Qik offers Live Video to Blackberry

 Qik Introduces Live Mobile Video Streaming on BlackBerry
Shortly after announcing the release of a live mobile streaming application for the Apple iPhone, Qik on Monday introduced live streaming video support for Research In Motion's BlackBerry smartphones. Qik will initially support live video streaming on the BlackBerry Pearl and Bold models.

ZeeVee Launches ZViewer, An Internet Video Browser
ZViewer, available today in its first beta version, gives you access to a variety of sites and services that offer TV shows and videos, such as Hulu.com, Amazon’s Video on Demand, ABC.com and iTunes. You don’t have to go out to each site and application individually; ZViewer collects the sources of Internet TV and video content and puts them in one place, for easy access.

Klickable.tv makes online video truly interactive
Klickable is currently in beta, and it's being employed on several high-profile websites, including Bravo's Project Runway. Users can click on outfits worn by models on the show, which brings up an unobtrusive menu at the bottom of the video. The menu, which is edited by the video producer, contains information about the item, plus a purchase feature.

Netflix sees the Siverlight - Media Wonk
Netflix announced this morning that it has begun deploying Microsoft's Silverlight cross-browser streaming platform to enhance the instant-viewing feature of its subscription service. The deployment will initially affect new subscribers but will be rolled out to all subscribers by the end of the year. Designed for delivery of cross-platform, cross-browser media experiences inside a Web browser, Silverlight will for the first time--ironically enough for a Microsoft product--allow users of Intel-based Macs to take advantage of Netflix's streaming service. The use of Silverlight will also improve the in-stream navigation of Netflix movies, including enhanced fast-forward and rewind functionality.

The announcement also includes a hint that more is in the works for Netflix's streaming service. The new Netflix video player takes advantage of Silverlight's PlayReady DRM to support streaming of copy-protected content, something that wasn't possible in earlier iterations.

Microsoft Presses for White Spaces Vote
Microsoft did some public lobbying today ahead of the FCC’s scheduled Nov. 4 vote on whether to allow unlicensed devices to operate in the so-called “white spaces” of the broadcast spectrum. 
Craig Mundie, Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer, hosted a conference call with reporters to explain why the FCC should move ahead with the vote and approve the devices. The call was made on behalf of the Wireless Innovation Alliance, which also counts Google and Dell as members.
Mundie conducted the call from Washington, D.C., where he met with FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein (D) in the morning and was scheduled to meet with FCC Chairman Kevin Martin (R) this afternoon. He said that he also planned to join Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates for a conference call with FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell (R) later today.


Shakeout Threatens to Thin Out Web-Ad Brokers
More than 300 online-ad networks have cropped up over the past couple of years, making the business of brokering ads on the Web one of the most popular -- and crowded -- niches on the Internet.But with the nation's economic woes deepening, there are signs of a shakeout as growth in online spending starts to slow and venture-capital funding begins to dry up.JellyCloud, a Redwood City, Calif.-based targeted ad network, closed its doors this month after raising $11.5 million in venture-capital funding earlier this year. Adzilla, a similar network in San Francisco, also ceased operations.


Big Tech Companies Back Global Plan to Shield Online Speech
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo and a group of human rights and public interest organizations plan to introduce Wednesday a global code of conduct that they say will better protect online free speech and privacy against government intrusion.The principles are the starting point for a new effort, called the Global Network Initiative, which commits the companies to “avoid or minimize the impact of government restrictions on freedom of expression,” according to a final draft of documents obtained by The New York Times.


DPAC II: The Pre-Roll Panel
Pre-roll has gone full cycle. It got its bad rap, and now its come back and is very popular. It got a bad reputation because it was being placed in front of content that people weren’t sure had any value. Now that it is associated with better content, the value proposition is clear. A :15 second pre-roll in front of two minutes of content is something people are very comfortable with. Now we’re focusing on tying it all together on the back-end with advanced reporting

Web Video Sees Layoffs
Online video network Break Media said Thursday that it let 11 employees go. Break emphasized that the cutbacks are not due to the economic downturn but are part of the ordinary course of business.CEO Keith Richman said he plans to hire back those positions in other departments, and added that Break is a profitable business.The reorganization is designed to focus Break on the fastest-growing segments of the business, he said.A day earlier, online television network ManiaTV slashed 20 jobs, representing nearly 30% of the fledgling Web studio’s workforce.As part of a reorganization, ManiaTV will rely on third-party producers and contractors to produce new shows, rather than keeping a large production staff on payroll.