Streaming Spotlight: Flip Video Ultra

Overall though, when used in conjunction with the YouTube FTP/upload system, which to its credit does show progress quite well, the process of publishing to YouTube was no different to FTP’ing to my own platform. Simply plug in the camera, press one button and then use the YouTube upload tool.

Within no time at all granny in Brazil was on Skype commenting on how our daughter had recovered from the mosquito bites after her visit a few weeks ago!

Muvee Mixing
One last thing I’d like to comment on with regard to the software was the Mix facility using the included Muvee software. Now this wasn’t software I had played with before. It takes a selection of videos, you select a theme (there’s a choice of 6 with this version) and either select the inbuilt tunes (a sort of midi jazz thing) or select your own wma or mp3. It then essentially crunches the videos together using almost random transitions and fades and turns your clips into a single “mix down.” In all logical terms the results should be rubbish. In actuality the results turned endless short clips of disconnected things into a dynamic, entertaining masterpiece. In fact, so good were they that I have been electing to keep these mix downs and delete the AVI masters (yes, the masters!) since the output mix down was just what I would like to see when I am in my old age, rather than simply looking at lots of off cuts and random clips. In a way it gives me the ability to further compress my video library keeping short programmes containing entertaining highlights of life. I was also blown away that it seemed to pick out a group singing “Happy Birthday” and fade the mp3 I chose out and back in around this, really adding atmosphere.

I think, with a little practice, the mix function could actually put out some quite professional looking videos, but it has so little control that you would have to practice a lot and plan things quite carefully to get this to work.

Finally it’s worth mentioning that with it plugged into the PC you could access the camera just like an external 2GB hard drive. In one of the subfolders you can find all the original MPEG-4 AVIs. You can copy them off and use them as you want. I am not sure what happens if you delete the software. Oh, and I notice there is software for Macs on there too. If you connect it to a Mac it converts the MPEG-4 AVI to MOV, files by the way, instead of WMVs.

In a surprising way, this cheap pocket tool is so much more than it at first seems to be. It is so simple that for the first time in years I have been able to focus on what I am filming rather than how to improve the image. The output is simple and effective and the extra software, although simple, actually turns it into a great communications tool.

As far as streaming is concerned it is a great way to shoot pretty much straight to Windows Media without using a camera phone or a PC. I would say it competes for pocket or bag space with my camera phone, but its speed to film, higher quality and single purpose gives it a practical edge over my camera phone. Also, I put two rechargeable AA batteries in it three weeks ago. I have filmed perhaps 3 or 4 hours of footage with it and its showing no signs of needed a recharge.

I will definitely be using it a lot: whenever I can pry it from my wife’s hands!

Company website: www.theflip.com

To view some of my videos: www.youtube.com/d2consulting