Shozam Community

 I seem to be one of the few folks hanging around here that is not a photographer.  Some of the jargon about photo enhancing software is way above my needs.  Someone is lucky enough to get a usable photo when they hand me a camera and ask me to snap a shot.  After explaining to me how the camera works, the look of panic appears hoping that I can grasp the instructions.

Anyway, I bought Shozam because it was the best software I could find (in my opinion) to add photos and images to web sites and still let me play with it to see if could break it.  I also liked the ability to add video within a gallery although I was not thrilled with the You Tube option.

I really needed some program that I could easily embed video into a web page with controls and keep the file size manageable.  Digging into my totally disorganized bookmarks, I found one in Easy Web Video (EWV).  To my surprise, it intergrates well into Shozam.

One of my clients who has a gallery running wants video added to his site.  Being the lucky client he is, his nephew owns a video production company.  The company is experimenting with running a local based QVC type program on cable.  He sent me a trial file in .wmv and asked me what I could do with it.  Being a kind person coupled with the fact he actually pays his invoices, I was able to purchase EWV.

The program has a lot of options, but to keep things short, it converts files to flash, comes with 8 different players plus lets you size the video.  Using the 41+ Mb file he sent me, I was able to convert it to just above 8 Mb.  The results are in the gallery below.  One has controls and the other does not.

Sample EWV Gallery

I also got another video from his nephew and here they are running side by side on a page with different players.  Nothing fancy about the page.

Embedded Videos

Here is the Easy Web Video site:

EWV

They want $97 but if you scroll down to the below text and watch the video in full, you can get it for $77.

And of course there is a full no-hassle-money-back guarantee, or as I like to call it the "Hanna's Daddy Said So Guarantee!" (click the screen to play the video):

This may be useful for you if you need to add video to both a web site and include it in a gallery.  If you are not camera shy, it would be a good way of promoting yourself and adding a personal touch to your site or gallery.

Cowboy

Looks to be a useful piece of kit and would definitely benefit business websites.

Cheers

Cowboy, thanks for sharing; we've added Easy Web Video (V2F) to the Video Resources section of the online help files:
http://www.helpconsole.com/Shozam/default.aspx?page=Resources-Video.aspx

As usual Cowboy, you seem to always have the best suggestions and info for Shozam.  You really are a valuable asset to the Shozam community.  I just purchased  the EWV software - seems very very good - easy to use, etc.  To add a flash video generated with this I get 2 swf files and the txt file with the code.  Do I selecte web widget, paste the code then just copy the two swf files to my site, or can I add the video files with Shozam even though they are not videos, and put the code in the widget part, this way Shozam imports and tracks that the swf files are included?  Said another way - what's the best way to incorporate the EWV files to work in Shozam?

Thanks,

Roger   

You got it right.  Just make sure you get the right path into the code.

Cowboy 

thanks cowboy.  I am still working on it, i think my problem is the path.  i am embeding the controls in the flash, but can't get the v2f frame (when I use the frame) or the video size when specified with the web widget to work.  including the swf only - when clicked on plays "full size" in shozam - but I want it smaller.  the web code is below - i should put the path within my site or with shozam is the path something like /video/

should I embed the frame with creating the swf or as a second swf?  any tips most appreciated.

thanks!!

Roger

<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=5,0,0,0" width="320" height="241"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <param name="movie" value="PATHGOESHERE/rogermary320contrl.swf"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="menu" value="false"> <embed src="rogermary320contrl.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" width="320" height="241" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" wmode="transparent" menu="false"></embed></object>

 You need to change your value and embed to the full path of:

"http://www.yourdomain.com/rogermary320contrl.swf"

Look at the source code on this page:

http://www.healthyhomesleepgallery.com/dayton/

It has 2 examples running outside of Shozam but it is the code format you need.

Cowboy 

Thanks.  My technique I ended up using was to use the code as is create by V2F, and just copy my SWF file in the lg and med directories for the album I am adding it to so it plays if pictures are in the large or regular mode when being viewed, since that is the default directories Shozam looks for the file.  I could have different size video but chose 400x300 as a good all around size.  I could have edited the code with the path, and may experiment with that later on.  Then I need the full path including the album number etc.  My method seemed easier for me but probably your method is better - same working result.  It may be a slight bit faster to use the path within the site rather than the www path which has to go out and resolve the www address - but maybe that bit faster is a very very small difference.

Roger