I recently rambled on about how the StreamCast Player was the most elegant flash player I had ever seen. The guy behind this fluid browser based video player, Micro Pasqualini, also hinted to me he had another project in the works called WiTV, but that this was “top secret”.

Yesterday I managed to have a chat with Pasqualini, who shed a bit of light on what this whole WiTV thing is…

I have to say I am very intrigued by the talk of a browser based Joost and Apple TV compatibility.

Sling Media has announced that the SlingPlayer Mobile software client will now be compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows Mobile 6 operating system to connect your Slingbox with your fancy new cell phone.

The SlingBox is a device that can rebroadcast anything on your TV, DVR etc., across your own private internet channel.

This basically means you can take your living room TV on the move whenever you have access to a PC, Mac, or Windows Mobile-based device where you can get a standard internet connection (3G Cellular, WiFi, USB, ethernet).

Fox Entertainment Group has announced a partnership with Brightcove to launch internet video channels of all Fox broadcast and cable content, including FX Network, Speed and Fox Broadcasting.

This deal is interesting because it allows syndication of Fox content throughout the internet using embedded video. Fox will handle advertising for all content displayed in the Brightcove player. Fox Entertainment Group’s content will extend beyond just Fox’s websites.

Brightcove has existing agreements with major players like CBS, MTV Networks, and Discovery, although none have been exclusive. This new deal is for Fox’s exclusive online partnership. You won’t be seeing Fox content on YouTube anytime soon.

Content is king for internet video. This is a major deal for Brightcove, which is aiming to ink similar exclusive partnerships with other major networks and companies.

Joost has reached advertising agreements with over 36 companies, with many insisting that they will only have advertisements placed next to content that has been cleared for copyright.

Joost’s business model is based on revenue sharing with content providers. Advertising most likely will be in the form of 3 minutes of advertisements per one hour of content.

Can an online streaming video service like Joost survive with only legitimate content that has been pre-approved to not have copyright violations? Advertisers is many ways wield more power than copyright holders.

Joost’s ability to make money will be directly linked to its ability to monitor its site for copyright violations. If they appear to not be responsive, advertisers may pull their money. That is a tough position for a start-up. If YouTube had to operate under those same conditions in its infancy, it may not be the site it is today.

The next step in the video sharing and user generated content revolution is live video broadcasting. We’ve previously looked at four live video broadcasting solutions currently available to the man on the street (or man sat at his computer).  

These four are uStream, Mogulus, Operator11 and YourCams. However, the problem with these solutions is that the production effects are very limited leaving with you with just yourself and a webcam to keep your audience entertained.

If you are a Mac owner then CamTwist can help liven up your broadcast with some production effects (similar software for windows is WebcamMax).

CamTwist for Mac in a Sentence

CamTwist brings you a variety of live production tools including picture-in-picture, watermarking, desktop sharing, RSS feeds, slideshows, videos and a host of visual effects to your web broadcasts.

Sling Media, Inc., our favorite placeshifting company, has announced today the addition of the SlingLink™ TURBO 1 Port and SlingLink TURBO 4 Port, two new HomePlug® powerline solutions designed to simplify connecting your Slingbox and other home entertainment devices to your network.

We are always excited about new products from Sling Media, especially ones which help us avoid having to rip holes in our walls. SlingLink also keeps you from having to buy a wireless network adapter for each of your devices. Just plug them all into the SlingLink.

Each new SlingLink is packaged as a pair. Plug in one SlingLink TURBO into the wall near your router, and plug in the other SlingLink TURBO wherever you have your Slingbox installed.

The difference between the two products is the SlingLink TURBO 1 Port connects to one device, like a Slingbox, while the SlingLink TURBO 4 Port connects up to four devices such as a DVR, gaming console or any Ethernet-based consumer electronic product.

These new products are available today from Sling Media’s web site, www.slingmedia.com, for an MSRP of $99.99 and $149.99 respectively.

The Democracy Player, essentially an RSS video feed aggregator with a slick interface, is busy adding available channels, including a lot of high definition content. The player facilitates subscribing to channels, or feeds, and automatically downloads videos to your computer.

A new feature added to this release is the ability to sort by high definition channels only. The player also indicates which channels, or feeds, are available in high definition.

Most LCD monitors are equivalent to high definition TVs in terms of resolution. I watch online videos on my Dell 24″ widescreen monitor. Watching low resolution video fullscreen is painful.

Having a feed aggregator like the Democracy Player indicate which channels are high definition is a nice feature that should appeal to lots of people. As web video matures, it will be interesting to see if software like Joost transition totally to high definition.

The Democracy Player is one of the few online video players that is open source (hence the name “Democracy”).