Video length limit?

[PatV]

Why not just limit the size, which is 600mb right now, and not limit the duration? I mean, if I can fit 15min of 720p in 600mb, by compressing it more, or even setting a lower resolution than 720p, why shouldn't I be allowed to? 600mb is still 600mb...

Comparing to Vimeo, they limit pro accounts to 1GB file and no duration limit. The same for basic accounts; 500mb files maximum and no duration limit.

[phototristan]

Why not just limit the size, which is 600mb right now, and not limit the duration? I mean, if I can fit 15min of 720p in 600mb, by compressing it more, or even setting a lower resolution than 720p, why shouldn't I be allowed to? 600mb is still 600mb...

Comparing to Vimeo, they limit pro accounts to 1GB file and no duration limit. The same for basic accounts; 500mb files maximum and no duration limit.

For videos, file size is not all that matters. The longer the video (not matter what the file size is), the more processing our severs need to do to create the display versions, etc. This is one of the reasons for the current 10 minute time limit for videos.

[SiriusPhotog]

For videos, file size is not all that matters. The longer the video (not matter what the file size is), the more processing our severs need to do to create the display versions, etc. This is one of the reasons for the current 10 minute time limit for videos.

So what about letting the user choose only one display version so your servers only have to process the clip once and then the user could have longer clips as long as they stay under the 600mb limit???

[phototristan]

So what about letting the user choose only one display version so your servers only have to process the clip once and then the user could have longer clips as long as they stay under the 600mb limit???

Thanks for the suggestion.

[roblumba]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I second this request. I'm a long-time Smugmug fan and user and also like the added video support and would like to open another account for my Church for hosting their photos and sermon videos, but the lack of handling video longer than 10 minutes is a sticking point. Besides what is the difference between uploading 6 - 10 minute videos to cover hour, or uploading 1 - 60 minute video. Isn't that the same server load? I think it's better to cap the weekly limit like Vimeo does if you are concerned about server load.

[lifeinfocus]

I agree with the suggestion to let us select one version - one size. While I would like to consistently upload 1280x720 size, it does not play back well for many people.

And since the system currently tries to determine the largest size to play that often causes the show not to play. People do not know to use the menu to select the smaller size. so they don't bother playing the video.

I would really like to upload one size say - 640x480, or 960x540 and LOCK in the size so only one choice is shown.

Web size is way too small and not worth even having anymore. Suggest eliminating that going forward.

Thanks for listening.
Phil

[mcshane]

Just want to voice support. this is an excellent idea. Hope it can be done.

[docwalker]

Phil,

I think that the web size is the one typically used for some portable devices that are becoming very common now. I love showing videos to folks using the iPhone. Those files are pretty small and load quickly. But I do see your point. The thing we would have to consider is if you limit the size to just one and then decide to change it later, it would require reuploading the video to get the new sizes. We do not keep the original so it cannot be used to create the new sizes. It is something for us to think about. :thumb

--Doc

[Malte]

...it would require reuploading the video to get the new sizes. We do not keep the original so it cannot be used to create the new sizes. It is something for us to think about. :thumb

--Doc

It sure is! :thumb:wink

http://dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1261073&postcount=20

Malte

[Karel Bata]

For videos, file size is not all that matters. The longer the video (not matter what the file size is), the more processing our severs need to do to create the display versions, etc
:scratch You mean your computers run all the videos in real time or something? Surely less data means less number crunching. A computer doesn't somehow 'know' that one file represents more video time than another - it doesn't even know it's video. It's just numbers. There is no simple relationship between video length and processing time.

I know a possible solution here - if we submit a video at a lower resolution in the first place we clearly do not want a HD version, so the 10 minute argument becomes irrelevant. So, what about longer times for lower resolution videos? We would then render to SD and upload that.

[DoctorIt]

Why not just limit the size, which is 600mb right now...Just curious where you found this info? because...

Could I add a recommendation to add this more explicit information (or at least a link to more detais) to the main video page of Smugmug (http://www.smugmug.com/photos/best-video-sharing/)? I tried twice to upload my 700mb (9:30 minute) video and kept scratching my head as to why it didn't work, wouldn't even show up as an error in my upload log.

[bnam]

I'd love Smugmug to extend the video length to 20 minutes but limit the size to, say, 1gb. This would greatly enhance the pro users and new incentive for people to upgrade from power to pro. Please re-consider the video length.

P.S Could I upload 10:58 sec like I can in youtube?

[Andy]

Just curious where you found this info? because...

Could I add a recommendation to add this more explicit information (or at least a link to more detais) to the main video page of Smugmug (http://www.smugmug.com/photos/best-video-sharing/)? I tried twice to upload my 700mb (9:30 minute) video and kept scratching my head as to why it didn't work, wouldn't even show up as an error in my upload log.
Hi Erik, our main video help page is here: http://www.smugmug.com/help/video-sharing

I'm sorry you got tripped up!

[Andy]

P.S Could I upload 10:58 sec like I can in youtube?
Hi, I'm sorry but it's just not possible right now. I wish I had a better answer for you!

[PatV]

Hi, I'm sorry but it's just not possible right now. I wish I had a better answer for you!
Smugmug should definitively take a look into it. As of now, I found it strange to have to upload to a different site (Vimeo or exposure room) and then to embed this video on my smugmug site. Even though I'm paying for the pro account. Could do the same with a non pro account...

But I understand it's hard to set a limit, as soon as you will allow 20min, 2gig for instance, someone will ask for 21min...

Thanks !

Patrick

[javierplumey]

With the demise of Motionbox, I think Smugmug could gain some of their 2.5 million users by allowing longer or unlimited length videos.

[javierplumey]

So I guess there is no interest in this? Motionbox sold itself as a place to host family memories. Does Smugmug have any interest in gaining some of their users?

[Andy]

So I guess there is no interest in this? Motionbox sold itself as a place to host family memories. Does Smugmug have any interest in gaining some of their users?

We do. But raising our video size and length limits is not a trivial thing. We did just raise our max size to 1Gb.

Thanks for posting!

[javierplumey]

Thanks Andy, i appreciate the response. I've always wondered about Smugmug's vision for video. People use Smugmug for all kinds of things when it comes to their photos; you have pros and moms using the service in vastly different ways. With video, the differences between pro users and family users is even greater due to the nature of how these two types of users shoot and edit their video.

Pro users tend to edit their video to a much greater degree which results in shorter videos. Family users tend to hit the red button and stop when the action stops. Motionbox catered to these users and now many of them have nowhere to go since no other company on the web, besides perhaps iMemories, has this specific focus.

I am really looking forward to seeing how Smugmug's service evolves. For the time being though, I don't think Smugmug is the place for my home videos, but maybe that will change in the future.

[nigelbb]

The business model that Motionbox has (Free) was presumably unsustainable. They have been bought out by Snapfish aka HP who appear to want to add a home video offering to their photo service for which they will charge a modest fee.

Us professionals are prepared to pay for a decent video service but it appears that most private users expect this stuff to all be free without any regard to how the company providing the video service can make money & stay in business. You Tube which is a money-pit funded by Google's bottomless pockets has a lot to answer for.

[ejay79]

MotionBox had a couple paid levels in addition to their free offering.

I've been a paid user for 2 years, for home movies, and just made the jump to HD video a couple weeks ago. I'm currently a SmugMug Power user and would upgrade to Pro if the limits were increased. Otherwise I guess my only reasonable alternative is Vimeo.

Anyone else have other suggestions?

[nigelbb]

MotionBox had a couple paid levels in addition to their free offering.

I've been a paid user for 2 years, for home movies, and just made the jump to HD video a couple weeks ago. I'm currently a SmugMug Power user and would upgrade to Pro if the limits were increased. Otherwise I guess my only reasonable alternative is Vimeo.

Anyone else have other suggestions?Despite some earlier hiccoughs Vimeo now delivers a pretty good service. In particular their embedded player is excellent & very customisable. I only wish that the SmugMug embedded player were as good. Even with the Vimeo $60/year Plus account you are limited to uploading just 5GB of video per week. One potential problem is that the T&Cs of Vimeo explicitly forbid use of the their service commercially. This seems to be widely ignored but SmugMug is explicitly designed for professional photographers. Aside from the excellent embedded player Vimeo is relly a social networking site with all the video makers telling each other how wonderful their videos are. I can certainly live without that!

The demise of Motionbox highlights the problem for the long term business prospects for video hosting companies that offer offer a free service with a paid premium account for extra features. There is no such thing as a free lunch & I prefer to trust SmugMug to charge a decent price for all their service that will enable SmugMug to prosper & enable me to rely on them as a long-term business partner.

[nigelbb]

MotionBox had a couple paid levels in addition to their free offering.Thanks, that jogged my memory & I checked my old emails. I signed up for the paid premium version of Motionbox at $49.99 setup fee followed by $24.99/month. The service was so poor & the support awful that I had to cancel & get a refund. They just didn't seem like a professional business. Vimeo can be a bit amateurish but Motionbox were just awful I had to use their Facebook page to report problems as their Tech Support was so slow to respond. So it's likely that they went out of business because their service was terrible & not worth paying for.

Smugmug is not perfect but excepting Vimeo they are head & shoulders above all the other video hosting services that I have used (& paid for). There are services like Brightcove that do deliver but they are only interested in big players & their costs of hundreds or thousands of dollars per month rule out us small-time professionals. I almost don't like to recommend Smugmug to my colleagues & competitors as it gives me a competitive advantage:-)

[Drewdles]

Having been a SmugMug member for a couple of years now and currently a Pro user, I find the 10 minute restriction very annoying. I find clips that are close to that time don't complete and I often make vphoto slideshows into video and often these are in the 11-12 minute mark... Unless the limit is bumped up to 15 minutes or as the other users suggest, limited to 600MB but not in time, I won't be renewing or referring anyone else. I don't think the request is unreasonable, at least for a Pro user (it would encourage more people to sign up to that level) when other services offer it.

[BigRed]

We do. But raising our video size and length limits is not a trivial thing. We did just raise our max size to 1Gb.


SmugMug Documentation Heroes:
Just wondering why the Help (http://www.smugmug.com/help/video-sharing2) page still says the file size limit is 600 MB?

[phototristan]

SmugMug Documentation Heroes:
Just wondering why the Help (http://www.smugmug.com/help/video-sharing2) page still says the file size limit is 600 MB?

It doesn't any more! ;)

[SiriusPhotog]

It doesn't any more! ;)

So was the raise from 600mb to 1gb in response to YouTube recently upping their time limit from 10min to 15min.?

If so, I'd rather the time limit be upped instead of the file size.
Come on SM - Give us 15 minutes PLEASE.... :lust

[Andy]

So was the raise from 600mb to 1gb in response to YouTube recently upping their time limit from 10min to 15min.?

If so, I'd rather the time limit be upped instead of the file size.
Come on SM - Give us 15 minutes PLEASE.... :lust

No, it was in response to customers asking for bigger video file sizes :D

[tfboy]

Maybe by searching through these forums, I've answered my own question.

I've been trying a couple of time to uplaod a video slideshow for a wedding. It's a 1080p clip that I've aggressively compressed into mpeg4 so it weighs in at around 100MB.

On my third attempt, I gave up, started looking for what I was doing wrong.

So is it simply that despite the clip being only 100MB long when you allow files ten times that size, it's being binned because it's 13 minutes long? :dunno

That's a bit of a bummer!

[Andy]

Maybe by searching through these forums, I've answered my own question.

I've been trying a couple of time to uplaod a video slideshow for a wedding. It's a 1080p clip that I've aggressively compressed into mpeg4 so it weighs in at around 100MB.

On my third attempt, I gave up, started looking for what I was doing wrong.

So is it simply that despite the clip being only 100MB long when you allow files ten times that size, it's being binned because it's 13 minutes long? :dunno

That's a bit of a bummer!

Yes, 10mins is the max length. http://www.smugmug.com/help/video-sharing2

[www.paolosmeraldi.com]

I agree with all the other forum members; we neeed longer videos, bigger file size for videos and for photos, higher resolution photos. I am into panorama stitching and the resolution / size limits are becoming a bit narrow.

As everything has a price, I suggest that smugmug should introduce a Super Pro level with a higer price, like 200 USD a year, to let those interested have more storage without affecting the other users.

It seems that this would be a solution good for everybody; if it does not take on, you can switch it off later.

[MikeDallas]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents. I'm a Power User...would certainly be willing to fork over the extra $$ to upgrade to Pro if that gave me longer video length.

Snapfish is charging $24.99 per year for unlimited uploads, unlimited video length at present. Their sharing model is poor, but over time they'll be competitive. Considering Vimeo as well, someone posted you could embed Vimeo video in SmugMug, thanks for posting that.

Please consider increasing the video length limit. One hour would be a good start.

[Zosos]

As a wedding videographer, all my wedding videos are longer than 10 minutes. I want to include the wedding video with the Smugmug galley pictures, but I can't. Vimeo allows up to 5GB with no time restrictions. I am more than happy to pay an additional fee for this service.

I would like to see Smugmug be a little more communicative on this topic rather than just re-stating their rules. Tell us what's going on so that we can make decisions for our business. Communicate like, "we're working on it and should have something for you soon?" or "Sorry guys, it's just not going to happen. Try Vimeo" or what I'd like to know, can I use Vimeo and embed into my Smugmug galley.

Come on Smugmug, we love you but you need to let us, your best customers, know what's going on and why.

Thank you.

[javierplumey]

I'm chiming in to add support for a paid upgrade to support longer videos. I'm a Vimeo user but I'd like to see all my family videos and photos under one roof.

[ThatCanonGuy]

I made a slideshow that's 11 minutes long and under 500mb. Yes, it hurts.

Is there a place where I can vote for extending the time limit?

[phototristan]

I made a slideshow that's 11 minutes long and under 500mb. Yes, it hurts.

Is there a place where I can vote for extending the time limit?


Yep, right here:

http://feedback.smugmug.com/forums/17723-smugmug

[Abouna]

Is there any news on this issue? The 10 min. limit is really turning into a deal breaker for me. I like SmugMug but this is really antiquated. What's the point of having a Pro account with such a measly limitation?

Has anyone moved to a different provider?

[SamirD]

A lot of people on here have mentioned they've moved to Vimeo.

Until SM can find a way to monetize the video feature, I really don't see any changes that will increase their expenses like increasing the length limit. :dunno

[KeithMichaelPro]

As a wedding videographer, all my wedding videos are longer than 10 minutes. I want to include the wedding video with the Smugmug galley pictures, but I can't. Vimeo allows up to 5GB with no time restrictions. I am more than happy to pay an additional fee for this service.


I also do wedding videos, and I agree that we should be able to have longer length videos. I can have unlimited photo storage but not unlimited video?

Vimeo just came out with VimeoPro today ($199/year). Part of me is tempted but I don't want to dish out money to have stuff somewhere else. I would like all of my clients to go to one website.

Paid Viewing! One idea that could be beneficial for both SmugMug and us Pro users is paid viewing of videos. VimeoPro is rolling with this idea as of today where you can charge for certain videos. So just like we charge for some photos to be downloaded or printed, we can also charge for videos to be viewed or downloaded. Cloud based media is the way of the future, and since SM already has the whole profit thing figured out, why not extend that to video? This would allow for increased file size and length, and increased revenue for us all!

[SamirD]

Paid Viewing! One idea that could be beneficial for both SmugMug and us Pro users is paid viewing of videos. VimeoPro is rolling with this idea as of today where you can charge for certain videos. So just like we charge for some photos to be downloaded or printed, we can also charge for videos to be viewed or downloaded. Cloud based media is the way of the future, and since SM already has the whole profit thing figured out, why not extend that to video? This would allow for increased file size and length, and increased revenue for us all!Great suggestion! I was wondering what the monetization model for online video was going to be.

[Zosos]

Smugmug used to have the best customer service in the industry, now they just ignore us.

[SamirD]

Smugmug used to have the best customer service in the industry, now they just ignore us.Well, they've been on vacation, so I guess that's an explanation. I must say that it has gone downhill from when I joined years ago, but that's to be expected as companies become larger and more 'comfortable'.