I was furious yesterday! For some reason, YouTube pulled my latest video, Christmas in New York City, without explanation or notice! I looked around YourTube for a Contact email or phone number, but could only find a general email address which sent an auto-reply to directed my to a page that does not exist. The Xmas video contains all original video which I personally shot with the Canon 7D. Even the background audio was a royalty-free clip which I purchased from iStockphoto. I was so furious that I signed-up with Vimeo!
Vimeo is similar to YouTube:
- I was able to upload the same HD video files that I used for YouTube.
- You can customize your “channel” similar to YouTube.
- Both Vimeo and YouTube currently re-encode HD video for web broadcast at 720P. YouTube has announce that they will re-encode HD videos for 1080P when it is available. Vimeo with a Plus account keeps the original uploaded video on file for future re-encoding at higher HD output, but has not officially announced support for 1080p.
NOTE: 12StarsMedia just pointed out that YouTube did release the 1080p viewing. However, you need to watch the video directly, not in a Channel. You will see an UP arrow next to the HD button to change the view from 720p to 1080p.
Vimeo is better than YouTube:
- Vimeo’s converted HD video looks better and sharper than YouTube HD videos.
- Vimeo offers a Plus account with additional benefits over the free account
- Vimeo’s upload interface is much better. My Xmas video is almost 1Gig. Uploading to Vimeo was smoother (though not faster) and then converted without a problem.
- Vimeo’s Help and Support Center is much better than YouTube.
- The Vimeo audience is more artistic and pro-oriented.
YouTube is better than Vimeo:
- Vimeo limits the number of HD uploads per week without subscribing to the Plus account.
- Vimeo’s player is Flash based, so smartphones like the Palm Pre, Blackberry and the iPhone can not play there videos natively. Flash should be available on both the Palm Pre & Blackberry 1st quarter 2010. However, since Apple and Adobe are at war over the terms of Flash on the iPhone, a Flash player app is unlikely.
- YouTube audience is as huge as it is diverse. If you are looking for traffic and exposure, it’s YouTube.
I uploaded and converted 3 videos on Vimeo in my Photoframd Channel. Let me know what you think.
Christmas in New York City from photoframd on Vimeo.
From my experience from using the two, Vimeo is much nicer than Youtube. The interface, support, viewing experience, and other stuff all seems better. But I ended up using primarily Youtube, simply because of the much higher view amount, and much more viewer feedback. For a short film I made, the Vimeo version got around 10 views in 3 months, whereas the Youtube one got nearly 1000 views in 3 months.
I agree, you can’t beat YouTube for traffic. However, if you need to show potential clients or investors, Vimeo is much more professional. I now have accounts with both YouTube & Vimeo for exactly that reason.
Stay away from vimeo. My account was just canceled. I received a 2 sentence email that gave me no opportunity to dispute the charge which was quite vague… I’m guessing it’s because I uploaded material from TV – CNN clips that we had permission to use. The rest of our clips were attorneys talking about family law subjects from adoption to grandparents rights. Totally BS that there is no due processes… what a joke.
Did you have a Vimeo or Vimeo Plus account? I think Vimeo gives a little more leeway towards a Plus account since you are paying for it.