Hypervideo: Hyperlinking video content
A few weeks back (Video, Video, Video) we spoke about the growing importance of video content on the web. One of the downsides of video though has been the time lock it puts on us. Sometimes it is far easier to read that four minutes of text and follow the pertinent links provided than it is to watch a video and then go and search for more information on topics brought up in the video.
Fear not! For finally, after over a decade of failed attempts, the hyperlinking technology we now take for granted in text is taking off as well in video. Think of a video for a Convention and Visitor Authority with pop-up links at key points which can send the viewer directly to a website to purchase tickets, view schedules or find more info about a particular attraction. Perhaps one for a ski resort with links to other videos about the ski patrol, or to a trail map, Flickr photoset, ticketing info, the food menus, pro shops and any other important or even just interesting bit of information.
Websites like Asterpix, Overlay.tv, QGIA and VideoCLix.tv are providing, or beginning to provide, simple web based services where you can upload footage or link to existing footage online and then create the the hyperlinks to other websites, enter details about items found in the video or any number of options, depending on the site’s formatting.
Similar results can be created with a custom look using Adobe Flash (though it is not the most efficient option for the job) or Riva Producer and other products are in development or even redevelopment in the case of software which was abandoned before the broadband and YouTube explosions.
There is a bit of a downside as the currently favored online video distribution sites (YouTube, Yahoo Video, MySpace…) can not handle hypervideo. The files therefore must be hosted through other means which does make it harder to get the content visible outside of the website it is hosted on. Possibilities could lie in distributing just the basic video in the attempt to garner interest in the actual hyperlinked video on the original site. Regardless of the difficulties, this is currently in it’s infancy and has the potential to change the way we browse and shop the web.
Twelve Horses plans to be on the forefront of this burgeoning technology. Added to our expanding video content creation abilities to write, produce, shoot, edit and distribute video content we are perfectly placed to take advantage of hypervideo and other techniques. Give us a call, and we can help you with your video needs.
-Earl
April 5th, 2008 at 7:16 am
AMAZING, very cool!
April 6th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Sweet. This is going to blow TV out of the water. With that, AppleTV and MediaCenter PCs, clickable content in video is going to replace Commercials.
-M
April 7th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Hi Earl. Thanks for posting. I work for Overlay.TV and hypervideo is here. Many are attempting to find the right model. In this day and age where everyone is trying to increase performance for their ad placements, while mitigating consumer annoyance, we think we’ve come up with something pretty extraordinary: The advertising becomes part of the content. Performance increases because the ad has contextual relevance to the underlying content. And, best of all: the user can choose to see the hypervideo content or NOT. Kill two birds with one stone and this results in something pretty compelling that benefits both user and advertiser.
April 8th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Thank you for the comment Hessie. So far I really like the simplicity and ease of your site. Even Mike was able to figure out how to use it. We have already started implementing it into a number of other videos.
April 9th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Thanks Earl. Please let me know if you have further suggestions on how we can improve. We’re still in Beta and are always looking to better the customer UI. Don’t hesitate to contact us. Best, Hessie
April 9th, 2008 at 6:35 am
[...] number of blog posts “Overlay.tv Adds Links and Easter Eggs to Music Videos” and “Hypervideo: Hyperlinking video content” and there is a lot of positive stuff being written about companies such as [...]
April 9th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Hessie,
What about a use case like ours where we aren’t really selling anything? Would be cool to have an option where we could get the “product” to open a link in a new tab on the first click rather than have to select “more info.” (see the Overlay in the next post…)
Thanks!
-M
April 9th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Hi Mike. Yes currently we have a feature called the “Active Fun Link” that allows you to link to an external site. When you add a target, go into the FUN tab and it’s the first option. Here is a sample: http://www.overlay.tv/overlay/2326. Essentially, you can add the link URL and an image URL (for logo e.g.) of the site where you are sending users.