The last thing the web needs is another video host site, me thinks.

A better platform and interfaces, however, are another story, according to Michael Hoydich, co-founder of tech startup Unknown Vector.

So, with his partner, Mark Grey, Hoydich has launched a new platform for social networkers now and everybody else later, to view, store, and share streaming video. Dubbed uvLayer, the full-screen media download allows users and their friends to interact with each other's videos across multiple social networks.



"The way people interact with and share videos today is limited and awkward," says Hoydich, who once served as a vice president of sales for Viewpoint Corporation. With Gray, Hoydich later went on to found another tech services firm named IndustryNext, and an interactive marketing agency by the name of Incognito Digital.

UvLayer sources video content from multiple sources so viewers can centralize their videos and play lists without visiting multiple sites. Also, uvLayer users can manipulate collected videos into thumbnail-sized "stacks" atop their personalized media canvas for better viewing and sharing.

Also with uvLayer, you are no longer required an open Web browser to view videos, as the option exists to view a single video or an entire playlist in a small window anchored on top of a viewer's desktop. You can also publish media collections directly to Facebook, with no coding and no typing now; other social media sites, blogs, and regular sites later, probably in 3-6 months.

UvLayer was developed using Adobe AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime), a new technology that allows developers to create rich internet applications developed in Flash, HTML, and AJAX.

To get in on the action, download Adobe AIR and UvLayer for the Mac or Windows.

Cybercast credit: YouTube

The New, Improved "All-in-One" Real Video Player

Real Networks' (remember them?) new RealPlayer, in beta this month, will allow you to download Internet video instantly from YouTube, Yahoo and virtually anywhere else on the Web. Build a library for full-screen playback on your PC; better yet, stream it from your PC directly to your TV with Apple TV; or burn it to disc.





I checked RealPlayer's home and was treated to an earful: "Your nephew's first steps. The speech that moves you. The hilarious clip your co-worker forwarded. With the new RealPlayer , you'll be able to download them all to your personal video playlist. Grab videos from thousands of Web sites with just one click. Watch them any time, create a video playlist or even burn your greatest hits to DVD. Find the Web video you want- and Real it in."





Hype notwithstanding, the free player does enable you to download or record non DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected videos from multiple formats - including not only Real, but Windows Media, Quicktime and even Flash. (I'll wait to see how that works in the final version before giving you my take.) You can also burn your videos to disc - to DVDs with the RealPlayer Plus pay version and to CDs in Video-CD format with the free version. Transfer to your mobile entertainment / communication device of choice - iPod? (not likely) ; iPhone (ditto); Zune (possibly); etc. will be available in the future, says Real.

Are you being realed in?

Tickle me Picklish 0.5b

I'm always on the lookout for quick - and preferably clean - Flash video conversion tools. Came across this one today:


Instructions read: Creates great-looking, customizable Flash photo and video galleries. Just drag and drop your photos and videos onto the creator. I did in a flash...and my 2 minute trial and error session ended in error after draggin'-droppin' just one small video file into the image well. Verdict: This incarnation most likely works well with images...do NOT use it with videos!

Created by Geoff Gaudreault, the mastermind behind SlideRoll™, the aptly named photo slideshow maker that you use to create slide shows with your photos. Publish your slideshows on the web, put them on MySpace or YouTube, or e-mail them to friends. Best of all, you can try the Slideshow Creator Demo on Geoff's site free.

Pop-up Video Is So Yesterday

Confession - no, not about pop-ups, pop-unders, pop-anything. I have another blog, exactly like this, at MakeiTV.com. I use it to learn the capabilities of blogs and blogging software to create video blogs. (vlogs for you, acronymistas).

MakeiTV.com is built with WordPress, a very innovative, beautifully designed, and modular blogging software from, you guessed, WordPress.org. I installed an inline Flash video plugin to see if it can consistently deliver flash videos. Why Flash? Because it is the de facto video format on the web. If it works, we'll be well on our way to producing a real video blog. Obviously, I have not been able to make this work on Blogger as yet.

The song video you should see there was written and sung by our favorite author-artist, June Marshall. It's part of her album, "Booby Trapped: Men Beware the Dirty Seven Sisters!" Being an equal opportunity gender-basher, she also made another album, "The Dirty Seven: Ladies Beware!" about the kind of men women should avoid. We'll feature a song video from that album too, hopefully soon. Ouch!!!

P.S. You can get the best deal on her albums, books, and ebooks from Newmedia Publishing. Or download her songs from iTunes, AOL Music, MSN Music, Yahoo Music and a host of other sites.

VEOH - VE OH? - VidEO H?

I still don't know. They don't tell you. You can, however, do a lot on this website (still in beta):
 
* Broadcast videos of any file size, length, or resolution.
* Auto-syndicate to YouTube, Google Video, MySpace, and P2P Internet TV . 
* Make money through sharing in advertising revenue or pay-per-view.
* Create your own channel with your own uploaded videos and from others.
* Let viewers subscribe to receive new videos as they are released.
* Embed a Flash player on your website. It's like having your own channel.

MT:  They have been in beta at least since late summer, when I first checked them out. How long would anyone want to stay in a testing/fine-tuning mode? Makes me wonder.

Anyway, uploading a 2 minute infomercial, "The College Monkeys' Survival Guide" was quick and painless. Auto-syndication to YouTube etc. was cool. Creating and managing your own channel(s) and subscriptions are also great features, BUT require you to devote a lot of time and effort to produce your own videos. Yes, you can and should add feeds from other sources that complement yours. That's also a very effective way to have your feed syndicated at no cost. At the end, it is still YOUR show. Making it successful will keep you VERY busy.

While the College Monkeys video no longer runs, you can see it here, just for kicks.