MLB.com just went live with their new 2009 MLB.TV media player and is showcasing for free their newly improved HD video stream and improved player controls. The streaming is being done using H.264 and the HD feed is a true 720p at 1280×720. They are using adaptive bitrate encoding ranging from as low as 164K to 3MB for the HD feed. The quality looks good at full screen, but I am seeing some pixelation with the 3MB stream. 

The adaptive bitrate stream, using the MLB next def plugin, uses HTTP
and pulls from multiple CDNs. This is being delivered from at least
Akamai and Limelight with Akamai delivering the non adaptive bitrate
stream by themselves.

The new player has a nice clean layout and changing from SD to HD is very easy by using the "video quality" setting in the player. Changing from SD to HD for me was very quick with a lag of about two seconds. If you are checking out the stream now and are having audio problems, like I am, the audio feed from YES is having problems, not MLB. So we'll have to give that some time to clear up.

The DVR like functionality of the player works great, with the ability to pause the stream and then pick it back up with absolutely no lag at all. Very nice. Overall, the kind of high quality player I would expect to see from MLB. I'd like to see the video quality a bit better at 3MB and will have to reevaluate the player when it's out of beta and when the audio is working properly. Stinks that the first game MLB uses as the test and the main audio feed from the broadcast is screwed up. There are only so many things MLB can control and the audio from the YES network is not one of them.

The one thing not working for me is the picture in picture. I can't get another game to load in the second window, but I don't know if that option is available today or not. There is another game going on now in MLB TV should it should be loading. Update: MLB said, "we haven't launched real-time highlights or made multiple games available" so the picture in picture functionality can't be seen yet.

Today at 2pm ET is another StreamingMedia.com webinar and this one is pretty unique since we have four online video platform companies who will be showcasing their solutions. Speakers from Brightcove, Kaltura, Ooyala and VMIX will all provide an overview of their services and we'll be doing an extensive Q&A session with viewers and all the participants.

With numerous online video platforms on the market, choosing a solution is becoming more and more difficult. Some offerings focus on content management and monetization, while others are geared towards enabling syndication and interactive advertising campaigns. So what features are right for your content? What kind of user experience can you expect to deliver? In this exclusive live web event, you'll have the opportunity to hear from four leading online video platform vendors and get an overview of each solution. Most importantly, you'll be able get answers to your own questions.

The webinar is free and you can sign up here. We're also giving away a TOMTOM GPS system to one lucky attendee.

Seattle based Grid Networks, best known for enabling content owners to get web videos on their TV through the Xbox 360 and PS3 is close to finalizing a deal to be acquired. While the company would not comment about any acquisition, multiple finance folks in the industry are already talking about the deal being completed in the next week or two.

While no one is discussing who they are being acquired by, sources say the purchasing company is based in NYC and focuses on the desktop video environment. If the deal gets finalized it will be interesting to see how Grid Networks was valued and whether or not it was a fire sale. From what I'm hearing though, Grid Networks is not out of cash and to date has only taken one round of funding for $9.5M in October of 2007.

Updated 4/16: Grid Networks has merged with Global Media Services.

I have one speaking spot open at the Streaming Media East show on Wednesday, May 13 on the subject of "Automation And Workflow Solutions For Transcoding Your Video Content". I've already got three great customers on the panel, Accenture, Yahoo! and Syracuse University and am looking to add one more. Please contact me ASAP if interested.Wednesday, May 13, 2009 – 11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Automation And Workflow Solutions For Transcoding Your Video Content
While video consumption and distribution has grown exponentially in the past few years, converting and preparing this content for the digital realm was largely a 'black art' until recently, when several enterprise-grade solutions came onto the market. In this session, we'll identify those solutions, talk to some organizations that are utilizing them, and discuss cost and benefit to enterprises large and small. From high definition to mobile, this session will talk through the hardware, software, experience and cost associated with owning and operating these new sophisticated systems.

For an entire industry that defines itself based on the word "quality", today there is still no agreed upon standard for what classifies HD quality video on the web. Both Microsoft and Adobe have different views on what classifies a video as HD and many content owners I speak don't truly know themselves how to classify HD video on the web. If the industry wants to progress with HD quality video, we're going to have to agree on a standard – and fast.

This isn't the first time I have written about the HD video problem and every time the subject comes up, you get a lot of comments from people who all have different options on how HD video should be classified. Some want the rate at which the video is encoded to be the deciding factor, others think it should be the size of the window (called aspect ratio) and some say it's the resolution that's the determines what is HD or not. While all of these examples could be the way to decide what is HD, the fact of the matter is that to date, no one has agreed upon anything. We have content owners calling videos HD that in my book, and many others, is not truly HD. Simply scaling up the aspect ratio by itself does not mean you've achieved an HD stream.

To me, the term HD should refer to and be defined only by the resolution and not by a minimum bitrate requirement. Since you could have a 1080p HD video encoded at a very low bitrate, which could result in a poor viewing experience inferior to that of a higher-bitrate video in SD resolution, the resolution and bitrate is the only way to define HD. One thing I did notice about the March Madness videos is that Microsoft and CBS are using the term "HQ" in the payer instead of HD. I think this is a smart move on their part as a way to help define what is considered high quality video, content encoded at a higher bitrate, but content that is not truly HD. It seems as if Microsoft is going out of their way to tell content owners to only call video HD if it is at least 1280 pixels wide.

Adobe on the other hand is calling 480p HD but I don't agree that 480p should be classified as an HD size for web content. If 480p is not defined as HD video quaity for the TV, why should it be for the PC? I think HD video needs to be defined using the broadcast standard of 720p, 1080i or 1080p. One thing that might make this a bit more complex is that there are more devices playing back web video than just the PC. When I download an HD show from iTunes and play it on a 50" TV, it looks great, but does not look even close to Blu-ray. Is that a fair comparison? Where do you stop comparing the quality of the video to the device it is being played back on?

It's important to remember that an industry standard needs to be created not for those in the industry but rather for viewers. Consumers don't care what codec is being used, what the bitrate is or how the video is being delivered. But they do care about quality and we can't expect them to want to adopt HD quality video when the industry itself has not even defined what HD video is.

So, what is HD quality video on the web? What is the definition and more importantly, what is it going to take to get both Microsoft and Adobe to agree to use the same standard so that content owners aren't confused? For all the competition amongst the two companies, some things need to be worked on together, with the understanding that it will help everyone in the industry if done correctly. I think Microsoft has started to do this with their definition but without Adobe and others agreeing to all use the same metrics, it's will only slow down the adoption of HD. So Microsoft, Adobe, what is it going to take for you guys to publish an agreed upon HD web video standard? We're waiting.

As the program wraps up this week for the Streaming Media East show in May, I've added speakers from Joost, Motorolla, Limewire, AP, Veoh, LG Electronics, Zillion TV, TheStreet.com and moderators from Silicon Alley Insider and All Things Digital. We've got a great lineup of almost 100 speakers, which you can see on our website.

One company missing from the list is Hulu. I've already received a bunch of e-mails from folks asking me, "How can you have an online video show and not have Hulu speaking?" I agree and I've reached out to multiple people at Hulu but haven't gotten any e-mails or calls returned. In fact, I think it's so important to have Hulu at the show that I even offered them a keynote speaking spot, in front of a crowd that's usually 500 strong. So if someone from Hulu is reading this and wants to be involved, please get a hold of me right away, we'd like to have you represented. But the program is closing this week and being sent to the printer so there's not a lot of time left.

I am closing out the Streaming Media East program this week and have a few spots that have opened up that I need to fill. Today I am looking for at least one and maybe two speakers for a session entitled:

Successful Content Syndication and Aggregation Strategies
This panel will discuss the new ways content owners and site developers are aggregating content and distributing it on the web. See examples of ways to develop niche vertical sites without significantly expanding staffing, and discuss how to reach audiences on social networking sites like Facebook. Learn about some of the new emerging platforms for niche video distribution and best practices for increasing your chances of making money with your content.

The panel takes place on Tuesday May 12, 2009 from 4-5pm. While I am open to all speaking requests, ideally I am looking to fill the spots with content owners, those who are syndicating their content across multiple platforms. If interested, please contact me ASAP.