I’ve been tracking a number of sites that offer flickr-like services for video.
I’ve taken a look at as many of these services that I could find. The most well known is YouTube, which we profiled in August and which recently raised venture money from Sequoia.
But there are at least eight others worth looking at as well. In addition to YouTube, these are CastPost, ClipShack, DailyMotion, Grouper, OurMedia, Revver, Vimeo and vSocial.
Instead of writing individual profiles on each of these, I’ve created a quick chart that give a basic overview of the features. I’ve included only those companies that provide a web-based (v. client) service that hosts the videos on your behalf. Because of these requirements, great services like VideoEgg (profile) are not included.
Here’s the chart. I’ll update it as needed.
Most of these companies convert video to Flash. This reduces file size significantly and also allows most platforms and browsers to easily view the content. Two, Vimeo and DailyMotion, convert files to quicktime instead. A couple do not convert the files at all. One benefit of those services which do not convert is that the files can be downloaded by others, emailed, etc. QuickTime format can also be downloaded.
One service that has a unique feature is Revver. Much like FruitCast for podcasts, Revver will auto-insert advertisements directly into your videos and share revenue with you.
A couple of additional notes. Grouper has not launched their video publishing product yet. When it does launch there is a good chance it will involve a client download which would remove them from this list. Also, while I’ve noted which services allow tagging of videos, there are a wide variety of tagging options within these services, and many of them also provide comments, rankings, etc. and which are not noted in the chart. Finally, the tools to allow blogging, friends lists and other sharing are varied and more useful in some products than others. Which product is best for you depends on what types of features are most important to you.
UPDATE: I’ve updated the chart above with more information. People have left great comments and have included new companies I’ve missed. If you are associated with those companies, please email me relevant information and I’ll include it in the chart. The most interesting comment is from Vinu, who tells us that he heard a rumor that Flickr will be adding video support soon. That would have a significant impact on this market, of course.
Comments
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Hey, why no AudioBlog.com? They do video publishing as well.
I have been watching these sites pretty closely myself..
.. I have even thought about making one myself… the only thing preventing me is the bandwidth cost
paying for bandwidth for flickr is one thing.. but paying the bill for bandwidth for a video site is CRAZY!
how do they websites pay the bills?
Michael, have a look at blip.tv. It’s my favorite hosting for my videoblogs. They have tagging, cross upload to ourmedia, blog site and other features. They also participate in the yahoo videoblogging group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/videoblogging , and answer any questions or problems they see about their site. The yahoo videoblogging group is also a good source of information and participation on video and vlogging.
;),
Enric
Enric,
I did look at blip.tv. I decided not to include it because it is specific to videoblogs, whereas the other services are more targeted to non-linear videos (much like flickr). I know there are a lot of passionate user of blip…I may profile it separately.
Hi Michael…how come you didn’t mention Google Video? It converts to Flash. It has worked great for me.
iFilm is another contender worth checking out. They were recently acquired by MTV, which should give them access to a ton of popular content to mix in with user-created stuff.
Al - because I’m an idiot. Of course they should have been included. I’ve also received an email on another one - gabbr.com.
don’t forget Now Public (nowpublic.com) which doesn’t limit space AFAIK
more:
http://www.rolandtanglao.com/a.....experience
And ClipShack’s limit according to their site is only 50MB:
http://www.rolandtanglao.com/a.....ble_for_me
Michael: a few more that are very similar in concept:
http://www.myveo.com
http://www.vobbo.com
http://www.varsityTV.com
http://www.123vlogging.com
http://www.zippyvideos.com
http://www.phanfare.com
I heard at tagcamp .. that flickr is soon releasing ‘video too!!’ now thats gonna rock the world! woosh …
If you want to build your own Flickr-video site you can try Lulop2, that’s open source (on Sourceforge), and has started to do Flash video before Google.
Although Pooxi.com is in French, you could add it on the list ;).
We do not convert to flash yet. We do give money back to the authors (revenue sharing through advertising).
David Pooxi
Founder & CEO
You might want to keep an eye on Jeremy Allaire’s BrightCove they working to democratize video as well.
Hi guys,
Thanks for your article.
I’d Like to make some updates about Dailymotion Features :
# Dailymotion service is free.
# upload max is 150 Mo per video. the max storage has not been specified yet , but it will go around 1Go of compressed files.
# It converts any format to mov/flv/3gp. a dedicated javascript try to guess what is the best format your browser can read.
# PRIVACY IS availaible !
Thanks again.
I found Revver a week or two ago and used it quite a bit (didn’t upload, but viewed). All of the videos are in QuickTime and use what appears to be SMIL to add what they call the Revver bar. So there must be some conversion going on. On the upload page it mentions you have to download the “Revver uploader” and that they accept all popular formats.
http://www.vobbo.com/ - Vobbo seems to be pretty young, but very flexible.
And I thought I had seen them all.
You have missed some however. One of the best out there is Sharkle.com!
I’ve done a roundup of video sites on my blog that can viewed here:
The Creme de Video Sharing Websites
Hey, MPEGnation.com beat all of these - but it charges a little. Still, you get Windows, Real, QuickTime in sizes up to 1,500k - and complete conversion from upload or submitted physical media. Much higher quality even though you have to pay a little.
You missed another one, http://vMix.com, started by a bunch of ex-Mp3.com artists, engineers and executives.
http://www.Seehaha.com is also a good service for video hosting and sharing…..
I use MetaCafe. Let me tell you - the content there is pure fun.
Hey, also check out http://www.blinkx.tv - they’ve got a service called my.blinkx.tv - you can upload and store your video content for free - though it’s not private. They’ll convert your stuff to Flash, and automatically create an audio transcript to index the file and make it searchable. They also have one of the best search tools for video - you can save your old searches and make your own personalized video channel.
Since our videoblog tool is a year old and we’re taking it out of beta this month, I can answer the questions officially for Audioblog.com:
Price $4.95 (video is free beta)
Converts: Flash, (soon to iPod quicktime)
Download files: yes
Storage: no current limits
Privacy: I’m not sure what you classfiy privacy as to be honest
Sharing: post to blog, post to rss
tags: n/a
creation tools: yes + upload (video moblogging soon)
Oops, I think I misread ‘converts formats’ … we convert almost every format including 3GP… what I posted was that we publish to flash, and next gen is convert everything to QT as an iPod option to accompany our iTuness extensions compatibility.
Cheers.
Check out MedicineFilms.com! It’s an online community that revolves around amateur to not-so-amateur videos created in response to assignments. There are tags and lots of other fun and interesting ways to find other users’ videos. It’s free for a regular membership, which allows unlimited uploads of 5MB or less, and $5/month for premium membership, which permits uploads up to 50MB, ad-free browsing and a service called Medicine Dropper that posts your videos to your blog or website. It was started a couple years ago by a handful of twenty-somethings with big dreams and already it has attracted more than 2,000 members.
I’m really surprised that
http://www.Vidilife.com
has not been added to the flickr of video list yet.
Check out the videos from a Russian student…
What about centrally produced video sites on the Internet? Is internet video more likely to succeed as personal phenomenon or a media co. phenomenon?
interesting link: http://www.ReelBlogs.com
How about flukiest.com
We’re a young company that just launched and we convert videos to flash. We also allow folks to send in videos from their mobile phones.
While Veoh is not Flickr of video, I suggest that you take close look at it. We are to Television (Full-Screen, TV-Quality) video, what these sites are to Web Video. Veoh allows people to publish long form video such as full TV-Style shows, including episodic shows, and allows viewers to subscribe to ongoing channels. There are over 10,000 shows that are available in the last 6 weeks of beta.
http://www.veoh.com
why include group if the service isn’t even available yet?
Some of the reviewed sites don’t fit the title. They can hardly be Flickr like if they don’t offer Tags for a start. Grouper shouldn’t be there as its service is unknown.
OurMedia.org does have tags tho. However it’s hardly Flickr like because I can rarely access it, through any browser. Or is that just me?
As someone mentioned, Vidilife.com should have been there.
And I’ll add Sharkle again as I didn’t link it last time. It is like the best out there.
oops… bloody hypertext markup language… it should be
Sharkle and Vidilife
I’m also wondering why you did not include Google Video. They do a good job and do not show obnoxious ads or banners or try to get you click other places on their site.
what about multiply.com??
Sony’s ImageStation.com lets you upload and store 15 minutes of video clips in addition to photos.
http://imagestation.com
Pixparty.com is another site to throw in the mix. Around since early 2004 the site has over tens of thousands of videos posted by members across the world.
I would also suggest you check out http://www.metacafe.com
it’s a great site for watching fun clips that are rated by dozens of thousands of users everyday. You can submit your clips and if they’re good the users will quickly push them up to become blockbusters. You can also download the client and have it right to your desktop application.
Cheers.
As a vj and videoblogger who loves to remix and repurpose content culled from the plethora of our cultural commons offered on the web, i have been tracking and drawing from the growth of user generated video content sites a’la flickr that have been springing up all over like specimens in a furious Terence McKenna hothouse in the last 18 months. Stumbling on this post inspired me to make the effort to add to it with links gathered from my del.icio.us account…. 62 links for the adventurous! http://artificialeyes.tv/en/aenews.html#439
I am putting Revver through its paces and have brought in 15 Cents!
So it works! I guess. I will be glad when this all settles down we choose a vendor be creative and finally get some rest.
TVersity is a UPnP MediaServer which specifically enables direct Playback of Internet audio/Video URL’s on UPnP Media players, Your site is a great source of information on the Flickrs of Video.
I therefore posted the following at the TVersity Forums to raise awareness of your site and the current Flickrs of Video.
http://forums.tversity.com/pos.....325ef77eff
Do not know what happened to link with NO way to edit it etc.
Look here http://forums.tversity.com
Specifically, General discussion, Comparing the Flickrs of Video.
Michael,
This is a great side by side comparison. I think you have created a wonderful maintenance project for yourself here. It will be a helpful research tool for many people.
Hey does anyone know how much people actually get paid by REVVER for having their video hit say, 1000 times?
Doesn’t anyone of these companies have creation tools?
dont forget sharkle. we offer a free GB of space, plus community elements that none of the other sites have. we are getting around 2500 members per day, so definitely check us out.
there is also jusspress.com! I can’t believe how many of these there are.
I am surprised mefeedia.com isn’t on the list.
Good morning Michael, I am a 27 years old french man found of motorsports and IT. I have absolutely no links with vsocial.com but I have to say because I have experienced all the others that it is the best.
Storage is free and unlimited; i have uploaded more than 500 videos for approximately 5 GO, yes 5 GIGA OCTETS ! I asked a mate called webba (it seems it is the webmaster) about the price and he promised the site will stay free.
What do you mean by Creation Tool ? Did you experience the video roll manager ?
I have learned lot of things with your blog, thanks.
Regards From France
Have a look at http://www.911turbo.fr.st … I have done it in one day, thanks to vsocial .
Regards
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