Welcome to the machine
As for the technology, our system is based on the video content delivery using Adobe Flash technology (SWF, FLV), since this technology has multiple advantages to the concurrent ones (Quick Time, Windows Media File, AVI, Real Movies, Microsoft Silverlight, Java virtual machine-based players).
Some of the advantages of this solution are: the Flash video player works without the need of a plug-in installation on more than 99% of computers, thanks to the quasi-ubiquitous existence of the Adobe Flash plug-in.
Also, a second big advantage is the fact that the system could be used on all operating systems for which the Flash plug-in has been developed: Windows systems, MacOS, Linux for computers and Windows Mobile, Symbian, PalmOS for phones and other mobile devices.
A third essential advantage, we believe, is the much smaller memory fingerprint needed for the loading of the Flash player in the computer's memory compared to any other video player, as well as the shorter reaction time. Another essential advantage is given by the bandwidth needed, this being considerable smaller that the other players.
And, not the last, there is an extreme big advantage in the fact that the Flash technology, that can communicate bi-directionally between the ad-delivering server and the video player placed the user's browser, that makes possible the monitoring and tracking of the ad performances, on-demand content delivery, the ability to insert interactive elements.
It’s important to notice that most of the content enables in the domain of the video technology opted for solution based on Adobe Flash: Yahoo Video, YouTube, Google Video, Brightcove, Reever etc. Of course, Microsoft had to sustain its own format (wmf) as well as Apple with its Quicktime, while CNN, for instance, could not adopt the Flash format since their archives are in other format and the conversion costs would have been too expensive at that time.
Also, to observe the Adobe interest in promoting the Flash format in the area of mobile terminals as aggressive as possible, by creating dedicated applications (Flash Lite), as well as by forming partnerships with the major manufacturers of mobile terminals (the Adobe and Nokia and Motorola partnerships from 2006 for video capture, editing and sharing).
As to the commercials that can be integrated with video content, we believe that the Flash format allows the widest variety. Therefore, the system allows commercial in movie format ( video like pre-roll, post-roll, mid-roll) the possibility to overlay the content of commercials with text or links to an external site, the possibility to overlay textual / dynamic elements in the video content, the possibility to have a graphic opening of a micro application that details the offer in a movie. (For example, between the tenth and the twentieth seconds of a video clip, there is a dynamic text on the down side of the screen that says "Visit Caribbean" and if the users wishes to explore more, he may follow the "click here for details", the movie entering the pause phase while a little presentation application with images, text, clips about the tourist offer opens, the user being able to return to the movie clip anytime he wants.
On the medium term, we wish to develop the aspects of targeting the ads based a series of advanced technologies (collaborative filtering, content based etc.) as well to extend the supported formats to QuickTime, SilverLight etc. Also, we see possible the development of some advanced reports and complex analysis of information instruments that bring business intelligence insights for the content owners, besides the revenues from the advertising.