Luminous Landscape Forum

Site & Board Matters => Luminous Landscape Video => Topic started by: Christopher Sanderson on March 04, 2008, 06:36:21 pm

Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Christopher Sanderson on March 04, 2008, 06:36:21 pm
I am starting to lay out the organisation of the videos for the Camera Raw Tutorial and would like some feed back.

I have always tried to keep the number of files to be downloaded for a product to a minimum, assuming that this would be the most convenient for customers; less buttons to push...

The big disadvantage of this approach is that the file sizes become very large. The other disadvantage is that a corrupted download means a lengthy re-download.

Would you like to see a greater number of smaller-sized files? Each would be titled appropriately so that a specific 10 minute video on let's say: 'Camera Raw Preferences in Bridge' could be downloaded without waiting for a huge download that may include an additional three or five videos.

I ask this based on my experience using Lynda.com where the number of files can be very large indeed - the disadvantage there amongst others    is that unlike our videos, you are prevented from saving them to disk. Ours will definitely continue to be Save-able
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Marlyn on March 04, 2008, 10:35:18 pm
As long as download managers work with your content, then size is not really an issue.  Fewer files is better.

If however whatever trickery you use for security etc, dosn't allow DL managers, then thats a different problem.

Mark.
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: TMcCulley on March 05, 2008, 12:11:39 am
I would suggest a size that would allow for a download to occur slightly faster than viewing a file (like 25 minute download while watching a 30 minute video).

Tom
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: DarkPenguin on March 05, 2008, 01:12:11 am
1 file.
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: francois on March 05, 2008, 02:57:19 am
I'm for a small number of files although I do understand that some people have to deal with a slow and unstable internet connection.
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: keithrsmith on March 05, 2008, 03:07:47 am
Can I put in a plea fro a system that is compatible with download managers.  I tried to use a download scheduler when I bought the Ligtroom tutorial, but it would not navigate through the log on process to get to the files.
Unless I was doing it wrong. (useing Free download manager on XP)
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Kenneth Sky on March 05, 2008, 08:45:16 am
I'm a contrarian. I don't mind several files - as many as one chapter per file. This makes it easier to burn to disc and keep organized like a text book.
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Christopher Sanderson on March 05, 2008, 09:47:21 am
Download Managers are generally incompatible with our shopping cart software - ZenCart. Among other things, a Download Manager allows the continuation of an interrupted download and this simply does not work with the username/password setup of a protected area of the shopping cart - sorry.
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: lcowgill on March 05, 2008, 10:05:17 am
I felt that the C2P download sizes were about right.  No real problem in download times and the individual files were a good size for easy DVD creation.
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: jwhee0615 on March 05, 2008, 08:45:00 pm
Is there any way to offer both a multiple DL and 1 big one?
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: AndyF2 on March 06, 2008, 12:08:16 am
Minimal number of files.  Your server limits the number of simultaneous downloads to 2 (or 3?) which is reasonable mgmnt of your bandwidth, but the store login typically expires during that time (not a big deal but nice if it was longer).  If there are a large number of files, it'll take a much greater amount of work to download them all, keep track of which ones were already d/l'd, etc.  And easier management once they're downloaded.
Thanks for asking!
Andy
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Christopher Sanderson on March 06, 2008, 11:44:09 am
Quote
Is there any way to offer both a multiple DL and 1 big one?
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Good thought - I am unsure if the cart software has a maximum file size, but otherwise there should be no real problem doing that - but it will require that the customer make a decision  
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: kaelaria on March 06, 2008, 09:57:30 pm
If you can do it on your end, I'd take the 1 file option.
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: jwhee0615 on March 06, 2008, 10:40:02 pm
Quote
Good thought - I am unsure if the cart software has a maximum file size, but otherwise there should be no real problem doing that - but it will require that the customer make a decision 
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Lol, that it will. There are quite a few sites that offer this option for down load. Do your servers limit a customers download speed? If so what is the max?
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: David Good on March 07, 2008, 05:22:17 am
Those of us who still only have dial-up service would sure like the option of smaller files.
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: kaelaria on March 07, 2008, 08:11:12 am
Don't forget those on the Smoke Signal Network, too.  Oh, and do you have Pony Express service yet for delivery?  Also be sure to encode the video with large font and 486i resolution for everyone that views on a 9" B&W set.

LOL
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Christopher Sanderson on March 07, 2008, 09:44:46 am
Quote
Lol, that it will. There are quite a few sites that offer this option for down load. Do your servers limit a customers download speed? If so what is the max?[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=179703\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
The server will normally give between 100 - 300 kbs for downloads. Naturally there are a bunch of limiting factors but with a good ISP and average server traffic at our end, a customer should get 200-300 kbs. That being said, when a new video is released there is obviously a heavy spike in traffic and naturally when there are a few hundred simultaneous downloads, the server will limit the output to 'average' the speed for everyone...Traffic is the limiter, not the server
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: lbergman on March 07, 2008, 01:20:36 pm
How about having each of the chapters as a separate movie file, but then offer them (package them) for downloading as either one huge ZIP file, or a multiple part ZIP file (~25MB each).  This way, with the smaller ZIP files you don't need to break up videos into any specific length - the ZIP software will take care of the breaking.  
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Demokrit on March 15, 2008, 01:01:38 am
I have so far downloaded both tutorials and two Video Journals.

The one thing that bothers me most is not the file-size, but that the file-names do not contain information in which order the files should be viewed. I always end up adding a number at the front of the original file name; e.g., I renamed the file '16_Atkinson_Cramer'.mp4' in the Video Journal 16 to '2_16_Atkinson_Cramer.mp4', to indicate that it is the second file in this journal.

Wouldn't this something that could be done by you guys before posting the files?

Cheers,

Achim
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: francofit on March 15, 2008, 05:48:47 am
Quote
... I always end up adding a number at the front of the original file name; e.g., I renamed the file '16_Atkinson_Cramer'.mp4' in the Video Journal 16 to '2_16_Atkinson_Cramer.mp4', to indicate that it is the second file in this journal.

Wouldn't this something that could be done by you guys before posting the files?

Cheers,

Achim
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=181617\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Me too; I do the same renaming and, despite it's not such a big deal, would be nice if the different sections were already sequentially named.

Thanks
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Christopher Sanderson on March 15, 2008, 09:40:15 am
Well, I could add another arbitrary number but the files are actually already numbered with the issue number and where a video is split into two or more files, they are named '1of2' '2of2'.

There is no strict order in which the files should be viewed - excepting something like the Camera To Print tutorial where again the files are sequentially numbered...
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: Demokrit on March 15, 2008, 11:07:20 pm
If the files are so large that you need 15 - 24 files of 200 - 400MB each, you definitely have to improve the download speed.

I Live in Edmonton, AB and have never had a connection with your download server that was faster than 40kB/s . I have a cable modem connection that can go 10-times as fast.

Cheers,

Achim
Title: Camera Raw Tutorial File Organisation
Post by: KMOlender on March 21, 2008, 02:35:37 pm
Given the parameters of the choices (e.g. 15 files at 400MB each),  it appears there will be an impressive 6 GB of content, roughly.  At 300 kbps from the LLVJ server, that's about 44 hours to download it all.   A long time to expect no hitches in the network connection.

I got close to 600 kbps for the 2nd part of the Antarctica segment (a few days after the initial surge died down), just under an hour for the roughly 250 MB file.  That's still about 22 hours for the whole 6 GB.

I suggest that you size the base files to take at most 1.5 - 2 hours to download at the maximum speed you think your server can reasonably attain per connection.  Then even if someone gets only half that, a single file can still be downloaded in an evening.  Adding some zip containers with multiple segments for those who want them shouldn't be hard.

I've found it fairly easy to track what I've downloaded through the ZenCart interface, so far, though once the number of files gets into the serious double-digits, it would be harder.