Déjà vu and thrills in NYC

I went to some of the first Streaming Media shows waaaay back in the '90s, so it was a sobering reality check to drop in a decade later at Streaming Media East in New York this week to walk the floor and sit in on the presentations.   

Hearing P2P (well P4P) being called the potential savior of online video was definitely an eye-opener. Enterprises running their own networks, such as Wachovia and Bank of America don't have to be convinced that P2P is a win for distributing video throughout the company; they're doing it today without breaking a sweat. 

Having a Verizon spokesperson talk about dramatic network improvements in hops (from about five to under one) and download speeds just by describing their network architecture in an open fashion at a relatively abstract level to a third-party vendor (Pando Networks) and then adding software is seriously game-changing. Comcast is already working with Pando and also hedging their bets by investing in GridNetworks, so there's definitely more than smoke and mirrors going on here. If Comcast can keep all that P2P traffic in bounds in their network and mange it more efficiently than the "Grab it from wherever" philosophy of some existing P2P schemes, what's not to like?

I'm also sold on the idea of doing short-form video segments. Sometime in the next couple of weeks I'm going to start doing "Two minute drills" in front of my Flip Video camera and uploading them for people to look at. Once I get a couple of weeks posted, then I'm going to start looking for a couple of good product placement deals (Asus EEE PC 900 or HP 2133 Mini Note PC? Coke or Bacardi? Coke and Bacardi?) and see what happens from there.

- Doug