It was bound to happen sooner or later. UK based CDN Velocix announced they will offer the first free CDN, providing 5,000GB/mo of content delivery for file download, video progressive streaming and website acceleration services at no charge.

Velocix values the service at $8,000 which breaks down to about $.13/GB transferred if the full quota is used. Not bad. Velocix no doubt hopes to lure a few of of the many startups using Amazon’s dirt cheap S3 and EC2 for content delivery. Once companies are delivering more than 5,000 GB and comfortable with the Velocix service, it’s less likely they will leave.

The Kelsey Group points to online video services company VideoBloom which has done some research into the video offerings of NASDAQ 100 websites. They also point out some interesting uses, such as The Secret Ingredient™ video blog offered by Whole Foods.

Somewhat surprising considering their cyclical nature, 93% of DJIA index websites employed online video. For instance these Chevron videos.

The Church of Scientology has launched a YouTube channel. And they have done so in style, taking advantage of the YouTube API to build a flashy (no pun intended) customized channel interface. The Church offers a number of videos outlining their stance on issues like human rights, drug use and “the way to happiness.”

While the player is cool, the videos look more or less like time-share sales videos, except for a cult. No doubt we can look forward to a whole new genre of spoof videos as a result.

If you are from the left or from the right - or somewhere in the middle - don’t let your politics get in the way of voting for your favorite Obama in :30 video.

More than 3 million people voted to nail down 15 finalists. Thanks, 3 million people. I didn’t want to sit through the terrible ones.

“Why can’t we all just get along?”

As if anyone has been clamoring for the lost episodes of the Gilmore Girls, Warner Brothers announced today that they will launch two of their own video portals. TheWB.com and KidsWB.com. The press release cited Mattel, McDonald’s and Johnson & Johnson as marketing partners, but wasn’t specific as to which (or both) properties.

My question - Why? Hulu is already doing some heavy lifting and creating the non-YouTube destination for high quality, licensed content from TV. Why not join in the fun, creating a bigger, better Hulu with even more of your favorite content? The release also cites multiple partners for multi-platform syndication including Comcast Cable, Fancast.com, AOL, a number of mobile carriers, and an application on Facebook for integration of Facebook’s social utility on TheWB.com, and TheWB.com’s entertainment content on Facebook. Clearly they are up for sharing their content.

The complaint I hear most (although seriously doubt its validity) is that people don’t know what stations their favorite programs are on. If you miss an episode of 30 Rock, they claim not to know to check NBC.com. But I can’t fathom that having a new URL/destination site that is named after a channel that no longer exists is going to help the matter. Glad I’m not jonesing for some Dawson’s Creek reruns. (please note the deep sarcasm) Seems like some major media companies will remain content with a fragmented media landscape.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of trademarked terms meant to make something sound better than it is, and MLB’s NextDef is a case in point. But MLB and Swarmcast have created a service that works very well and they should be applauded for it.

No, a 1.2 Mbps stream won’t give you high definition, it’s not going to knock your socks off if attached to a large screen, but it is the highest quality live video currently offered on the internet. In this MLB has succeeded.

Live streaming is a very different beast than delivering on-demand content, and making possible the best experience for so many users with so many different connection speeds is no an easy task. According to the release, “On Opening Day, MLB.TV and Swarmcast delivered over 1.7 million live game streams” Based on that massive number, it’s no wonder there were some opening day issues.

Moreover it speaks to the advantage of having a client-side protocol like Swarmcast’s Autobahn that can measure and adapt to the unique conditions in each users home. While online, every connection is different, Autobahn, ensures that each user receives the best possible experience.

Said Joe Choti, Chief Technology Officer, MLB.com:

“Existing streaming technologies did not have the level of scalability we required and we realized that in order to grow our audience and improve video quality we needed a fundamentally different approach to streaming. Swarmcast presents the only method of delivering high-quality live streaming to hundreds of millions of viewers with the reliability that enables us to grow a business around the Internet as a distribution channel.”

The expansion of Autobahn which had previously been used to power MLB’s Moasiac multi-game viewing option to all games shows that in places where content can be monetized, we are quickly moving toward much higher quality video on the net.

Corey Adds: Not to be a complete hater, I do have to give credit where it is due. While taking the Acela back from Boston last week, I was able to stream the Red Sox game I was leaving behind, nearly uninterrupted. The battle between “lean back” quality and content with any where, any time convenience continues on……

Here’s one you don’t see every day - the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa is live streaming the defrosting of a 495 kg colossal squid. The squid, which was donated to the museum by the Ministry of Fisheries in 2007 will be thawed and dissected by museum researchers.

The event will be the subject of a Discovery Networks documentary airing later this year.

Watch live on 4 cameras here. (via)

We’re not celebrities. They aren’t celebrities. The restaurant hasn’t been “the” place to been seen in years. But dining at New York City’s Balthazar last night, OVW met Narragansett Pictures’ Chip Benson, an independent television producer…..and a die-hard Red Sox fan.

Narragansett Pictures produces the Red Socks Diaries, a daily video blog comic strip - about the Red Sox - featuring improv comedian and voice actor Ron Hayden impersonating Big Papi David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and closer Jonathan “Papelbuns”

I’m obviously biased given the subject matter, but here’s a great example of high quality, well produced, short-form niche content that reaches a targeted and loyal audience. The duo previously produced another Sawks inspired show, The Red Sake Show, which you can still catch on Brightcove. Go Sox!

The Mogulus blog reports that an editorial board interview with Barack Obama at the Indianapolis Star was viewed live by more than 20,000 unique users.

The scale of the event is an endorsement of the strength of the Mogulus platform, and equally impressive for the fact that an event which would have previously never been broadcast drove record traffic on the IndyStar website.

Above: Founder Max Haot demos Mogulus for Beet.TV

Mogulus has in a short period of time built a reliable live streaming service, useful for independent and professional users, and capable of effectively reaching large numbers of concurrent viewers.

The company recently partnered with Kulabyte for HD encoding and rolled out a pro service, offering white label solutions to professional content producers.

The New Yorker has a feature on a Business Week employee trapped for 41 hours in an elevator in the McGraw Hill Building. The magazine posted a video of the ordeal on YouTube which has become their first viral success. 2.2 million views so far. (Via 1 Tim Street)