DivX today announced the launch of DivX Film Festival, an online film festival devoted to creativity, storytelling and improving digital media. It is being held online in Stage6, their online video sharing community. Deadline for entries is April 30.

An online film festival is not a unique idea. It’s been done before and still being done today. Even major film festivals carry online counterparts now. Slamdance has Anarchy. There is also the Sundance Online Film Festival.

Winning a film festival gives you the bragging rights. It’s important. It boosts your ego but boosting your pocket with a cash prize is more important, especially for aspiring filmmakers. The DivX Film Festival is also giving away certified hardware and software bundles. The cash? It’s $5,000. Okay, the cash sounds more juicy than the bragging rights.

“The DivX Film Festival empowers filmmakers to share their work in the highest level of visual quality with other movie aficionados from all over the world. We’re excited to host this festival on Stage6 as we continue our mission to help content creators grow communities around their own unique brands,” said Darrius Thompson, co-founder of DivX.

Filmmakers are given until April 30 to submit their entries in an array of genres, including animation, comedy, documentary, fiction, and music. By the way, since it’s online, winners will not be able to walk the red carpet.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Snowvision marks the second niche video site from Diversion, a New York-based company founded by Nicholas Butterworth, former CEO of MTV Interactive Group, and Tatum Lade, former head of technology at iFilm.

“Snowboarders are a tech savvy, demanding audience. We’re hoping to provide the community with a platform for all the great content that’s out there,” Butterworth said.

The process of creating an account in Snowvision is a breeze, like a drill. Once you upload a video, you can link to it, embed it, and share it. The Ruby on Rails-based interface also allows for clicking and dragging of clips to build a playlist, all from a single page. Again, just like a drill.

The real meat of the site is with the original content and features that it offers. Even if you’re not a snowboarder, it’s easy to dig features like the personalized weather feeds, which is a must for this type of outdoor activity. It also has customized resort data. You know, you need to ensure that there’s still snow when you get to the place. Topping it all, Snowvision offers high resolution Flash video delivery. It even has a full screen video mode that does not leave you teary-eyed, which happens to me every time I watch Google Video in that fashion.

What I look for in online services like this is how it can empower its users, particularly the people who are directly involved, in this case the snowboarders. Athletes need moolah for equipment, travel, and to join tournaments. With Snowvision’s “Sponsor Me” section, snowboarders can show how they attack the halfpipe to potential sponsors. It gives equal playing field to everyone. Who knows, they might discover the next Flying Tomato through this section.

Butterworth said that since Snowvision was launched late in this riding season, Diversion is holding off on home-page advertising for right now, but plans to seek sponsors for the 2007-08 North America season. Currently the site has Google ads on secondary pages.

In October 2006, Diversion launched Travelistic.com and is scheduled to launch several video-driven community sites over the next year. The sites will all use Diversion’s self-built video sharing infrastructure, with customized interfaces for each separate audience.

(Additional reporting by Paul Kapustka.)

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Over the weekend, Lisa Donovan, better known by YouTubers as LisaNova, made her network television debut on FOX’s MADtv.

If it wasn’t spectacular, neither was it a pratfall, and it might not have even been noticable as anything out of the ordinary had we not been so interested in the online star-crosses-the-chasm element of it all. In an interview with Lisa afterward, she acknowledged the fact that it was because of the video-sharing site that she is seeing some success and crossing over at mainstream entertainment. She is not, however, turning back on her YouTube roots.

“How could I leave the place that has given me so much,” Lisa said.

With the kids still awake due to it being the weekend, and with MADtv sketches usually exploring sexual and explicit terms, I proceeded watching the show with caution. Opening credits introduced Lisa Donovan.

The sketches prior to Lisa Donovan’s appearance were all hilarious, especially the mashup of Grey’s Anatomy and House. Just imagine Bobby Lee playing the role of Sandra Oh. Oh my! Lee also played as backup dancer in a Gwen Stefani music video. Totally hilarious.

And I waited patiently for Lisa’s appearance.

Arden Myrin entered as Ellen Degeneres. She sounds and looks like Ellen. She called in her guest Salma Hayek played by no other than the reason why I watched the show, Lisa Donovan. The first thing I noticed was the breast augmentation done by the show on her. I should have known. She is spoofing Salma Hayek. She sure is pretty and can keep up with the looks of Salma. She passed her first appearance in MADtv but she was not as versatile as she is as LisaNova. Her acting was totally different. First-day jitters, maybe, for her and me not getting used to seeing her on television. I’ll watch again next week.

After the show, we caught up with Lisa:

Minic Rivera: What were the differences in terms of production and acting in a videoblog and a television show?

Lisa Donovan: There are a lot of differences as well as similarities. Differences are that everything is on a much larger scale that there are more people working together, hair makeup, lighting, writers. Before it was just me, Danny my brother, and a camera. So there is less “run and gun.” Things are more planned out and discussed at MADtv. We rehearse and everything is professional.

Minic Rivera: How did your co-actors take you being the Queen of YouTube and crossing over to television entertainment?

Lisa Donovan: Everyone has been wonderful, helpful and supportive. I am a very lucky girl.

Minic Rivera: Any first day jitters?

Lisa Donovan: I was so nervous at the first live taping. It was my first acting job and there was an audience and everyone was there. But it was an amazing feeling. Lots of fun!

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks