VIDEO PLAYER COMPARISON
Video players do exactly what their name suggests -- they play videos. Players are flash players which tend to work on any computer while wmv (windows media), quicktime or real player files may not necessily work on as many computers. But not all players are equal. Some can cost as much as $6000/year, or even more depending on how much a middleman marks up the cost, while others are free. From Brightcove to Delve to Bitcast to Vimeo, YouTube and Blip.tv. There is a tradeoff in quality, control, ad presence, and tracking capabilities (understanding who is watching)... but the feature differences and pricing disparity are shrinking as the player market is commodotized. Here are two free ones that I like. Interesting that both players offer HD hosting. Vimeo offers an upgraded version with premium features for relatively small money. Don't let some 'web video expert' sell you a costly bill of goods that's largely centered on their markup of a player you don't need!
Brightcove is now offering differnet tiers of service to its users. Their prices are now reasonable enough to recomemnd considering them, even if you are a small business. I have added a player below allowing you to examine their player.
This is Blip.tv's video player.
This is Vimeo's player.
This is Brightcove's video player.
Charles River Ventures (CRV)) funds the launch of young companies. These are just five of the dozens of companies that CRV has helped launch.