Category — Test Drive

Kaltura: http://corp.kaltura.com

In the jungle of OVPs, Kaltura is one of three open source video platforms according to our trusted resource, VidCompare.com.  Among the experts and journalists in the U.S., Kaltura holds rank among the most popular OVP providers, sharing press with Ooyala, KIT Digital, and Brightcove.  And, you’ll find Kaltura sharing industry insight into hot topics like DRM, mobile, and tablet delivery, as well as being a founding member of the ‘Open Video Alliance’ (www.openvideoalliance.org).

So, what makes Kaltura’s OVP stand out?  Well, from my review of their 30-day trial SaaS offering below, Kaltura offers more flexibility than most OVPs that will likely appeal to the technically saavy user or service provider.  With a role-based content management backend that provides batch processing of media files, content moderation, and insight into content origin, activity and usage, this OVP should be on the short list of anyone who wants more granular control over their content, their contributors, and the software that supports it all.

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Many thanks to Kris Drey, the founder of VidCompare.com.  Kris saw value in my in-depth “Test Drive” series on OVPs here on my site, and has reprinted my first review of Ooyala’s Backlot on blog.vidcompare.com with more on the way!  Be sure to check out his site and follow VidCompare on Twitter!

Longtail Video: http://www.longtailvideo.com

From the casual observer to the online video professional, there should be no surprise that the online video platform market has two poles – free-to-use platforms, like YouTube, and popular pay-to-use platforms like Brightcove and Ooyala.  In the former case, you can publish your content but you may be concerned that your branding will suffer if your primary hosting site is also the home of dogs on skateboards and Rebecca Black.  On the other hand, you may not have the budget to spend at least $100/month on just online video alone and require something in between.  In between does exist, and we have almost a hundred OVPs in the market, many of which cost a monthly sum of at least a hundred bucks a month.  In comes Longtail Video, creators of the free and extremely popular the JW Player, who have released their own OVP called Bits On The Run.  They offer a monthly cost starting at under $10 and/or a pay-as-you-go service with no monthly fee.  Their minimum cost per GB – under $6.  Oh yes, even the author is reconsidering his video hosting provider.

To be honest, I had not paid much attention to Longtail Video before this month.  I have known about the JW Player for awhile and have always considered it to be one of the best available (where else can you find a stormtrooper skin for your video player), however I had no idea that Longtail Video acquired the OVP developed by the player’s creator, Jeroen Wijering.  This was an excellent purchase for so many reasons.  Firstly, the JW Player is compatible with HTML5 and Flash embedded video and they make their point clear – just support both and get on with other priorities in your life.  Secondly, they support viewing content on mobile devices including Android and iOS.  Thirdly, they just released a private beta of Longtail.tv, a free service that includes the JW Player, where you can display your own videos or earn money displaying content from their media gallery from premium syndication partners, such as AOL’s 5min Media, as well as YouTube content.  In other words, Longtail has been able to get the good times rolling with a popular player, and should not be ignored if you are a SMB (small or medium sized business), or in the blogging business and trading in your World of Warcraft account for something more productive, and possibly revenue generating like online video.

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