Professional Video Delivery Done Right
The Problem
Anyone who has ever delivered a video knows the dreaded headache of determining which format, which device, and which operating system your client uses and hoping you have a solution for them. Given the number of devices and operating systems out there today it’s no wonder some people get anxious just thinking about it.
Most video professionals simply want peace of mind that when they deliver a project the client will be able to access it. Period. You don’t want to do customer support or triage device compatibility issues.
At the same time you also want your projects to look amazing and showcase your hard work in the best possible way. Low resolution, glitchy playback, and 15 share links sent via email or text message (SMS) won’t cut it.
Current Solutions
Vimeo, Dropbox and Google Drive have some of the functionality you need, but they really don’t get to the core needs of professional video delivery. They offer piecemeal solutions and leave something to be desired. The fact that something is relatively inexpensive and does a mediocre job solving a problem doesn’t make it a good solution. Better solutions exist.
Also, almost no one carries around a DVD, Blu-ray or USB drive with them to share their memories. They also don’t carry around a DVD or Blu-ray player with them and not all locations still have these devices. Physical media had its place in history; however, streaming video-on-demand is a superior solution. Just think, would Netflix be as big as they are if their primary business was DVD delivery? Disney+, Amazon Video, Hulu, etc all figured this out as well and never bothered with creating a physical offering.
Why this matters
For far too long filmmakers have had to rely on outdated, buggy and time consuming programs to deliver a high quality presentation that knocks the socks off your client. Most have just accepted it as “Just the way things are.” So they either stay the course with these underwhelming solutions or create a make-shift Frankenstein solution that rarely delivers for your client in the way they expect.
Imagine being a client and paying $5K to $10K to a professional filmmaker and getting a link to a Dropbox or Google Drive folder with three videos. Your expectation is to watch these films on your phone and TV and you are basically told to “figure it out.” You then frantically begin searching Google to figure out if Dropbox has an app that you can stream video to on your phone or TV. The rest of the process doesn’t end well. Your client may or may not tell you how they really feel, but in all likelihood the overall experience was awful and they still don’t have a viable solution.
This not only reflects poorly on you as a video professional, but likely will impact referrals and your Net Promoter Score (NPS). Bottom line: There are superior solutions to professional video delivery that don’t involve Dropbox, Google Drive or Vimeo.
Streaming is the future
The streaming future is bright with more connected devices than ever before. The fact that you can share and watch content at a moment’s notice is amazing. You have peace of mind that you won’t be at the mercy of a lost or scratched disk or having to maintain a DVD or Blu-ray player forever. How many people still have cassette tapes, cassette tape players, laser discs, laser disc players, Betamax tapes, Betamax players, 8-track tapes and players, etc.
Being tied to a physical device into eternity is not a solution. In many ways if a client’s only copy is a physical one it is more or less a massive disservice to them.
The Optimal Solutions
Clients should have the ability to view their projects on as many devices as possible.
Clients want simplicity for watching content. They shouldn’t have severe limitations with which device they can or can’t use to access content. You need a robust viewing ecosystem to put you and clients at ease. See “Device Compatibility” section below.
They should have one central location for all of their delivered projects.
Clients don’t want to dig through old emails to find project links that were delivered years ago. Leveraging the Digital Delivery method is the best way to ensure your clients take possession of their projects in their free permanent account. They can then simply login to their account to always access their projects as well as take possession of new projects.
They should have peace of mind that their projects will remain accessible for years in the future.
Some clients and filmmakers are unfortunately short-sighted in their delivery preferences and don’t think about the long-term ramifications or the best interests of their clients. If the client only has one physical deliverable of their project there is a high probability they will end up losing access permanently or go through hardship in an attempt to recover it. All of this is 100% unnecessary and avoidable. Also, stubborn clients aren’t an excuse to deliver a fault-prone substandard solution.
Our solution is to Digitally Deliver client projects, give them the option to download the videos, and/or provide them with the offline standalone version of the project. For any offline version they should be using a service like Dropbox, Google Drive, etc to back up their projects. This combination is superior to mitigate the risk of losing access to their projects in the future.
One obvious client question is, “In 50 years time I would like to be able to watch my 2 year olds first dancing. Can you guarantee that your website will still be working then?”
We definitely understand the client's concern. At the end of the day no company can guarantee they will be around in 50 years, even Amazon, Google and Facebook. The promise we make to members is that we are in this for the long haul and work hard every day to create a sustainable business while continuing to innovate and serve the needs of our members and their clients.
Our founding team has been involved with the industry for nearly 20 years now. MediaZilla as a company has been in existence since 2014, and we are committed to our ~118K registered users and estimated 1 million unique viewers.
Projects should be future proofed
The reality is that physical formats, devices and file formats are eliminated and changed over time. As such, it would be nearly impossible to make a claim that one format will stand the test of time. The best approach is to be agile and have a digital version that can be converted in the future if necessary. This is why we store the original file you upload, that is backed up multiple times on Amazon Web Services (AWS) with 99.999999999% durability and 99.99% availability.
Also, storing the highest resolution video helps to preserve the best client viewing experience. Locking your client into 480p into eternity seems a bit harsh.
Device Compatibility for our Service
TVs
Apple TV App
Amazon Fire TV App
Android TV App
Chromecast
iPhone & iPad
iPhone & iPad app
Mobile browsers (e.g. Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Android Phones & Tablets
Android Phone & Tablet App
Mobile browsers (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Amazon Fire Tablet
Amazon Fire Tablet App
Smartphones & Tablets
Mobile browsers (e.g. Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
iOS & Android apps
Desktop & Laptop computers
Web browsers (e.g. Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Offline / USB standalone app (to be released in Q1 2021)
Kaizen approach
The streaming landscape is always evolving and expanding. As such, we are being proactive in reviewing the streaming app ecosystem and seeing how we can improve our offering. As of now we are gathering user input for native apps for Roku devices and TV specific apps for Samsung, LG and a few other smart TV manufacturers.
Here is a great video we made to share our passion for professional video delivery. Feel free to share with your clients as well. Take care!
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