Products Blog About Contact us Sign In

Stupeflix Gets Jury Award from Inman News at Real Estate Developer Challenge

Inman Connect  conferences are where real estate intersects with technology. Having more and more users coming from the real estate industry, we decided to go to Inman Connect in San Francisco last month, and make an impression. So we enrolled in the Developer Challenge, in which participants have 48 hours to develop a web application for real estate from scratch and present it to attendees.

Here’s what we built: a simple web app that transforms in one-click a real estate listing into a video virtual tour, right in your browser. It is live and functional and you can check it out right here. How it works: first install on your browser our bookmark, then look at a property listing on either realtor.com, zillow.com or trulia.com, and use the bookmark you just saved: the property video will create itself on-the-fly, in a few seconds.

You can watch below our presentation of the app, the Inman Connect crowd really loved it! Inman has the full video of the event.

The crowd weren’t the only enthusiasts, and the Inman News decided to give us a special award by selecting Stupeflix as their favorite app. The voting system didn’t really work at the event* so we really appreciate this extra step in rewarding our efforts:

We liked Stupeflix’s innovative concept for quick and easy video presentations. There is ample raw potential there for how this on-the-fly video tool would be widely used for its sheer simplicity”, said the Inman News editorial department in its review of the developer contestants.

“The Stupeflix video-generating tool snoops for photos and relevant text and agent and company contact information and wraps that into a cohesive and impressive short video with an automated voiceover. The Stupeflix tool could prove useful to agents in preparing property presentations to clients on short notice and while out in the field.”

Stupeflix is particularly useful to real estate  by making it easy to create videos showcasing properties. Real estate agents and brokers can use the Stupeflix Studio to create videos online in a few simple steps. Real estate (web) developers can use the Stupeflix API to automatically transform listings in videos that can be shared on Facebook, spread on YouTube or watched on mobile devices.

* Hats-off to the RentJuice team who built a very cool app and won the contest. Unfortunately the SMS-based voting system didn’t work properly during the event due to network saturation, and we feel the end results don’t translate the overwhelming positive response we got from the audience that day. C’est la vie.

The Magic Bulletin Board: Why Stupeflix Studio will rock your socks.

If you’re tired of online video editors that barely let you edit at all, today’s adventure is for you! We’ll explore the answer to all your problems: the Stupeflix Studio!

studio home brighton The Magic Bulletin Board: Why Stupeflix Studio will rock your socks.

The genius of the Stupeflix Studio is its intuitive user interface. I like to think of it as a kind of magic bulletin board. Once you’ve uploaded your photos and/or videos onto this board, they can be dragged and dropped to form “groups.” You now have three levels on which you can control your movie.

the element…

studio the element The Magic Bulletin Board: Why Stupeflix Studio will rock your socks.

the group…

studio the group The Magic Bulletin Board: Why Stupeflix Studio will rock your socks. Screen shot 2010 07 27 at 4.59.08 PM The Magic Bulletin Board: Why Stupeflix Studio will rock your socks.

and the entire video…

studio the movie The Magic Bulletin Board: Why Stupeflix Studio will rock your socks.

All this freedom means getting a final project that you like, recognize and are proud of creating (because you actually created it!). With other editors, it’s embarrassing to tell your friends how you got the end result; all you did was press a couple buttons.

With Stupeflix, you get all the glory. You deserve it.

So, please, enjoy! And let me know how it goes; your questions and comments are always welcome! You can also check out the other adventures I’ve been having here at Stupeflix.

Until next time,

Sable (aka The Stupeflix Intern)

StupeflixTV: Stairway to Twitter-Flickr Heaven.

Today, we’re exploring a little-known Stupeflix feature: StupeflixTV.

StupeflixTV turns your favorite Twitter and Flickr queries into their own TV channels. Updated constantly, (every ten minutes to be exact) these channels match the latest information available on the web.

Stupeflix.TV home1 StupeflixTV: Stairway to Twitter Flickr Heaven.

To get started, go to http://Stupeflix.TV and click “Create a channel,” found in the upper left corner of the homepage.

stupeflix.tv options toolbar2 StupeflixTV: Stairway to Twitter Flickr Heaven.

The best channels are those with the most related tweets and Flickr images. Therefore, I’ve created the “Obama Channel.” First, enter the name of your channel. The channel’s URL is automatically generated from the name you choose. If the URL is already taken, you will be prompted to choose a new one (or you can change it regardless if you so desire.)
Stupeflix.TV channel name and url StupeflixTV: Stairway to Twitter Flickr Heaven.

Next, enter the Twitter and Flickr queries from which you want Stupeflix.TV to generate your channel. I’ve chosen to use #obama and #whitehouse for both my Twitter and Flickr queries, but they don’t  have to match. Stupeflix provides some  helpful hints on how to gather meaningful search results from Twitter, plus the option to view the results of your queries before you decide to use them.

Stupeflix.TV twitter and flickr query StupeflixTV: Stairway to Twitter Flickr Heaven.

Once you’ve decided on your terms, simply click “Create Channel” and wait for Stupeflix to work its magic. Here’s what was generated for the Obama Channel using my chosen queries. You can find the most up-to-date version at  http://stupeflix.tv/Obama/.

YouTube Preview Image

As you can see, creating your own Stupeflix channel is super simple, and the results are pretty awesome. Don’t be shy– start creating your own today!

As for me, I think I’ve used up my amount of fun-time for the day; I am the intern, after all! I should probably find some papers to file… fetch something… Oh! Also, don’t forget to share links to your own creations in the comments below. I’m eager to see what you all come up with!

Until next time,

Sable (aka the Stupeflix Intern)

NEW POST- The Magic Bulletin Board: Why Stupeflix Studio will rock your socks.

Let the Stupefaction Begin: You, me and one special online video editor.

Stupeflix has been called many things: online video editor, technical genius, mythical beast. Well, I am here to affirm that it is, indeed, each of these things… and more!

Stupeflix main homepage Let the Stupefaction Begin: You, me and one special online video editor.

But who am I, and how can I be so sure?!

My name is Sable, and I am the Stupeflix Intern. Yes, the Stupeflix Intern.

You’re probably wondering what drove me to pack my bags and fly halfway around the world, from L.A. to Stupeflix headquarters in Paris, in order to attain this title. Was it a need to try something new? An urge to travel? My borderline-debilitating relationship with chocolate croissants?

Nope. It all came down to one, simple fact: Stupeflix is fricking sweet!

Now, I apologize for getting overly technical in my first blog post, but there was no other way to put it. Over and over, my personal team of scientists and I have come to the same, scientific conclusion that Stupeflix is just, straight-up, fricking sweet.

I ask that you join me on my Intern Adventures, in which we will laugh, cry, and dive deeper into the fricking sweetness that is Stupeflix. In the meantime, please share your own experiences with Stupeflix and any suggestions on what you’d like to explore next!

Until Next Time,

Sable (aka The Stupeflix Intern)

New Stupeflix Player Supports HTML5, iThings

New Stupeflix Player Supports HTML5 Plays on iPhones iPads

Exciting news here at Stupeflix! We released a new video player that supports both Flash and HTML5, and adds interactivity with buttons you can click after a video plays.

What it means for all of us Apple fanboys and fangirls, is that we can now watch our Stupeflix videos on our iPhones and iPads while browsing stupeflix.com The new Stupeflix player detects automatically how your browser plays video, and uses either an HTML5 or Flash player, whatever works best for you.

After playing a video, the player shows buttons so we can take further actions. Our business users can customize these, as well as the look and feel of the player. To see it in action, check out the video on the home page of the Studio.

The HTML5 vs. Flash conendrum is the front end of a raging battle between Internet giants to define the future standard(s) of online video. At Stupeflix we live and breathe online video,  here’s a little background and our 2 cents.

Apple strongly supports HTML5 (which lets web browsers play H.264 encoded videos, used by Apple QuickTime, and a standard owned by industry consortium MPEG-LA), and ditches Flash for its toll on computing performance and lack of openness. The Mozilla Foundation (editor of the Firefox web browser) wants an open standard, supports the Theora codec, and recently announced support for WebM in FireFox, a forthcoming standard based on the VP8 codec, recently acquired by Google. Google boasts the broadest position, integrating Flash video player directly into the Chrome browser while being a supporter of HTML5 and offering VP8 as an open standard.

YouTube weighed in on the debate a couple days ago with a balanced view: while actively supporting HTML5 and contributing to the WebM/VP8 open standard, Flash is still best in class when it comes to streaming video, and offering a rich user experience (going back and forth in a video, going full screen…).

At Stupeflix we’ve always been big fans of HTML5 (and occasional Apple fanboys). All the videos you create on Stupeflix are encoded with H.264 and delivered as MP4 files, which play on both Flash and Quicktime. However, when it comes to delivering video to the user as fast as possible, streaming H.264 files comes short, and Flash shows its strength. That’s why the instant preview in the Studio is powered by Flash video. Now, that doesn’t mean we won’t be able to it in H.264. We solved bigger problems before. And we want to make videos on our iPads with the Studio! So stay tuned.

[Video] Stupeflix on the LaunchPad event at Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco

During the Web 2.0 Expo held in San Francisco last May, we had the pleasure to be chosen as one of the five finalists of the LaunchPad event. The LaunchPad production team was very impressive; as soon as we got there they miked us up, took care of all the logistics to have us present in the same room where Steve Jobs did his keynote a few days ago!

It was great fun to give this presentation along with other great startups (AskYourTargetMarket.com, Pearltrees, Rhomobile and Strings). The whole thing was recorded, and the video is now up on YouTube. So here it is, Stupeflix in 5 minutes:

Press Release: Stupeflix Studio Now Available In Google Apps

Add Stupeflix Studio to your Google Apps account

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Stupeflix Studio now available to Google Apps users to create professional videos easily

SAN FRANCISCO, June 15th, 2010 – Today Stupeflix announces the integration of its Studio web application within the Google Apps Marketplace™, Google’s online storefront for Google Apps™ products and services. Businesses can now create professional videos easily from the comfort of their Google Apps account.

Video is the fastest growing online marketing channel for local businesses*. Yet for most people, creating videos is considered a daunting task. That’s the problem Stupeflix aims to solve – you can create awesome videos online, in a few simple steps.

Business apps now live in the cloud. The Stupeflix Studio enables users to create videos easily online, from any computer, anywhere, anytime. Now the more than 25 million Google Apps users can use the Studio to easily create video ads, product videos, video listings, or video greeting cards. Once installed for free on a Google Apps account, users can access the Studio right from the Google universal navigation, without having to sign in.

We are very happy to have the Stupeflix Studio in the Google Apps Marketplace,” adds Scott McMullan, Google Apps Partner Lead for Google Enterprise. “Through the Google Apps Marketplace, software vendors like Stupeflix are helping us build a rich ecosystem of integrated apps that work seamlessly with Google Apps, allowing IT administrators to leverage the benefits of cloud computing and extend Google Apps to meet more of their business needs. We are excited to make video creation easier for the millions of Google Apps users who have embraced the cloud.

Creating TV-grade professional videos is easy with the Studio: select a video template, or build it assembling ready-to-use sequences. For instance, take a map sequence to show where your business is located, all you need to do is enter an address. Then fill the video template with pictures, logos, video clips, soundtracks. Pictures can be imported directly from a Picasa™, or Flickr or Facebook account. Once the video is ready, you can download the file, or send it to a YouTube or Facebook account. Videos can be exported in high-definition format, and play on iPhones and iPads.

About Stupeflix
Stupeflix is on a mission to simplify video creation.
The Studio makes it easy for people to create professional-looking videos online.
The Play platform allows organizations to create hundreds of thousands of videos automatically.
The Stupeflix API makes it easy for developers to build video applications.

Useful links
- Adding Stupeflix Studio to Google Apps
- Stupeflix Studio in the Google Apps Marketplace
- (video) How to create a video with the Studio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qtaCj_LSoc

* Source: http://www.reelseo.com/video-small-business-advertisers/

####

Google, Google Apps Marketplace, Google Apps and Picasa are trademarks of Google Inc.

Stupeflix Selected in Top 100 Innovative Companies in Europe by Red Herring

Red Herring Top 100 EuropeEvery year Red Herring editorial team picks the 100 most innovative companies in Europe and the World. We’re honored to have been selected amongst the 100 most promising and innovative technology companies in Europe!

The Top 100 Europe are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries. “Choosing the companies with the strongest potential was by no means a small feat,” tells Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring.

Very much appreciated!

How to Show off Aviary Images with Stupeflix

The Aviary suite of web imagery applications is nothing short of awesome. If you spent hours polishing your digital creations, you may want to show them in their best light: in video with Stupeflix!

This short tutorial, inspired by this post, shows you how to showcase your Aviary images in a video created in a snap with the Stupeflix Studio. With this method you won’t even need to download images to a hard drive, or export them.

Step 1: Get the URLs of your Aviary images

Aviary Image for Stupeflix VideoWhen saving an image on Aviary, you are given lots of options on what to do next: publish, export, download, or share.

Aviary also gives you a bunch of URLs so you can find and share your images with a link. Copy the “Image URL” with the highest resolution.

Step 2: Paste the URLs in the Stupeflix Studio

Aviary Image for Stupeflix Video

Start a video project on the Stupeflix Studio by choosing a video theme. Next, click on add images and videos, and choose the “Add image URLs” option. Then paste the URLs from Aviary.

Step 3: Make your video with the Studio!

Aviary Image for Stupeflix VideoWe like to believe that’s the fun part. What do you think?

Also remember, if you want to make videos with pictures stored on your Facebook, or Flickr, or Picasa account, you can import them directly in the Stupeflix Studio!

3, 2, 1… LaunchPad! Stupeflix selected to demo on stage at Web 2.0 Expo

Stupeflix finalist LaunchPad

It is ON! We’re thrilled, honored to be selected to demo our greatest and latest at the LaunchPad event during the Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco.

Stupeflix is one of 5 startups selected by experts (obviously…) amongst more than 80 submissions, based on the innovation and the value brought to the market (makes sense… ).

Save the date: May 5th at 1:15PM at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco. It’s not too late to grab your free expo pass (use discount code EXPOPASS), if you’re around come support us!


Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco 2010