Vidiac: Creating Internet TV Couch Potatoes

Wi-Max and Citizen Broadcasting

2006-07-11T22:56:00.000-05:00

We've been playing with live broadcasting and are going to be releasing a free live broadcasting application soon that will blow traditional webcam software out of the water.

Where I really see this going is that users will start streaming video from their PDAs, cell phones, DV cameras, etc. live on the internet. But why wait, certainly that has to be possible today, right?

I start checking the cell phone companies to see who has the best wireless access. Verizon and Sprint both have EVDO systems that support an advertised 400-700kbps and 2 Mbps burst. Great so I run to the Verizon store and signup and fire up the broadcasting tool. Nothing.

I go to dslreports.com and I'm seeing 250kbps down and like 14kbps up. Worthless, plus Verizon puts in small print that they don't allow you to send or receive video!!

Looks like Wi-max is the hope for people like me who want to broadcast live from their car or anywhere else. Why wait for the news camera crew to arrive on scene? Just turn on your Wi-Max DV Camera and start broadcasting immediately.

And guess who will be the one re-broadcasting those streams? ;-)

Vidiac Version 3 on it's way!

2006-07-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

Been a while since my last blog post... The reason? We are all working hard on getting Version 3 out the door this month. More than just a feature release, Version 3 is an entire fork lift upgrade of the back end system designed not only to improve performance, but to accommodate all our planned improvements over the Version 3 lifecycle. Because of the magnitude of the back end overhaul, the changes in Version 3 will be subtle at first but very powerful. By Version 3.5 you will come to understand how much we had to change on the back end to accommodate the new system.

Here is a historical recap of all of our major releases:

Vidiac Version Beta
Released Spring 2004
Our first push was hosted only on StreetFire and was a closed (not for he public) Beta that featured messaging and file sharing. Special features allowed Video and Pictures to be shared.

Vidiac Version 1
Released Fall 2004
After years of part time development in the private hopper we finally released Vidiac to the public beyond our initial test group of 100 users. I would love to say it was a smashing success, but let's just say it was enough of a failure that we were able to refocus for Version 2 and create a system that people really enjoyed using. The primary flaw of Version 1 was too much power. The system simply did too much and video was the only thing that had any traction. Shortly after release we went into hyper-development mode to refocus the entire product for Version 2.

Vidiac Version 2 Released Valentines Day 2005
Debuting on Streetfire and FreeVideo Blog, Version 2 was an instant success. Rather than add functionality, we removed every bit of the functionality of Version 1 that didn't focus on Video sharing. By focusing our system the system become much more usable and we immediately saw 30% month to month growth for the next year. In less than twelve months we attained the holy grail of a million videos streamed in a single day, and since then even that number looks small compared to today's numbers.

Vidiac Version 2.5
Released January 2006
Vidiac Version 2.5 focused primarily on web site owner automation, allowing sie owners to more easily administer their video web site rather than have Vidiac do it for them. We also debuted the automatic portal sign up form. Our sign ups went from 5 a month to 5 a day overnight. Today we are are seeing around 25 new portals signing up a day with about 1,000 Vidiac powered free video hosting sites in total.

2004 Version 1 was all about free video hosting online. (This is were 90% of our competition is today)

2005 Version 2 was all about starting and managing your own video sharing site. (Only a few services like Brightcove and VideoEgg have just recently caught on to this, and still don't have all the tools we offer).

2006 Version 3? Well, let's just say that we now have a huge network that has seen 17 Million Unique visitors since January 2006. We have one thousand free video sharing web sites out there and millions of users. Version 3 will be a way for Site Owners to promote their sites, content uploaders to promote their content and we'll do it in a way that will revolutionize this space. We will give hints with our Version 3 release, and by Version 3.5 (This winter) you'll see the final form.

Version 3 release date soon!

Video Guitar Lessons

2006-06-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

What a great idea! Browsing the network today I saw one of our users uploaded a video guitar lesson. What a great idea that really shows the power of user created video. It also helps dispell the mystique of your average rock and roll song and shows how easy it is to really play.

Here are some more from this same set.

Knocking on heavens Door Guns and Roses

Knocking on heavens Door Guns and roses (with intro track)

Sweet child of mine Guns and roses part 1

Sweet child of mine Guns and roses part 2

Metalica: Nothing Else Matters

Part #2

Part #3

Best Metallica Solo Evah! ;-)

Metalica: Fade to Black

Part #2

Part #3 (er...Second best Metalica Solo Evah!)

Check out the web site at FarHat.name

Free Video Blog - Vidiac Merger Announcement!

2006-06-03T16:06:00.000-05:00

Before YouTube, prior to Google Video and long before VSocial, Vidilife, Veoh and hundreds of other video sharing sites there was only one place to host your blog video for free.

The Free Video Blog
FVB, is a simple web site with a simple purpose, to help video bloggers upload and host videos on their blogs. Created in 2004 Free Video Blog chose Vidiac as it's technology partner to enable this goal and after a year and half of a successful partnership, we are happy to announce a merger of the two sites!

"It has always been FVB's goal to help people put videos on their web site and blogs, and Vidiac has provided us with this capability for the past year and a half. But now that free video hosting has become passe, it's time for FVB to lead the way again by going to the next step. Showing users how to create their own Video Sharing Web Site. The easiest way to do this is with the Vidiac. In 5 minutes you can have your own 'videos.YourName.com' video sharing web site with your brand and your advertisers for free."
- Chris Jones, Free Video Blog

Free Video Blog was one of Vidiac's first partner sites along with StreetFire.net, LS1Tech and Crossroadvideos.com. Over the past year and half FVB has provided a space for hosting video of all sorts, from the "Will you go to Prom with Me?" video by Ashley to hosting the only live video webcast out of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

The landscape has changed now and Vidiac is preparing a new Version 3 release this summer that will proudly feature the works of FVB Videographers as a key piece of the overall vidiac family of networked web sites. With help from it's partners like FVB Vidiac has been able to grow a network of three small video sites into an international community of over 500 Video sharing websites streaming videos to more than 4 million unique visitors a month.

The relationship between FVB and Vidiac has always been a close one, and the partnership has often shared resources between the two companies. FVB has sometimes functioned as the consumer face of Vidiac while Vidiac.om has functioned as the business face providing information to users wanting to start their own video web site. With the accelerated release schedule and increased competition it was important to combine resources, refocus and integrate.

"The Free Video Blog, it's viewers and videographers are long overdo for the new features this merger gives them. The chief benefit to FVB users will be direct access to larger Vidiac community as a whole. FVB itself will now act as the Hub for the entire Vidiac network."
-Jeremy Farber, Vidiac

Questions & Answers about the Merger
Q: Will my Free Video Blog user ID be affected?
A: Last month FVB and the rest of the Vidiac network moved to email based authentication. Not only will your log in on FVB still work, you can now use it on all 500 Vidiac Powered Sites. (Makes remembering that password a little easier).

Q: Will this affect my Videos?
A: Yes, and in a good way. You are now be able to "take your videos with you" to either a new website you find or one you create.... or just stay where you are.

Q: Is the domain freevideoblog.com going to change?
A: Yes, we will be merging domains during June. This will not affect your links as direct links will forward to the new address. No dead links, we'll keep those forwarded for you!

Q: Is Vidiac planning on acquiring any more partners?
A: Anything is possible, but we're a small team and this is going to keep our hands full for the time being, thank you very much!

Q: I have a "NAME.freevideoblog.com" account set up, will this change to "NAME.vidiac.com"?
A: No, you can keep that going if you like. WE still recommend moving to a "video.NAME.com" instead though just to help you individualize your brand more.

Further Questions? Feel free to post them in the Vidiac section of the StreetFire.net forum and we'll happily answer them. Keep on VidBlogging!

new Vidiac features

2006-05-14T09:18:00.000-05:00

We made a pretty major system update yesterday. Site owners can now syndicate videos from freevideoblog.com and videos.streetfire.net to their site. We've also added controls for our soon to be released embeddable Flash player and allow site owners to specify additional administrators to help police content, etc.

Also added more options such as Top Rated for users to more easily find content.

We are currently working on offering video ads (pre and postroll) to our site owners on a 50/50 revenue split. Imagine that, we give you videos and essentially your own Youtube and then pay you for video ads that run on it!

GM ASKS CONSUMERS TO MAKE VEHICLE ADS

2006-03-15T11:16:00.000-05:00

GM ASKS CONSUMERS TO MAKE VEHICLE ADS:
By Jean Halliday

DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet is following up last night's appearance on NBC's "The Apprentice" with a Web contest inviting consumers to create their own spots for Chevy Tahoe.

Joining the new trend of consumer-created advertising, GM is asking viewers to make and submit a 30-second spot for its Tahoe truck.

Visitors to chevyapprentice.com can win trips and cash for creating the winning 30-second online spot for the Tahoe. Those participating can add their own copy and add it to a variety of video clips and sound tracks on the site through April 10.
GM's best-selling brand
GM's best-selling brand said it will evaluate the submissions based on how well they communicate Tahoe's brand promise of "more capable, more responsible and more refined."
During last night's TV program, contestants had to create an entertaining, three-hour training event for 25 Chevrolet dealers for the 2007 Tahoe.
Sibling Pontiac also had a branded entertainment deal with "The Apprentice in 2005. Pontiac asked the show's contestant teams to design a product brochure for its new Solstice roadster. Pontiac then advertised a limited pre-sale of the first 1,000 models at the end of the show and was pleased with the results.
Brisk sales
Chevrolet's new Tahoe is selling briskly. GM said it sold 6,391 of the 2007-model SUVs last month, double what it sold in January. The automaker, which is trying to return to profitability, said combined 2006 and 2007 Tahoe sales in the first two months of 2006 jumped by 47% to 28,524 units from the same period a year ago.
Chevrolet spent $13.8 million in measured media for the Tahoe in 2005, according to TNS Media Intelligence. But the advertiser is expected to increase Tahoe spending significantly this year for the new model. The SUV was launched with a glitzy on-site and TV effort on New Year's Eve in Times Square. Interpublic Group of Cos. Campbell-Ewald, Warren, Mich., is the brand's ad agency."

TheDeal.com

2006-03-07T14:34:00.000-05:00

Demand up for Web content players

TV catches the Net video bug |

2006-02-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

Get on the third tier train

Gore TV Seeks an Audience Via Unusual Fare - February 21, 2006 - The New York Sun - NY Newspaper

2006-02-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

Al Gore's Current TV network for young people is struggling to reach viewers and now faces competition from big players on the Internet. The concept behind the network -- harnessing user-provided content -- is also at the core of the social site MySpace and the photo-sharing site Flickr. MORE HERE

Bud TV

2006-02-13T11:04:00.000-05:00

Owning the Channel Itself Not just for the big guys

Sex Crimes

2006-02-08T12:29:00.000-05:00

Now that I have your attention-- Sex, Crimes, and MySpace

The presence of sexual predators on online social networks is getting attention in the mainstream media, with most of the spotlight on News Corp.'s MySpace.com. This is a "huge problem" that is likely to turn away advertisers, writes Robert Young. "There is no definitive solution."

Actually the soultion is to screen for nudity and porn. I like porn as much as any one-- but it has a place--and its place is not in social networking--or free video blogging sites (unless that is the nature of the site). Everyone should know where that place is.

Marketers Aim New Ads At iPod users

2006-01-31T14:55:00.000-05:00

By SUZANNE VRANICA
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
January 31, 2006; Page B1

Since Apple Computer Inc.'s video iPod made its debut less than four months ago, users have been able to download their favorite TV shows free from ads. Now, advertisers are scrambling for a way to subvert the sleek device for their own purposes.

Some companies are attaching recycled TV spots to the beginning of video files, or podcasts, that can be downloaded from popular Web sites. Others are creating new, subtler pitches to bracket shows attractive to their target audiences. And still others are creating their own podcasts that blur the line between entertainment and advertisement in hopes of enticing people to watch the commercials for their own sake.

"It's a lot of trial and error," says Liz Vanzura, global marketing director for General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac division.

Video iPods and other hand-held devices such as cell phones have made entertainment portable, with people able to watch episodes of selected programs and other pieces of content at their convenience. The problem is that Apple offers its paid content ad-free on iTunes, including hit TV shows such as "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," forcing marketers to find new ways to deliver their messages to viewers of other video content available online. Call it advertising on the go.

"It's a real challenge," says Marlene Coulis, vice president for brand management at Anheuser-Busch. On TV and other traditional types of media, ads are jammed into the middle of shows. When it comes to iPod ads, advertisers are being careful not to become so intrusive as to turn off would-be viewers.

Although marketers are eager to experiment, many are struggling to figure out what ad content is appropriate for the iPod. Some companies, such as Nintendo Co., have taken tentative steps. The videogame maker has reused 15-second TV commercials for its "Mario Kart DS" at the beginning of video podcasts on GrindTV.com, a unit of Los Angeles-based PureVideo Inc. The spots appear at the beginning of two-minute short surfing films such as "Triple Crown Big Pipeline" and "Girls of the North Shore."

Tracey Scheppach -- video innovation director at Publicis Groupe SA's Starcom, the media-buying unit responsible for Nintendo's iPod push -- says that over time advertisers will have to move beyond simply repurposing TV campaigns. "Advertisers have to free themselves from the 30-second ad," adds Ms. Scheppach.

GM's Hummer division has appended 15-second ads for the beefy SUV, to the beginning and end of a video podcast that shows what went on backstage at GQ magazine's star-studded party hyping its "Men of the Year" issue. The car maker crafted special 15-second clips, and tried to give them a different feel than television commercials. Opening with the Hummer H3 logo, the clips simply show a vehicle driving on an urban highway and through the mountains. The screen reads: "Hummer like nothing else." There is no mention of sticker price. "It's not about hard-sell on the iPod," says Vanzura, who helped develop the campaign when she was marketing director for Hummer.

Not unlike on the annual orgy of Super Bowl advertising, entertainment could be a key draw.

"The content has to be unique and different," says Ms. Coulis of Anheuser-Busch. The brewer's iPod ad push involves minidocumentaries that go behind the scenes with Ted Ferguson, a wannabe daredevil character from the Bud Light TV campaign who performs stunts in return for the beer.

The comic clips, in which, for example, he scrambles eggs for breakfast and talks about how he comes up with his stunts, can be downloaded at www.tedferguson.com. The spots have been promoted in an online campaign. The character has also traveled the country appearing in bars and even plans to attend the Super Bowl in full regalia to generate buzz. Since mid-December the brewer has reported more than 10,000 downloads.Video iPods and other hand-held devices such as cell phones have made entertainment portable, with people able to watch episodes of selected programs and other pieces of content at their convenience. The problem is that Apple offers its paid content ad-free on iTunes, including hit TV shows such as "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," forcing marketers to find new ways to deliver their messages to viewers of other video content available online. Call it advertising on the go.

"It's a real challenge," says Marlene Coulis, vice president for brand management at Anheuser-Busch. On TV and other traditional types of media, ads are jammed into the middle of shows. When it comes to iPod ads, advertisers are being careful not to become so intrusive as to turn off would-be viewers.

Although marketers are eager to experiment, many are struggling to figure out what ad content is appropriate for the iPod. Some companies, such as Nintendo Co., have taken tentative steps. The videogame maker has reused 15-second TV commercials for its "Mario Kart DS" at the beginning of video podcasts on GrindTV.com, a unit of Los Angeles-based PureVideo Inc. The spots appear at the beginning of two-minute short surfing films such as "Triple Crown Big Pipeline" and "Girls of the North Shore."

Tracey Scheppach -- video innovation director at Publicis Groupe SA's Starcom, the media-buying unit responsible for Nintendo's iPod push -- says that over time advertisers will have to move beyond simply repurposing TV campaigns. "Advertisers have to free themselves from the 30-second ad," adds Ms. Scheppach.

GM's Hummer division has appended 15-second ads for the beefy SUV, to the beginning and end of a video podcast that shows what went on backstage at GQ magazine's star-studded party hyping its "Men of the Year" issue. The car maker crafted special 15-second clips, and tried to give them a different feel than television commercials. Opening with the Hummer H3 logo, the clips simply show a vehicle driving on an urban highway and through the mountains. The screen reads: "Hummer like nothing else." There is no mention of sticker price. "It's not about hard-sell on the iPod," says Vanzura, who helped develop the campaign when she was marketing director for Hummer.

Not unlike on the annual orgy of Super Bowl advertising, entertainment could be a key draw.

"The content has to be unique and different," says Ms. Coulis of Anheuser-Busch. The brewer's iPod ad push involves minidocumentaries that go behind the scenes with Ted Ferguson, a wannabe daredevil character from the Bud Light TV campaign who performs stunts in return for the beer.

The comic clips, in which, for example, he scrambles eggs for breakfast and talks about how he comes up with his stunts, can be downloaded at www.tedferguson.com. The spots have been promoted in an online campaign. The character has also traveled the country appearing in bars and even plans to attend the Super Bowl in full regalia to generate buzz. Since mid-December the brewer has reported more than 10,000 downloads.Video iPods and other hand-held devices such as cell phones have made entertainment portable, with people able to watch episodes of selected programs and other pieces of content at their convenience. The problem is that Apple offers its paid content ad-free on iTunes, including hit TV shows such as "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," forcing marketers to find new ways to deliver their messages to viewers of other video content available online. Call it advertising on the go.

"It's a real challenge," says Marlene Coulis, vice president for brand management at Anheuser-Busch. On TV and other traditional types of media, ads are jammed into the middle of shows. When it comes to iPod ads, advertisers are being careful not to become so intrusive as to turn off would-be viewers.

Although marketers are eager to experiment, many are struggling to figure out what ad content is appropriate for the iPod. Some companies, such as Nintendo Co., have taken tentative steps. The videogame maker has reused 15-second TV commercials for its "Mario Kart DS" at the beginning of video podcasts on GrindTV.com, a unit of Los Angeles-based PureVideo Inc. The spots appear at the beginning of two-minute short surfing films such as "Triple Crown Big Pipeline" and "Girls of the North Shore."

Tracey Scheppach -- video innovation director at Publicis Groupe SA's Starcom, the media-buying unit responsible for Nintendo's iPod push -- says that over time advertisers will have to move beyond simply repurposing TV campaigns. "Advertisers have to free themselves from the 30-second ad," adds Ms. Scheppach.

GM's Hummer division has appended 15-second ads for the beefy SUV, to the beginning and end of a video podcast that shows what went on backstage at GQ magazine's star-studded party hyping its "Men of the Year" issue. The car maker crafted special 15-second clips, and tried to give them a different feel than television commercials. Opening with the Hummer H3 logo, the clips simply show a vehicle driving on an urban highway and through the mountains. The screen reads: "Hummer like nothing else." There is no mention of sticker price. "It's not about hard-sell on the iPod," says Vanzura, who helped develop the campaign when she was marketing director for Hummer.

Not unlike on the annual orgy of Super Bowl advertising, entertainment could be a key draw.

"The content has to be unique and different," says Ms. Coulis of Anheuser-Busch. The brewer's iPod ad push involves minidocumentaries that go behind the scenes with Ted Ferguson, a wannabe daredevil character from the Bud Light TV campaign who performs stunts in return for the beer.

The comic clips, in which, for example, he scrambles eggs for breakfast and talks about how he comes up with his stunts, can be downloaded at www.tedferguson.com. The spots have been promoted in an online campaign. The character has also traveled the country appearing in bars and even plans to attend the Super Bowl in full regalia to generate buzz. Since mid-December the brewer has reported more than 10,000 downloads.Video iPods and other hand-held devices such as cell phones have made entertainment portable, with people able to watch episodes of selected programs and other pieces of content at their convenience. The problem is that Apple offers its paid content ad-free on iTunes, including hit TV shows such as "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," forcing marketers to find new ways to deliver their messages to viewers of other video content available online. Call it advertising on the go.

"It's a real challenge," says Marlene Coulis, vice president for brand management at Anheuser-Busch. On TV and other traditional types of media, ads are jammed into the middle of shows. When it comes to iPod ads, advertisers are being careful not to become so intrusive as to turn off would-be viewers.

Although marketers are eager to experiment, many are struggling to figure out what ad content is appropriate for the iPod. Some companies, such as Nintendo Co., have taken tentative steps. The videogame maker has reused 15-second TV commercials for its "Mario Kart DS" at the beginning of video podcasts on GrindTV.com, a unit of Los Angeles-based PureVideo Inc. The spots appear at the beginning of two-minute short surfing films such as "Triple Crown Big Pipeline" and "Girls of the North Shore."

Tracey Scheppach -- video innovation director at Publicis Groupe SA's Starcom, the media-buying unit responsible for Nintendo's iPod push -- says that over time advertisers will have to move beyond simply repurposing TV campaigns. "Advertisers have to free themselves from the 30-second ad," adds Ms. Scheppach.

GM's Hummer division has appended 15-second ads for the beefy SUV, to the beginning and end of a video podcast that shows what went on backstage at GQ magazine's star-studded party hyping its "Men of the Year" issue. The car maker crafted special 15-second clips, and tried to give them a different feel than television commercials. Opening with the Hummer H3 logo, the clips simply show a vehicle driving on an urban highway and through the mountains. The screen reads: "Hummer like nothing else." There is no mention of sticker price. "It's not about hard-sell on the iPod," says Vanzura, who helped develop the campaign when she was marketing director for Hummer.

Not unlike on the annual orgy of Super Bowl advertising, entertainment could be a key draw.

"The content has to be unique and different," says Ms. Coulis of Anheuser-Busch. The brewer's iPod ad push involves minidocumentaries that go behind the scenes with Ted Ferguson, a wannabe daredevil character from the Bud Light TV campaign who performs stunts in return for the beer.

The comic clips, in which, for example, he scrambles eggs for breakfast and talks about how he comes up with his stunts, can be downloaded at www.tedferguson.com. The spots have been promoted in an online campaign. The character has also traveled the country appearing in bars and even plans to attend the Super Bowl in full regalia to generate buzz. Since mid-December the brewer has reported more than 10,000 downloads.Ms. Coulis says that even traditional TV commercials can work on iPods so long as they are entertaining enough. Also downloadable is the TV spot in which Mr. Ferguson has lunch with his girlfriend and tries the "stunt" of not looking over at a nearby table of comely women. The brewer also is planning to allow consumers to download its Super Bowl commercials shortly after they air during the big game.

Media executives are still groping for the best approach. "Consumers have agreed to download your messaging -- they are agreeing to transact with you -- you have to be subtle and stop being used-car salesmen," says Greg Smith, engagement specialist at Carat Fusion, a media services firm owned by Aegis Group PLC.

Apple doesn't release sales figures for the video iPod, but market-research firm NPD Group estimates that about 1.8 million of them have sold in the U.S. since they were launched in October.

The devices are so new that not everyone is convinced that people are willing to watch entertainment -- or advertising that might support it -- on a small screen.

In this era of finding alternatives to traditional ads, though, media buyers and marketers say they can't afford to ignore the new device. They point out how MP3-players changed the way people listen to music.

"People can order up entertainment choices like they order up dinner," says Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo's vice president of marketing. "Consumers today have so many choices. It's now about doing surgical marketing."

Server Upgrade today

2006-01-27T13:41:00.000-05:00

FYI between 2:00 EST and 4:00 EST (which oddly enough is our low traffic time right between Lunch and the 5:00 Whistle).... we will be upgrading our servers. There may be some sporadic hiccups but nothing major is expected...... Normally I wouldn't bother to post something like this, but it always looks better *JUST IN CASE* something goes wrong during the upgrade to at least have a post like this up in case something *DOES* go wrong.

-Adam

new video search engines

2006-01-26T01:34:00.000-05:00

Found two new video search engines and submitted our Media RSS feeds to them. www.searchforvideo.com started indexing our videos in about 2 minutes, awesome!

Truveo.com has yet to after about 24 hours. AOL also just bought them which makes little sense to me after buying singingfish.com which is a really good video search engine used by a number of sites like search.aol.com and search.windowsmedia.com.

2006 is the Year Of Video:

2006-01-25T11:46:00.000-05:00

Check out the podcast-- Matt Wasserlauf explains it all for you

2006 is the Year Of Video:

2006-01-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

Listen to the podcast: Matt Wasserlauf explains it all for you

Search Engine Death Match

2006-01-25T11:29:00.000-05:00

Algorhythms vs. Tags--who you got?! The Tagosphere

why oh why won't the 30 second die

2006-01-24T23:40:00.000-05:00

Didn't actually intend that to rhyme. I'm at a loss why Klipmart (and Unicast in an older study) are bragging about 21 seconds like it's good. Yah I'm impressed that people will watch for that long but usually the call to action is at the end of the ad and if people aren't getting to the end of the ad it's a waste for the advertiser.

Advertisers needs to wake up and kill the 30 and move to a 15 (or 5 like Cadillac) or they'll have to start making ads with the call to action at the beginning. Imagine a Pfizer ad starting with comments like "this drug may cause dry mouth and for your right arm to fall off" and then fade to the pretty picture of some smuck dancing in a grassy knole. Just doesn't have the same feel does it?

http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2005/10/05/online_video_ads_watched_for_21_seconds_on_average/

- Chris

"customary historic use of broadcast content"

2006-01-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

The EFF published an article on Friday covering the Broadcast Flag legislation and a particularly cryptic rider that looks to be rather chilling for future innovators. Apparently fair use would be limited to...

"customary historic use of broadcast content by consumers to the extent such use is consistent with applicable law."

..Taken literally this means that future media devices (web site applications?) will be limited to what is on the market today. Right now the burden of proof is on the content owners that new technologies may or may not violate their fair use rights. The EFF points out that in the past an innovator like Sony was able to create a VCR first, then later it would be determined if it violated copyright holder's intellectual property. In an ironic twist, Sony, formerly a Fair Use Innovator is now a Copyright Holder champion under BMG. (Sort of a case of a multiple personality company, but speaks highly of the transition of some companies from content enablers to content creators). With this law we'll pretty much be frozen in time with the current media offerings. Well at least in the United States. More info on the EFF Site.

AOL Rolls With Video

2006-01-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

AOL Rolls With Video

User-Generated Content Is A Viable Ad Medium

2006-01-23T01:33:00.000-05:00

http://usergenerated.blogspot.com/2006/01/user-generated-content-is-viable-ad.html
Really good blog entry about user generated content and advertising. Cory is an SVP for Carat, a well known media agency.

Top Pirated TV

2006-01-20T17:22:00.000-05:00

You Knew it All Along

Beastie Boys go Tier 3

2006-01-20T15:12:00.000-05:00

From Reveries .com

“It’s the democratization of filmmaking,” says Jon Doran, director of “Awesome,” a documentary of a 2004 Beastie Boys concert shot mostly by fans in the audience, as reported by Lorne Manly in The New York Times (1/19/06). The film, whose full title is “Awesome: I F—in’ Shot That” was dreamed up by Beastie Boy, Adam Yauch (aka MCA), after he spotted a herky-jerky concert photo, shot by cellphone and posted by a fan on the band’s website. “The energy of it looked cool, and I thought it would be interesting to document a whole concert,” he says. And so the band bought 50 Hi-8 Sony cameras and invited fans to volunteer to record an entire concert — anything and everything about the show, as they saw fit. The only stipulation was to keep the tape rolling throughout the entire concert.

This meant that some of the volunteers kept the film rolling even during their bathroom breaks. It also meant that postproduction “stretched more than a year” as Adam, Jon and other editors “waded through nearly 60 angles and about 100 hours of material … All told, the hour-and-a-half ‘Awesome’ contains 6,732 edits,” with many shots clocking “in at less than a second.” The result was picked up by ThinkFilm, an independent distributor, and will be featured at the Sundance Film Festival … before being released … in late March." Says ThinkFilm’s Mark Urman: "I loved the notion that this was a film for the fans, by the fans." In truth, the band salted the camera crew with five friends and also placed "several high-quality cameras" onstage.

To promote the film, ThinkFilm and the Beastie Boys have teamed up with MySpace, which "will hold a contest urging its members to create a video of one of two Beastie Boys songs, ‘Sabotage,’ and ‘Shake Your Rump.’ It’s a natural fit because "MySpace, in its two years of existence, has allowed more than 660,000 aspiring bands and solo artists to upload their music to the site, where it can then be discovered by the site’s nearly 50 million members and perhaps music labels." Says MySpace ceo Chris DeWolf: "We’re trying the same thing for filmmakers — a platform for our users to express themselves creatively." In any case, this film project cost the Beastie Boys about $1.2 million. They did save some bucks by returning the cameras "to the stores where they were bought, in some cases for a full refund" (haven’t they heard of eBay?). "Awesome …. ", "in all its primitive kaleidoscopic glory," is set "to open on March 31 in 10 to 15 markets," with a DVD to "be released about three months later." ~ Tim Manners, editor

AOL: MySpace Invader

2006-01-20T15:07:00.000-05:00

AOL feels the pressure--and responds

www.Vidiac.com Redesigned :-)

2006-01-19T02:20:00.000-05:00

First the Blog now the whole web site. After many a long night we've just done a comprehensive web site redesign. Gone are the State of the art (circa 1996) Table lay out pages, and in are the new XHTML pages... yes my web design skills have finally caught up to 1999. The main aim of the site redesign is to give our site owners better access to new information as it comes available, better FAQ, and better forum access.

I have to admit I miss the old site a little. It was a testament to my table-Ninja skills I was once so proud of (During the first Clinton Administration), but the new site should be more accessible and not require a OC48 to download. Anyhow we have some big releases planned for this month so this is just the beginning.