Sat, September 2, 2006

Coastsider videos are now available for Windows Media Player

By Barry Parr on Sat, September 2, 2006

A little over five months ago we began offering videos on Coastsider. From important news to everyday life we have been able to bring you an unmatched window on Coastside.

For example, when Devil’s Slide was closed we were there the first full day of the closure, and videotaped the damage. We went back that Wednesday and Friday to show how the damage was increasing, even in the absence of vehicle traffic. Through our coverage readers on the Coastside could make their own assessment of the magnitude of the problem because they could see the damage, in detail, with their own eyes.

By contrast, the local TV stations in the City and over the hill gave a few seconds of video coverage of the damage. Our local newspaper carried a still photo of a locked Caltrans gate during that first critical week.

Viewer response to the videos has been overwhelmingly positive.

Now, as part of Coastsider.com’s upgrade process, we now offer our videos, from those Devil’s Slide videos on forward, in two formats: Quicktime and Windows Media Player (WMP). That means that if you don’t have access to a Quicktime 7 player, you can now see what you’ve been missing. In addition, the WMP files are smaller than the Quicktime files, which makes them especially suitable for those viewers with slower connections. We still recommend Quicktime 7 for its superior quality, but if you can’t or prefer not to install it, you no longer have to.

Now nearly everyone with a computer should be able to enjoy the videos.

If you’re looking for more, click on the "Video" item on the menu under the Coastsider.com banner to see all of our past stories containing video. Here are a few of the most popular videos that you may have missed—enjoy!