Soccer video goes online with Kaltura
Kaltura is an open-source video application server that competes with the likes of Brightcove. In a nutshell, it helps companies put video on their Web sites.
Kaltura recently released an integration of its product for Drupal, which was a great way to quickly enable its technology for broad distribution. Of more interest to me, however, is that Kaltura was recently selected to power the video on Footbo, a dedicated social network for soccer (football).
With more than 1 billion soccer fans on the planet, Kaltura couldn't do much better than to tap into this passion, starting with Footbo. From the press release:
Footbo has integrated Kaltura's video management platform, allowing Footbo admins to manage and moderate video content, create playlists based on tags, ratings and other criteria, track video statistics and usage, and more. Kaltura's platform also enables users to upload videos and photos and import them from leading social networks and content sites. Kaltura's platform enables Footbo to easily add over time more advanced interactive functionalities such as content discovery, subtitles, remixing and editing tools.
It sounds awesome. It also sounds like a copyright train wreck waiting to happen. I should know. I was booted off YouTube for posting some video I took at an Arsenal match.
But that's not Kaltura's problem to solve, and I was excited to give the Footbo service a try, starting with that most divine of teams, Arsenal. Watching the video of Arsenal's last good season (2003-2004), I nearly broke into tears, all enabled by Kaltura.
My Arsenal fetish satisfied, at least for the moment, I'm back, and I'm impressed by the Kaltura technology. As an end user, it makes for seamless video integration into an existing site. As a publisher, it promises to be much the same. This is an open-source project worth watching.
Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay. 
You are far too critical.
Just because Arsenal haven't won significant things for a few years doesn't mean their last good season was 2003/04.
They always play beautiful football. It's just that they sometimes lose. Life is like that.
But please don't worry, Arshavin will solve all their problems.
Russians are good at solving problems.
Chris
Nobody ever got booted off youtube for posting footage of the Mighty Red Machine.
- by 1awrence January 7, 2009 2:56 PM PST
- Matt,
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(3 Comments)I read your blog on a regular basis, and therefore, a fan. For the most part, i do this to keep updated on open-source events. I must admit, though, that i especially enjoy your ramblings regarding Arsenal. Though a Red Devils fan, i watch Arsenal games as well for their beautiful football, and I say that without any sarcasm whatsoever. Being a Man U fan doesn't preclude me from liking Arsenal's style of play(though some may beg to differ, I'm sure). It appears to me though, that your posts on Arsenal have decreased quite a bit over the last year or so. I'm sure there's a good reason for that, but i was hoping to persuade you to write more on this, and futbol in general.
Keep it up.