The Blog for Video 2.0

Labels: iphone, ipod, ipod videos, movie, movie downloads

The HungryFlix Movie Trailers iPhone app has been listed in Apple's iPhone Web App Directory. You can find the link here HungryFlix iPhone Movies.

Users can use the app to view great indie film trailers directly on their iPhone. WiFi connection is recommended.

We are extremely proud to be listed in Apple's iPhone application list.

Labels: apple, hungryflix, iphone, movies

Apple released the iPhone to much hype and fanfare. It billed the device as three devices in one. It was a revolutionary product for the cell phone industry. But the iPhone is having an effect outside of the mobile phone and computing industries. In fact, we belive that history will show the iPhone's release as one of the single biggest events in the history of independent filmmaking.

What, exactly, does the iPhone--a mobile phone/internet device/widescren iPod--have to do with indie film? Well, a lot. The movie download market must prepare for a great new phase as we look forward to more and more great devices capable of playing our content.

For independent content to survive and thrive, it must move to new delivery devices like Apple TV, iPod and now the iPhone. Support for these new devices will lead to growth in the audience for indie content. Many "mainstream" consumers will not view indie films at screenings, festivals or DVD. The films are too hard to find, often barried in video rental store shelves or playing in small art house theaters. This has been the case for the past few decades. Once every five years there is a breakout hit--a Clerks or Blair Witch--that gives the indie community something to rally around. The independent movie press declare, "We've arrived. This is the 'Year of the Indie'". Just as quickly as these hits arise, the excitement dies down and the great content made in the aftermath gets lost in the shuffle.

Now, for what may truely be the first time, consumers will have in their hands a great portable media device. You may argue that the iPod with video or the PSP have existed for a few years. But, these are devices that most people do not *have* to carry at all times. These are "luxury" devices that we carry when we want to. Cell phones are vastly different. Most Americans now carry their cell phone at all times--to the gym, on the bus, walking through the mall, at the ball game. We always have our phones with us. Now that Apple has delivered "the best iPod ever built" (Apple's words) and snuck it inside a phone, we now have a captive audience that will always have viewing capability.

This is, or has the potential to be, huge. Just look no farther than the iPhone's home screen. Right there on that gorgious 3.5" screen is a direct link to everyone's favorite dancing-cats-meet-dancing-teenagers clip sharing site, YouTube. Think about that. Apple put YouTube directly on the home screen of their revolutionary new device. Now, this could be entirely motivated by a new advertisting or search revenue deal Apple has struck with Google. But even if it is, the fact that YouTube is on the home screen of the iPhone can not be ignored.

Apple believes in mobile entertainment. They created the iPod so that we all could enjoy all our music at any time or place. Now, we are closer than ever to that dream for video. The iPhone's 3.5" screen has a resolution higher than many computer monitors. It displays MPEG4 H.264 video beautifully--better than any portable device ever has. These quality features combined with the simple fact that people will actually have the device with them, lead to great market opportunities.

Of course, the iPhone is, for now, a niche device. It's high price tag mean that it won't be found in the hands of many teens or college students in the near future. But just as with all technology, the price will drop over time. The iPhone will also force other handset makers and cell providers to design better devices. Devices that compete with the iPhone. When this happens, consumers win.

HungryFlix.com is ready to help independent producers, filmmakers and musicians in this new distribution world. We believe that this new class of mobile devices will open the doors to great indie content. It is time to get onboard. There are hundreds of thousands of movie and music fans out there with new devices that are hungry for great content.

http://www.hungryflix.com

Brian Andrews is an independent filmmaker and producer and CEO of http://www.HungryFlix.com, an online film distributor focused on new media.

Labels: independent, indie film, indie movies, iphone, ipod, movies, short films

Apple Inc. has a media event entitled "The Beat Goes On", scheduled for 10am PST today. The rumor mill has been going full force, with the most popular suggestions being complete updates to the iPod line. The biggest rumor is that of an iPhone-without-the-Phone iPod, or commonly known as the "widescreen iPod."

HungryFlix.com has been waiting for this "true video iPod" for two years. We feel that Apple will finally deliver today and that music and movie fans across the globe will rejoice.

And of course, once you get your shiny new widescreen iPod be sure to stop by HungryFlix for some great movie downloads.

Labels: apple, iphone, ipod, movie downloads, movies, video downloads, video ipod, widescreen ipod

Are you looking to convert DVDs or other videos for the iPod or iPhone? Here is how to get video on your iPod or iPhone. Follow these notes for converting your DVDs or home movies for your iPod or iPhone.

Video content must be MPEG4. We highly recommend encoding with the H.264 codec. While encoding times will increase, H.264 will yield higher quality video with smaller file sizes.

MPEG4 with H.264 Codec (file formats: .m4v, .mp4)
Lower-quality iPod/iTunes Video: Up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3. Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio
High-quality iPod: Up to 1.5 Mbps, Baseline Low-Complexity with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 640x480 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v format
High-quality Apple TV: Up to 3 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats

MPEG-4 video
PSP Video: Up to 2.5 Mbps, 480 x 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile. Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio
High-quality iPod/Apple TV MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats

MPEG-4 High Definition Video
File formats: .m4v, .mp4 and .mov
Video: 1280 x 720 pixels, 30 frames per second. Audio: AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo

MP3 Audio
Up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio

AAC Audio
AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, stereo audio

Labels: convert DVD, DVD to iPod, iphone, ipod, video

Move over YouTube---you can now view HungryFlix trailers right on your iPhone.

We are proud to release a Beta version of the HungryFlix Trailer application for iPhone users.

Click on a thumbnail to view the trailer. You will see a QuickTime image with a blue play button. Click the blue play button. Bbe patient for the file to download.

http://www.hungryflix.com/iphone.php

Labels: apple, indie film, iphone, movies, trailers, video, youtube

HungryFlix.com is holding our first contest, an Apple TV giveaway. Just regsiter for an account between July 20 - Sep 30, 2007 and you will be entered for a chance to win.

HungryFlix is the home of indie movie downloads for iPhone, iPod, PSP and Apple TV.

We are extremely excited about Apple TV and the opportunities it will open up for independent filmmakers and producers.

Stop by, create an account and download some great indie films today.

For contest rules please click here.

Labels: apple tv, contest, free, giveaway, hungryflix, iphone, movie downloads, movies, win, youtube

We've been working hard to fix issues with the web site in order to make everything work well under the iPhone's Safari. Good news is that progress has been made. You can now view MPEG4 trailers right on your iPhone!

So for all you movie fans on the go, you can now view free trailers right on your iPhone. Move over YouTube--HungryFlix is coming.

We are thrilled with this development. To see some examples visit:

The Prisoner:
http://www.hungryflix.com/view_media_movie.php?mid=550

Wages of Sin:
http://www.hungryflix.com/view_media_movie.php?mid=488

The trailer window will appear with a small blue "Play" button in the lower right corner. Click that to activate the iPhone's built-in QuickTime player.

Labels: digital video, hungryflix, iphone, movies, trailers, video, youtube

Unless you've been living in a cave, under a rock, or on the Dark Side of the Moon you know that on Friday June 29th Apple's new iPhone finally hit store shelves. Thousands of Apple and mobile phone fans waited in hundreds of lines for hours just for the privledge of dropping $499-$599 on the shiny new mobile phone/internet device/widescreen iPod. Analysts and tech geeks hailed the iPhone's arrival as a momentus event in the cell phone industry. I'm here to tell you that history will show the iPhone's release as one of the single biggest events in the history of independent filmmaking.

Hun? What, exactly, does the iPhone--a mobile phone/internet device/widescren iPod--have to do with indie filmmaking? Well, a lot. The movie download market must prepare for a great new phase as we look forward to more and more great devices capable of playing our content.

For independent content to survive and thrive, it must move to new delivery devices like Apple TV, iPod and now the iPhone. Support for these new devices will lead to growth in the audience for indie content. Many "mainstream" consumers will not view indie films at screenings, festivals or DVD. The films are too hard to find, often barried in video rental store shelves or playing in small art house theaters. This has been the case for the past few decades. Once every five years there is a breakout hit--a Clerks or Blair Witch--that gives the indie community something to rally around. The independent movie press declare, "We've arrived. This is the 'Year of the Indie'". Just as quickly as these hits arise, the excitement dies down and the great content made in the aftermath gets lost in the shuffle.

Now, for what may truely be the first time, consumers will have in their hands a great portable media device. You may argue that the iPod with video or the PSP have existed for a few years. But, these are devices that most people do not *have* to carry at all times. These are "luxury" devices that we carry when we want to. Cell phones are vastly different. Most Americans now carry their cell phone at all times--to the gym, on the bus, walking through the mall, at the ball game. We always have our phones with us. Now that Apple has delivered "the best iPod ever built" (Apple's words) and snuck it inside a phone, we now have a captive audience that will always have viewing capability.

This is, or has the potential to be, huge. Just look no farther than the iPhone's home screen. Right there on that gorgious 3.5" screen is a direct link to everyone's favorite dancing-cats-meet-dancing-teenagers clip sharing site, YouTube. Think about that. Apple put YouTube directly on the home screen of their revolutionary new device. Now, this could be entirely motivated by a new advertisting or search revenue deal Apple has struck with Google. But even if it is, the fact that YouTube is on the home screen of the iPhone can not be ignored.

Apple believes in mobile entertainment. They created the iPod so that we all could enjoy all our music at any time or place. Now, we are closer than ever to that dream for video. The iPhone's 3.5" screen has a resolution higher than many computer monitors. It displays MPEG4 H.264 video beautifully--better than any portable device ever has. These quality features combined with the simple fact that people will actually have the device with them, lead to great market opportunities.

Of course, the iPhone is, for now, a niche device. It's high price tag mean that it won't be found in the hands of many teens or college students in the near future. But just as with all technology, the price will drop over time. The iPhone will also force other handset makers and cell providers to design better devices. Devices that compete with the iPhone. When this happens, consumers win.

HungryFlix.com is ready to help independent producers, filmmakers and musicians in this new distribution world. We believe that this new class of mobile devices will open the doors to great indie content. It is time to get onboard. There are hundreds of thousands of movie and music fans out there with new devices that are hungry for great content. Feed Your Portable!

Labels: hungryflix, iphone, ipod, iTunes, movie downloads, movies, online video, video download, youtube

HungryFlix.com, the leading online distributor of premium independent content for the iPod, PSP and Apple TV today announced that it's content will support the Apple iPhone.

All HungryFlix.com content is MPEG4 format and will play out-of-the-box on the Apple iPhone. This will provide users of the new device with a wealth of great content to enjoy while on the road.

HungryFlix.com CEO Brian Andrews said, "We are thrilled to provide mobile video for the iPhone. We feel that this new device is going to be groundbreaking for the mobile video world. The high resolution screen and tight intergration with iTunes will set the iPhone far ahead of other video capabile mobile phones."

Labels: digital video, hungryflix, iphone, iTunes, online distribution, video download

TUAW, among many other sites, is reporting that YouTube is in the process of transcoding some portion of their catalog from Flash Video to H.264. The move is in order to support Apple TV and, some claim, the iPhone.

It is not clear if this signals YouTube's move away from Flash or just the addition of a format. What is clear is that the Apple/Google partnership is working wonderfully and bringing great new tools to end users.

The support for H.264 on the web's largest video site is very interesting.

Labels: apple tv, iphone, iTunes, youtube