brightcoves launch

Filed in archive Technology on March 3, 2005

Reader Sage responds on the Brightcove launch:

"Just read your post on Brightcove and it's a cute idea... assuming this was 1995.

The problem with Brightcove's model is they assume that they somehow assume that they can control the "democratisation of video production and distribution" over the web.

Nope. No can do. Democracy is for the people, not the well-connected.

These guys are going to have the same problem the bigtime publishers and news syndicates discovered with bloggers. Sure, you can have your content and publish it on your site, but people are going to flock to indie outfits and websites because, well, they're more interesting and relevant.

Same goes for video. I know. I'm working for a company that's quietly distributing software that lets anyone broadcast video and audio right from their bedroom with nothing more than a PC and broadband connection. And it's free.

In my short time with Olivelink I've watched, cartoons in Israel, beach parties in Hawaii, tractor parades in California and a lot more -- pretty much anything anyone wanted to broadcast whenever they wanted to broadcast it.

The future ain't about a 500 commercial broadcasters with the same tired TV model and a new medium to broadcast it on. It's about 5 million people who become broadcasters and bust the monopoly wide open.

In a couple of years old style TV will look as dated as a Vaudeville act."

No doubt the blogalization of TV is only a matter of time...