This is a question we hear more and more in regards to users and their VideoBloom platform accounts.  You may not realize this but the VideoBloom platform works very well with High Definition (HD) video!  If you have shot video in HD, you can most definitely upload it to your VideoBloom platform account and distribute it from there.

The nice thing about shooting in HD is that it gives you more pixels to work with which allows for a cleaner and visibly more detailed picture.  Also,
when shot in Progressive mode there is no "interlacing" of the video, a real asset when delivering on the web.  Since computer displays are Progressive by design (unlike Standard Definition TV's for which regular camcorders are designed) this works naturally to help online video appear smoother and avoids the “tearing” look that can happen with interlaced video on the web. 

The key to working with HD video and the web is to understand the needs and abilities of your end user.  While you can deliver full 1080p (or higher) video at full size from your patform account the real question is can your users 1.) view it on their monitors, and 2.) can they handle the bandwidth demands that videos of this size require?

Think about this:

1.)  The average monitor size of most people surfing the web is still less than 1280 x 1024. HD video at 1280x720 will utilize the full screen at this size.  Do you really need to deliver your video at dimensions that are beyond the full screen capability of your users?

2.)   HD video demands significantly more bandwidth as well as graphics processing on the server and on the user’s end.  What type of connections do your users work with?  Is it bad for them (or to the message you are trying to convey) if their video is constantly buffering or being displayed in a stop and start fashion? Bandwidth will have a dramatic impact on their ability to have a smooth experience watching your video.

Typical (Standard Definition, aka "SD") video on the web is sized at around 640x480 in
dimension. HD video however is sized at 1280x720 or even 1920x1080.  These
dimensions and the resultant file sizes can be unwieldy when creating online
video. 

Another factor to consider when creating HD video to be used on your patform account is this:  currently the VideoBloom platform encodes ALL non-Flash (.flv)
videos using the Medium Flash setting of 400 kbps with audio at 96 kbps.  This means you can upload videos of any dimension but they will all be encoded with these settings.  Because of this, videos with small dimensions will appear clearer and less pixilated than videos of bigger dimensions (such as full size HD video.)

With these things in mind, our suggestion is that your goal should be to get the best picture quality balanced with user accessibility and, obviously your needs. Here are some suggestions to accomplish this:

1.)  Work with 720p HD instead of 1080p.  1080p dimensions are six times that
of SD files. That’s a lot of pixels to deliver and for your user’s computer to process!  Using 720p gives more clarity to your video (the benefits of HD) while creating an master file that is more manageable to work with.

2.)  When creating your video for upload make it half the dimensions you shot
at.  For 720p use the dimensions of 640x360 instead of 1280 x 720.  Note that the finished dimensions are actually a quarter of the original file but will still look fabulous and is much more web-friendly, esily embeddable on your webpage.  Use the h.264 codec at high or best quality at full frame rate to create your movie for upload.  You can experiment with frame rates that are around 12-15 fps to save even more file space.  Either way, this will create a file size and dimensions that are MUCH more manageable for online viewing while retaining much of the crystal clear picture quality of HD. 

Important side note: These dimensions are also "friendly" with the VideoBloom platform.  As previously stated you can upload videos of any dimension to your VideoBloom platform account but remember this: once your video’s dimensions go past roughly 800 pixels in width you will want to edit them in full-screen mode when prepping them on your VideoBloom platform account.   To view videos with large dimensions you will want to embed them on your own webpage for viewing.

3.)   Encode your .flv file at a higher resolution before uploading to your VideoBloom account.  You can do this from many different third party applications from Adobe, etc. You will want to use the High (700 kbps) setting, or whatever setting you want to use based on your needs and intended audience.  When this .flv file is uploaded to the platform it will simply pass through the platform's encoder and nothing about the file will be altered.

Here is the workflow we use when we simply MUST have a high quality video
uploaded to the VideoBloom platform, but also need a manageable file size:

1.)  Capture and edit video in 720p.

2.)  Export the file using the h.264 codec, with Best settings, at a dimension of 640x360.

3.)  Using the Adobe Flash Encoder equipped with the On2 VP6 codec, encode
an .flv file using the High Quality 700 kbps settings.

4.)  Upload the resulting .flv file to the VideoBloom platform.

It's also nice to note that .flv files are much smaller in size than the
original movie so these files upload much faster to the VideoBloom
platform!