Language Learning & Technology
`http://llt.msu.edu/vol11num1/emerging/
`
`February 2007, Volume 11, Number 1
`pp. 16-21
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`EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
`Digital Video Update: YouTube, Flash, High-Definition
`
`Robert Godwin-Jones
`Virginia Commonwealth University
`I last devoted an entire column to new developments in video technologies in May, 1998. At that time, I
`wrote about such new developments as the DVD, MPEG-2, and HDTV ("high-definition TV" - slated for
`first broadcasts in the US later in 1998). Today, the next-generation DVD standard has split into two
`competing formats (Blu-Ray and HD DVD), compression algorithms for digital video have advanced
`enormously, and US TV viewers are still waiting for the full rollout of HDTV. The big buzz recently
`about video has been something quite different: the enormous boom in the popularity of Internet sites
`such as YouTube for sharing video clips. We will explore in this column these and other developments in
`digital video and what they might mean for language learning.
`
`YOUTUBE AND VIDEO SHARING
`Over the past year YouTube has become enormously popular. A recent article in Wired cites an average
`of 65,000 uploads and 100 million videos viewed per day on YouTube. One might mention as further
`evidence the purchase of YouTube by Google for the amount of US $1.65 billion. The Wired article
`explores some examples of the wide variety of video content available on the site. Simply surfing through
`YouTube gives ample examples of that diversity. What is common to most clips is that they are amateur
`videos which document occurrences from the lives of non-celebrities. As such, the clips provide a huge
`multimedia library of real language use by real people, a potentially rich resource for language learning or
`corpus collections. The vast majority of clips are in English, and a number of ESL/EFL teachers have
`begun tapping into this source. While some provide sample lessons for students to view and discuss,
`others have uploaded videos of their own, with the specific goal of language learning in mind. Instructors
`of other languages, including Spanish, French, Japanese and Indonesian, have also found YouTube to be
`useful in language learning.
`One of the differences between YouTube and other social networking sites [see a recent LLT column] is
`that it does not feature community tagging. Rather, the user posting the video supplies the tags. As is the
`case in most social networking sites, there are no prescribed, or even recommended, content tags. This
`makes searching for particular kinds of video clips or specific content very much a hit or miss enterprise.
`Searching on "Teaching English," for example, returns hundreds of results, most of them clips of teachers
`in action or class profiles, but the hit list also includes commercials that could be used in teaching
`English, as well as clips from commercial providers of language instruction. As with all clips on
`YouTube, clips in this category vary greatly in video professionalism, length, audio quality, and interest
`level for folks other than those directly involved as camera operators or subjects. Quite a few group
`projects from language classes are posted to YouTube as a method of sharing and publicizing. Some of
`the clips uploaded are just slideshows or videos shot with a static camera; others, however, are quite
`sophisticated in the use of lighting, captioning, camera angles, and transitions. Many come with a music
`soundtrack, often using commercially available songs, which for the time being some copyright holders
`(i.e. record companies) are allowing to be used in this way. The murky permission issues in the
`incorporation of copyrighted audio and video in uploaded clips to YouTube result in some clips being
`suddenly pulled from the site. This makes problematic any reliance on the availability of particular clips
`for instructional purposes.
`Uploading video clips to YouTube is a quick and easy process and works in similar ways on other video
`sharing sites. Video clips can be in avi, mov, or mpg formats (MPEG4 is recommended) and be a
`maximum of ten minutes long. At least one content tag is required, along with a specification of the
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`Copyright © 2007, ISSN 1094-3501
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`Robert Godwin-Jones
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`Digital Video Update
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`language used in the clip, presently restricted to a choice among English, Spanish, French, Japanese,
`Chinese, or German. Clips can also be uploaded directly from a digital camera or a PDA, as long as they
`are connected to the Internet. Video can even be directly uploaded to YouTube from a WebCam. Once
`uploaded, the file is converted to the Flash video format used for all clips. The URL is displayed to the
`uploader, along with the HTML code to paste into a Web page in order to display the video on one's own
`page. The ease with which anyone is able to upload video clips to sites such as YouTube, along with the
`popularity of shooting videos on cell phones or digital cameras has enabled the video sharing frenzy the
`US is currently experiencing. What also has contributed to this development is the rapid growth in
`broadband Internet connections in the US, as well as the increase in processor speeds in computers,
`making video editing and format conversion/compression significantly faster. This has been accompanied
`by the availability of inexpensive yet powerful video editing tools such as iMovie for the Macintosh or
`Jumpcut, Videoegg, or Eyespot for Windows. These products have specific tools for creating videos to be
`delivered in a Web browser. One of the most significant enabling technologies for the new video Internet
`age is the Flash video format, which is quickly becoming the format of choice for video on the Web, used
`by YouTube as well as by Google Video, MySpace, and many other sites.
`
`FLASH VIDEO TAKES OFF
`Flash video (flv) is popular largely due to its relatively small file size, interactive capabilities, and
`progressive downloading (with video playing before the entire clip is downloaded). Other video formats
`share this last feature, but they do not provide the interactive options available through Flash. They also
`are not as universal as Flash player, which has greater presence on personal computers than the players
`for Real, QuickTime or Windows Media. In contrast to video in other formats, which often is played in a
`dedicated external player, Flash video is normally embedded directly into the Web page. The advanced
`compression scheme in the latest version of Flash, along with progressive downloading, provides
`reasonably fast video playback at reasonably good quality without the need for a dedicated media server.
`There is also a streaming Flash video server, called Flash Video Server. Flash video has been in use for
`some time by media outlets, along with other video formats, but it is only in the past year that the
`popularity of YouTube has made Flash video so ubiquitous on the Web.
`Flash has been around for some time, beginning with the initial release in 1996 of "FutureSplash
`Animator", designed as software for drawing and animation, using vector and raster graphics. Version 3
`in 1998 added the ability to import audio and video, and version 5 in 2000 introduced ActionScript, a
`scripting language similar to JavaScript. It is this later addition that has made Flash into a powerful
`multimedia authoring tool. This allows, for example, video to be scriptable, so that it can respond to user
`actions such as mouse clicks, or to be overlaid with text or other objects. The most recent version of Flash
`also supports alpha transparency, which allows for multiple layers of video. Authoring is based on a time-
`line model, similar to Macromedia Director. Most of the interactivity in Flash movies (buttons, text entry
`fields, pick list, drag and drop) is created using ActionScript. The programmability of Flash offers the
`most important distinction to other video formats on the Web.
`Since version 7 (2004), Flash has also had XML capabilities, which allow for on-the-fly incorporation of
`XML data in Flash movies within a Web browser. There is also the ability to store and retrieve persistent
`data through the use of "Flash cookies". Adobe (which acquired Flash from Macromedia) has also
`developed and released "Flex" (now at version 2.0), a development environment which is designed to
`build rich Internet applications based on Flash. Flex uses an XML-based language called MXML and
`comes with components and features that make it possible, and relatively easy, to add Web services, drag
`and drop, sortable columns and other advanced features to Flash-based Web pages. Flex seems poised to
`challenge Java as a programming option for interactive Web applications.
`The capabilities of the latest version of Flash makes it on its own a powerful tool for development of
`browser-based applications, similar to AJAX. However, unlike AJAX, Flash is a proprietary technology,
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`Robert Godwin-Jones
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`Digital Video Update
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`not open source (although there are several open source projects involving Flash). Use of Flash also
`requires a browser plug-in, which although very widely installed - estimates gives the percentage of Flash
`browser penetration from 90 to 98% - still is not something developers can automatically count on a user
`having installed, particularly not in the most up-to-date version of the player. While Flash is cross-
`platform, and versions exist for playback on Windows, Macintosh and Linux, alternative and mobile
`browsers do not necessarily support Flash playback, although Flash Lite is available for some cell phones
`and other devices. Another concern some users have with Flash is its frequent aggressive and intrusive
`use in online advertising, leading to the development of tools such as Flashblock, designed to allow users
`to more easily designate which Flash content they wish to view.
`Another major issue with Flash has been accessibility. Extensive use of Flash on a Web site can wreak
`havoc on alternative browsers. Recent versions of Flash have added accessibility functions. Flash 8 adds
`significantly to the ability to integrate accessibility through the support of a version of XML called XMP
`(Extendable Metadata Platform), which brings Flash into compliance with W3C guidelines for
`accessibility. Additional content or information associated with a Flash movie, such as subtitles or
`transcripts, can be included as XML metadata. This adds two additional benefits, namely making Flash
`content visible to search engines, and, of significant interest to language professionals, adding the ability
`to incorporate additional information in multiple languages, which can be easily manipulated through
`ActionScript.
`
`DIGITAL VIDEO AND LANGUAGE LEARNING
`Despite the concerns about Flash, it has proved to be a popular tool for the development of interactive
`Web pages, including content for language learning. Jim Duber has been one of the pioneers in the use of
`Flash in language learning through his Cutting Edge CALL demos site. The examples he provides feature
`lessons and activities for students of ESL/EFL. These include examples such as Who came?, offering
`practice in minimal pairs and demonstrating interactivity created with ActionScript; the Paralinguistic
`Basics Toolkit, which showcases the interactivity possible between Flash player and a microphone or
`Web camera; and LetsTalk, which demonstrates the audio recording, archiving and streaming capabilities
`of the Flash Media Server. Most of the examples include the ability to have email reports sent back to the
`instructor. Commercially available software for language learning tends to make extensive use of Flash.
`One prominent example is Tell Me More! from Auralog, a very sophisticated language learning
`application, that relies heavily on Flash video and features voice recognition to help in developing
`pronunciation and oral skills. Adobe markets a product called Captivate that is designed to make it easy to
`create flash-based interactivity for teaching and learning, especially the ability to create simulations
`easily.
`There are, of course, many other uses for Internet-delivered video in the service of language learning. The
`wide variety of media outlets in languages world-wide provides a rich storehouse of on-demand video
`clips. In contrast to YouTube, the content of streaming video from television stations is much more
`predictable, and, generally, considerably more professional. While the advantages of viewing up-to-date
`materials, presented in authentic language are evident, so are the difficulties for language learners in
`coping with video presented at a normal rate of speech with the full range of vocabulary available to a
`native newscaster. Many schools and universities who encourage their language students to work with
`authentic video often provide suggestions on how the student can best take advantages of that experience
`as part of their language learning strategy.
`Another option is to provide vocabulary, annotations, and/or transcripts to help students work with
`authentic video. This can be a time-consuming process, as it may involve instructors creating transcripts
`of their own as well as developing vocabulary lists and/or questions/exercises. Subscribers to SCOLA
`broadcasts have the advantage of already edited video clips with a rich array of vocabulary and exercises,
`as well as transcripts and English translations, through the Instaclass service. For instructors or other
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`Robert Godwin-Jones
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`Digital Video Update
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`language professionals who want to create annotated versions of clips of their own choice, a number of
`tools are available to make that task somewhat easier, at least as far as the technical side is concerned.
`Victory Author, from Purdue University, for example, allows for creation of custom video-based lessons,
`using an easy template-based system with a number of interactive exercise formats and other interactivity
`options. A very sophisticated system for use of video in language learning has been developed and
`marketed by Yabla. They offer subscription services in French, Spanish, or ESL/EFL, which provide a
`rich and continuously updated supply of annotated authentic video and include features, such as on-
`demand target language or English captions/subtitles, pitch corrected slow play, and clickable
`word/phrase look-ups.
`
`HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO ARCHIVES
`In addition to the growth in popularity of Flash video, another new development in the video arena is the
`introduction of two new competing (and incompatible) high-definition video storage and playback
`formats, Blu-ray and HD DVD. Both new disc formats provide large capacity storage, from 25 to 50 GB,
`allowing the discs to contain enough data to show movies in high definition (up to 1920 x 1080), as well
`as to include higher quality audio and interactive features. Although players for both formats have been
`released, there has not been a rush by consumers to purchase them, partly because they are so expensive
`and, more importantly, because consumers want to wait and see which format will win out. The
`advantage of high-definition video from one of the new disc formats will only be apparent when viewed
`on a high-definition TV or monitor, another consideration that has slowed adoption. Blu-ray is supported
`by Sony, Apple, Samsung, Phillips, and Panasonic, while HD DVD has on its side Microsoft, Intel, NEC,
`and Toshiba. The major movie studies are also split in their support for the competing standards. The fact
`that the new Sony game console, Playstation 3, incorporates Blu-ray capabilities does provide some
`market penetration for that format. It should be noted that the new optical format players are designed to
`be backwards-compatible, with the ability to play standard DVDs. An interesting product released in fall,
`2006, from VidaBox is a player/media center that can play both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. JVC has
`developed a three laver technology that allows putting together both standard-definition DVD data and
`high-definition data on the same disc, allowing transparent playback in the appropriate encoding,
`depending on the player being used. Optical drives in both formats are being introduced into personal
`computers, but that process is proceeding rather slowly.
`In addition to the large storage capacity and higher quality video, another feature of the high definition
`video formats of particular interest to language professionals is the interactive programming of which
`both formats are capable. Blu-ray uses Blu-ray Java Interactivity (BD-J), while HD DVD features iHD.
`iHD offers a shallower learning curve than BD-J, as it combines fairly well-known technologies, namely
`CSS, JavaScript and XML. BD-J represents an easier transition for Java programmers; it also provides
`more options for customization through a full-fledged programming environment. Its use also allows
`programs to run on any Blu-ray player, whether it is a drive on a computer, in a game console, or in a
`stand-alone player. Both Blu-ray and HD DVD are also designed to support always-on Internet
`connectivity and to allow regular updates of programs as well as peer-to-peer and server-client
`interactions. It remains to be seen to what extent easy-to-use authoring tools will be developed to
`facilitate authoring of the interactive capabilities of both disc formats, but it seems likely that some
`language professionals will begin to look at the possibility of embedding annotations and user
`interactivity in the presentation of video, whether it be feature films, documentaries, or custom-produced
`video.
`For folks who have an interest in creating high-definition video of their own, to be delivered on one of the
`new generation of optical discs, there are HD camcorders presently on the market. One of the more
`popular and less expensive is the Sony HDR-HC1, which shoots video in 1080i resolution and uses the
`same MiniDV tapes used in standard-definition MiniDV camcorders. Writable Blu-ray and HD DVD
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`Robert Godwin-Jones
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`Digital Video Update
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`drives are also becoming available, but are still high priced. One of the most controversial aspects of the
`new optical disc formats is digital rights management (DRM). DRM is built into both formats in
`significantly different ways but with the same goal of restricting illegal ripping and mass copying. In the
`process of incorporating a variety of strict DRM measures and devices (including in the case of Blu-ray a
`"digital watermark"), the designers of the formats have made it difficult for anyone other than
`professional video houses to produce high-definition discs that will play without difficulty. Some
`consumers are rebelling against the constraints on usage and draconian remedies built into the disc
`formats (including a possible player "self-destruct" mechanism upon playing a tampered disc), as evinced
`by such sites as bluraysucks.com and hdboycott.com.
`
`RESOURCE LIST
`Digital Video
`• Digital Video From wikipedia, good intro
`• Digital Video File Formats Good explanation of the differences among formats
`• DV, DVCAM,DVCPRO Formats Tech details, FAQ and links on DV and its variants
`• Digital Video Formats Explanation of the distinction between video formats, containers, and codecs
`• Understanding Video Output Formats Distinctive features and advantages of various digital video
`formats
`• How to make streaming video Basics, from mediacollege.com
`• Streaming media From wikipedia
`• Replay A/V Tool for saving YouTube and other flash-based video
`YouTube
`• Suggestion for learning: YouTube Using YouTube for Spanish
`• Nihongojouzu Includes discussion of TV and YouTube for learning Japanese
`• Surprised by YouTube An instructor on the power of YouTube
`• Learn Japanese with Yan-san (and a little help from YouTube) From Japan Probe
`• Eensy Weensy Spider YouTube clip of song
`• TEFL TUBE #1 Teaching Basic English Short clip on YouTube
`•
`Indonesian 101 Indonesian lessons on YouTube
`Flash Video
`• Flash Video Learning Guide From Adobe
`•
`Importing Video: Files and Encoding Guidelines From Adobe
`• Delivery Options for Flash Video From Adobe's Flash Video Guide
`• How to convert AVI to Flash Using Flash Video Studio
`• On2 Truemotion VP6 for Flash About the compression codec for Flash 8 video
`• Delivering Flash Video: Understanding the Difference Between Progressive Download and
`Streaming Video Very good explanation, from Adobe
`• Flash Video Player Non-Adobe player
`• Extensible Metadata Platform XMP, which is being used to make Flash accessible
`Language Learning
`• Cutting Edge CALL Demos From Jim Duber
`•
`fenetiks: the sounds of spoken language Flash-based phonetics project from the University of Iowa
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`Robert Godwin-Jones
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`Digital Video Update
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`• English Language Tests and Games Includes Flash-based exercises
`• Auralog Developers of Tell Me More! langauge learning software
`• Victory Author For annotating video for language learning
`• Yabla Video subscription service for langauge learning
`• Scola Long-term provider of video broadcasts in a variety of languages
`High Definition Video
`• HD DVD / Randomness... Sample iHD code from Peter Torr's blog
`• HD DVD Interactivity Authoring Microsoft programmng forum
`• Blu-ray Wikipedia article
`• HD DVD Wikipedia article
`• Sony cuts HD camcorder down to size From CNET
`• Making Movies: HD Camcorders not Ready for Prime Time? From PC World
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