Voting Now Open for the 2009 Streaming Media U.S. Readers' Choice Awards

The nominations are in, and almost 200 products and services are up for voting in the third annual Streaming Media Readers' Choice Awards. While most of the nominations submitted by readers and vendors ended up on the final ballot, we disregarded a few of them that didn't fit in the categories as we defined them.

The categories are once again listed below, and the voting is now open here. Voting will remain open until October 16, and we'll announce the finalists—the top three vote-getters in each category—on October 23. We'll reveal the winners at a gala reception at Streaming Media West on November 19, with entertainment from Eclectic Method, made possible by our Diamond Sponsor, Kaltura. Thanks also to our Gold Sponsors, Digital Rapids and ViewCast.

Here are this year's categories:

• Best Streaming Innovation 2009
The first of two industry-wide categories, designed to acknowledge the product, technology, or service that most changed the streaming landscape in the past year.

• Best Online Video Startup Company 2009 - Content
• Best Online Video Startup Company 2009 - Technology
Another industry-wide category, designed to highlight the new companies that made the biggest splash and is poised for long-term success—one company focused on content and another focused on technology.

• Encoding Software (Under $1,000)
• Encoding Software (Over $1,000)
It doesn't seem fair to pit enterprise-grade encoding solutions against single-workstation software, so in this year's awards we're breaking down encoding software into these two categories.

• Enterprise Video Platform
Solutions that offer complete control over creating, publishing, managing, and distributing content specifically designed for the enterprise environment—not simply online video platforms that can be applied in the enterprise.

• Hardware Encoder (HD)
• Hardware Encoder (SD)
As with encoding software, it made sense to split this category into two this year, for hardware devices that capture and encode content in HD/SD and in SD only.

• Live Video Streaming Platform
Platforms that allow users to easily stream live video over the web from a wide range of devices from mobile phones and webcams up through DV cameras.

• Global CDN
Content delivery networks with truly global reach

• Online Video Platform (Free)
• Online Video Platform (Premium)
White-label or branded video publishing platforms, again separated into two subcategories: the free, consumer and prosumer-level platforms and the premium platforms used by SMB, enterprise, and entertainment organizations.

• Portable Live Encoding Appliance
Hardware devices designed specifically for capturing, encoding, and outputting live video from the field and on-the-go.

• Regional (North American) Delivery Network
Content delivery networks with a footprint that's confined to the U.S, Canada, and Central and South America

• Reporting and Analytics Solution
Solutions for delivering video viewership and/or network status reporting and analytics, whether standalone or as part of a larger offering

• Search and Indexing Platform
Solutions that utilize metadata, speech/facial recognition, or other methods to help users easily find the video they're looking for

• Server Hardware/Software
Solutions for delivering audio and video files over the web, regardless of delivery protocol

• Streaming Music Solution
Internet radio and other music streaming services

• Transcoding SaaS
Cloud-based transcoding services

• Video Advertising Network
Companies that help brands execute video campaigns via online publishers

• Video Advertising Management Platform
Platforms that perform ad insertion and offer pre-built placement options and success tracking

• Webcasting/Presentation Solution
Services or products that capture video and audio, combine with slides and images, and deliver to online viewers in an interactive environment, live and/or on demand.