Embed video?

[jauburn]

I applaud the optional integration of a photo gallery, but I'm stumped as to why anyone would want to embed videos (linked from other sites) in a gallery. Why not just embed them in a forum thread?

I can see the usefulness of allowing folks to upload homemade videos (although server storage would be an issue), but to have a gallery of embedded videos...hmm. Someone please tell me how popular this is.

 

[Paul B]

Why not?

Video is media, just as images are.
If you can have an album full of images on a particular subject, why can't you also have an album full of video?

With the ability to individually comment, rate, like, etc.

 

[Jeremy]

I run an educational site around film, if I have a media category for each class / lecture, embedding videos & clips that will be shown helps keep me organized.

Or I go to a concert and have a plethora of pictures but want to include the live action songs for context, it makes more sense to have it in the gallery.

Plethora of uses, just need to find them for your site.

 

[Chris D]

Plethora of uses, just need to find them for your site.

Or not. It's worth noting that the ability to embed videos can be switched off through options/permissions.

 

[Martok]

but to have a gallery of embedded videos...hmm. Someone please tell me how popular this is.

On my site, which is for a community of PlayStation gamers, the Gallery is predominately used for embedded videos. It makes it much easier for members to find and view these videos rather than having to search through threads for them.

 

[51463]

I love the embed feature. We use it all the time. We have hundreds of embeded videos in specific categories.

If there was no embed feature we wouldnt have enough space and bandwidth.

Plus users like linking there videos for traffic to their sites

 

[EQnoble]

I can see the usefulness of allowing folks to upload homemade videos (although server storage would be an issue)

To be honest storage for many short videos is not the problem with user uploaded videos, it's the encoding/transcoding and the streaming overhead which is much more hardware intensive compared to hosting a site with a bunch of people on it.

There are sites that offer encoding services and have premium api services so you can hook in to them, but for your average person the cost is astronomical (for the time being) and to add the option to use an external encoding service for the addon would be a waste of time because the actual number of people who bring in enough money to be worth using it and don't already have their needed video service present a very small slice of people.

The whole encoding issue is something I went through years ago and since I don't run a site that makes any revenue I recently did the next best thing and made a sidebar widget that will let users select options and upload a video to youtube and it spits back the link/bbcode before the video is even processed.

I personally would much rather have control of the encoding parameters and source content, but youtube is free, works and most certainly has a better delivery network than any of us here individually have.

 

[jauburn]

Why not?

Video is media, just as images are.
If you can have an album full of images on a particular subject, why can't you also have an album full of video?

To me the difference is that images, presumably, are or were taken by the individual who created the album. Embedded videos are just, well, embedded videos drawn from another site. I just don't see the value or interest in that as opposed to, say, putting the videos in a thread, where they would presumably be used to stimulate conversation. Embedded videos off in a "media gallery" I just don't see the point of. Maybe I'm not getting it, though, which is why I asked.

 

[Andy.N]

Or not. It's worth noting that the ability to embed videos can be switched off through options/permissions.

Is it possible to embed a video from the media gallery into a post?
Is there a plan to support playlist?

I'm using JW Player and I'm exploring the idea of XFMG replacing it.

 

[jauburn]

Or not. It's worth noting that the ability to embed videos can be switched off through options/permissions.

That's the first thing I thought of doing, but then the gallery would hold only photographs, which makes the name of "media" seem a bit odd. Can the whole thing be renamed to Gallery or Photos?

 

[Paul B]

It is phrased, so yes.

 

[Martok]

To me the difference is that images, presumably, are or were taken by the individual who created the album. Embedded videos are just, well, embedded videos drawn from another site. I just don't see the value or interest in that as opposed to, say, putting the videos in a thread, where they would presumably be used to stimulate conversation. Embedded videos off in a "media gallery" I just don't see the point of. Maybe I'm not getting it, though, which is why I asked.

I don't think you are getting it. As I said in my previous post, we use the Gallery predominantly with embedded media. This makes a great place to collect together a range of videos for a particular game. These don't always warrant a conversation, certainly not each video anyway. If a member wants to find out more about a particular game, they can see a range of videos in our gallery. There are hint/tips/guides videos on games like Battlefield 4. These don't need any discussion on, they are just there and available for members to check out (and they do). We also embed livestreams from Twitch and Ustream from those gamers who use them and these certainly don't need threads for discussion.

We do still post videos in posts too where we may want to highlight something and discuss in more detail but when this isn't necessary, XFMG is the ideal place to put the embedded videos.

 

[jauburn]

I don't think you are getting it. As I said in my previous post, we use the Gallery predominantly with embedded media. This makes a great place to collect together a range of videos for a particular game. These don't always warrant a conversation, certainly not each video anyway. If a member wants to find out more about a particular game, they can see a range of videos in our gallery. There are hint/tips/guides videos on games like Battlefield 4. These don't need any discussion on, they are just there and available for members to check out (and they do). We also embed livestreams from Twitch and Ustream from those gamers who use them and these certainly don't need threads for discussion.

Okay, I can see the usefulness of that, I suppose. I guess if folks use it, it doesn't hurt (except the pocketbook when you buy it). I get most excited about add-ons that promote the purpose of a forum (conversation), but thanks.