My Soapbox
Posted by Andy Rush on 01 Dec 2006 at 09:52 am | Tagged as: Audio & Video
How great is this -
Obviously I’ve been watching a lot of video lately, but I came across a new (beta) video service called Soapbox (see my previous post). It has the MSN branding so it obviously is a Microsoft product. The great part is that they are using FLASH to deliver the video content (right-click the video for proof). Boy, if that is not a concession in the web video format wars, I don’t know what is. The Demetri Martin video is funny too.

![Elbow - One Day Like This: Video : Music video by Elbow performing One Day Like This: Videowith Craig Potter [Producer], Rigan Ledwidge [Video Director], Sally Humphries [Video Producer](C) 2008 Polydor Ltd. (UK) (Tags: Elbow One Day Like This Alternative Fiction Craig Potter [Producer] Rigan Ledwidge [Video Director] Sally Humphries Producer]) (379037 views, rated 4.58)](http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/hooPU2mdsH4/default.jpg)


It’s funny, but when a company like Microsoft can quietly admit defeat by adopting Flash video format -I kinda get nostalgic for the days of four thousand codecs and the times where I couldn’t watch a WMV on my MAC. Why do we all just have to get a long with FLVs?
[...] So it turns out that Demetri Martin, who I know from The Daily Show and who appeared in Microsoft’s Soapbox video sharing site, is doing a whole series of videos for Microsoft called Clearification. You can tell after a few videos where this thing is going - how Windows Vista is going to change your life - to “clearify” things (will clearify be the word of 2007 like truthiness was for ‘06?). Martin is one of those “observational” comics, you know, like “what’s with those airlines peanuts anyway?” I find his observations quite funny and it’s all part of Microsoft creating a good vibe for their new OS. With these videos, I’ve got one! [...]
[...] is that Flash video (FLVs) has matured, and frankly revolutionized the online video world. Even Microsoft admitted it not too long [...]