Uses of video in Interactive Media

Short films are a common way in which video can be viewed via the Worldwide Web. They are usually played via Flash player such as the BBC iplayer. These short films usually have a variable bitrate and the quality of the actual short film is affected by this. Some players allow these short films to be p[layed at a variable bit rate. Short films can be used for many different reasons depending on the platform they are being played on. For example, a kiosk in a museum will use short films to potrait information in a short film to explain the exhibits, whereas a DVD may use a short film as a bridge between two pages on its menu system.



Promotional material in interactive media is usually portraited on banner adverts across the web. These are usually flash based which allows the user to click on the video being played so that they can be taken to the site that the advert is associated with. These short clips usually only last upto around 10-20 seconds before repeating themselves and can be found on many websites. The videos however, do not try to sell things to the user rather than promote such things as quitting smoking and going to university.



Film trailers are also a common use of interactive video found across the web. They can be found on many banner adverts and can be played on flash players also. This allows movie to be advertised across the web and allows users to view the trailers for the film with a high quality bit rate and full screen if the flash player has this option.



Some websites allow video to be uploaded by the user from other devices such as mobile phones and video cameras. This user-generated content can then be viewed on a flash player. An example of this is Youtube, this site allows users to upload their own videos onto the site. A disadvantage of this is that the users could easily publish obscene videos on the site and to counter this Youtube has a checker that stops any video deemed too obscene from being published.



Viral marketing uses video to quickly spread an advertisement across the web through social networks. It uses viewers by using clever adverts that they like and spread to others through email attachments. The advert is then continuously passed from one user to the next and spread across the web. Some users then choose to upload these ads as videos on their personal pages on sites such as Myspace. This then means that viewers of their web page see the advert and so the process continues. An video example of this is a Cadbury's advert that personified a gorilla to be playing drums. This advert was so original and clever that people enjoyed watching the video and so it got passed around social networks and soon spread across the internet.



Advertising uses videos across the web in banner ads to try and get users to buy stuff from their websites. The use of video allows the companies to show adverts on tv in a banner ad on the web. Their purpose is usually to convince the user to buy something from their website and using interactive video advertising on the web is the best way to attract new customers.

Virtual Reality tours use video on a few different platforms including the web and kiosks. Companies and colleges use video virtual tours to show employees/ new students around the place they are going to so they can get a first hand look at where they will be going and this is useful to help the user get a proper detailed look around without having to travel. Kiosks use video in virtual reality tours in places such as museums to give information about the objects in the museum such as egyptian pyramids so that people can actually take a video tour around the pyramid.

Games use interactive usually at the beginning, end and mid- game. These video's are used to tie the story of the game together and help the player understand what is going on in the game. It adds an enjoyable element to a game and gives a gamer a sense of accomplishment when they complete part of a game to unlock new video content.

E-Learning uses video on platforms such as hand held games consoles and the web. Leapfrog games use video in their games on handheld devices to help the learning of toddlers. Websites such as the Cbeebies website also use videos in their games to help young children learn through the world wide web.