March 30th, 2010

This project has been in the works for quite a while. It’s also been part of the reason that I have not posted for a couple months. The project was to create and host a serries of videos that show users how to use Microsoft adCenter. RedTech handled everything on this project, from the filming of the talent to the coding of the Silverlight player. The project is live in Canada (French and English) and Latin America.
A couple of quick hilights for my roll on the project:
- I did some green screen keying and digital compositing (more on this later).
- I did some of the AfterEffects animation and localization.
- I coded the Silverlight player application based on the excellent design by Ned Canon
I learned a lot about implementing Silverlight video experiences on this project. There are lots of things in the code that are more efficient here than in my previous implementations, although it’s a bit un-exciting to people other than myself. Others might appreciate that I’ve been able to hook into the site’s reporting tools so that our clients get page specific information on user behaviour, and that the player is using the IIS Smooth Streaming technology to provide a continuous video stream based on the end user’s bandwidth.
We had a great team on this project to produce about 2 1/2 hours of tutorials in three languages. Special mention should go to Ned Canon, the designer, and Dan Johnson, our publisher, who helped me troubleshoot the player.
You can view the live Canadian site at: http://advertising.microsoft.com/canada/en/online-seminars
Posted in AfterEffects, C#, Greenscreen, Motion Design, Silverlight, Smooth Streaming, Web Development | No Comments »
December 29th, 2009
I’ve been refining the code on the Silverlight player off and on for some time now. The latest itteration includes a complete feature set with chapters, full screen, closed captions, and a show/hide control bar. The coolest thing about it now is that these options are configurable with a simple value switch. I’ve set up a sample page where you can configure the player to your liking.
Tags: C#, Development, Silverlight, Video Player, Web Development
Posted in C#, Silverlight, Web Development | No Comments »
November 6th, 2009
The re-design of the Microsoft Advertising site went live last night. This has been a huge effort by a lot more people than myself, and even though it’s a little cheezy, I’m proud to have worked on the site and to be working with such a great team.
As far as major web site launches go, this is one of the larger ones. There were upwards off 300 pages to migrate in the US design. We also supported 15 languages across 40 different markets. There are lots of new features on the site with this release, and we’ll be working on more fun/interactive elements in the next couple months.
Okay, ‘nuf said. Go check out the site.
Tags: Design, Microsoft, Microsoft Advertising, Production, Web Site
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
October 26th, 2009
What better way to start a new blog than with a purpose statement. I’m looking to create a place to post current projects and interestes in the world of graphic design, and interactive technology. Hopefully there will be lots of works in progress and eventually some bits of code.
I hope you enjoy the blog and find it useful.
Cheers.
…oh, and I’m leaving the stupid default post here on purpose. It’s just kinda fun that way.
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October 20th, 2009
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
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