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How much does a web like Youtube cost?

Bodhi Dharma Zen

Advaitin
Bodhi Dharma Zen
Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Messages
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Im talking exlusively about the web application, not the servers nor bandwidth costs. Suppose I want to make such a portal, but lack the designing and programing abilities. If I outsource it, how much would I have to pay?

Entering Youtube I can guess about what they are using and how can it be done. Database for videos and registered users, some programing for the statistics modules, design for every page that will be available (front page, about, pages for every video with comments, etc).

Does someone have experience designing complex web sites?

Thanks.

(BTW, is not that I want to do a Youtube, but Im curious about the value of such web applications).

(others could be Revver, MySpace, Friendster, etc) :)
 
Bodhi Dharma Zen said:
Im talking exlusively about the web application, not the servers nor bandwidth costs. Suppose I want to make such a portal, but lack the designing and programing abilities. If I outsource it, how much would I have to pay?

Entering Youtube I can guess about what they are using and how can it be done. Database for videos and registered users, some programing for the statistics modules, design for every page that will be available (front page, about, pages for every video with comments, etc).

Does someone have experience designing complex web sites?

Thanks.

(BTW, is not that I want to do a Youtube, but Im curious about the value of such web applications).

(others could be Revver, MySpace, Friendster, etc) :)
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Well, I don't know how much it would cost, but you wouldn't need to design a huge amount of each page. Most likely the pages and content are served from DB calls via php script (or ruby on rails, etc) so designing pages is a small portion. The big aspect, I would think, is the vidoe conversion upon upload. IIRC youtube converts to another format (from a set of formats you can upload as) such as upload an mpeg and it plays on the page as flash (or something similar.)

The pages themselves, and content for each user/page etc can be easily adapted from current software solutions like php/mysql based wikimedia, or a full blown CMS (Content Management System) that will draw new pages as needed from templates in the scripting. In fact, I would think with a little elbow grease and a minimal knowledge for programming, several opensource content management systems could be quickly adopted, and use something like quicktime broadcaster, or another opensource streaming server app (like Darwin Streaming Server, the opensource port of Quicktime Broadcaster) as a plugin to do the converting and serving of movie content.

You could probably in a day or two adapt any of the solutions available at http://www.opensourcecms.com/ and depending on your server OS, probably be able to script a basic call for the streaming media server software out there.
 
Design+programming front-end webpages: $150,000.00 for a start.
Backend (server architecture, converting the videos etc.): at least the same as above.

In other words: Now, that you already know exactly what you want, you could set up a fake youtube for roughly a quarter of a million. Anything below might look like youtube or "simulate" youtube, but by no means be exactly like youtube.
 
fowlsound said:
You could probably in a day or two adapt any of the solutions available at http://www.opensourcecms.com/ and depending on your server OS, probably be able to script a basic call for the streaming media server software out there.
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Two days! Wow, I guess you should be really really good with open source software. Granted, Im not a web designer nor anything like that, but I understand a bit about html and PHP. I can tell you that it would take me months just to get started.

But anyway, so, how much would you charge to do it? ;) Im curious about how expensive is to develop such a portal.
 
wahrheit said:
Design+programming front-end webpages: $150,000.00 for a start.
Backend (server architecture, converting the videos etc.): at least the same as above.
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Now, that is an answer on to why is difficult to put such portals on the web. Seems that the cost just to design the application is rather high for the average joe. This without talking about the marketing efforts, nor the costs of the hosting. Do your pricing is a "guesstimate"? or fairly accurate?
 
Hm, i'd do it for 50k, hell, i'd do it for less.

Honestly, i dont' see it as being that big, or that complex.

Some.. 50 generic pages are needed, create those in php, make them work with the db.

As for convertion, bah, use mplayer to dump the audio and video into a format that an x->flv converter can use.

i would be very much surprised if i couldn't get everything up and running in two weeks.

That is, unless i would have to not use gpl'ed programs, that changes it quite a bit.
 
want it done? i'll do it in a week.(well, besides for the fact that i have other work)
 
Bodhi Dharma Zen said:
Now, that is an answer on to why is difficult to put such portals on the web. Seems that the cost just to design the application is rather high for the average joe. This without talking about the marketing efforts, nor the costs of the hosting. Do your pricing is a "guesstimate"? or fairly accurate?
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Guesstimate from the top of my head + 10 years experience in making those guesses. :)

TobiasTheCommie said:
want it done? i'll do it in a week.(well, besides for the fact that i have other work)
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It will take you two weeks alone talking to those people, prior to even making a proposal + cutting a deal. Two more weeks will pass while you start getting together the people needed to work on a project like this. This alone == one month. If things run smooth. Not to mention the actual work that needs to be done. Not to mention the overhead, meetings and other non programming-related time wasted.
 
TobiasTheCommie said:
want it done? i'll do it in a week.(well, besides for the fact that i have other work)
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Im not doubting about your claim, because I have no references to make a judgement. Still, are you talking seriously? Can you do a Youtube like web application in about a week?
 
wahrheit said:
Guesstimate from the top of my head + 10 years experience in making those guesses. :)
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I see, then its an informed guesstimate ;)

wahrheit said:
It will take you two weeks alone talking to those people, prior to even making a proposal + cutting a deal. Two more weeks will pass while you start getting together the people needed to work on a project like this. This alone == one month. If things run smooth. Not to mention the actual work that needs to be done. Not to mention the overhead, meetings and other non programming-related time wasted.
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That sounds logical. What about the cost, do you have an idea or maybe another informed guesstimate?
 
There isn't all that much to the site realy. I don't see it as a complex project either.

At the my last job we charged our clients $125/hr for any web development. We would quote a fixed number of hours for a particular design document. As development would go forward and user requirements would shift with items being changed/added new quoted numbers of hours would be given for each change.
 
Molinaro said:
There isn't all that much to the site realy. I don't see it as a complex project either.

At the my last job we charged our clients $125/hr for any web development. We would quote a fixed number of hours for a particular design document.
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So, how many hours would you guesstimate for it?
 
Lets see if I can be more specific, does this goals sounds about right?

1) develop it in three months or less

2) quality level would be Youtube like (nothing like common php "look and feel")

3) try to stick with open source software (but the output should remain flash video)

4) consider every test necessary to have a stable web portal ready to go beta

5) being flexible enough to grow if needed

6) try to stick with custom development in order to have a tight security and proprietary software.
 
Just a quick query (I have never posted to Youtube) What upload formats do they accept? Mpeg, Avi, Quick time, etc? Do they have any size restrictions?

As far as your goals/requirements go, unless you want something *exactly* like Youtube, it's worth storyboarding how you intend your users to use the site. This is an indispensable tool when it comes to specifying functionality and fleshing out graphic design if you are employing someone to do the work.

Very loose goals/requirements will yield a huge variety of estimates as to how long a job will take and cost based on any particular interpretation or assumption.
 
EHLO said:
Just a quick query (I have never posted to Youtube) What upload formats do they accept? Mpeg, Avi, Quick time, etc? Do they have any size restrictions?
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All formats, and 10 minutes or 100MB

EHLO said:
As far as your goals/requirements go, unless you want something *exactly* like Youtube, it's worth storyboarding how you intend your users to use the site. This is an indispensable tool when it comes to specifying functionality and fleshing out graphic design if you are employing someone to do the work.
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I was thinking in something "exactly" as Youtube, in order to have a model ready.

EHLO said:
Very loose goals/requirements will yield a huge variety of estimates as to how long a job will take and cost based on any particular interpretation or assumption.
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Got it. Thanks.
 
Bodhi Dharma Zen said:
Lets see if I can be more specific, does this goals sounds about right?

3) try to stick with open source software (but the output should remain flash video)

6) try to stick with custom development in order to have a tight security and proprietary software.
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Since most OS software is under GPL or LGPL there isn't really a legal way to do that (and before you think you can find way around that you might want to see what happened to Daniel Wallace and SCO).
 
wahrheit said:
It will take you two weeks alone talking to those people, prior to even making a proposal + cutting a deal. Two more weeks will pass while you start getting together the people needed to work on a project like this. This alone == one month. If things run smooth. Not to mention the actual work that needs to be done. Not to mention the overhead, meetings and other non programming-related time wasted.
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bah, beuocracy. I don't get it, never will.

Honestly the site isn't that complex.

Bodhi Dharma Zen said:
Im not doubting about your claim, because I have no references to make a judgement. Still, are you talking seriously? Can you do a Youtube like web application in about a week?
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I'm an optimist, so i always assume nothing will go wrong. but inside a month for sure.

The only thing i wouldn't be able to really do is make a nice design. but give me one and i can use that. But to just copy the design from youtube(illegal i know, but i'm just thinking in terms on how fast it can be done), no problem.
 
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