A new way to present video: see this 'Sherpa cam interactive video'
See how cool is this video feature developed by the Discovery Channel. Three Sherpas were equipped with mini cameras and satellite transmitters on their helmets as they climbed the Everest. Two photographers shot video as well. When it was all over, they synchronized the five video feeds with audio, and they created an innovative player. The result is unbelievable.
You an select any of the three feeds and you can drag through the timeline and select different hours of the day to watch. Discovery.com says that this is a never seen footage from Mount Everest with a technological marvel called the Sherpa Cam.
"Now you can climb the mountain from their vantage point", explains. Sometimes the satellite signal faded in and out, so there is static, fuzz and total blackout at some points on each camera.
Selling ads that don't interrupt playback and turns users away
There is a big struggle with user-generated video in terms of advertising. The fact of the matter is selling ads that don't interrupt playback and turn users away. Egghead is developing new brand experiences moving beyond pre-roll and post-roll ads.
They have graphical tickers that animate on at a certain time and then disappear a few seconds later. Click it and the ad will play instantly in the same player. There are also text tickers that Egghead says can attract as high a 5 percent click through, and the have "end caps" that encourage people to click to watch an ad.
Pricing model is based in paying a low CPM for the invitation and a higher CPM for the ad that plays when they click. Egghead is showing some examples. Brightcove.com and others have been selling similar ad overlays.
Networks explore to launch a YouTube alternative site and sue Google
A YouTube alternative? The network are exploring this way. It seems that networks are in discussions to put together a joint venture to compete with YouTube, although the negotiations are tough.
The idea would be to launch a site (or buy an existing one, and the likely candidate is Metacafe) and sue YouTube at the same time, leaving the joint venture as the only legal place to watch the video. However, Google, owner of YouTube, is offering big payoffs to the networks. According Techcrunch the odds of a deal are now 50-50.
Google will give a small web to local business seeking generate leads
Another great idea of Google: landing pages for free. Suppose you are a store but you don't have a website, and you decide to buy some keywords on Google AdWords seeking traffic. That ad will be sent to a basic page with information about your company, phone number, address, a couple of pics, and even printable coupons.
There are not full-featured website, but are for free. This is how Google is lowering the bar to entry for local business to use its AdWords Starter Edition. Local online ad spending is expected to double in the next few years. It is clear that there are a lot of small local advertisers who just want a simple way to run one of those ads.
The Pentagon will use an on-Demand video system worldwide
The Pentagon will allow personnel to review broadcast television events worldwide. They will record live broadcast from numerous sources and make them immediately available for on-demand viewing. The Pentagon will use the system to provide access to training videos and to support other on-demand applications.
To achieve that, the US Department of Defense (DoD) has purchased a turnkey Video-on-Demand System and software application from SeaChange International.
