What if content creators could distribute a file with embedded, clickable ads, and then let that file loose on the web? Viewers could watch it as much as they like, move it between computers and devices, and share it with friends or peer-to-peer networks — with ads that follow at every step, and even updated by the content creator dynamically when a user is on a device with a network connection. That’s the promise of Hiro, and according to Robert Cringely, one of the major networks will be deploying their technology this week.
It’s not an entirely new idea — YuMe Networks is powering a similar solution for downloads of G4 TV on BitTorrent. And as Cringely points out, similar functionality is planned for Adobe’s new web player.
The technology is based on Windows Media Player, making it a nice fit with Microsoft’s new Silverlight. This means that it probably doesn’t support the iPod or Apple TV, though the site promises that Realplayer and Quicktime support will also be added. For now, it seems that they’re primarily marketing the product to large companies, such as broadcast and cable networks.
What I can’t find are any specimens in the wild, so the particulars of the viewing experience remain something of a mystery. And I have little doubt that enterprising hackers will figure out how to extract the content. The assumption is that the majority won’t know how, and only part of the minority that does won’t bother, as we’re all pretty used to commercial breaks by now.
While I wait to hear back from the Hiro team in Israel, please sound off in the comments: Which would you prefer — a freely distributable video file with embedded ads, a paid download with no ads but DRM, or none of the above?
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