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Pure Digital Technologies
USA WEEKEND Magazine: June 10, 2007
Easy uploading — YouTube-friendly devices make video-sharing simple
By John Biggs
Sharing video on YouTube is all the rage, but pocket Spielbergs soon realize that it's not just a matter of click and drag. YouTube accepts any number of video formats, but it works best with MPEG-4 (a type of video standard compatible with most computers). Unfortunately, getting your video into any of these formats requires a long process called transcoding, in which you convert your video into a compatible format.
Some cameras come with software to speed up this process, but Pure Digital's relatively affordable Flip Video camcorder ($119 for the 30-minute version, $149 for 60 minutes; www.puredigitalinc.com ) skips that step by transcoding video inside the device. About the size of a deck of cards, this tiny camera pre-processes your video and includes software that will upload it to YouTube with a single click. It uses two AA batteries and stores video on embedded memory.
If you have a webcam, there's an easier way: YouTube's Quick Capture. Compatible with webcam-enabled PCs running Internet Explorer or Firefox, Quick Capture lets you record your video blog/cute kitten story/karaoke session right in front of your PC. To start it, log into YouTube and click "Upload Videos." First, YouTube will ask you to fill out some identifying information. Select "Use Quick Capture," allow YouTube to use your webcam, and then the feature works just like a regular video recorder. To tape something, click "Record." Once you're done, YouTube does the rest of the work.
By John Biggs USA WEEKEND Magazine
