Closed Captioning on Youtube

Just last week, Youtube announced it will begin offering widespread automatic captioning on videos hosted there. It works similarly to the way your phone recognizes voice commands -- speech recognition technology translates the spoken word into text. In the case of the videos, the text will then appear on the lower part of the video. You can toggle it on or off by clicking on the arrow on the lower right-hand corner to bring up an icon that says "CC," for "closed captioning."

This means greater accessibility for the millions of hearing impaired, of course, but the benefits will likely not stop there. Because narration will now be in text format, that means it's searchable, opening up wider opportunities for getting your video found by search engines. No official word, though, on whether that's being done at this point, but it makes a lot of sense. Another potential benefit: Once the captions have been created, they could also be automatically translated into other languages.

How well does it work? Well...let's just say it's a work in progress. Youtube concedes as much:

Auto-captions aren't perfect and just like any other transcription, the owner of the video needs to check to make sure they're accurate. In other cases, the audio file may not be good enough to generate auto-captions. But please be patient -- our speech recognition technology gets better every day.

Here's a sample of Youtube's automatic captioning on a real estate listing video created by Spartina Studios and narrated by a professional voiceover talent:

Note the errors in the automatic captions -- it seems about 75% accurate. Now check out this video, also produced by Spartina Studios, that includes a custom caption file:

This caption, created by hand and not automatically, is 100% accurate.

Bottom line? The autocaptioning may not be perfect, but it's a great first step in making videos more accessible to a wider audience.

Faster Internet Speeds in the Works

Google announce this week that it's putting in blazingly fast internet access in test areas around the country, in order to pave the way to

keep up with online video and other advanced applications that the company will want to deliver.

Currently, 92% of US homes have access to broadband -- fast enough for great online real estate listing videos today. The new type of internet service that Google is testing will be 50- to 300-times faster than that, making it possible to download full-length feature films in less than five minutes.

The article also notes that Verizon is also building its speedy FIOS network.

Bottom line? Online video views will continue to grow exponentially. Isn't it time to market your listings with a video? Contact Spartina Studios today and order a video for your listings.

2010: Online Real Estate Forecast

A January 2010 report from Borrell Associates notes that real estate advertising is expected to continue to grow online, and decline in other media, as agents realize online is an excellent way to reach consumers:

Online advertising continues to dominate the real estate market, reflecting the consumer's ongoing rapid adoption of the Web as a preferred method for researching homes for sale. The Web has now caught up to Agents as the top way that consumers found the homes they ended up buying.

Video, especially, is cited as a powerful marketing tool for real estate, and should continue to grow in 2010:

A more immediate development within online advertising is the strong growth of video, which provides real estate shoppers with a much more immersive and compelling experience of the attributes of each unique property.

Want to jump on the bandwagon? Contact Spartina Studios and order a walkthrough video today. Serving Fairfield County, CT and beyond.

On-Location Video Production in Fairfield County, CT

Spartina Studios recently produced this video for William Raveis Real Estate at their corporate headquarters in Shelton, CT. Many clients prefer doing the videoshoot at their offices. It is not only more convenient for the client; it also gives viewers a glimpse into the corporate offices, creating more familiarity with viewers. Turnaround was two days after the videoshoot.

Managing Partner Chris Raveis discusses how major indicators are aligned now, making this a great time to purchase real estate.

Green Home -- New Construction -- for Sale in New Canaan, CT

This magnificent new construction New Canaan CT home is as beautiful as it is eco-friendly. Its Energy Star certification ensures it will saves the environment as well as an owner's pocketbook.

It boasts 6 bedrooms, 8.5 baths, 8000SQFT on 2.8 hilltop acres. Green features include a state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling, high performance Icynene insulation, Energy Star Pella windows and doors, 100 yr architectural slate style roof w/copper gutters, as well as maintenance free Hardiplank siding and architectural Azek exterior molding and trim.

Enjoy the grand 2 story entrance with mahogany curved staircase, 4 stone fireplaces. Kitchen, butlers pantry and baths designed by Kitchens by Deane. Other features include a covered outdoor room with fireplace, 3 finished floors framed for elevator. Back up generator. Setting a new standard in environmentally conscious New Construction.

For more information, contact William Raveis Real Estate Agents Denise Gannalo at 203-966-4444, gannalod@raveisre.com or Amy Gabriele at 203-653-5685, gabrielea@raveisre.com. More information can be found at www.newcanaanhomes.blogspot.com.

Kiva Video - Loans that Change Lives

A couple of weeks ago, a friend told me about Kiva, an online service that lets people loan money to budding entrepreneurs around the globe. The small loans they request help them earn their way out of poverty -- for example, someone might ask for money for a sewing machine for a tailoring business, or for a few dollars to purchase some goats for a dairy business.

Kiva was looking for people to make videos to describe the service, so I volunteered. Turns out it was a contest. Turns out I won fourth place. Woo hoo!

Here's the video. If you share it -- facebook, blogs, whatever -- more people will know about this wonderful service, and maybe they'll help more people. The "share" button on the upper righthand side makes it easy:

Online video increases sales up to 30%

Online retail giant zappos.com has jumped into video with both feet. They've started adding product description videos, and have found a sales boost of 6% to 30%. That's money in their pocket, so they plan to roll out 50,000 product videos on their website in 2010. Check out the details in the video (of course) below: