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New Version of Sorenson 360 Launches to Target Enterprises
Sorenson Media is announcing this morning the next version of its Sorenson 360 online video platform, one year following the initial version's release. As Sorenson CEO Peter Csathy, told me last week, the company is going after enterprises, aiming to compete head-on with Brightcove and other online video platforms.
New in this version are a faster, more responsive interface, improved video management, unlimited data rates with RTMP, intelligent embedding that updates embed codes across 3rd party sites, more flexibility and customization of video players, and automated SEO tools, among others. No surprise given Sorenson's video encoding roots, the company also views 360 as more integrated with the video ingest process and is trying to build on its pre-existing customer relationships.
Sorenson is positioning the new version primarily for non-media enterprises such as education, government and certain verticals, while also targeting SMBs with a new $99/mo tier. With Sorenson's and other OVPs' advances, the OVP space is showing no signs of slowing innovation or competitiveness.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).Categories: Technology
Topics: Sorenson Media
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For Online Video Households, 31% of Video Time Now from Online Sources
New research from One Touch Intelligence says that among households with adults who watch long-form TV shows and movies online, the percentage of their total video viewership spent online is now up to 31%. That equates to twice as much time spent watching DVDs and 5 times the amount spent using VOD. The research also shows that in these households, the most-used site for watching long-form content is Hulu, with 53% citing it.
In addition, 48% of respondents said they watch online video on TV screens in their homes and that 11% of online viewing time in these homes is on TVs. The top devices used to connect online to the TV are Xbox 360 or connected PC (each 40%), PS3 (37%), Wii (36%) and TV with Internet capability (29%).
As convergence devices continue to proliferate and long-form content is increasingly available, I expect that these numbers are only going to move higher. The full report, "Internet Video 2010: Content Usage and Devices" is available from One Touch.
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Topics: One Touch Intelligence
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ActiveVideo Lights Up 2 Dozen Interactive Channels for Cablevision
Cablevision, the 5th largest cable operator in the US and dominant provider in the NYC metro area, and ActiveVideo Networks, provider of "CloudTV" interactive solutions are announcing this morning that Cablevision is now delivering over 2 dozen interactive channels to its entire digital video subscriber base. The offerings include hyper-local sports and news, advertising showcases and "Quick View" mosaic navigational channels. Plans are to roll out additional channels.
For those not familiar with ActiveVideo Networks, its focus is enabling video service providers to bridge web-based content, including video, directly to the TV. ActiveVideo provides a content developer's kit (CDK) set of set of
standards-based tools (Javascript, XHTML/DHTML) so customers can develop web-based content and deliver it to a digital set-top box as an MPEG stream. The CDK allows much faster development cycles plus lots of flexibility. As the name implies, content is delivered from the cloud, with a thin client in the digital set-top box.
All of this is important because as convergence devices (e.g. game consoles, TiVo, Roku, Blu-ray devices, boxee, etc.) consumers' expectations are growing that they'll be able to get web content on their TVs. That's turning up the heat on service providers to make the TV experience more interactive and engaging. Whereas "TV Everywhere" initiatives are about bringing TV content online, convergence efforts are about bringing web content to the TV, complete with interactivity and constant updates. Games are another important application and just last week ActiveVideo acquired TAG Networks, a gaming platform that will allow service providers to deliver casual games through their set-top boxes.
I've seen various ActiveVideo implementations and they are remarkably web-like and responsive. The interface is similar to what you experience online. And using your remote control you're able to quickly navigate around. I expect that as the pressure mounts on incumbent service providers to deliver more web-like content to TVs, but with minimal client or network upgrades, the addition of CloudTV services will make more and more sense.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).
(Note - ActiveVideo Networks is a VideoNuze sponsor)Categories: Cable TV Operators, Technology
Topics: ActiveVideo Networks, Cablevision
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Magnify.net Now Powering 70K Sites; Launches Partner Program
Magnify.net is announcing this morning that 70K publishing, e-commerce and community sites are now using the company's platform to power their video
"curation" initiatives. Magnify has been on the front end of this trend, allowing its clients to pull video from around the web and mix it up with their own original video. By doing so Magnify's customers are able to add relevant video to their sites in a cost effective way while serving their customers with a broader set of "curated" content.
Among Magnify's customers include New York Magazine, Rodale's Bicycling.com and Dennis Publishing's The Week. Added to the roster today is Penton Media's EngineeringTV.com which is augmenting videos with additional technical information, pricing and availability for products viewed. Magnify is also announcing this morning a partner network initiative including companies like Akamai, Synaptic Digital, Amazon S3 and others.Categories: Technology
Topics: Magnify.net
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Net Neutrality Takes Another Twist
Another day, another twist in the ongoing net neutrality saga. Yesterday brought news that the FCC plans to redefine broadband transmission from an unregulated information service to a regulated telecommunications service under what's known as Title II. The FCC's move came several weeks after an appellate court ruled that the FCC did not have authority to sanction Comcast for blocking BitTorrent traffic.
No surprise, industry groups were quickly up in arms about the policy change, concerned about the uncertainty it brings (with legal challenges surely
forthcoming), plus the implications for continued network investments. Like everything else in Washington, net neutrality is now gripped by a partisan divide. Republicans are against any new regulations and Democrats favor them.
As I've written before I continue to believe a policy of regulatory restraint, accompanied by vigilance, is best for now. The broadband ISP business is for the most part quite competitive and ISPs have huge incentives not to block certain traffic. For now I continue to think letting the market sort this out is the best approach.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).Categories: Broadband ISPs, Regulation
Topics: FCC
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Cable Affiliate Fees Matter. A Lot.
Over the past week or so, several people have forwarded me a post that Bill Gurley, partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Benchmark Capital recently wrote titled, "When It Comes to Television Content, Affiliate Fees Make the World Go 'Round," in which he correctly observes that "over-the-top" disruption of cable/satellite/telco delivery of premium TV programming isn't going to happen very quickly due to the importance of affiliate fees. His main argument - that cable networks receive $32 billion in annual affiliate fees from cable/satellite/telco distributors that they are loath to jeopardize - is right on the money (no pun).
This of course has been the central reason that cable, as opposed to broadcast, programs have been scarcely available online. I've argued the same point for a while now, going back to "The Cable Industry Closes Ranks" in which I tried to explain how the cable industry works and why it would fight tooth and nail against disruption. Gurley further notes how TV Everywhere cleverly defends the industry against free distribution, which I agree with as well.
While there's plenty of media hype around the prospect of "cord-cutting," it's essential to understand the business dynamics in play and what impact they'll have in slowing this trend. It's rare to see a Silicon Valley VC take such a sober approach to potential disruption (because funding exciting tech start-ups is largely about funding disruption after all), so I thought Gurley's post was both refreshing and worth the read.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).Categories: Cable Networks, Cable TV Operators
Topics: Benchmark Capital
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Hollywood Video's Closing Underscores End of Video Rental Store Era
When it was reported earlier this week that Hollywood Video, once the 2nd largest operator of video rental stores, would close all its remaining stores, it was further evidence of how much the landscape for movie rentals has
changed. When you stop and think about it, it wasn't really that long ago when Hollywood Video, Blockbuster and other rental stores dotted America's cities and towns, making rentals a short drive or walk away (no matter how short though, if the movie wasn't returned promptly major late fees kicked in).
Fast forward to today, and electronic delivery options abound, but with lots of quirks consumers need to understand. As I wrote recently in "The Battle Over Movie Rentals is Intensifying," the options vary and include VOD, download to rent and own, subscription access, DVD purchase, etc. And the devices through which consumers access movies is dizzying - set-top boxes, special purpose appliances, game consoles, DVRs, mobile devices, iPads, etc. Even still, there is so much more yet to happen with movie delivery as wireless and wired broadband coverage expands, HD online delivery increases, portability between devices happens and so on.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).
Categories: FIlms
Topics: Hollywood Video
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Apple Slaps Ellen DeGeneres for Fake iPhone Ad
On a lighter note to end the week, did you catch comedian Ellen DeGeneres's fake iPhone ad, and then her subsequent apology for it - apparently prompted by an Apple rebuke? The fake ad itself is hilarious; that Apple didn't think so is further evidence of how tightly Apple tries to control its brand and image. See what you think.
Categories: Devices
Topics: Apple, Ellen DeGeneres, iPhone
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