Moving On2 the subject of video - part 1
So let’s talk video a little bit, shall we? More specifically, let’s talk codec… let’s talk On2. I’ve got several posts here that directly involve On2 Technologies and there has been a good amount of discussion about them between me and a few of my coworkers. My personal focus on them is their involvement with Flash 8 and the incredible improvement in the quality of Flash video since On2’s VP6 codec was added in. I’ve had the opportunity to work on several projects which involved Flash video since the time that VP6 was added and I have to say that I am extremely impressed. Flash video can now stand up against the quality of Windows Media and QuickTime video.
With all of the talk I’ve been seeing/hearing about moving into the digital video age with internet video, video blogs (”vlogs”), video phones, etc., I’d like to take a quick look at where our friends at On2 come in. For each of these, I will pull a little info from the website of the On2 partner in question just in case anyone isn’t familiar with them.
IFILM Signs Flash 8 Video Encoding Licensing Agreement with On2 Technologies
“New York, NY (December 6, 2005) - On2 Technologies, Inc. (AMEX: ONT), today announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with IFILM to provide Flash 8 video encoding to the leading video entertainment destination. Through the deal, IFILM is licensing On2’s Flix Engine for use across its site.”
From ifilm.com:
“IFILM is one of the leading video-entertainment destinations on the Web, offering channels of movies, short films, TV clips, video-game trailers, music videos, action sports and its celebrated Viral Videos collection. IFILM.com delivers more than 30 million streams per month, making it one of the top ten streaming media sites in the world.”
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On2 Technologies Announces Flix Studio
“New York, NY (December 13, 2005) - On2 Technologies, Inc. (AMEX: ONT), the premiere developer of Flash 8 video tools, today announced the On2 Flix Studio, a valuable Flash 8 video production toolkit that combines On2 Flix Pro, On2 Flix Exporter and On2 Flix Power Players in a singularly-priced solution.”
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Brightcove to Distribute On2 Flix Pro Software to Internet TV Publishers
“On2 Technologies, Inc. (AMEX: ONT), the leader in Flash 8 video encoding technology, and Brightcove, an Internet TV pioneer, today announced that Brightcove will offer On2 Technologies’ Flash 8 video encoding technology to video publishers participating in the Brightcove commercial preview. Under the arrangement, hundreds of Brightcove commercial preview customers will receive a free license of On2 Flix Pro for Flash 8 to encode their content in Flash 8 video for distribution through Brightcove.”
“Brightcove (www.brightcove.com) is an open Internet TV service that empowers video producers and programmers to build broadband businesses while giving viewers more choices and control over their use of video and television.”
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muvee Licenses On2 Technologies Flash 8 Video SDK
“NEW YORK, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - On2 Technologies, Inc. (Amex: ONT - News) announced today that muvee Technologies, the pioneer and leader in instant personal video, has partnered with On2 to enhance muvee autoProducer with Flash 8 video encoding capability. Under the terms of the agreement, muvee has licensed On2 Flash 8 Video SDK and will pay a per-unit royalty fee for each copy of muvee autoProducer sold. muvee’s autoProducer software is bundled with many industry-popular personal computers, with over 30 million units shipped to consumers per year.”
from muvee.com:
“muvee Technologies is recognized internationally as the pioneer and leader in automatic video production. Automatic editing is now a feature in several video editing programs, but our approach is much more radical: automatic editing is at the very heart of our revolutionary approach to video production.”
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Stickam.com’s New Online Web Tool Raises the Bar
“Advanced Video Communication, Inc (AVC) introduces a personalized, self-managed Stickam player. Stickam (www.stickam.com) is a fresh new concept for the notion of all-in-one-web media tools. This next-generation website media tool is raising the standard for online applications, allowing users to compile pictures, movies, audio files, video chat and more using one media player. Webcam users can broadcast live to any page they designate the player to appear on, whether or not they are online. Visitors will also have access to any other multimedia files users wish to share.
…Using one online media tool that only requires Macromedia Flash(TM) and with no hidden charges, users will have a suite of features that sets this product apart from its competitors…”
From my understanding (and I was wrong once), Stickam is currently using Flash 7. However, they will upgrade to Flash 8 with the On2 codec at some point.
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These next 2 were released at different time, but you can see how one ties directly into the other:
VitalStream Broadcasts Podcasting Service
“VitalStream, Inc. (OTCBB:VSTH), the world leader in video streaming, has added podcasting to its Content Delivery Service product line, empowering VitalStream customers to deliver audio and video podcasts for immediate playback on portable devices and desktop media players.”
from vitalstream.com:
“VitalStream is the reliable choice for delivering streaming media to global audiences. Our services combine innovative MediaConsole® management software with an award-winning content delivery network to streamline the process of broadcasting Macromedia® Flashâ„¢ Video and Microsoft® Windows Media® over the Internet. VitalStream serves a broad customer base including Fortune 500 corporations, movie studios, news broadcasters, music and radio companies, advertising agencies and educational institutions.”
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VitalStream + On2 + Flash 8 = Sundance Online Film Festival
“DEEPBLU Studios, the creative group behind the world-renowned showcase for independent filmmakers, is leveraging VitalStream’s powerful content delivery network (CDN) optimized for Flash 8 video delivery and On2 Technologies’ Flash 8 video encoding tools to enhance the official Web site for the event, http://festival.sundance.org/2006/. On2’s product, On2 Flix Pro, enables creation and delivery of Flash 8 video content for a high-quality, seamless online experience for attendees.”
from sundance:
“Founded by Robert Redford in 1981 in the mountains of Sundance, Utah, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated year-round to the development of artists of independent vision and to the exhibition of their new work. Since its inception, the Institute has grown into an internationally recognized resource for thousands of independent artists through its Film Festival and artistic development programs for filmmakers, screenwriters, composers, writers, playwrights and theatre artists. The original values of independence, creative risk-taking, and discovery continue to define and guide the work of Sundance Institute, both with US artists and, increasingly, with artists from other regions of the world.”
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So this concludes part one of this (tentatively) 2 part series and, in essence, brings all of current posts involving On2 to one place. I hope I have shed some light On2 the company as I am very impressed with what they have to offer and I want you to be as well.
Coming next in part 2, I’ll bring a few things to the table that involve On2 outside of the Flash video realm.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:13 am
On2 also opposed the new licensing plan and sent a letter to the
ISMA, proposing to make its codec an alternative to MPEG-4 and
promising to make it available at no charge.
August 28th, 2007 at 5:21 am
If the tester “rips” a movie from a DVD for use as the reference clip, that clip has already undergone one generation of lossy MPEG-2 encoding and consequently contains compression artifacts that unduly complicate a codec’s job.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Very informative post!!