Sorenson Media Wins 3 Coveted "Readers' Choice" Awards

Literally Just announced at the Streaming Media West conference -- Sorenson Media just won a record 3 coveted "Readers' Choice Awards" (tying our "take" from last year):

(1) Best Encoding Software (Enterprise Class) -- Squeeze Server

(2) Best Cloud Encoding/Transcoding Service -- Squeeze Cloud

(3) Best Encoding Software (Desktop) -- Sorenson Squeeze

The win in the first category above -- "Best Encoding Software (Enterprise Class)" -- is particularly gratifying because we announced our new major Squeeze Server 2.0 release just yesterday and this new version blows away our v1.0 in all respects.  We consider it to be an entirely different product.

Thank you video professionals and enterprise video specialists -- we won these awards due to your confidence in our products.  It is very gratifying to all of us here at Sorenson Media.

And -- to this great innovative team here at Sorenson Media -- congratulations!

(Accepting the awards in the picture are VP Business Development & Strategy, Kirk Punches, and Sales Executive, Jen Swartz.)

"Mommy, Is Facebook Like Instagram for Parents?"

From the "Kids Say the Darndest Things" Department -- my nearly 10 year old son, Luca, said the funniest thing the other night.  As my wife, Luisa, was checking her Facebook account, Luca asked the question in the post title above -- i.e., "Mommy, is Facebook like Instagram for parents?"

And, think of it -- it's kind of true (or, at least it is getting truer and truer).  Luca knows about Instagram not because he uses it (he doesn't -- we don't let him), but rather because his 13 year-old sister, Hunter, does.  He knows that essentially all the kids are doing it (using Instagram, that is).  We let Hunter use Instagram (although we monitor it), but we don't let her use Facebook (she has no interest in Facebook anyway).  (Separate question -- is allowing her to use Instagram but not Facebook logically inconsistent?  In any way, kids definitely know that Instagram is a Facebook "loop-hole" for them with their parents and that has been at least part of the reason for Instagram's success).

In any event, Luca's hilarious question points to a larger point -- Facebook certainly is getting stale in the minds of the young ones and may be more the province of we older folks (parents) on a going forward basis.  For the young ones, Instagram -- and other social networks that have not yet seen the light of day -- is where the new generation is going.

Facebook undoubtedly saw this writing on the wall -- and, rather than become marginalized over time by Instagram, it gobbled it up.

NEW Squeeze Server 2.0 From Sorenson Media -- Wholly Redesigned -- An Entirely New Product

Big news today at my company, Sorenson Media.  We are officially unveiling our wholly re-conceived enterprise transcoding product, Squeeze Server 2.0 (click here for our official press release -- and click here for Streaming Media's coverage of our Squeeze Server announcement).

Technically, this is v2.0 of Squeeze Server -- but, this is much more than a major point release.  This is a completely rethought, redesigned, and redeveloped product that has been virtually the sole focus of our development team for this entire past year.   And, we didn't redesign in a vacuum.  We redesigned with the active participation of, and feedback from, tens of existing and beta enterprise users.  In other words, lots of blood, sweat and tears.  We learned much along the way -- and it certainly wasn't easy.  This took the great ingenuity of essentially the entire Sorenson Media team, with overall development being led by Mitch Holyoak who leads our Salt Lake City office and who has been with our company for 15 years.  Mitch is one of the foremost experts in video encoding/transcoding in the world.  No problem can't be tackled by him and his team.  And, this new version of Squeeze Server oozes with innovation.

We believe Squeeze Server 2.0 has the potential to disrupt the enterprise transcoding market by bringing user benefits unique Sorenson Media and for which we are legend.  This includes unprecedented speed, quality, workflow, support and value.  Here's a bit more detail:

SPEED -- we have made ground-breaking enhancements to our core encoding algorithm to maximize all available server CPUs fore each encode;

QUALITY -- the broadest variety of input and output options for multi-screen video preparation with optimized encoding presets, including optimizations for all four leading adaptive bitrate streaming protocols (including MPEG-DASH, HLS, Smooth Streaming, and Flash Dynamic);

WORKFLOW -- a completely redesigned user interface that enables easy management, updating and status indicators for all encoding, including remote control of the servers from a browsers or iOS device; we also offer easy-to-use installation configurations, so the application is ready for encoding within moments (literally), with zero configuration queues and intelligent presets;  additionally, and unique to Sorenson Media, Squeeze Server is optimized for hybrid cloud/on-premise environments, and runs equally well in any public or private cloud; also, Squeeze Server ties in directly with our award-winning Squeeze Desktop encoding application so that users of Desktop can directly offload encoding jobs to Squeeze Server and thereby free up their work stations (and also get the benefit in Server of all the customized presets they made in Desktop);

SUPPORT -- dedicated gold-tier maintenance with highly trained video experts (via phone, email, or live chat -- the users decide), as well as ongoing updates and upgrades as they become available.

VALUE -- Squeeze Server is offered via two different licensing models -- the first is a one-time cost of $5,000 and 18% maintenance (with no hidden costs or additional data base costs charged by others), and the second is a variable monthly subscription fee which is ideal for virtualized/Cloud usage.  Others in our enterprise transcoding market charge SIGNIFICANTLY more for significantly LESS.

Bottom line -- we are proud -- very proud -- of this one.  We believe we got this one right.  Very right.  And that isn't just based on our own internal thinking.  It is based on actual beta users who we are now converting to actual customers.

They trust the Sorenson Media brand -- and what it represents.

We are showcasing new Squeeze Server 2.0 at the Streaming Media West conference which kicks off today in LA.  Stop by our booth -- which we are sharing with our new partner RealNetworks to offer the broadest variety of transcoding and streaming solutions to cover the needs of virtually any workflow.

Instagram for Video -- Why It's So Hard

Instagram -- THE picture sharing, picture enhancement social network -- was recently acquired by Facebook, of course, for a price between $600Million and $1Billion (depending on where Facebook's share price is at any given moment in time).  So, with video permeating the web and our lives now on every device, an "Instagram for Video" is the next best thing.  Right?

Not so fast.  Video is a very different beast entirely -- contextually, technically, and experiencially.

I recently wrote about these fundamental differences in TechCrunch in a post titled "Instagram for Video -- Massive Opportunity, Yes!  Done Right, No!"  In it, I discuss the significant hurdles facing those VC-backed companies trying to crack the nut (both private and publicly-held companies).  I also offer a recipe to succeed.

Following my TechCrunch piece, two others offered their own "takes" in TechCrunch about this topic (both of whom cited my original piece).  Just yesterday, filmmaker Armando Kirmin posted a piece in TechCrunch titled "The Sad State of Video Apps" in which he focuses on the filmmaking process and how it is radically different than still photo capture (apart from the technical issues I cited in my piece).  And, previously, Sandeep Casi focused on the fundamental differences between video and still images from purely a content perspective (and how translatable personal video content is to others) in a TechCrunch piece titled "Cloning Instagram for Video Will Not Revolutionize Mobile Video."

Together, these three pieces tie together the supreme challenges facing the "Instagram for Video" quest by tens of start-ups, as well as the massive market opportunity if they were able to succeed.  My ultimate conclusion is that it will be one of the tech industry behemoths that ultimately will be the one that comes closest.

And, that won't be Instagram owner Facebook.  For the reasons discussed in my piece, it most likely will be one of the consumer electronic behemoths.

Sorenson Media -- Finalist for 4 "Readers' Choice" Awards

Just announced -- Streaming Media's finalists for its coveted "Readers' Choice" awards.  Once again, Sorenson Media is a finalist in multiple categories -- this time 4:

(1) Best Cloud Encoding/Transcoding Service -- Squeeze Cloud
(2) Best Encoding Software (Desktop) -- Sorenson Squeeze
(3) Best Encoding Software (Enterprise Class) -- Squeeze Server
(4) Best Online Video Platform -- Sorenson 360

Winners will be announced next week at the Streaming Media West conference.  Last year we took home 3 awards (more than any other company, including giants like Adobe).

How many this year?

Content Is Still King -- Always Will Be -- Money Will Come

[NOTE -- this is a post I wrote earlier this year, but believe it is a worthy topic for those of you who missed it the first time; it is slightly updated here].

Janke Roettgers of Gigaom recently wrote a piece titled "Netflix, Hulu & the Golden Age of Content", in which his major premise is that we have reached a new high point for video content because virtually all major online distributors are now developing original programming (a la HBO). That includes Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and even Amazon! His major point -- it's not just about the major studios and indie film-makers anymore.

And, yes, that is a big deal. But, why are all of these major online players now getting into their own major video content creation game?

Quite simple. Economics. Pure and simple. Economics.

You see, we are, in fact, entering a new golden age for video content creators. But, for very different reasons than Roettgers' main premise.

Here is the real deal. He (or she) who creates the video content, ultimately gets the gold. In other words, video content creators are now discovering -- or re-discovering -- that it is their content that ultimately drives the entire online video engine and machine. You see, there are scores of video distributors, all of whom essentially do the same thing. They aggregate videos and try to amass the largest library for distribution (which is precisely what has happened in the online music biz for the past 10+ years now).  Their mission is to bring you, the consumer, the widest selection of online video content.  But, ultimately, these online distributor (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu) will essentially aggregate the same content that the others can also bring you.  There will be no real differentiation there.  They will try to differentiate themselves from the others by offering the best user experience, recommendation engines, etc.

But, on the flip-side, the video content itself that they bring you is absolutely unique. No two programs are identical. And, if any online distributor wants to deliver that unique work of content to you, they must pay the content creator. And, those content payments (licenses) for online distribution are now finally becoming big, very big. All of these major online players -- Netflix, Amazon, Hulu -- are starting to pay big big bucks to deepen their pools of content. And, we are still only in the early innings of the online video revolution.

These licenses will substantially increase over time, as all major online video distributors will fight to offer the deepest pool of online video content to their users (and have the bragging rights that they do so). As noted above, we have already seen that happen in the online music business. All online music distributors -- iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, Rdio, Napster -- always boast, first and foremost, that they have gazillions of tracks to offer. The largest number I recently saw was nearly 20 million available tracks.  Providing a rich pool of content (in this case, music) is simply a price of admission to be a real player in the online music game, because consumers don't want to find "holes" in a service provider's catalog.  If they do, they bolt to a competitor.  

Same thing is happening in the premium online video game. Real bucks are being paid. And, yes, these major players are now trying to pull an HBO and augment (and differentiate) their libraries from the others with their own self-produced programming. But, the real bread and butter will come from shows they don't produce -- at least for several years.

And, that's great for all of the kings of content who retain the crown ....

For a deeper analysis on this subject, check out my guest post in TechCrunch titled "Apple Schooled Music Execs Then, Here Are the Lessons Online Video Should Learn Now."

Musicians -- You CAN Make Money In the Online World -- Create Connections, Access, Experiences AND EXPERIMENT!

Musicians -- how can you make money (monetize) in this brave new online world which has completely disrupted (more like shattered) long-time business models?

Well, for the vast majority of musicians -- all except the biggest names -- it's not about selling the music itself anymore (but then again, it never really was).  Instead, it's about getting out to your fans (touring) and connecting more directly with your audience, something that this brave new online world enables in a way that was never before possible.  And, this direct-to-audience path is available to all musicians -- established or not.  The Internet has democratized the overall opportunities available to musicians.  It also gives musicians the opportunity to connect with their audience essentially anytime, anywhere 24/7.  That means the opportunity is there for significantly more "consumption" -- including critical discovery -- of your music.

We all know what is happening now as a result in this brave new reality.  Most musicians practically give away their music in order to establish this connection, this bond with their fans.  Loyalty results.  And, sprinkle in direct access for your fans to your daily life, your thoughts, your dreams, your shows -- your WORLD -- and you really begin to build something.  Things you can monetize.  Music fans will pay for that kind of access -- that's why artist fan clubs are so successful.  They also will pay extra (frequently significantly more) for an "experience" -- not just a show.  A true "experience" means all of the above -- including special access and merchandise (Taylor Swift anyone?  My girl, Hunter's favorite by the way ...).

Here's just one example of new kinds of opportunities -- experiments, really -- in this brave new digital music world.  We all know that "all you can eat" online music subscription services (Rhapsody, Spotify, Rdio) provide great value to customers like me (I have been a proponent and heavy user of subscription streaming services for nearly 10 years).  But, we also know that the artists themselves make virtually no money directly from these streaming services.  According to a recent article in Daily Variety, artist payments amount to one thousandth of a cent per streamed track (of course, that is not the whole story, since such streaming leads to overall artist awareness which, in turn, should translate into downstream dollars via the access and experiences I discuss above).

In this context, enter online music service Rdio -- the one founded by the Skype guys (who, interestingly, began their illustrious careers founding Kazaa, one of the most notorious peer-to-peer services that the music industry originally held accountable for massive piracy that upended their long-time business models and overall businesses).  Now, in an ironic twist of fate, the Kazaa guys want to give musicians a hand in making more money.  How?  By earning $10 for every new paid subscriber they bring into the Rdio fold via social media.  In other words, "Artists cash in when subs sign up" (which is the precise title of a relevant article about this new Rdio initiative that I read in Daily Variety).  Magnanimous?  Well, not exactly -- the original Kazaa'ers reap the primary benefits of recurring subscription revenues that can mount up significantly over time (particularly as users like me simply forget that we are auto-paying them).  Nonetheless, Rdio is at least giving artists a new opportunity via this new experimental program called "Rdio Artist Program."

Musicians, listen up!  Put yourself out there!  Use all available means to establish initial "connections" with your audience.  Grant them access.  Create unique "experiences."  And, EXPERIMENT IN THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD!  Throw caution to the wind and try out this new Rdio Artist Program.  Why not?  Go forth bravely!  There is no one right model -- and this experiment may be one small step along the way that leads you to the promised land of actually being able to afford your music career.

Drive "the path" forward.  And get heard ....