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Comcast Rolls Out 105 Mbps Tier; Is This a Glimpse of the Future?
Comcast is officially rolling out 105 Mbps residential broadband Internet service this morning, dubbed "Extreme 105 Xfinity Internet." The service is available to more than 40 million homes in the U.S. and also features 10
Mbps upstream speed. Initial promotional pricing is $105/mo when bundled with triple play (voice, video, Internet) or $200/mo standalone. Comcast told me that post-promotion pricing hasn't been determined yet, with various price points being tested.
With Extreme 105, Comcast becomes the latest broadband ISP to introduce speedier tiers for higher monthly fees. Although I haven't seen any research yet that breaks down how many broadband subscribers have migrated to these premium tiers, for now the amount is probably relatively small. However, that could change fast, as an extremely interesting substitution dynamic between video service and broadband service starts to take hold.
Categories: Broadband ISPs
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Encoding.com Introduces "Instant Encoding" That Works During Download
Service provider Encoding.com is continuing to push the bar by introducing today the beta version of "Instant Encoding" - a new process which begins encoding the video file while it is being downloaded, as opposed to waiting until it is entirely delivered before starting the process. According to
Encoding.com's tests, the result is an average 30% acceleration in encoding, with larger files achieving up to 100% acceleration. Instant Encoding is available to customers with the addition of an API call. The best part is Encoding.com isn't charging anything extra for the feature. Faster encodes of course means quicker time to availability, which is a key differentiator for media companies trying to distinguish themselves in a social media dominated world.
Categories: Encoding
Topics: Encoding.com
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Jun Group Pioneers "Incentivized" Video Ad Views In Social Games
As a non-gamer, I've been fascinated, from a distance, by the whole "virtual currency" and "virtual goods" models that millions of gamers are so passionate about. Now it turns out there's a way of marrying gamers' pursuit of virtual currency with driving opt-in video views for major brands' online video ads. Jun Group, a social video company, has been a pioneer in this emerging space, and last week its CEO Mitchell Reichgut gave me a primer on how the model works, and why it's being adopted. Jun Group is also issuing an update on its progress today.
First, for those not familiar with virtual currency, it is used to purchase specific virtual goods which enhance the experience in online games, social networks and virtual worlds. Typically there are many different ways to earn virtual currency within any particular environment, including paying for it with actual cash (yes, buying "virtual" currency with "actual" currency - it's all part of the gaming experience!), all of which adds up to a reported $2 billion per year industry.
Categories: Advertising, Social Media
Topics: Jun Group
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FreeWheel Lands British Sky Broadcasting, Opens New U.K. Office
Video ad management provider FreeWheel has landed British Sky Broadcasting (Sky), the U.K.'s largest pay-TV operator, as a new customer, and it is also announcing the opening of its London office. Sky is using FreeWheel's Monetization Rights Management (MRM) platform as its exclusive ad manager for online and mobile video delivery.
Categories: Advertising, International
Topics: FreeWheel
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Zixi Raises $4 Million for Pristine HD Video Delivery
Zixi, a Boston-area company that enables HD video delivery through the public Internet, announced its first round of $4 million today from Schooner Capital, Sid Topol (founder of Scientific Atlanta) and Reese Schonfeld (former CEO of CNN). Zixi's software optimizes network bandwidth while minimizing delays typically found when initiative playback and eliminating buffering. Zixi does this by adding its own software layer geared for video delivery on top of standard Internet delivery protocols. Zixi works for both on-demand and live streaming video.
Categories: Deals & Financings, Technology
Topics: Zixi
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Ooyala Pursues OTT Market With Ooyala Everywhere
Online video platform provider Ooyala jumped into the over-the-top space today, unveiling at the NAB Show "Ooyala Everywhere," a set of technologies and services to deliver premium content on mobile devices, connected TVs and browsers. Bismarck Lepe, Ooyala's co-founder and president of products updated me last week.
Categories: Technology
Topics: Ooyala
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RAMP Mobile Unveiled for Mobile Content Optimization
At the NAB Show today, RAMP launched "RAMP Mobile," a clever solution for taking existing web content - text, images, audio and video - and completely optimizing it for consumption on mobile devices. RAMP mobile addresses a critical pain point created by the rapid growth of mobile web users trying to access web site content formatted for online use. Last week, RAMP's CEO Tom Wilde walked me through how the solution works and what the user experience looks like.
The best way to understand RAMP Mobile is that it essentially deconstructs existing web sites down to their core content objects, and then reconstructs them into mobile-friendly apps. In this respect, the traditional "container" of a web site becomes unnecessary for the mobile web. This is a theme that RAMP has been emphasizing for a while now, with its content optimization focus.
Categories: Mobile Video, Technology
Topics: RAMP Mobile
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AEG Digital Media Enhances Live Streaming With "eMCee" Polling App
AEG Digital Media, the leader in broadcast-quality live event streaming, announced at the NAB Show today "eMCee," a polling application that lets content producers and advertisers insert polls in real-time during the event. As John Petrocelli, AEG Digital Media's VP of Sales and Business Development told me last week, the app's goal is to enhance viewing times and increase audience interactivity.
Categories: Live Streaming
Topics: AEG Digital Media
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