Dailymotion Blog

We are happy to announce some improvements to the video, user, and group browsing features. A sidebar menu has been added, making it easier to navigate through your Favorites, Playlists, Groups, and Friends.

Search results and channels are now displayed in an updated “grid” format, with more videos on each page. In addition, we have added the option to view them in a more detailed “list” layout. The video items themselves have changed slightly - there is now a small “speech bubble” in the upper left of each thumbnail indicating the language of the video (please keep in mind that we can’t guarantee the accuracy of user-generated metadata).

On the right hand side of these pages you’ll see three rectangular images under “Features & Partners”. Our content team will be using these spaces to let you know about new features, partnerships, and special events.

We hope you like these changes as much as we do. As usual, please give us any feedback - bug reports, praise, suggestions - in the comments here or via feedback@dailymotion.com.

Dailymotion now provides you with a Family Filter option! This feature enables you to choose the content that is best suited for your personal interests. If you wish to view all content on Dailymotion, just log in and turn OFF your Family Filter.

Check it out !

We’re big fans of personalization, so we are very happy to let you know that the skins of Dailymotion embed players are now fully customizable.

To check it out:

1. Go to a video page
2. Click “customize player…” just below the embed code below the video
3. Click the swatches to change the player color
4. Press “OK” to update the embeddable code
5. Now just copy and paste the code into your site!

Some examples:

The best content deserves the highest quality video, and it is in this spirit that Dailymotion has always sought to privilege its outstanding creative community with superior encoding.

For more than a year-and-a-half we have offered High-Quality video encoding, but with the rise of HD digital video cameras we have seen more and more Creative Content submitted in High Definition. This is why, from today on out, all HD video uploaded by MotionMakers and Official Users will be automatically re-encoded in 720p High Definition for playback on the site.

Anyone can watch videos in HD. To get the most out of Dailymotion’s HD, we recommend opening HD videos in full-screen mode or, even better, viewing the site on an HD-compatible screen. If your monitor is not big enough to enjoy HD, you can always connect your computer to your TV.

We have created a dedicated list page to help you find HD quality videos on Dailymotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/hd

Word to the wise, however: HD is both bandwidth and processor intensive, so a 2 Mbps connection is advised (and dual-cores don’t hurt ;).

Along with this bit of news comes another: the beta player which you have been able to test for a number of weeks has been activated throughout the site. In addition to HD support, it includes such improvements as realtime seeking, in-player embed and email tools, and greater user control over the quality of the video being streamed.

For the power-users out there, we have also included some handy keyboard shortcuts (NB: these do not work in fullscreen mode):

<CTRL>-<UP> : volume +10%
<CTRL>-<DOWN> : volume -10%
<SHIFT>-<LEFT> : video -60 secs
<SHIFT>-<RIGHT> : video +60 secs
<CTRL>-<LEFT> : video -10 secs
<CTRL>-<RIGHT> : video +10 secs
<LEFT ARROW> : video -15 secs
<RIGHT ARROW> : video +15 secs
<SPACE> : play/pause

Try it out and let us know what you think.

The videoroll has enjoyed great success since its launch. As you’ll recall, it is a small tool which let you post a set of mini video players on any external site. Following its months of faithful service, we decided it was time give it a bit of a facelift, and are pleased to roll-out Dailymotion’s new Videowall!

Overview
The videowall is an evolution of the Videoroll. Whereas the old version only allowed you to post one column or row of videos, the Videowall lets you post not only a column or row, but and animated “wall” of up to 81 (9×9) videos. The mini-players within the wall will pull the most recent videos from any video list available on Dailymotion: featured videos, most commented, most viewed, your channels, your videos, etc. - the possibilities are endless.

The tool, moreover, is fully configurable: you can add drop shadows, control spacing, show or hide video info with mouseovers, auto-play previews with the “zapping” mode (try it, it’s fun), and define the position of the logo. Don’t hesitate to play with all these options to create your ideal Videowall!

I love it, but where can I find it and how do I put it on my site?
You can see the Videowall on this page, and you can get to the factory by clicking the “Videowall” link under “Tools” in the footer at the bottom of any Dailymotion page. To put a Videowall on your site, select your options on the Videowall factory page, click “Generate Videowall”, and then copy the code and paste it where you want it to appear on your site.

What’s going to happen with the old Videorolls?
The Videorolls already in place will not be affected by the launch of the Videowall, but don’t hesitate to replace your Videorolls with Videowalls! As always, we invite your feedback on and opinion of this new tool. Please leave any praise - or let us know of any bugs - in the comments of this post. All your input will be reviewed.

You already know the Creative Content program, which gives greater exposure to Dailymotion’s creative users whether they’re filmmakers, reporters, musicians, entertainers, extreme athletes, or unclassifiable talents.

With more than 3000 MotionMakers registered, tens of thousands of Creative Content uploads, and over 90 million views, success and recognition are coming together, thanks to your creativity.

Today we have launched a parallel program called “Official Content“, this time designed for professionals, businesses, and non-profits.

Record labels, studios and production houses, media outlets, TV channels, sports leagues, political parties - all are using Dailymotion more and more to promote their videos.

As a professional content producer, your account is free from upload limits so that you can share as much of your work as you like with with the Dailymotion community. Get your content out there, follow its audience, test the community reaction and interact with your viewers.

“Official Content” videos benefit from increased visibility within the site. Their thumbnail frame makes them stand out from the rest of the content, and they may be featured on the homepage by our editoral team.

To join the program or learn more about it, please visit our page, “Become an Official User.”

Today we bring you a fresh batch of functions. The goal of this update? To facilitate and reinforce interaction between our community members.

Exchange with Your Contacts

We have put in place an internal messaging system, which lets you send messages and share videos with your friends. As you may also want to voice your opinion publicly, you can now post comments on your friends’ profile, or on groups you belong to.

The Power of Friendship

In order to avoid undesirable messages in your inbox or on your profile, we have reviewed our contact management system. To add a user to your contacts now requires their confirmation, and vice versa. Only once another user has accepted your request will they be added to your contact lists.

To note this change, we won’t be speaking of “contacts” any longer, but of friends. Once a user is verified as one of your friends, you can send them messages through the Inbox, or post comments to their profile.

What Happens with Your Old Relationships

What happens with users you have already added to your contacts? If you are not already in their contact list, a request will be sent to their inbox. If you are in their contact list, they should already be verified as one of your friends. What if another user has added you to their contacts? If the member is not already in your contact list, you will receive a friend request from them in your inbox. You can also find sent and received friend requests on the “My Friends” page under “Users”.

You may already have friend requests pending in your inbox, so we invite you to check as soon as possible! You can access your inbox when you are logged in by clicking on the envelope icon in the upper right of the header.

As always, we invite you to send us your opinion of these new functions, and to let us know of any potential bugs or issues in the comments of this post.

Happy surfing!

Attention all Obsessive Star Wars Fans!!!

If you think you¹re the biggest Star Wars Fanboy (or Fangirl) EVER, then get ready for an unbelievable contest on Dailymotion from July 25th to August 31st! You could win a walk-on role in the upcoming movie Fanboys, starring Kristen Bell from Veronica Mars, which follows fanatical, crazy, and wild Star Wars fans on a cross-country trek to sneak into a preview of Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace.

To enter this contest, users (US residents only) can register and upload an original video no longer than 3 minutes showing why they¹re the ultimate Star Wars fan to the Ultimate Fanboys Contest Group at http://fanboys.dailymotion.com. Be creative, be funny, be yourself!

Check out the videos on the Group page and add the ones you like most to your favorites. The 10 videos that have been added to favorites the most will move on to the next round. Then, the producers of the movie will pick the winner!

Not only will you get a walk-on role in Fanboys, you’ll be featured in the Special Features on the DVD! George Lucas has already given his official seal of approval to the movie, so you’ll be a part of Star Wars history!

OK - start uploading your video and may the Force be with you!

On July 18th, Dailymotion U.S. announced the New York City-based sketch comedy troupe The Dregs as the winner of the “Great Sketch Comedy Showdown” competition (http://www.dailymotion.com/group/63851).

The Dregs, comprised of members Sandra Bauleo, John Roberts (the one in drag), Gina Vetro, and Clay Weiner, will receive a six month development deal with comedy producer Jim Biederman. This award includes mentoring, creative input and assistance in obtaining a distribution deal. The Dreg’s winning entries can be seen at http://www.dailymotion.com/the_dregs.

Jim Biederman is Dailymotion’s first professional mentor for the MotionMaker Mentor program in the US, which identifies and rewards outstanding contributors to the Dailymotion creative community. Jim was an executive producer of hit television series “Kids in the Hall,” “The Tom Green Show,” “The Andy Dick Show,” and “Whitest Kids U’Know.”

Over the course of four weeks, two hundred sketch comedy troupes uploaded over 900 videos! Dailymotion thanks all of the troupes for participating and we plan on featuring many of the videos on our homepages both in the US and International.