03-13-2013 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

515 Little Canada Road, Little Canada, MN 55117 -1.600 (651) 766 -4029 / FAX: (651) 766 -4048 www.cidittleicanada.mn.us MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Biesener & Members of City Council FROM: Vanessa Van Alstine, Cable Television Producer DATE: March 7, 2013 RE: YouTube Channel MAYOR Bill Blesener COUNCIL Rick Montour John Keis Michael McGraw Shelly Boss ADMINISTRATOR Joel R. Hanson Staff would like to make short videos more accessible to the residents. Short videos (under 10 minutes) and public service announcements (PSAs, typically 30 -60 seconds) are programmed on Channel 16, but are not listed in the playback schedule due to their short length. Having video available on- demand would allow residents to watch short programs at their convenience. It is possible to upload video to the GovOffice web site, but there are significant limitations to the video file size and quality. Even compressed, video files are quite large compared to other document types such as PDF or still images, and any videos hosted through GovOffice would count towards the storage allocation. The City currently makes City Council, Planning Commission and now Parks and Recreation Commission meetings available on- demand through web streaming with CTV North Suburbs, but this is a fee - for - service arrangement. Adding the Parks and Recreation Commission meetings has put the City at the upper limit of the current service plan. Adding more programs through this service would trigger the next pricing tier. A YouTube account is free and designed for hosting video fi les. Many cities are currently using YouTube to host their video content. Initially there are length restrictions of 15 minutes, but after using the account those limits are removed and it is possible to have programs as long as 2 hours available online. Registering as a government account allows for some branding including display of a city logo and choice of color scheme. Processing video files for upload to YouTube would not add additional steps to the video workflow except for the upload to the site. Export to the 1 -1.264 video format is already required to prepare files for playback on Channel 16 via CTV North Suburbs.