How are we different?

As the Chief Technical Officer for Digital Magic Productions, Inc., my job entails creating and managing all the software and hardware that runs our presentation system. We are not a franchise – we did not purchase our presentation software from another company – and we did not outsource the development of our system.

So, how does this help you? The simple answer is that we can adapt and improve our system faster than a corporately run, or franchised provider. Any ideas presented to us, or upgrades to our system, are just a double-click away to open the development software to create a change. As an example, when a real estate agent told us they didn't believe the images on their templated brochure were sharp enough when printed, I doubled the resolution of those images – for every listing on our site – that day. When the link underline under another agent's email address obscured the underscore (_) in her address, it was corrected before I was off the phone with her. But fast response to infrequent issues is not the only advantage.

By developing our system in-house, it also provides us with infinitely flexibility in what we can produce. When true video presentations became a real possibility for a standard internet connection, we added that capability to our presentation. When the iPhone and more advanced Blackberry phones were released, these videos were adapted for video streaming to smart-phones. And when Flash version 9 exceeded a 92% penetration in the market, we increased our photo resolution by 5 times to be capable of presenting them in a true full-screen, high-definition viewer.

Being able to adapt our software without corporate oversight, cost-analysis, or interference is every programmers dream. I can work and improve our system in the order deemed most important and attainable by me and my boss, Mike, the owner. With this freedom, we have produced the highest quality presentation for our photography available in the market today.

Our virtual tours are presented in a more advanced viewer than all the other providers, giving greater speed, functionality, and resolution. Our photos are delivered at over twice the resolution of our BEST competitor, and 6 times the resolution of the norm. Our movie tours are downloadable, and compatible with multiple devices beyond the standard desktop computer. Our template itself does not rely on Flash software to function, enabling the cell-phone audience to see the presentation (even the iPhone does not support Flash). And finally, ALL our media is capable of true full-screen, high-definition display. No other provider can give a buyer interested in real estate, or a seller hoping to catch that buyer, a similar presentation – or anything close.

So again, how are we different? Ask that next time your current provider tells you there is nothing they can do to fix your problem, or add your requested feature.

Next article, I'll talk about how I've written over 80,000 lines of code so you can use this same presentation – with YOUR photography.