Dylan Winter's vids and good resolution

[tim_ber]

When you get through to the paid site you can click on HD flash or MPeg 4 (which I think Dylan said was better resolution?)

MPeg 4 doesn't work for me - is it just me? Error message appears saying to contact Dylan - well I don't want to pester him as I think he is busy repairing Slug or filming trucks.

If it just me I'll try to tinker with some settings, but at the moment when I go to full screen it is a bit pixellated and Dylan said file size should be about 400Mb, but most of the ones I open are about 35Mb I think.

Not a big problem anyway - they are still fantastic.

Cheers

 

[CoVianna]

Nope. I can't open MP4 either. Get the error message. Like you I don't want to bug Dylan. I did get the code for free so doubly don't want to bug him

Vids are consistantly excellent.

 

[dylanwinter]

two formats as good as each other

Nope. I can't open MP4 either. Get the error message. Like you I don't want to bug Dylan. I did get the code for free so doubly don't want to bug him

Vids are consistantly excellent.

I am at my desk - editing the paid for job on the lift of the SS Robin -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpmLa0b3_Ns

so very happy to be distracted

not touched the slug yet.

Had hoped to get up there this weekend and early next week - but I have some commercial work to do - which is good.

I put two formats up so that if one fails then the other works

The resolution and the frame rate for the flash and the MP4 are the same

I can't personally tell the difference - but the mac boys insist that there is a difference.

Crazies to a man thos mac lovers. Sack the mac is what I say.

I notice that some other websites use WMV and flash

Joe Moore - who writes the blog

http://messingaboutinboats.wordpress.com/

and is a web developer is going to be helping me with the site from this autumn

- Martin Roberts - who started the thing off now has a proper job in London so he is commuting four hours a day from Woodbridge to south of the River.

Joe has a few ideas about changing the website - and we may well go to a different format.

The darned thing is now 60 gigabytes of films and the web hosting company are charging me £50 a month - so something has to give

Dylan

 

[CoVianna]

Joe has a few ideas about changing the website - and we may well go to a different format.

The darned thing is now 60 gigabytes of films and the web hosting company are charging me £50 a month - so something has to give.

Dylan, don't change the format too much. I think you have it about right in that there are the "polished" performances of the films and the "raw" as it happens rougness of the Videologs. With both you get the "experience" of the trip.

Well those are my thoughts anyway.

David

PS I do not have any experience of Internet revenue etc but wouldn't you be better off with using advertising on your website. Not on about Google ads but proper paid for advertising from "boaty" sources. Local marinas, chandlery, sailmakers etc etc?

 

[dylanwinter]

rough and the smooth

Dylan, don't change the format too much. I think you have it about right in that there are the "polished" performances of the films and the "raw" as it happens rougness of the Videologs. With both you get the "experience" of the trip.

Well those are my thoughts anyway.

David

PS I do not have any experience of Internet revenue etc but wouldn't you be better off with using advertising on your website. Not on about Google ads but proper paid for advertising from "boaty" sources. Local marinas, chandlery, sailmakers etc etc?

I will stick with the video style of the proper films and vlogs - but as for advertising revenue - just not enough pairs of eyes to make it worthwhile.

average film gets say 3,000 hits a year if its free on the web - 350 if its on the paid for part of the website - although I don't really know how many people watch the films in tiny thumbnails.

I would certainly get more viewers if it was all free - but then the bandwidth costs would go up even more

besides the project is not a great prospect for advertisiers - the boat is horrible, old and ugly. The bloke sailing it is not much different.

I don't use marinas much at all, my sails are now getting a bit old -

who do you think would want a product associated with such a low key sailing adventure?


If I was a sailmaker or marina compnay - I am not sure I would.

Not when there are people like this

http://sailingaroundtheglobe.blogspot.com/

attracting clicks.

I could post films more regularly if I was doing it full time as opposed to as a money eating indulgence. It will be interesting to see what happens this autumn once the weather forces most northern hemisphere sailors off their boats and in front of their tellies and computers.

I started this little experiment in April - a bad time to start as it was the beginning of the sailing season - but a good time to experiment.

At the moment about half my subscriptions are coming from anzacs - because its their off season. Some of them have been writing to me to tell me that it is freezing over there - one bloke told me that the temperature fell to 12 degrees. Contacts from like minded sailors from all over the world has been one of the joys of the video side of the project.

Overall, through the project, half the subscribers have been from north america. I have been offered a column on a sailing magazine over there - so it will be interesting to see what that pulls out of the woodwork in the way of subscriptions.

Meantime the slug is still ashore - hoping to get up there this weekend to fill the holes and get it afloat again in time for the great autumn light and the arrival of the migrant birds in North Norfolk.

If you have been.... thanks for watching... if you havn't .... well there is a whole winter ahead of you with TV schedules packed with football and taelnt shows

enjoy..

Dylan

 

[OGITD]

Keep up the good work D

there is a whole winter ahead of you with TV schedules packed with football and taelnt shows.
enjoy..
Dylan

D,
No thank you!
Gina isn’t much bigger than The Slug, and she’s not coming out this winter, so like all motivated, enlightened and able amongst us I truly intend to “get some time out there”.
My only concern (apart from FREEZING) is being caught away from my home port by some severe weather front that was never identified or forecast before my departure.

We all (well…. most of us anyway) like your videos and their narration, so keep up the good work D. If only to alleviate the issues with c**p telly during the times we are not out there ourselves……”know what I mean Arry”.

OGITD.

 

[CoVianna]

Bland boring TV

They say the average person watches 3.75 hours of TV a day. I doubt if I watch 3.75 hours a week.

Looking at what I plan to watch in the near future it includes Coast, Vexed and the odd film if there is anything interesting on. And that's about it as Sherlock has finished.

Never did see what attraction "reality" TV shows held. Which is a pity as it seems that is all that is on at the moment. I wish a new type of show would emerge!

So Dylan's films are a very welcome relief and when my free code expires I will stump up the required fee. Just have to sort out a PayPal account.

David.

 

[NUTMEG]

Another subscriber to Dylans superb site and another Mac user. I can not get the mpeg files to work either. Not complaining, Dylan offered a refund (refused) but does anyone have an explanation why the files will not download on a Mac?

 

[dylanwinter]

the long winter

"So Dylan's films are a very welcome relief and when my free code expires I will stump up the required fee. Just have to sort out a PayPal account."


Pleased to be able to supply the necessary relief. I think there are about 20 hours up there now - some 54 proper films and then scores of vlogs and general boat porn and oddities - like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yzn2Ji1vYM

(they drift and scull this all up and down the Roach and crouch - once it was spotted in maldon - that is so good)



you can always get some-one else to use their paypal to get the code and the number will work on any computer - its just date specific - you can give it to other people and I would never know.


"so like all motivated, enlightened and able amongst us I truly intend to “get some time out there”.
My only concern (apart from FREEZING) is being caught away from my home port by some severe weather front that was never identified or forecast before my departure."


Don't tell everyone otherwise it will lose its special atmosphere. I love the idea that I am the only one out. For those considering it I suggest that you move your boat to a river or an estuary for the winter. I had a fantastic winter on the Alde, Ore and Butley in 2009/2010 and a lovely time at Brightlingsea during the previous winter. The ideal is to find somewhere you can sail or at least motor back to your mooring whatever the weather does.
sparkling, beautiful wonderful percious days. It feels as though you are stealing them from god.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c2QsrHY6ag

but is only for us cold tolerant celtic types - if you a one of those soft and squishy thin blooded olive munching red wine swilling mediterraneans - best put on an extra pulli and sit by the fire.

And small boats are better in the winter - easier to heat. If I run the beast for ten minutes before evening it keeps the cold at bay for an hour or more - then a platefull of night lights gives off a lot of heat in a small space. Drinjk a belly full of whsiky and sleep until dawn - two sleeping bags and wolly hat.

what am I saying - don't sail in the winter - its horrible!

Dylan

 

[tim_ber]

thanks.

Am I doing it right with the flash though?

E.g. Ktl26 2009 20000 Miles Of Coastline (2009) is 5.98Mb - is that right or should it be bigger?

Cheers
Tim

 

[dylanwinter]

nope

thanks.

Am I doing it right with the flash though?

E.g. Ktl26 2009 20000 Miles Of Coastline (2009) is 5.98Mb - is that right or should it be bigger?

Cheers
Tim

I will get banned from here

but flash should be as big as the mp4

instructions on the about page or email me

d

 

[tim_ber]

Thanks Dylan,

I'll get out of your hair and let you get back to work.

Cheers

 

[ferrymaniom]

For what it's worth, I can't download the 2009 MP4 files using Firefox 3.6.8 but so far no problems with Google Chrome 5.

Chrome's just told me there's a new version available, but I'll keep this one until I've downloaded all the videos

 

[Plevier]

thanks.

Am I doing it right with the flash though?

E.g. Ktl26 2009 20000 Miles Of Coastline (2009) is 5.98Mb - is that right or should it be bigger?

Cheers
Tim

I'm just trying that one and Chrome is telling me the Flash is 141.3MB and the mp4 is 169.2MB.

Problem for me is on a good day my ADSL only gives me 1.5Mbps because of the cr*p line from the exchange. That makes it a long download. Tickles me when I read about these unfortunate remote rural areas who can only get on average 2.5Mbps. I'm just a few miles from Brighton, a hot spot of web and game design companies! I'd love to get 2.5.

PS I tried Ktl01 in both formats playing in VLC - not much difference but I think the mp4 is a bit better, in particular large flat areas like blue sky are more even, Flash is noisier.

 

[TamarMike]

I use VLC Media Player, I think I must have uploaded it free at some time, however I do use Windows so if the operating system is the problem that probably doesn't help. The videos do take a long time to download but I just set the computer to download them into a folder while I am doing something else then view them later.

Posting the price in dollars on KTL does make it appear more expensive than it really is; very good value

 

[dylanwinter]

me on a slow line too

I use VLC Media Player, I think I must have uploaded it free at some time, however I do use Windows so if the operating system is the problem that probably doesn't help. The videos do take a long time to download but I just set the computer to download them into a folder while I am doing something else then view them later.

Posting the price in dollars on KTL does make it appear more expensive than it really is; very good value

One bloke in Aus downloads several streams at once. The ISPs will often restrict bandwidth on big files - for obvious reasons - it would be really annoying waiting for an email while some sailing dreamer downloads films of some ranting ugly man sailing an ugly boat up muddy rivers while telling people a bit about history, mobos and the perfidious nature of french diplomacy

as for the price - well about 40 per cent of thepeople whop watch the films come from the US - on the basis that we all know what a dollar is and our US sailing cousibns have no real idea what a £1 or a Euro is worth I decided to stick with $. I alos understand a decent cuppf coffee in the middle of an US city is around $5.

Cheers

D

 

[CoVianna]

Multiple Streams

One bloke in Aus downloads several streams at once. The ISPs will often restrict bandwidth on big files - for obvious reasons - it would be really annoying waiting for an email while some sailing dreamer downloads films of some ranting ugly man sailing an ugly boat up muddy rivers while telling people a bit about history, mobos and the perfidious nature of french diplomacy
D

If I download one file it streams in at about 185k/sec (I think thats the right terminology!) Whereas if I download upto about a maximum of 7 files at once I still get a minimum strean of 160k/sec.

My broadband provider is AOL (or whoever owns them now. TalkTalk?) and broadband speed checker shows my line speed as being about 6 1/2 meg.

Guess that is what is called throttling for downloads?

Quite often I just set the laptop downloadoing and by the time I get back from making a cup of tea at least one file is downloaded. Mind you I have downloaded Dylan's entire "cannon" now.

 

[dylanwinter]

bandwidth

If I download one file it streams in at about 185k/sec (I think thats the right terminology!) Whereas if I download upto about a maximum of 7 files at once I still get a minimum strean of 160k/sec.

My broadband provider is AOL (or whoever owns them now. TalkTalk?) and broadband speed checker shows my line speed as being about 6 1/2 meg.

Guess that is what is called throttling for downloads?

Quite often I just set the laptop downloadoing and by the time I get back from making a cup of tea at least one file is downloaded. Mind you I have downloaded Dylan's entire "cannon" now.

I do get a few people telling me to change hosting company because of the apparent low bandwidth

they download slower than youtube - but youtube streams - costs more - and also has servers all over the world - all my stuff comes from one server in Gloucester


- you are dead right David - download several streams at once

the other thing is that some software allows you to pause the download - then you will find thast it downloads a lot faster because the ISP does not know how long the file is.

Worth trying

just curious David

do you watch some films several times - or convert them into a DVD - if so which ones - how do they look on the telly - never seen em that way

some feedback would be great form any of you downloaders on YBW

D

 

[CoVianna]

just curious David

do you watch some films several times - or convert them into a DVD - if so which ones - how do they look on the telly - never seen em that way

some feedback would be great form any of you downloaders on YBW

D

Hi Dylan.

It tends to be as and when I fancy watching some sailing, but yes I watch them several times. It tends to be the places I know or places I would like to go to.

Am looking forward to when you get to the Humber and upto Whitby which is my stomping ground. Particularly enjoying the Wash and North Norfolk coast. Wish you had done more on North Norfolk. Know it well from family holidays and now have family there.

Never watched them on TV. But am going to transfer them to a DVD or CD-Rom as my disc drive is getting pretty close to full.

As I understand it lack of disc space can lead to your PC slowing down. Only have 15GB left of a 100GB disc drive. 100GB seemed a lot when I bought the laptop but music and videos have swallowed it up. (It is your fault since you told how to save Youtube etc off the net onto the PC via Firefox. Have now also found a program that saves videos from any source.- Only joking!).

PS Forgot to say I like the videos with shipwrights(?) etc. Thinking of the caulking one especially.

Just occured to me you are the Jack Hargreaves of sailing. And that is meant as a compliment!

 

[dylanwinter]

ktl financial nonsense

Hi Dylan.

It tends to be as and when I fancy watching some sailing, but yes I watch them several times. It tends to be the places I know or places I would like to go to.

Am looking forward to when you get to the Humber and upto Whitby which is my stomping ground. Particularly enjoying the Wash and North Norfolk coast. Wish you had done more on North Norfolk. Know it well from family holidays and now have family there.

Never watched them on TV. But am going to transfer them to a DVD or CD-Rom as my disc drive is getting pretty close to full.

As I understand it lack of disc space can lead to your PC slowing down. Only have 15GB left of a 100GB disc drive. 100GB seemed a lot when I bought the laptop but music and videos have swallowed it up. (It is your fault since you told how to save Youtube etc off the net onto the PC via Firefox. Have now also found a program that saves videos from any source.- Only joking!).

PS Forgot to say I like the videos with shipwrights(?) etc. Thinking of the caulking one especially.

Just occured to me you are the Jack Hargreaves of sailing. And that is meant as a compliment!

buy an external drive - usb - they cost less than £40 now - free up all that space.

Jack hargreaves eh - time to light a pipe and grow a beard.

As for future films - it is becomming apparent that more people watch in the winter than the summer - for perfectly understandable reasons. Sailing is always going to be better than watching films about sailing - but they have started playing trails for this autumns run of the X factor - so that should help.
The upper Deben film is made - just waiting for the first weekend of horrible autumn weather to post it.

Then I have the Alde, Ore and Butley to do from last winter

then there is the film about the about Southwold and the River Blythe - I dopped my mast and went upstream until I ran out of headroom - also hit a supermarket trolly and did £500 worth of damage to the prop.

- and I can then start making the Broads film - I spent a wonderful month on the Broads - nowhere else in the world like it - and I will be sailing right through the winter in north norfolk and the wash - planning to go inland a fair way alomng the dykes of east anglia - so planty of material to feed the series through the coming winter.

The website stats tell me that around 3,000 people watch the films whne they are on the front page at 720 x 480 and a lot of people watch the films as thumbnails - about the size of postage stamps. I do have adverts on the website - like the one to the right - but sailors don't click adverts and lots of epople have advert blockers on their browsers - so advertising revenue is down to about £20 a month - not enough to cover the bandwidth expenses.

So I have to persuade a higher percentage of the people who watch them for free that its worth paying the price of a cup of coffee to watch 10 hours of film about our brilliant coastline.

which is, it turns out, a big ask.

to summarise

KTL project is wonderful -until the boat needs repairs and I don't have the money to pay to have them done

KTL film project is a financial lulu - the income from films hardly covers the cost of the music, google earth pro and the web hosting. I am finding out that, just like Mr Murdoch, the land of payed internet content is proving to be a bit of a challenge.



Thanks for sticking with it

Dylan