As I sit on the Acela to Boston between jobs, drinking a Bass, wirelessly surfing the net on my bluetooth enabled MacBook pro via my blackberry, (I love technology) here’s two Streaming Media East session videos that can’t be missed.

The first, Effective Advertising Models for Short-Form Video Marketing features my former CBS College Sports colleague Tom Buffolano, Christian Spinillo of Pointroll and Allyson Campa of Metacafe, it is moderated by Jeff Marcus, President of Sparkway.

SME: Effective Advertising Models for Short-Form Video Marketing

The Second is a panel on Live Broadcasting Over Mobile and Wi-Fi Networks featuring Max Haot, Founder & CEO of Mogulus where I start Monday, Bhaskar Roy, co-founder of Qik, and is moderated by all around social media guru Steve Garfield.

SME: Live Broadcasting Over Mobile and Wi-Fi Networks

Cheers to Dan Rayburn for another solid conference. That’s it for me this weekend, I’m cutting the (wireless?) cord until Monday.

Because of the speed of technological change in online video it is crucial that content producers maintain control over user experience. Video player development should be modular so that content providers can stay nimble and swap out components as better solutions evolve.

As the online video market creeps toward maturity there are several divergent strategies which have come about. Initially the heavy lifting of creating a unique player was farmed out to the likes of Maven and Brightcove, newer entrants Narrowstep and PermissionTV offer similar solutions which are particularly useful for companies that can’t afford their own developers.

But for larger companies the trend has been toward companies like Move Networks and new entrant Vusion, offering end-to-end player and content delivery solutions. These offer the highest level of user experience one can find today but with them comes reliance and the threat of being locked in should new technology outpace their internal development.

In an industry where video formats, ad formats, content delivery options and user preferences are so in flux it’s key that companies implementing online video solutions be able to rapidly adapt. This means ensuring they are not reliant on any one partner for too long.

Sad but true. Tonight is the season finale for Lost, and what a season it has been. But that’s not important right now. What is important is what ABC is doing to make their online viewing experience as good as - maybe even better than - TV.

Last week, ABC announced their new video player for the fall, powered by Move Networks, as is their current version. While we’re eager to get a crack at the beta player (hint hint, ABC.com PR folks), their current player is currently the king of the hill.

So before you sit back tonight for the two-hour finale, catch up on anything you’ve missed (minus the pop-up-video-style Cliff’s Notes on the repeats on TV) on the ABC.com site. They’re leveraging a powerful combination of Move Networks content delivery with on2 Technology’s VP7 codec.

At the Streaming Media East conference last week, I had the chance to spend some time with Eero Kaikkonen, CMO of on2. on2 acquired Hantro Products, a video compression software and solutions company, in May of last year. Eero and I spoke at length about codecs and the user experience, where convergence is headed, and the features and functionality that mobile devices will need before they hit their true tipping point. Phones, digital cameras and digital media devices (read: iPods and Zunes) will all need high quality audio and video capture capabilities, plus built in hardware encoding and decoding, so you can plug your iPhone into a 50″ TV and enjoy a high quality, lean-back experience. According to Eero, we’re still a good 2-3 years away before we start to see that technology make its way into consumers’ hands.

So while you wait, plug in your laptop or media center PC to your TV, fire up the ABC.com player, and enjoy the highest quality streaming video available right now. And remember, those few pre-rolls and mid-rolls make it all possible. So don’t forget to thank those advertisers. There’s probably only one for the whole show, so we’re not asking for much.

Slow posting here lately because there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. I have a new gig, we have a new content partner, and we’re looking for new writers.

First off, the new gig: I’m leaving CBS College Sports and joining Mogulus. Starting Monday I will be heading up producer support.

Second, you may have noticed the ContentAgenda banner on the right side of the page. We have a new content sharing agreement which should provide a wider range of content.

Finally, if you work in digital media and have an opinion you want to share with a larger audience in this space let us know. We’re always looking to provide an outlet for colleagues who have something interesting to say. Shoot me an e-mail at ben @ onlinevideowatch.com

The poor 24 year old media planner gets a bad rap. They’ve got a difficult job and work under tremendous pressure and impossible deadlines. That said, they are often ill equipped to handle the research and comprehend the different technologies that are popping up (and going away) in our rapidly evolving media landscape. So what is an agency or agency staffer to do?

Read The X Factor.

For those of you unfamiliar with his ramblings, rantings and righteousness (keeping with the alliteration, not a knock on Sean), Sean Cummings is one of those brilliant people. Like, really F’in brilliant. Almost “Big Bang Theory” brilliant, except he’s not a social pariah. Unless you’ve been on the wrong end of one of his diatribes. You might not invite him to your next party. But fear not, he’s got plenty other parties to attend.

What I like most about Sean is that he says the things that most of us won’t or can’t say without getting fired or at least pissing off a client. Remember blogging before you put your name on your blog? Ah, the good old days. But Sean tells it like it is, or how it should be. Lately, he’s been bashing banners and the people who buy them or execute them poorly.

Head on over to iMediaconnection.com and take some time to read his new X-Factor columns. You’ll be glad you did. Unless you leave a comment that disagrees with Sean’s point. Then you better look out, or find a new job in a different industry.

Ed note: Sean is a personal friend of mine and I have nothing but the highest regard for his expertise. You should seriously read his columns.

Weezer has done a pretty good job of virally promoting their new album. The music video for Pork and Beans featuring YouTube stars like Tay Zonday and Chris Crocker was the most watched video on YouTube this week. And they programmed a channel of additional content to keep viewers coming back.

Weezer Introducing Pork and Beans

Pork and Beans Music Video

Daft Dancers Doin’ Weezer

Pork & Beans: Will it Blend

VentureBeat is reporting that set-top box manufacturer turned online video distribution company Akimbo has shut down and laid off its remaining staff. Earlier this month the company laid off a bunch of employees who proceeded to rip the business model or lack thereof apart in comments on NewTeeVee.com.

Akimbo had focused initially on delivering online video to the TV via a custom set-top box . When that failed the company raised more money and shifted to providing a turnkey content management and monetization system which also never got off the ground. While they managed to sign up a few solid partners in their time (MLB.com was a partner while I worked there) senior management abandoned the company a while back.

KIT Digital, the recently rebranded online video provider formerly known as ROO has its issues. But the recent influx of funding will keep them afloat, and an increased focus on the international marketplace is a smart move.

“All of our markets have competition, often less evolved than in the U.S.” KIT Digital CEO Kaleil Isaza Tuzman told NTV today “In the U.S., or North America, there are so many VC-backed companies that are willing to do business at a loss.”

ROO themselves operated at a loss for some time, having leveraged themselves to the hilt before the bailout from Dubai. But by shifting focus away from technology - which never was their strong point - to focus on building a global cross-platform presence, they may at last find a profitable model.

The international marketplace for online video is by and large less developed than in the U.S., and exporting business models proven successful in the U.S. to international locations is in itself a potentially lucrative market. The recently closed acquisition of Kamera provides mobile reach, new content partners and increased global exposure.

Tuzman’s focus on cash flow, streamlining the business by shutting down non-revenue units (see Wurld Media) and eliminating unsuccessful partnerships is a big step in the right direction. If KIT Digital can build on their existing relationships and offer partners a better way to make money in new markets and platforms, they will have found the competitive advantage they have pursued for so long.

That said, recent events have only bought them time. The stock is still in the toilet, and unless they start making money fast it will all have been for nothing.

“FACT: To anyone under thirty words are only relevant if they’re in a video”

With the rash of online ad network bashing going around lately, I thought I’d highlight someone who is defending their model and their benefits. And more importantly, is a neutral third party.

From ClickZ’s Quote of the Day:

“Advertisers will move their budgets around and around the web, forever. Ad Networks serve a huge percentage of all of the display ads shown online, so even if advertisers test smaller sites, or different sites, they could not possibly make enough spot buys to equal the sheer volume they can get from one or two network buys. In addition, networks represent the most measurable portion of display advertising: therefore it is the most immune to economic downturn.”

-Jupiter Research analyst Emily Riley, writing on display advertising during a recession.

I can’t help but point out that OVW raised the issue back in January. Not display advertising specific, but online in general.