Post 8 - Brightcove comparisons

TasteTV

Layout:
For my first selection, I couldn't resist checking out TasteTV, the indie food channel (http://www.cafeandre.com/foodchannel-videos.html). The first screen was full of dark chocolate, I must have chosen correctly. Given the whimiscal nature of the content, the layered layout of the selections probably makes sense although it was a little difficult to follow at first. There is a 3x3 square off to the right and as you mouse over, the different selections pop out with a picture to give you a taste (pun intended) of what the videos might be like. However, this is just the first section. When you click on one of the scrumptious pictures, a new selection pops up, with all of the videos in that section showing now in the 3x3 square. I decided fate was telling me something and chose the chocolate videos (imagine, 10 videos about chocolate).

Video quality:
Poor, terrible color clarity, buffering failed half way through, stuttered for a while. This is particularly disappointing when someone is talking about ginger infused toffee.

Audio quality:
Ok. A little scratchy.

Overall comments:
I liked the site and the layout execution but I was hoping for more from the video. Also, the video loops if you don't switch over soon enough. I prefer sites that skip on to the next video if you fail to do anything. I may try this one over the broadband access at work tomorrow to see if it's any better. DSL over wireless is definitely rough.

Cooking up a Story

Layout:
Thought I'd try to get apples to apples and compare the two cooking channels. On first glance, Cooking up a Story's website isn't nearly as fancy as TasteTV's. The layout doesn't make good use of the horizontal space, the other videos are listed below the featured video with nothing to make the user want to click beyond the name.

Video quality:
Ugh. Choppy, tiny video (about 1.5 inch wide by 1 inch down). The streaming was atrocious, kept stopping and starting. The quality of the picture was better than the other one, but the dark colors kept drowning out the tiny picture. Postage stamp indeed.

Update - I just figured out how to make the video bigger. It's better that way and the picture quality is still very high, but the choppiness is incredibly distracting.

Audio quality:
When it is going, it's better than the other one. Less scratchy.

Overall comments:
Yikes. I'm surprised Brightcove would choose to feature this one. It's hardly a ringing endorsement for their product, more of a trainwreck in motion. In a weird coincidence, the highlighted video was again about chocolate and the highlighted recipe (above the video section, not integrated) was Ginger Almond Toffee.

I'll check out both of these at work and see if the quality improves any.