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Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ adds Mediafly, Netflix, YouTube and more

Seagate is the latest cutting edge company to incorporate Mediafly.

Seagate’s FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Players which lets people view computer files on their televisions. Seagate has also added access to YouTube, vTuner, and Mediafly services. Those services will now be able to reach a wider range of consumers. And customers of Seagate’s FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Players will have a lot more user-generated video and web-delivered movies to access on their television sets.

Read more: http://bit.ly/seagatemediafly

News Alert: Mediafly powers 3 of the 10 new Roku channels

Tonight Roku announced the release of the long-awaited "10 new apps" to come to the popular Roku player.

Three of these new apps are powered by Mediafly: Mediafly, TWiT.tv, Motionbox.  This demonstrates the flexibility and versatility of the Mediafly platform.

Expect to see many more apps powered by Mediafly on Roku and other platforms in the near future.

If you don't have a Roku, get one! they are only $79, $99, and $129 depending on the features you want. If do have a Roku and you can't wait for the software to install automatically, here is how you can upgrade manually: Settings > Device info > Update.

Here are the first articles to report the new Roku apps. More news to come tomorrow, I'm sure.

       

Mediafly launches a pilot for studio execs and staff to review production content

Mediafly enables revolutionary delivery method in a pilot for studio execs and staff to review production content 

Major studio explores new alternative to traditional content distribution methods to decrease costs and increase functionality

Mediafly announces a pilot program to use the Mediafly Enterprise Distribution Platform with a major studio to revolutionize the way production content is distributed internally to executives, editors, producers, and staff around the world.

Major studios spend significant amounts of money distributing production footage to staff around the world. Most rely in part on physical media such as DVDs, which may also be subject to loss or intellectual property theft. 

Early explorations into web-based systems have fallen short because they lacked the usability and easy portability of the legacy system. Options requiring viewers to sit in front of a computer have not proved to be either a popular or convenient way for internal staff to experience content. Most people prefer solutions (such as DVDs) that can be easily watched from the comfort of the couch on a big screen TV (without technical hurdles). 

Mediafly makes it easy to securely deliver digital production content to convenient devices– while restricting access to selected individuals. By using Mediafly, studios no longer need to decide which Internet devices to support with costly internally developed applications.  The sophisticated Mediafly platform allows companies to leverage, with one platform, nearly all popular Internet-enabled devices - devices which their staff, associates, excutives, vendors, and customers already use. 

Of course, distribution of studio content is not merely about ease of use and cost reductions.  Especially in these days of digital piracy, security is certainly a key component for intellectual property protection. "The Mediafly Platform leverages a very sophisticated application and server architecture to ensure the security of content while not sacrificing usability," said Mediafly CEO, Carson Conant. "We want corporate users to be able to enjoy their content in a protected environment such that they don’t need to worry about security breaches."

In the current economic times, many companies are facing financial pressures and wrestling with the transition to digital technologies. The Mediafly Enterprise Platform is currently in pilot testing with several major studios and Fortune 500™ companies.  In each case, Mediafly’s solutions provide the rare opportunity to drastically reduce costs while also improving usability and efficiency.

-------------------

About Mediafly

Mediafly is an innovative media technology platform and leading distribution service of Internet multimedia series, such as podcasts. Mediafly connects businesses’ and consumers’ Internet-enabled devices to secure content sources as well as their favorite Internet content in a way that is easy for everyday consumers and profitable for media companies.

Mediafly is rapidly broadening the communication and training options for corporate vertical markets.

In addition to private enterprise services, Mediafly delivers a library of free content on-demand directly to Internet-connected devices, such as the Roku player and Popcorn Hour set top boxes, as well as smartphone platforms such as iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm, and Android.

Founded in 2006, Mediafly is privately held and headquartered in Chicago, IL. For more information on the company and its products, visit: http://www.mediafly.com

Mediafly CTO, Brett Mitchell, interviewed at Blogworld 2009

At BlogWorld Expo, Leo Laporte announced in his keynote some exciting news. You can now get his podcasts on your TV using a Roku box, all thanks to a new service from Mediafly which aims to put podcasts onto every device you have. No more subscribing in iTunes messiness, just find the show and press the play button.

Brent Mitchell, MediaFly’s Chief Technology Officer, explains how the system works in this video interview from BlogWorld Expo.

(also available here)

Mediafly helps the TWiT.tv Network reach beyond iTunes and iPhone to mass market

Leo Laporte, aka ‘Chief TWiT,’ expands network into video with Mediafly partnership

Last week at the Blogworld keynote, the TWiT netcast network announced a partnership with the digital media distribution company Mediafly expands into video distribution across multiple video platforms.

TWiT, led by ‘Chief TWiT’ Leo Laporte, is home to many of the world’s most popular online audio shows about technology, including the popular roundtable podcast "This Week in Tech," and the most popular audio shows about Apple, Microsoft, Google, Web 2.0, computer security, and more. But to this point, Laporte had hesitated to make the jump to downloadable video, lest the effort be limited to only iTunes or iPhone users.

“I’ve always said that iTunes was the best and worst thing to ever happen to podcasting,” said Laporte. “It was great because it made downloading shows like TWiT easier. But it was bad because its success drowned out competition among other players, platforms, and devices. Now with Mediafly, we can expand beyond iTunes and the iPhone to big screen TV with devices like the Roku, and onto millions of other smart phones like the Palm Pre and the Android phones."  "With Mediafly, we can now deliver the quality video experience we’ve been seeking," Laporte said.

Non-Apple smart phones represent a large, untapped market for digital content creators. According to a CNN report, BlackBerrys had a 55.3 percent share in the first quarter of 2009, compared to 19.5 percent for iPhones. That’s up from the third quarter of 2008, when BlackBerry devices controlled 40.4 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, compared with 30.1 percent for Apple.

In addition to mobile phones, Mediafly enables distribution to the rapidly growing market of Internet set-top boxes such as the popular Roku Digital Video Player (also known as the Netflix Player by Roku).

"Mediafly is an incredible platform because it allows content companies as diverse as the Motionbox home video sharing service and the TWiT netcast network to leverage the Roku platform quickly and easily,"said Brian Jaquet, director, corporate communications for Roku. "We’re thrilled to have Leo’s TWiT network as part of the Roku platform as we launch in the coming weeks."

On Friday, October 16, attendees at the Blog World Expo in Las Vegas got an early look at the new TWiT video shows using the Mediafly system.

Anyone with a Palm Pre or Android phone can get early access to the new TWiT mobile apps:

    Text the word 'twit' to 30364 from your Palm Pre or Android phone

    - or -

    Browse to www.TWiTonMediafly.com from a Palm Pre or Android phone

    - or - 

    Search for TWiT in the Palm App Store or Android App Market

In the coming weeks, the new TWiT video shows will also launch on iTunes/iPhone, BlackBerry phones, Internet set-top boxes, and more.

 "We decided to provide early access via the Palm Pre and Android phones to emphasize that a great multimedia experience is now easy to get on many platforms, not just iTunes and the iPhone," said Mediafly CEO, Carson Conant. "We’re thrilled to enable millions of people to be able to watch shows like TWiT on your HDTV from the comfort of your couch, or from your smart phone wherever you roam."



About Leo Laporte and TWiT


Leo Laporte is Chief TWiT of the TWiT netcast network and host of "This Week in Tech" (the world’s most popular technology podcast) and the nationally syndicated "Tech Guy" radio show. Laporte is the former host of "Call For Help" and "The Screensavers" on TechTV. Laporte and other hosts on his network create more than 40 hours of live technology programming each week, streamed live at http://live.twit.tv.  Laporte himself usually broadcasts without interruption from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT five days a week.



Sun Times: Mediafly expands its business focus

October 5, 2009 - by Chicago Sun Times writer Brad Spirrison

Most of us by now are accustomed to consuming media on our own terms. From fast-forwarding the commercials of our favorite TV shows to reading the morning paper on our smart phones, we as consumers are forever altering how media companies do business.

While many established media outlets are in crisis mode, startups like River North-based Mediafly eye opportunity. Founded in 2006, Mediafly helps entities ranging from NBC5 to This Week in Tech (TWiT.tv) make more money through interactive media channels.

Read the rest of the article on SunTimes.com

Meddiafly Mobile now on Palm Pre & WebOS - (Beta)

We are on the home stretch before we launch our much-anticipated Mediafly Mobile app for Palm Pre and WebOS. Palm's WebOS will prove to be a very critical platform because of the compelling user interface coupled with the speed at which we can develop and launch new versions. So, try out the beta; good things to come from Mediafly on Palm's WebOS platform

To install the BETA of Mediafly Mobile for Palm Pre & WebOS:

TXT "Mediafly" to 30364 from your Palm phone

or, visit http://www.MediaflyApps.com from your Palm phone

Screen shots:

Motorola, Google and Mediafly - Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune reports news about Motorola's upcoming of smartphones using Google Android and highlights the role of companies such as Mediafly in their plans to compete with Palm Pre and iPhone.

"What [Motorola is] doing is trying to provide tools for free to developers, so those developers will be more inclined to focus on Motorola," said Jason Shah, the developer behind the Android application for Mediafly Inc., a Chicago company that aggregates podcasts and makes them available on Web-connected devices. Mediafly was accepted to Motorola's special developer program last week.

Mediafly is seeing great interest from the Android application and is looking forward to being available on Moto Android phones in the fall.

Crain's Chicago interviews "Info Junkie" Mediafly CEO, Carson Conant

Crain's Chicago Business interviews "Info Junkie" Mediafly CEO, Carson Conant

"Technology, politics and comedy top the playlist of Carson Conant, 34, co-founder and CEO of Mediafly, a Chicago-based Internet media broadcasting company..."

(read the full article at Crain's Chicago Business)