The New York Times has launched a new HD-format video player with a 16:9 wide-screen frame. Other new features include a redesigned video library, a "Most Viewed" rank, and tools to share videos to social sites like Facebook and Digg.
The new video player is from Brightcove, the Boston-based video services company. Previously, The Times streamed its video using The FeedRoom.
This is the first newspaper implementation of Brightcove 3,
the company’s new publishing solution. With the technology, The Times
has the capability to stream video at DVD-quality of 1.5 megabits per
second and higher.
Called Dynamic Delivery,
it allows publishers to serve videos to users based on their connection
speed. It is currently streaming HD video for Showtime and FEARNet, a
Brightcove spokesperson told Beet.TV.
Plans are underway at the Times to deliver HD video online, Ann
Derry, Video and Television Director told me in this interview. This
would be the first newspaper to deliver video in true HD.
Beyond the newspaper, Times videos are distributed on on multiple
platforms, including TiVo, broadcast television including NBC News and
on JetBlue’s in-flight entertainment.
Since video is being seen on so many platforms, the company is
shooting and editing all of its videos on HD. Ann tells us: "We assume
it can be anywhere. And if it’s going to be anywhere, we want it to
look good."
Here is the company press release.
Brightcove has been doing well with newspaper publishers. It
provides video publishing for Dow Jones, The Washington Post and
others. The New York Times Company is an investor in Brightcove.
— Andy Plesser, Executive Producer
Update 10.27: Please see the second of two segments on The Times and online video.
Disclosure: Beet Media LLC has done video production work under contract to The New York Times Company.
