Encoding.com’s Vid.ly Universal URL Service Now an Open Beta
Encoding.com announced today that it's Vid.ly universal URL service is now a public beta. The service was in closed beta when it launched in January, and required a code for access. Several sites, including this one, supplied codes for readers.
Vid.ly solves the problem of playing videos on any browser or device. Users can upload videos from their desktop or a stored online location; Vid.ly then encodes the file into 14 different versions, hosts the versions, and provides a code that creates a universal player. It also provides a short URL for hosting. The service is free, with no limits except that uploaded videos can be no larger than 1GB.
During the two months that Vid.ly was in closed beta, several thousand users uploaded over 10,000 videos. Jeff Malkin, Encoding.com's president, estimates that those videos and their versions take up about five terabytes of storage space.
"We've seen a tremendous response to the Vid.ly private beta. It's clear that Vid.ly elegantly solves a complex problem for video content producers," said Malkin. "We have incorporated suggestions and feedback from our private beta participants and have fine-tuned the service. Now, using the cloud-based scalability of Vid.ly's ‘engine,' Encoding.com, we are able to easily expand the service for an open beta and will soon announce the commercial release of Vid.ly Pro."
According to a blog post, that fine-tuning included changing the universal player to an iframe, adding compatibility for the new Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 4, and adding support for the blog services WordPress, BlogSpot, and Tumblr.
Malkin expects to launch a paid version in four to six weeks. Paid features will include API access, adaptive bit rate streaming for Apple devices, the ability to customize the 14 versions, no source file size limit, HD resolutions, and the ability to deliver to a premium CDN or wherever you like. Pricing hasn't yet been determined for the paid version.
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