Archive for the ‘Online Video’ Category

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84 Online Video Platforms, 1 Website, 1 Show.

November 7th, 2010

Yes, VidCompare lists 84 OVPs today offering side by side comparisons, sorting and filtering, help and how-tos, latest news, a robust online video glossary, and many other OVP-related tools. But there is only one show that captures all of this in a face to face environment bringing together the who’s who of OV. Online Video Platform Summit part two was a great show this year with solid panels moderated by industry insiders and seeded with insightful panelists. The panel I moderated, How to Choose the Right OVP for Your Business, had 3 fantastic panelists which, in my opinion, stole the show. Last year I sat on a similar panel with 3 OVPs who walked the audience through how they provide online video solutions for businesses, this year the coin was flipped and the panel was occupied by 3 unique business executives whom explained their experiences of finding and working with their online video platform of choice.

Panelist number one, Austin Brooks is a Master Magician and uses Brightcove to power his website of amazing magic tricks which he performs all over the world. Our second panelist, Peter Himmelman is a musician and entertainer with tons of online video of his many shows, backstage passes, and a web series called Himmelman’s Furious World. And our third panelist was Curt Van Inwegen, an interactive online marketer and Vice President of Client Services at LEVEL studios who uses Kyte to manage their online video needs. Like I said, an all-star cast of people who have first-hand knowledge of the pain and pleasure of selecting an OVP for their unique use case. Peter kept the crowd laughing with his artistic view on life and the world of online video, Austin captivated us with his practical and insightful commentary on why Brightcove is best for his needs, and how he uses and tracks his online video. And Curt was our resident technologist explaining to the crowd, and our panel, how to get the most of online video, why a multi-device strategy is critical, and how to customize video players to match his customer’s particular use cases. I could not have asked for a better panel.

As soon as StreamingMedia publishes the videos from the show I will add ours to this post. Until then, here are the questions I asked the panelists:

  1. What where the key components to your decision making process when evaluating OVPs? Was it feature-based, use case, or something else entirely?
  2. What were the 3-4 main features you considered when looking for an OVP for your particular business?
  3. How important is multi-device delivery to your company (mobile, set top, tablet) and how did you go about comparing one provider’s mobile strategy to another?
  4. Did you test drive any of the platforms by signing up for a free trial prior to making your decision and if so, what approach did you take when evaluating their services?
  5. Was monetization a key consideration for your business and if so, what were the key components of video advertising that were specific to you?
  6. UGC vs. professionally produced video? Why are either or both important to your business?
  7. What advice would you give the audience in laying out an online video strategy?

I’d like to thank Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen and Larry Kless for putting on a fantastic event and for having me as a guest moderator. I look forward to next year.

Check out Austin catching a paint bullet with his teeth:

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Online Video Platform Summit 2010

September 22nd, 2010

This year’s event is shaping up to be even better than last year’s with an all-star lineup of keynotes, and unbeatable program sessions. Headlining this year’s show is Rish Chandra, Product Lead for Google TV on opening day followed by Jennifer Taylor, Senior Director of Adobe Systems, and Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Brightcove on the second day. You can see a full list of the events here and don’t forget to register early, November (2-3) is creeping up on us fast.

Some of us Bay Area folks are going to have to travel to the event this year as it will be held in LA as opposed to San Jose last year. Not a problem though, the show is well worth it as you can see in my wrap-up of the 2009 inaugural event. Last year I was fortunate enough to sit on a panel moderated by StreamingMedia’s editor, Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen entitled Defining Online Video Platforms. This year we’re moving to the next level and I will be moderating a new panel called, How to Choose the Right Online Video Platform for your Business which will include a few OVPs as well as industry insiders.

So much has happened in the online video platform space this year with M&A activity (Kit/Multicast, LimeLight/Delve, Google/Episodic), new OVPs emerging (StreamingVideoProvider, ProVDN, Bubble Cast), and new technologies coming to the forefront (HTML5, TVE). And there’s no better place to catch up on OVP happenings face to face with industry thought leaders, media publishers, and the platforms themselves than at OVPSummit.

Keep a close eye on what’s happening @OVPSummit, #OVPS10.

See you there.

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Posted in Online Video, Online Video Platform Space

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Online Video Hosting Platforms in Transition

August 11th, 2010

The first half of 2010 has proven a few of us wrong. There were predictions made at the end of last year that this would be the defining year for Online Video Platforms, that we’d see strong growth and maturity followed by a shakeout. Some of this has indeed happened, mind you, but not to the degree some of us thought. With over 80 OVPs tracked in the VidCompare database there has certainly been no shortage of growth in the space but the maturity has been a bit slower as has been the shakeout.

With regards to maturity in the space, there needs to be a better understanding of online business’ pain-points and attention to their use cases to show real maturity in my opinion. Some are starting to specialize by honing in on key aspects of their business in an attempt to not only address the needs of online enterprises but also to set themselves apart from the masses. Clearly Ooyala is playing the monetization and analytics card, Unicorn Media and Twistage focusing on  ”workflow” management, Wistia on internal training and behind the firewall solutions, Veeple on interactive video specifically for eLearning, and ProVDN on videographer tools.

And the shakeout has begun but certainly not to the extent as some of us previously thought it would. Kit Digital has been on a buying spree acquiring theFeedroom, and Multicast as well as a few other non-OVPs. SesameVault put themselves on eBay, Motionbox assets were acquired by Shutterfly, and most recently Delve was bought by LimeLight Networks. What’s disconcerting is the fact that this past quarter only one OVP received VC funding (Brightcove) and the acquisitions that have taken place have been at losses. Indeed, the second half of the year is perhaps living up to our 2010 predictions but I’d rather be wrong then to see companies earning less than what they’ve taken in investment. Delve sold for an undisclosed sum but sources close to the deal say it was worth $4 million (cash + stock) which is unfortunately far less than the $10 million invested in the company meaning very few people made any money from the deal.

In the two months since leaving Fliqz, Inc. I’ve had some very interesting conversations with OVP CEOs and upper management about the space and how they plan to weather the next few quarters. Some are looking for an exit of some kind, I know of at least 7 OVPs whom are actively looking for an acquirer. But the market for acquisitions is ugly at best and the CEOs I’ve spoken to on the other side of the coin are looking to pick up technology and/or customers for pennies on the dollar or just straight stock. Other OVPs are planning to place their bets tangentially (within video but not on the OVP itself) for the time being while things shakeout in the platform space stating that there was just too much early growth and investment leading to crowding and a lack of standardization causing confusion among users and lack of focus amongst providers.

There’s no doubt the VidCompare directory with thin over the next 3-4 quarters as the space better defines itself, standards come to fruition, lesser platforms get bought or go out of business, and diversification occurs. My guess is the 80 OVPs we’re tracking today will trim down to roughly 55 or so in the coming quarters. But for the time being it’s a bit of a frenzy as platform providers roll out new services left and right simply to say “we do this” and “we do that” just like the other guy. HTML5, mobile, geolocation, and iPad are all buzzwords that competing platforms make announcements about every other day. This focus on table stakes just isn’t proving to be a winning strategy and until we see more competitive advantages in the form of ground-breaking, niche solutions then last December’s predictions will certainly continue to play out.

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Posted in Online Video, Online Video Platform Providers, Online Video Platform Space

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Lighting for Online Videos: Try not to burn down the house – Shooting Online Video Part 7

July 19th, 2010

There’s a reason that Sandra Bullock said she always befriends the lighting crew when she starts a movie in her Oscar acceptance speech and it’s because good lighting makes all the difference. Bad lighting can completely change the mood of the video you’re shooting. Lighting is really an art form. The good news is that if you have any kind of photography background lighting might come a bit easier to you. If not, you’re going to have to work at it.  Before you can become Sandra Bullock’s BFF on the set, there are a few essentials you need to know about lighting.

Lights can use a lot of power and depending on where you are shooting that can be a problem. When I first got into lighting I went to a video/photo store to get started. I found a sales assistant to help me and started asking questions.

“I’m shooting video and I need to get some lights. I’m not sure what kind.”

He asked, “Where are you shooting?”

My response, “In a house.”

He took me right by all the fancy lights you see on movie sets and straight to light bulbs in a box. I thought to myself, ‘this is soooo not going to work.’ He pulled a few lights (Westcott #0050 50 watt Daylight Balanced Fluorescent Lamps, and Eiko Photo Pro 30 Watt lamps) off the shelf for me and told me they should work fine.

Looking longingly at the fancy lights, I asked, “Really? Why not those lights over there. They seem better.”

His response, “Do you know anything about the wiring where you’re shooting?”

I shook my head ‘no.’ Come on’ I’m not an electrician.

He responded, “Those can fry your electrical system and burn down the house.”

That sounds bad. So I took the lights he recommended and asked about light stands.

He got me some stands and said something sort of surprising, “Next, you should go to Home Depot or a hardware store and get those silver clamp casings. It won’t cost a lot and it will work fine with these lights.”

I thought that sounds a little ghetto, but I was new to lighting and it was a minimal investment to get started. So, I took them, went to the hardware store got what he said, and started messing with the lights when I got home. Actually, turns out not so bad. Yet, still I wanted those crazy big lights. So I learned more and more about lights and now I know why the guy set me up with the ones I have.

First, those big fancy lights can get hot: I, mean, really hot. You should never touch them with your hands. You should use gloves when handling them. One reason is that they’re freaking hot. The next reason is that the oil from your fingers can actually ruin the bulbs. Second, the electricity in the house isn’t configured to support those huge lights and thus can overload a circuit. The other problem with the heat emitted is that the person those lights are focused on is going to start sweating – even start to think they’re getting a tan. I know, I’ve been under those lights a lot. They’re firecracker hot.

In short, most homes can support at least 15 amps. But you don’t see amps on light bulb boxes. Instead you see Watts and Volts. So to find out if you’re going to overload a circuit with your lights, try this equation: Amps = Watts/Volts. In my scenario I have a light that’s 50 Watts and 120 Volts. 50/120 = 0.41 – That’s well in the range of what a house will support. So circuits won’t blow, house won’t burn down. All is good in the world.

Before getting lights find out what your electrical system can support and then you’ll know what to buy. As for those tin covers, apparently they aren’t so ghetto after all. Just about every one I’ve met who does lighting has their own portable lighting kit and what do they have for the light bulb covers? Those tin covers. Why else are they so good to have? Well, they have clips on them so you can clip them to just about anything and you’ll be surprised how much this comes in handy.

Read all previous parts to this ongoing series, Shooting Online Video:

Part 6 – Camera Settings

Part 5 – Backgrounds

Part 4 – Lighting And Content

Part 3 – Picking A Camera

Part 2 – SD or HD

Part 1 – Just Do It!

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Posted in Getting Started in Online Video, Online Video

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More M&A in Online Video – Snapfish Acquires Motionbox

July 12th, 2010

Today Motionbox announced to their members that their online video sharing technology has been acquired by Snapfish, the video and image sharing product of parent HP. As you will read in the announcement below, free Motionbox users, some 2+ million of them, are invited to sign up for a Snapfish account for a free 30 day trial and are offered a free 8″ x 11″ photo book if they decide to stay on. Existing members have until August 10 to download their video assets from Motionbox after which they will no longer be available.

Back in November of 2009 Motionbox released a paid version of their service in response to high customer demand for enhanced services. They were successful in converting over 300 customers to the $25 a month package which included 25 G’s of streaming and storage. According to Motionbox they are currently looking for a new home for these paid clients and will support a migration process to ensure they are taken care of and are in good hands.

Dear Motionbox member,

Very important news about your Motionbox account! We are pleased to announce that Snapfish by HP has acquired Motionbox Inc.’s video technology platform.

The Motionbox.com service will continue to operate through August 10, 2010. Until then, you’ll be able to log in to your Motionbox account to download videos you wish to save back to your computer. After August 10, 2010, you will not be able to download your videos from Motionbox.

As an industry-leading name in digital photo and video storage and sharing, Snapfish is trusted and preferred by over 90 million members in 22 countries. And, with the technology muscle of parent company HP, Snapfish is your reliable new home to upload, save, and savor your most memorable video moments.

As a Motionbox member, you can now try the Snapfish Home Video service for 30 days – FREE! Here’s all you need to do:

1. Click here to go to Snapfish.
2. Create your Snapfish account, or sign in if you’re already a member.
3. Start enjoying your 30-day free trial today (upon your first video upload).


And, if you are new to Snapfish, we’re eager to introduce you to our additional products and services and offer you a FREE 8″ x 11″ Custom Cover Photo book (a $29.99 value) when you create your new account. Act fast, though – this welcome offer expires July 31, 2010.

We look forward to seeing you at Snapfish, your new home for all your memorable moments.

Cheers!
Snapfish by HP

Motionbox recently lost a very high profile customer, Shutterfly to a yet-to-be-announced competitor in the OVP space. Keep an eye out for that announcement in coming months.

UPDATE: The OVP now powering Shutterfly video is Sorenson Media.

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Posted in Online Video, Online Video Platform Providers, Online Video Platform Space, Platform Provider Announcements

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