thePlatform Launches Simplified MPX Essentials
thePlatform, the online video publishing company owned by Comcast, debuts MPX Essentials today, a cloud-based video platform designed for midmarket companies across all verticals. The platform is targeted at companies whose main business is something other than video. It offers a lower price and simpler options than thePlatform's MPX solution, but the same backend.
MPX Essentials was created due to customer demand for a lower-priced package, says Tim Sale, director of technical sales for thePlatform. It's designed to be easier with pre-configured transcoding options, a simple web console, and customizable shortcuts.
thePlatform emphasizes that MPX Essentials still has strong customization options, despite the easier controls. Customers can create tailored layouts, controlling placement of each element. MPX Essentials includes browser detection and streams both HTML5 video and Flash.
Pricing starts at $499 per month, which includes 500GB of storage and 350GB of streaming bandwidth. It includes playlist support, editing tools, thumbnail control, social sharing plug-ins, YouTube integration, one hour of online training, and web and email support. A $1499 package includes 2000GB of storage and 1500GB of streaming bandwidth. It adds a player development kit and email notifications.
According to Sale, MPX Essentials offers clear reasons for companies to step up from lower-priced hosting and streaming solutions, such as providing more control over the user experience, no unwanted ads, adaptive streaming support, flexible players and layouts, dynamic playlists, robust metadata, multiple background uploading, content scheduling, and the ability to create geographical restrictions. MPX Essentials provides options previously only available to major media companies, Sale adds.
"We're really excited to play in this market because of the demand we've gotten here," says Sale.
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