what their needs are. Hook up with some web designers—especially ones that are learning HTML5.
I have a gut feeling that online video is poised to explode. If you agree, the time to get in is now.
