Category Archives: video

Unlocking the Power of Video Podcasting with RSS: Expand Your Reach Beyond YouTube

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In the ever-evolving world of content creation, video-first creators often rely heavily on platforms like YouTube and Vimeo to distribute their work.

Many need to realize that video podcasting via RSS is not only possible but also a powerful and underutilized method of distribution that has been part of podcasting since 2005.

Video podcasting allows creators to reach audiences on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Apple TV, and other standard podcast apps—platforms on which many think the app is limited to audio-only content.

This expanded reach can dramatically enhance visibility and audience engagement, especially when traditional social video platforms can feel saturated.

The podcast enclosure element is the basis of open podcasting through RSS. RSS enables creators to deliver high-quality video content to listeners without relying solely on video-specific platforms. Apple Podcasts and many other podcast apps fully support video podcasts via RSS, allowing viewers to download and watch content directly within the app, whether on their phones or televisions.

For video-first creators, this means a new avenue to engage with an audience they need to be aware of instead of more obvious platforms like YouTube. My company, Blubrry Podcasting, has supported Video Podcasting since we started hosting podcasts.

However, not all platforms support open standards like RSS. Spotify, for example, operates with a closed, proprietary system that doesn’t support video podcasting through RSS. Instead, it prioritizes the podcaster’s video content, overwriting audio within the app.

While this may seem like an excellent option for video creators, it harms those relying on audio distribution. Spotify’s algorithm tends to promote video content of select shows over audio, diminishing the reach of traditional podcast episodes. This imbalance can lead creators to lose out on potential audio audiences.

The open RSS-based approach is the best solution for creators who want actual ownership of their content and the flexibility to distribute it across various apps. You maintain control over your media and ensure your content is accessible through any app that supports RSS—without the risk of algorithmic prioritization or platform gatekeeping.

Benefits of Video Podcasting via RSS

  1. Increased Distribution: By enabling video podcasting via RSS, your content can reach viewers across multiple platforms like Apple Podcasts and Apple TV, adding diversity to your audience beyond YouTube or social media.
  2. Ownership and Control: With RSS, you maintain control of your content, ensuring that your videos reach your audience as intended without being subject to the whims of changing platform policies or algorithms.
  3. Flexibility in Consumption: Audiences can choose how they consume your content. Whether they prefer video or audio, RSS allows them to decide based on their preferences, giving your content a broader appeal.
  4. Independence from Closed Platforms: Unlike Spotify, which prioritizes video content within its closed system, RSS-based platforms allow creators to distribute video and audio equally, ensuring one format doesn’t overshadow the other.

If you’re a video-first creator looking to expand your reach, consider the potential of video podcasting via RSS. It’s a powerful tool that lets you distribute video content through traditional podcast channels, helping you grow your audience on your terms. By embracing open standards and ensuring your media can be consumed across all platforms, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success and creative freedom.

Building a Media Empire on RSS: The Path to Freedom and Independence in a Platform-Driven World

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In a world where creators constantly look over their shoulders, fearful of violating ever-evolving community guidelines or losing their platform due to shifting algorithms, building a media empire on solid, independent ground seems almost like a dream. The rise of centralized platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and others has given creators unparalleled reach, but it has also come with significant costs—chief among them control. For every viral video, a creator wonders when the next policy update will send their content into oblivion or drastically cut their revenue stream. It’s a precarious existence that’s left many scrambling for alternatives.

But what if the future of media didn’t rely on these gatekeepers? What if creators, instead of bending to the whims of platforms, could harness the power of open technology—such as RSS (Really Simple Syndication)—to build long-term, sustainable businesses? As it turns out, that future is already here. It’s just that many have been too distracted by the allure of instant social media fame to notice.

The Rise of RSS as a Foundation for Media Empires

RSS may seem like a relic of the early internet. Still, it is the engine that audio and video podcasts thrive on, and it remains one of the most powerful tools in a creator’s arsenal, especially in today’s volatile media landscape. Unlike the walled gardens of YouTube and social media platforms, RSS is open and decentralized. It allows creators to syndicate content directly to their audiences without navigating big tech platforms’ complex (and often biased) algorithms. More importantly, it enables creators to retain ownership and control of their content.

Open RSS media can be distributed on Apple Podcast, Apple TV, Roku Channels, and nearly 100 other platforms without fear of censorship or community guidelines. For podcasters, video creators, and other digital media entrepreneurs, RSS offers the opportunity to build a brand around their domain—on their terms. This means that rather than worrying about whether their content fits into YouTube’s latest monetization scheme or whether Facebook’s algorithm will favor short videos over long-form storytelling, they can focus on building a direct relationship with their audience.

No More Walking on Eggs—Freedom from Community Guidelines

One of the most significant challenges creators face on large platforms is the need to conform to ever-changing community guidelines. While these guidelines are intended to ensure a “safe” space for all, they often stifle creativity, limit freedom of expression, and create an environment where creators are afraid to speak their minds.

For video podcasters and other media creators, RSS offers an escape from this cycle of self-censorship. Since the content is distributed directly to subscribers via 100+  apps, platforms, and other tools that support RSS, there’s no central authority dictating what can and can’t be said. This is especially important in today’s world, where seemingly benign content can get flagged or demonetized for often vague and inconsistent reasons.

Building a Sustainable Media Business on Your .com

In a world obsessed with vanity metrics—views, likes, shares—it’s easy to forget that the most valuable asset a creator can have is direct access to their audience. That’s where owning your platform—your .com—comes in.

When you build your brand on your website and distribute your content using open technologies like RSS, you’re no longer at the mercy of the whims of platforms like YouTube or Facebook. You control the experience, the data, and, most importantly, the relationship with your audience. Sure, you can still distribute and build audiences on all popular platforms. Still, many creators are reverting to bringing content in-house and on-site, giving the bird to draconian woke administrators.

For many creators, this shift in perspective is the key to long-term success. Instead of chasing fleeting moments of virality, they focus on building a loyal audience that engages with their content on their terms. This allows for more meaningful interaction, deeper connections, and more sustainable monetization strategies.

Revenue generation can come from various sources: direct sponsorships, listener or viewer donations, premium content subscriptions, merchandise sales, and more. These models become much easier to implement when you have complete control over your distribution and aren’t relying on a third-party platform to split ad revenue with you.

The Myth of YouTube as the End-All for Video Creators

There’s a pervasive myth in the creator space that you’re missing out if you’re not on YouTube. While it’s true that YouTube offers massive reach, it’s also a double-edged sword. The sheer volume of content makes standing out more challenging than ever. The platform’s algorithm favors specific types of content, posting volume, and a YouTube strategy that leaves many exhausted trying to keep up—leaving more niche creators in the dust.

Creators who build on open platforms like RSS have the flexibility to include video content as part of their overall offering without feeling like they need to “kiss YouTube’s ass” to stay afloat. Video podcasting, in particular, is growing in popularity, and thanks to tools like PowerPress and podcast hosting platforms like Blubrry, video can be distributed just as quickly through open RSS feeds as audio content.

The beauty of this approach is that creators can still use YouTube and other social platforms as distribution channels, but they’re not dependent on them. By syndicating content through RSS, creators retain control, and YouTube becomes just one piece of a giant puzzle—not the puzzle itself.

A Future Built on Independence

In today’s world, where creators are under constant pressure to conform to platform guidelines and chase algorithmic success, the power of building a media empire on open technologies like RSS cannot be overstated. It offers creators the freedom to be bold, the security of owning their platform, and the potential for long-term sustainability.

In a landscape where so many are looking to YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms as the gatekeepers of success, those who choose to invest in their own .com and build their brand on open RSS will ultimately thrive. They won’t have to worry about getting de-platformed, demonetized, or silenced. Instead, they can focus on what truly matters: creating valuable content and building meaningful connections with their audience.

The future of media doesn’t have to be dictated by algorithms and community guidelines. With open RSS, creators can chart their path—and that’s a future worth fighting for.

Illinois Passes First Law Protecting Children Of Influencers

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A new Illinois law is now the first in the country designed to protect the earnings of children who are social media influencers or who appear in their parents’ social media content, Insider reported.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law on August 11. Beginning July 2024, children under 16 who are social media influencers or who appear in their parents’ own content will be entitled to a certain percentage of earnings from that content, based on how much they appear.

This legislation was first championed by Shreya Nallamothu, who at 15 years old found herself concerned about protecting kids finding stardom online. She contacted State Sen. David Koehler with her idea, and he later proposed the legislation.

Teen Vogue reported that Illinois has officially passed the nation’s first legislation aimed at protecting child influencers, in a move that advocates say is long overdue and may serve as a model for other states to follow suit.

According to Teen Vogue, the bill was passed through the Illinois Senate unanimously in March and was signed into law on August 11. The Illinois law will “entitle influencers under the age of 16 to a percentage of earnings based on how often they appear on video blogs or online content,” AP reported. The money must be held in a trust fund which the child can access when they turn 18. Currently, there are no laws that protect child influencers, or children whose parents post them online for monetary gain.

“Child influencing … is work at the end of the day,” Nallamothu said. “It’s labor and they deserve to be compensated for their labor.”

KSBY 6 (California) reported that the Illinois law to ensure child social media influencers are compensated for their work will go into effect on July 1, 2024.

“The rise of social media has given children new opportunities to earn a profit,” Koehler said in an emailed press release after the bill was signed Friday afternoon. “Many parents have take this opportunity to pocket the money while making their children continue to work in these digital environments.”

The idea for the law, which covers children under the age of 16 featured in monetized online platforms, including video blogs (also known as vlogs), was brought to Koehler by a 15-year-old in his district, the Democratic senator said.

According to KSBY 6, the Illinois law will entitle child influencers a percentage of earnings based on how often they appear on video blogs or online content that generates at least 10 cents per view. To qualify, the content must be created in Illinois, and kids would have to be featured in at least 30% of the content in a 30-day period.

In my opinion, when a parent chooses to record video and audio of their children, and post that online for everyone to see, they are taking a big risk. Their baby or preschooler will become a teen who may be completely embarrassed about those videos. It’s good that the Illinois law will require financial compensation for the kids of influencers.

Reddit Acquired Dubsmash

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Reddit announced that it has acquired short-form video social platform Dubsmash.

Dubsmash’s mission is to elevate under-represented creators. They have built a beautiful and fun product that enables their users to create unique, dynamic, interactive content. While Dubsmash will maintain its own platform and brand, we also look forward to bringing our teams together to combine the unique creator experience of Dubsmash with the community growth engine of Reddit.

Reddit pointed out that they will integrate Dubsmash’s innovative video creation tools into Reddit, which will empower Reddit’s own creators to express themselves in original and authentic ways that are endemic to Reddit’s communities. Reddit stated that Dubsmash’s entire team – including the three co-founders, Suchit Dash, Jonas Drüppel, and Tim Specht – are welcomed to Reddit, starting immediately.

Dubsmash announced “with great excitement” that they had been acquired by Reddit. Dubsmash reported:

Going forward, Dubsmash will be run as its own entity and brand within Reddit, continuing to focus on developing trusted creator tools, creating a safe and welcoming platform for underrepresented communities, and providing pathways for the next generation of cultural vanguards to grow and expand their livelihoods.

According to Reuters, Dubsmash is a short-video platform. Together, this makes Reddit the latest company to expand in a space dominated by TikTok. A spokesperson for Reddit told Reuters that the acquisition was based on a combination of cash and stock.

Reuters also reported that the success of ByteDance’s TikTok has prompted many social media companies to add short-video services to their platforms. Snapchat Inc. rolled out “Spotlight” in November, and Facebook Inc. launched “Instagram Reels” earlier this year.

Fix Rubbish TV Sound with the Roku Streambar

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The new Streambar is the latest addition to Roku‘s range of media streamers in the UK. Unlike the other devices in the range, Express, Premiere and Streaming Stick+, which simply stream channels and programmes to the TV, the Streambar looks to address the problem of poor sound from flatscreen TVs by combining a Roku streamer with a compact soundbar. Is this the best of both worlds or a Jack of all trades? Let’s take a look…and a listen.

While the transition from bulky CRTs to LCD flat screens led to 4K and HDR, it didn’t help audio presentation at all. Thinness and narrow bezels aren’t friends to speakers and sound quality suffered. While A/V setups have been popular, they’re typically expensive and require wires all around the room to speakers in the corners. As an alternative, soundbars have become popular in the last few years, providing significant audio improvement without all the cables.

The Roku Streambar isn’t as long as some of the soundbars on the market, measuring around 35.6 cm wide, 6.1 cm high and 10.7 cm deep, and at this size, it fits neatly in front or below the TV. Inside the Streambar are four 1.9″ speakers, two facing forwards and two to the left and the right, providing much-improved audio. There’s a discreet LED just above the Roku logo that’s white in use and red when in standby.

Round the back of the Streambar, there are connections for power, digital audio (S/PDIF), HDMI and a USB port, along with a reset button. If the Streambar needs to be wall-mounted, there are a pair of screw sockets.

The Streambar follows Roku’s long tradition of including everything in the box: there’s no need to nip out for batteries at the last minute. Inside there’s the Streambar, voice IR remote control with AAA batteries, HDMI cable, digital optical cable, power supply (with both UK and European plugs).

Continuing in tradition, the Streambar follows the usual pattern of Roku setup with a couple of tweaks to accommodate the audio requirements. Simplistically, the Roku needs connected to the wifi (11ac – there’s no ethernet) and you need to sign up or sign in.

The main difference between an ordinary Roku media streamer and the Streambar is the sound and the clever trick here is that the Streambar can play audio from any device connected to the TV, whether Freeview, SkyQ or a Bluray player. The Streambar takes advantage of HDMI ARC – Audio Return Channel – which carries the sound signal to the device. It’s available on most new-ish TVs and it’s usually HDMI 1.

If there’s no HDMI ARC, the alternative is to use digital audio and that’s what I had to do with my TV. I have an HD Samsung TV that’s well over ten years old and there’s no HDMI ARC, so it was a digital connection for me. The Roku setup process runs through these different options and shows the necessary steps. It really only takes a few minutes to get the setup done.

Once configured, the Streambar is very much the Roku we all know and love, supporting 4K and HDR. The Roku uses the idea of channels which are kind of like apps, and all the usual UK suspects are available: BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, 4, My5. In addition, there’s all the subscription channels you can afford: Netflix, Prime Video, NowTV, Apple TV, Disney+, BritBox, Spotify. For your country’s regional variations, check www.roku.com/channelchecker to see what’s available.

Existing Roku users will have all their channels auto-loaded during the Streambar setup and new users can quickly add their favourites by browsing categories or searching for particular apps/channels.

I’m not going to review the Roku user interface in detail as it’s well covered elsewhere (check out my Roku reviews on YouTube) other than to say that the Roku is my favourite media streamer. The UI is simple, straightforward and isn’t trying to sell something all the time (I’m looking at you, Amazon Fire Stick). It seems like I’m not the only one either: over the past five years, Roku’s been the market leader in streaming media players, holding about a third of the market in the US.

There are a few customisations for the Streambar which don’t appear in the other Roku models and as you’d expect, they’re to do with sound. For starters, and most obviously given the tile on the screen, there’s a special Bluetooth app for connecting other devices to the Streambar in order to take advantage of the better speaker.

In addition, there are settings to adjust the audio including the bass, volume and, one of my personal favourites, speech clarity, which makes a reasonable attempt to promote speech over effects.

Prior to installation, my biggest concern about the Streambar was that I was going to have to use multiple remotes to control the volume – that’s the problem I currently have with my Yamaha AV amp. Fortunately, this was completely unfounded and even though my Samsung TV is over ten years old, the TV and Streambar played well together, outputting all sound to the Streambar, regardless of whether the sound signal came from Sky, Freeview or the Bluray player. Any remote could be used to control the volume.

One problem that my wife did encounter was that sometimes the Roku Streambar would go to sleep and wouldn’t rise from its slumber when the TV was turned back on. Using the Roku remote volume buttons normally solved the problem and woke it up but I later discovered that changing the Power setting to Fast Start resolved the issue as well.

As this is a soundbar, let’s focus on the Streambar’s audio qualities. Technically, it supports Dolby Audio but is the sound better than the TV’s? Yes, by a long way. It’s much richer, fuller and deeper with good clarity. TV soundtracks sound much better and more natural, and the effects in films become more emphatic and engaging. I also found it noticeable playing video games on my Nintendo Switch, and there’s a particular jingle on BBC’s Newsround which sounds terrible on my kitchen TV which is totally transformed by the Roku Streambar. Even better, it’s actually possible to listen to Spotify through the Streambar without cringing.

As the Roku Streambar is only 35 cm wide, the stereo separation is fairly limited, but apart from that the Roku Streambar performs well for the money. For sure, it doesn’t sound as impressive as a Dolby 5.1 Surround system, but then the Streambar costs a quarter of the price and doesn’t need cables everywhere. Regardless it’s still a significant improvement over a standard TV.

Before wrapping up the review, an honourable mention needs to go to the inclusion of a USB port on the Streambar. Plug in a memory stick or external hard drive and local media can be played directly, which is great for those with collections of ripped DVDs or home videos. This is the only model in the UK range to offer this, though all models can play from NAS units. And let’s not forget the complementary Roku app which will show smartphone photos and videos on the TV screen.

Having used the Roku for a couple of weeks, I think it’s a worthy upgrade for a not-very-smart flatscreen TV such as my ancient Samsung. You get a top-end Roku media streamer along with a soundbar, just as it says on the box. The RRP of the Roku Streambar is GB£129.99 but there’s currently a Black Friday offer on bringing the price down to £99.99 (offer ends 16/12/20). At either price, it’s a good deal. Available from all good stores.

There’s more in the video below.

The Roku Streambar was provided for review by Roku.

New Tom Hanks movie to be released straight to Apple TV as an exclusive

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I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyone of who Tom Hanks is. The man who gave us things like Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, Captain Phillips and Sully, just to name a few.

Now Hanks has a new movie and this release will be unique, but also a sign of the times we’re living in. With theaters closed Sony reached a deal with Apple TV to give it exclusive rights to the World War II submarine movie “Greyhound”

The movie had been slated for father’s day weekend, but Apple has given no date when they’ll begin showing it.

This is not the only movie going this route,  “Scoob” is now on Amazon Prime directly. And others have or will follow suit.

What will this do to the theater industry? It’s hard to say. It may recover when all of this passes, but will people return or will they become used to this new way of doing business? It will be interesting to see this play out.

In the meantime Sony has released a trailer which you can watch here

Aveine: Breath of the Wine at CES 2018

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As serious wine connoisseurs know, you have to let red (and some white) wines breathe after opening, allowing them to aerate for the best aroma and taste. As a generalisation, the younger the wine, the longer it needs to rest before drinking. Very young wines might need a few hours, but half-an-hour is the minimum. And simply taking the cork out doesn’t count: the wine needs to be decanted (or double-decanted back into the bottle) for proper aeration. If this sounds like too much effort, then take a look at Aveine, a connected aerator and winner of a CES Innovation Award. Don and Matthieu get every wine tasting its best.

Thanks to the connected aerator Aveine, you can immediately taste any wine in ideal conditions without having to wait 30 minutes or more. Place the aerator on the bottle, scan the label with your smartphone and serve. The smartphone checks for the wine in its database, connects to the Aveine and adjusts the aeration so that the aerator breathes the right amount of air as the wine is poured allowing it to breathe in an instant. Any red wine will benefit and there’s no waiting around or pouring into decanters.

The Aveine aerator is launching on Indiegogo in March – signup for notifications at Aveine. Retail pricing is expected to be US$200 with deals on Indiegogo. Delivery in June.

Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com.

P.S. This is possibly the funniest CES video – a few things are lost in translation.

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