Flingo.tv

As covered by GigaOM, two .tv’s that showed new products are Flingo and Simple.tv.

Flingo, headquartered in San Francisco, launched in late 2008 as a way for sending online video to internet-connected TVs (including sets from LG, Samsung and Vizio). They launched a new product at CES, called SyncApps, which they claim allows users to share easily on Facebook and Twitter, while allowing social content from broadcasters, like polls and updates, to be sent to the user’s TV screen. There have announced a number of really exciting features, including an API that enables developers to create application that use SyncApps to hook into their system. This looks like the next phase of social television and we can’t wait to see where this goes.

Another .tv that emerged from CES is Simple.tv, a set-top device that lets you stream live and recorded TV content to supported mobile devices – including the iPad.  Simple.tv announced availability for Spring 2012 and are taking reservations for their device on their website. Simple.tv also announced a premium subscription package will be available  that will include an enhanced program guide, automatic recording and streaming to a set number of connected devices.

Simple.tv

These are pretty exciting uses of technology for online video – it looks like the future is really here!

We’re also looking forward to exploring great new features that are being implemented in cameras – like Wi-Fi and 3D – that will help take online video up to the next level.

One of the big events of this year’s CES was the International Academy of Web Television Awards. This is an organization that promotes and celebrates online video and the amazing creators behind them. The awards were given out on January 12^th and you can watch the stream of the ceremony here.  We were really excited to see one of our advocates, Brad Powell’s webshow, DadLabs, win Best Educational Web Series – Congratulations Brad!

Once again, the Consumer Electronics Show was an exciting kick-off to the year and we’re looking forward to seeing all of these products in use during 2012!

Twitch.tv website

We’ve written about Twitch.tv before and have followed it’s progress since it’s spin off from Justin.tv in June 2011. Twitch.tv is a site for video gamers to watch, broadcast and chat about their gameplay, a great site to discover new games and personalities to follow.

The site has been growing at an incredible rate – 11% month over month since their launch – and announced in December that Twitch.tv is now engaging more than 12 million unique visitors a month. They also launched an iPhone application, which had over 80,000 downloads in the first month.

Twitch.tv has a premium partner program that includes the Electronic Sports League, Major League Gaming and the IGN Pro League, and is now more than 1000 members strong.

There is an incredible amount of momentum going into 2012 around Twitch.tv and the gaming space – what we see is that this is an incredibly connected and vibrant community that’s passionate about video gaming and online video.

Happy New Year!

.tv Advocate, Amy Mac

From function to fashion, my journey to finding food…

It is true. I use to be the girl that couldn’t cook and was fine with it. This didn’t affect my daily life (I once survived on Cheerios for 4 days and didn’t notice until I got dizzy) because I was all about the function of food and not the fashion. Plus, my husband can cook. Fast forward a few years and my brother-in-law moves in and decides to learn to cook. I was his sous chef (mostly because I didn’t want him destroying my kitchen) and suddenly food began to matter. I could start tasting subtle differences in spices and really appreciating a well-prepared steak – what had happened to me?!

This new appreciation of food didn’t really play in to my healthy lifestyle and weight management regimen so my workout plans have had to be modified through the years but it has been worth it. Not only do I appreciate amazing food but I can also cook (even though my family will never really believe it)! It is nice not to stress over having people over for dinner or taking a dish to a party. That’s why I’m a fan of LeGourmet.tv!

LeGourmet.tv

This site is full of short,informative and fun to watch videos on cooking and kitchen prep. I love the site’s simplicity, tips and recipes. From how to store an avocado without it browning to the correct way to measure flour and howtomakeovenpulledpork, you will learn something new from this site! Even if you don’t attempt any of their recipes, you get to watch and enjoy the process in these fast 5 minute videos! 

Thanks Amy for a great post.  We’d love to hear what are YOUR favorite .tv sites – send us a tweet or comment here, on our Facebook page or YouTube channel.

* Disclosure: Amy is a compensated member of the .tv Advocate Program,  http://cmp.ly/3/7Zcya9

Our Grand Prize winner is Mark Nehrenz with his video .tv: Share Your Videos, Share Your Story.

Our First place winner is Tom Hofbauer’s Desperate for Domain.

Our Second place winner is Justin Kownacki with Having a .tv Domain Changes EVERYTHING!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter the contest – we appreciate everyone’s effort and participation.

.tv Advocate Melissa Pierce

Based in New York, Portable.tv is an online channel that explores fashion, film, music and art through online video.

Recently, .tv advocate and filmmaker Melissa Pierce caught up with their creative director, Andrew Apostola.

How did Portable.tv get started?

We had been running the Portable Film Festival for a few years and wanted to provide more to our fans on a daily basis. So we launched the new Portable in February 2010. It was instantly well received by people around the world, particularly by the fashion industry as we were one of the first to really cover fashion video in a serious and consistent way. Today we curate videos across fashion, film, music, art and design. We recently released a great article on the history of fashion film and we have a regular series called “What We’re Watching” that covers what bands, designers and artists are watching online.

What inspired you start curating online video?

Portable is both a broadcaster and a curator—we merge the two together. I have a background in broadcasting and filmmaking and my friend and co-founder Simon Goodrich has a strong interest in technology. It’s incredible difficult to find great video online, so we’re filling that gap and I guess our fans love us for it.

Why online video and not another form of media?

Online video is where all the innovation lies when it comes to broadcasting. In 2003 we launched the Student Youth Network, a radio station out of Australia. The next logic step was to start broadcasting on the internet and we chose video because it’s the most visual and visceral form of media available today. It’s not to say that we’re not interested in other forms of media: you need to start somewhere and it’s best to start where you passion lies before moving elsewhere.

The site is has a minimal and very clean look to it, almost like an art gallery, how many of Portable.tv’s staff are designers/artists?

Our audience consists of a lot of designers and artists, however our staff just have a strong appreciation for good design. We actually help a lot of other companies get online through Portable Studios our production company.

How long has portable.tv been on the net?

We went live in February 2011 and we’ve watched our audience grow quite rapidly from then. Most of our audience comes out of the United States, followed by Australia, the UK and France. We noticed that the French really liked us few months ago so we decided to give them some love back with an article on the Best French Indie Filmmakers of 2011 . We also have a guide to Melbourne filmmakers which is where the whole concept of Portable emanates from. Today we have offices in New York, Melbourne and Sydney.

Does Portable.tv have any big plans for 2012?

Portable is constantly evolving. Expect to see a bold and beautiful re-design in the new year. Also expect to see more pretty pictures, beautifully shot videos and contributors from around the world. Oh and a series of events in New York and Australia.

Thanks Melissa! Portable.tv is a beautiful site and we’re looking forward to watching them in 2012. Do you have a favorite .tv site we should profile? Send us a tweet, comment here, on our Facebook page or on our YouTube channel.

Stay Tuned!

* Disclosure: Melissa is a compensated member of the .tv Advocate Program,  http://CMP.LY/3/1x3XoV

.tv Advocates, The MidLife Road Trip

Whether it’s for a new iPhone app or a marketing vehicle for a online filmmaker, a Sizzle Reel is a great way to promote what you do. Today’s post from Rick and Sandi from the MidLife Road Trip talks about what a Sizzle Reel is and what to think about when you’re planning one.

A sizzle reel, sometimes referred to as a demo reel, showcases the body of your work. It is a 2 – 5 minute video that highlights what you are all about, your purpose and passion. It’s what sets your ‘brand’ apart. You want your sizzle reel to be a ‘tease’, to leave viewers wanting more.

You’ve decided to create a sizzle reel, now what?

First, what is the purpose of your sizzle reel? Who will see it? What type of impression do you want to make? Answer those questions and that will help determine the direction of your video.

Next, check out similar videos. Find out what you like and don’t like about them.  Take notes. It is important not only to have a clear-cut idea in your head but to also put a pen to paper.

Once you have developed your concept and written your voice over script, you’ll need to select the photos, video and music that will set the tone for your sizzle reel.  If you are using video highlights of your work, you’ll want to select short clips with compelling sound bites. 

A sizzle reel is not an in your face commercial. Sizzle reels are usually fast paced and exciting. The music you select sets the mood.  If you have a lot of action in your video, you’ll want music that is upbeat and reflects that. There are as many options for music as there are moods, and a quick google search of Royalty Free Music will provide you with numerous sites offering single tracks or entire libraries of music for a small fee or a donation.

If your just not a great editor, not feeling creative or simply don’t have the time, there are numerous companies that can create a sizzle reel for you. 

What ever you decide, the outcome should be a powerful, emotionally engaging video that exemplifies who you are and what you are about. It’s a first class marketing tool that is will leave a memorable and lasting impression. 

Thanks Rick and Sandi, great post! What do you think of sizzle reels?–Send us a tweet or comment here, on our Facebook page or YouTube channel.

Stay tuned!

* Disclosure: Rick Griffin and Sandi McKenna are compensated .tv Advocates,  http://cmp.ly/3/LyzHe9 and http://cmp.ly/3/yDVhjL

Learn how to create and edit video on .tv

Our new Watch.tv site design has been live for a couple of months now – and we’ve gotten a lot of great, positive feedback on our new look and feel. One of the new sections on the site that we love is HowTo .tv, which is dedicated to educating our users about online video.

In this section you’ll find videos and posts on a number of subjects:

• Steve Garfield‘s video on how to “Plan, Shoot, Edit and Share Web Video“
• A great post on “The Keys to Great Audio“
• An answer to a question we get a lot at Watch.tv, “How to Host Video on the Web“
• And more…

Stay Tuned!

* Disclosure: Rick Griffin and Sandi McKenna are compensated .tv Advocates,  http://cmp.ly/3/LyzHe9 and http://cmp.ly/3/yDVhjL

Phil's still in the Holiday Spirit

Last Friday completed the first full week of Phil Campbell‘s amazing project, the Watch.tv Advent Calendar. Phil’s working incredibly hard on making these fantastic videos and we appreciate all of the effort he’s putting into this. These videos contain wonderful tips and technology that will help you create, edit and automate some of the processes that go into making web video.

We didn’t want you to miss anything (you are subscribed  to the iTunes feed, Phil’s RSS feed and are watching the @fibrecamp and @WatchDotTV Twitter streams, right?) so we wanted to post an update of last weeks videos, in case you need to catch up.

1. December 5: Audio Editing “On the Go”  (we posted this last week, it’s worth watching again!)
2. December 6: Automating Your Disclosure Requirements
3. December 7: Custom QR Codes and Tracking Software
4. December 8: Holler Gram for Getting Attention
5. December 9: Secure Your Data “On the Go” With a Virtual Private Network
6. December 10: Mobile Storytelling “On the Go”
7. December 11: Ten Ultimate Tips for Media Makers “On the Go”

Thanks Phil – these videos are amazing! What’s your favorite tip that Phil has shared so far? Send us a tweet or comment here, on our Facebook page or YouTube channel.

Stay tuned!

* Disclosure: Phil is a compensated member of the .tv Advocate Program,  http://CMP.LY/3/HPynQH

Recently, two authors, influencers and all around good guys that we like to follow online both shared behind the scene videos of their working set ups and we thought that by sharing them with you, you’d see that it doesn’t have to be overly complicated to create great video content.

First up is Steve Garfield. He literally wrote the book on making video called Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business. This video was one he shot for a client to show them what the video shoot was going to look like before they got there. We love the variety of different camera angles he has set up to add in variety to the final edit.

Next up is Chris Brogan.  He speaks, writes and lately has been publishing a lot of great videos including the one below. We love his DIY creativity for taking care of pesky windows that were letting in too much light when he was shooting.

As you see, each of us approaches filming video differently.

We share these in the hopes that they will inspire you to start shooting more video.

Do you have a set up video like these? If so, send us a tweet or comment here, on our Facebook page or YouTube channel.. Perhaps if we get enough of them we will share a bunch of them in another post so that others can learn from you.

Stay tuned!