May 7th, 2010

With so much stuff going on around the iPad, NAB, and Final Cut Server workflows (more on that next week), we finally managed to push out a release with an updated Web Broadcast module. A beta has been seeded to selected accounts this morning and all users should have it by the end of the day.

What’s new:

• Simplified User Interface – We brought all channel related functionality down to a single screen. No more popup windows and a much more streamlined ui will make deploying much easier.
• Open Standard Players – We removed the MediaSilo proprietary players in favor of some open source favorites that are highly customizable. There is tons of documentation on customizing the players out there already, so no need to reinvent the wheel. We will be adding more player options in the future via presents, including the much requested HTML 5 player options.
• Support for Streaming – Switching between progressive and streaming (rtmp and rtmpt) is now as easy as selection the option from a dropdown. Especially long-form content producers will appreciate the ability to embed video clips and allow users to seek anywhere on the timeline.
• Secure Streaming Coming – Although this didn’t make it into this week’s build, it’s coming soon. Optional secure streaming adds the ability to stream via rtmpe with swf verification and MD5 hashed file names. If you don’t know what this is you probably don’t care.
• Standards Based Customization – If you know your CSS, you’ll be able to customize the new players with ease. The embed code now includes CSS that can be changed by you.
• More Control – Customize playlists to place them at the bottom, left, or right of the screen and choose dimension. We added a neat little option to have the player suggest dimensions to you based on the size of your videos and taking into account the various other elements such as the control bar or playlist.

As always, keep the feedback coming. User comments are critical in determining new features.

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October 28th, 2009

Wow – it’s been a busy end of summer for us here at MediaSilo. Summers are when our team goes into development mode and focuses on features, workflows, and general improvements to the platform. Simon puts on his headphones in July and doesn’t seem to take them off before October. Lindsay on the other hand is in full force setting up our Apple Store roadshow to start next month. Dan has been busy working with clients like The Jay Leno Show and NBC to implement some pretty cool workflows. As for me, I get to spend some time with our users to learn about their workflows so I can come up with the next 12 months of features.

One thing we realized is that with so much new functionality in the works it can get hard to communicate what’s coming and how MediaSilo is changing. We needed to take some time and think about how to tell our own story. The result is “Production Junkies“, a fictitious production company website that illustrates the many uses of MediaSilo. It’s a showcase that shows off some of the external workflows often encountered in a production environment and provides an outlet for us to demonstrate best practices.

Production Junkies uses our new player API that lets users customize or create from scratch appealing and immersive player experiences. Reels are so important to the pitching process and the new player capabilities provide some great out-of-the-box functionality to show your stuff like a pro. Check out the “Reel” tab on the site.

Client Review has always been key to MediaSilo. We heard you loud and clear with requests for a fully brandable and simplified review and approval application that can live on any server. Based on the MediaSilo API, this freely downloadable application can live on your servers and can be customized any way you like and is ideal for those “less-techie” clients. A basic PHP application connects to the MediaSilo API and allows developers to implement workflow solutions all on their own.

External Content Submission is all-too common and we saw an opportunity to make life a little easier when it comes to accepting footage form external contributors. Check out the “Contributors” tab to see how you can accept footage online that goes straight into your MediaSilo account.

We also have some good news for Final Cut Server users. We have officially launched the MediaSilo Cloud Companion for Final Cut Server - a service that connects to your local FCSvr database and mirror assets in the cloud. Check out http://www.mediasilo.com/fcs and sign up for a free trial. More on Cloud Companion in a later blog post.

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