Businesses need solutions now -- this noise is deafening. They need to get back to what they do best -- building their business -- using online video to better showcase and sell their products and services and, therefore, drive more revenues.
Virtually every online video platform (OVP) jumped on the VP8 bandwagon today -- pronouncing that they are here to provide VP8-related solutions and solve such confusion -- in their own frequently used words, that they "SUPPORT" VP8.
But, take a look at that word -- "Support." It is a funny thing. It means different things to different people. And, for virtually all OVPs, "support" apparently does not mean the same things as providing their customers with real working VP8 solutions today. They don't -- plain and simple. "Support" is a strategic word chosen to ride on the coat-tails of Google's press wave today. It is NOT a word that is used to connote that they are problem-solvers for their customers on day 1.
Take Brightcove for example -- a company we greatly respect as a leader in our industry. They are one of many OVPs that issued a major press release today in connection with Google's VP8/WebM game-changing announcement. But, what does the company's press release say? While the headline reads "Brightcove Announces Support for WebM Video Format", read the fine print in the body of the release itself. If you do, you read this -- "Brightcove ... today announced PLANS to support WebM ...." (emphasis mine). In other words, not today -- but at some point in the future.
They are not alone -- read the fine print with virtually any other company in the encoding and OVP space. Yes, the press releases were flowing. But, the live VP8 encoding solutions weren't.
And, that's where I am very proud to report, yet again, that Sorenson Media out-innovated all the rest. When we say "support", we mean it. And, we mean it on Day 1 -- that means today, out of the gates, we were fully live with VP8 supporting solutions -- across our entire product line -- as soon as Google announced to the world. That truly is remarkable.
How did that happen? Because Google reached out to us several weeks ago and asked us, as industry leaders, to develop in advance of its announcement. And, for the sake of being good partners -- and for the sake of innovation and providing world class video solutions -- we did. My team worked literally days, nights, weekends -- whatever it took -- to make this happen. To make our VP8 solutions available to businesses now -- today. To clarify the confusion now.
To be problem-solvers.
So, just because we and others use the same word -- "support" -- that doesn't mean we are saying the same thing.
We likely aren't.
Just read the fine print ...
