Riding the wave of video downloads

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viewing the film over a broadband connection--not exactly a big draw.

Partnerships will play a significant role in helping alleviate that problem. TotalVid recently signed a deal with Comcast for the cable operator's high-speed Internet service. Starting this summer, Comcast subscribers will be able to download one free video per month from TotalVid's library. The deal benefits both companies: Comcast shows off its high-speed bandwidth--download is 4 megabits per second and upload is 384 kilobits per second--and TotalVid's library reaches a large audience.

Quist also expects to make content deals with producers, focusing on content that's not available for free download elsewhere.

Negotiating with producers can be tricky, especially since TotalVid and downloadable video content are relatively new services. The company shares revenues with producers on a per-download basis, but Quist declined to offer more financial details.

"We're bringing them a new slice of the market, and for them it's incremental," Quist said. "They view this market as a pyramid, with DVD buyers at the top and viewers of stuff like XGames (an extreme games event) at the bottom. In the middle are those who will pay for limited access to content...We're more of a complement (to DVDs) than a substitute."

Quist wouldn't reveal the number of customers who have used TotalVid's services, but he said growth has been in the 50 percent range month-to-month and about 25 percent of customers are repeat users. The majority of the start-up's customers fall into a key demographic for advertisers: 18- to 35-year-olds, and more than 95 percent of them downloaded video for the first time when they came to TotalVid, Quist said.

A subscription business is on the way.

"We will do a subscription offering, but we wanted to build up sufficient depth in our catalog to offer a compelling service," Quist said. The subscription service will be available in the coming weeks with fees in the $5- to $7-per-month range, according to Quist.

TotalVid's sports content will be a popular draw in the market, according to In-Stat's Kaufold.

"Over the next two to three years, sports-related content sites stand the best chance in the content download business," Kaufold said.

With the right wind at its back, TotalVid may have found a wave it can ride for a while.

I would avoid using this service because...

First, this site is using a Microsoft server. Microsoft technologies do not meet the minimum security requirements that I would feel comfortable using for an on-line purchase.

Secondly, after seeing the 'Microsoft Media' buttons on the site I'm assuming video's are delivered in a non-standard, virus prone Microsoft format. Would I have to use an insecure Microsoft operating system on-line to use this service? Microsoft has introduced viruses in just about every file format except text files. Pictures, music, documents, videos, rich text format, etc. (My guess is they are working on text viruses as I type) What would I do after purchasing if I wanted/needed to view it on a non-MS platform?

Great Idea!

Terrific idea. I was pleasantly suprised at the amount of videos they have up there.

And personally, the MS format is just fine by me. Unlike some people, I'm more concerned with the content of the video, and less concerned with impressing my techie friends by bashing MS.

You are misinformed -> It is a bad idea

I have a Mac, a PC running Linux, and an iRiver portable video device. All three play files from my vast audio and video library encoded in various _standards_. How is this service a great idea for me?

I'm not a MS basher, my opinions are based on the facts. i.e. The Department of Homeland Security advises you not to use IE due to security concerns. (As well as any reputable IT security group)Are they all talking out thier respective a's? I think not, and if you knew what was best to protect yourself you wouldn't either.

[aaron_leo]

Why not use Video download studio?
It's a powerful video downloader and converter tool.

http://www.downloadvideos-convert.com/