iProductVideo 2.0 - a new way to experience product videos
ProductVideo is a light plug-and-play video module that allows you to add YouTube/ Vimeo or HTML5 videos to your product images, so that when an image is clicked, the video pops up in an inline window. We are very happy to introduce the new version of iProductVideo 2.0, which offers a bunch of new features which will improve the way your customers experience your product videos.
Upload your own HTML5 video
When it comes to storing and using video on our own server, there are several alternatives, among which the most popular are Flash and HTML5. Here is what we love about HTML5 videos. HTML5 videos are searchable, they render properly on all mobile/tablet devices, as well as function flawlessly on modern browsers. What is a modern browser? Although there isn't an unanimous definition over this subject, usually the following browsers are recognized as modern:
- IE 9+
- Firefox 3.5 +
- Opera 10.5+
- Chrome 3+
- Safari 3+
With iProductVideo you can easily make use of the benefits of HTML5 videos. Here is how to upload an HTML5 video and hook it to your product:
After we click browse, the standard Upload OpenCart form will be loaded. There we need to select the video we want to upload:
HTML5 videos supports various video formats, such as Ogg, WebM or MP4. Different browsers support different video formats, so you can add the same video in different formats and associate it to the same product. In this way you will guarantee cross-browser compatibility and seamless playback. In order to associate different video formats with the same product, all you need to do is place a "," (comma), between the two links. Here is how this looks like:
Use default Product Video thumbnail
A thumbnail is an image, usually taken from the video, designated to provide the user with a useful information on what the video is about. It is designed to touch on our curiosity and make us invest our time in viewing the video. When setting up a thumbnail for a resource-abundand channels like YouTube and Vimeo, most of the video authors do a great job in finding and choosing this one shot that sparks our curiosity and make us want to watch the video. iProductVideo intuitively fetches the default YouTube/Vimeo thumbnail and lays it over the product image. Here is an example:
If you still wish to put your own video thumb, you can easily substitute the default one with an image of your choice.
Attach a video to the main product image
The main product image is usually the best shot showing your product. This is why in OpenCart, you have it separately, on a different page. In order to access the main product image, we need to go to Catalog/Products/Data and scroll all the way down. Now, if you have iProductVideo installed you will notice a link window added on the right hand side of the image. In order to use a video for your main product image, all you need to do is copy/paste a link in the window and hit save. This is how the process should look like:
And here is a snapshot of iProductVideo in action:
Summary of whats new:
- Upload your own HTML video
- Use default Product video thumbnail
- Attach a video to the main product image
We are very excited about these features and are looking forward into finding out how they help you build audience and how to make your product videos even more awesome.
