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Stage6 is dead, long live the Stage6 clones -- until they go down

Vreel
DiVX killed off the Stage6 video sharing community back in February. And ever since then, new sites have been trying to pick up the torch. Stage6 used the popular DiVX codec and a DiVX Web player which allowed users to watch high definition videos at a time when most web video was YouTube quality. But the company decided the web service wasn't worth the price of bandwidth.

Last night one of the most talked-about DiVX clones, Vreel launched in public beta. And then the site went down after it was hit by a rush of traffic and several apparent attacks on the site. Durign the few minutes that Vreel was publicly available, the site looked pretty good. It features a fair number of videos, makes use of the DiVX web player, and allows you to watch high quality videos in full screen.

One of the things that really sets Vreel apart from other sites like YouTube is support for videos of any length. What that means is that while you won't find too many videos that are clearly labeled Lost episode 1, you can find plenty of full-length TV shows and movies if you look around. That means that once Vreel recovers from its traffic and hacker problems it may still face legal challenges.

But if you're tired of waiting for Vreel to get its act together, you should know that this is hardly the only site hoping to replace Stage6 in you hearts and minds. Others include Stage Next, Stagevu (which is currently down for maintenance), and SetVid. The video selection at these three sites is somewhat limited. But at least they're up and running (most of the time), which is more than Vreel can say at the moment.

Vreel to launch Stage6 replacement soon, launches silly video now


Still reeling from DivX shutting down its Stage6 online video site? Vreel is here to help. Or it will be soon anyway. Vreel, or the Stage6 clone formerly known as DivXit, is preparing to launch a new online video sharing site featuring a high definition video player like the one formerly used at Stage6. Of course, we heard the same promises almost 2 months ago when Vreel was first announced. But now the team behind the site have released a super-short promotional video that seems to indicate that... well, not much really.

The How To Geek, on the other hand, has a more in-depth look at the new service and an interview with the site's founder. The new site uses the DivX Web Player and a decent looking site navigation. One nice feature is a pop-out button that lets you watch videos in a separate browser window.

Vreel is currently in private beta and accepting beta testers, with a full launch to follow once a few bugs have been worked out, including problems with files uploaded that don't have a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio.

Stage6 clone DivXit becomes Vreel


Remember that Stage6 clone called DivXit we told you about yesterday? Apparently the folks at DivX didn't really like its name too much. Because today the site has a new name: Vreel. There's also a new Q&A which makes it clear that while the site was inspired by DivX's defunct Stage6 video sharing service, Vreel will build a brand new video database.

Vreel will, however, use the DivX codec and webplayer which are pretty much the things that made Stage6 special. Stage6 was one of the first sites to offer high definition video streams. While many other video sharing sites have since caught up, the DivX webplayer is still one of the best looking HD video streaming applications we've seen.

The launch date for Vreel has been pushed back a week to May 6th. Vreel says when the site goes live users will be able to upload files up to 800MB, with an eye toward enabling 1GB uploads eventually.

Vreel will eventually offer video downloads in addition to online video streams.

[via Davis Freeberg]

Download Squad Week in Review

Download Squad logoHave you been so busy sending angry letters to Saturday Night Live about their choice of actors to portray Barack Obama that you've fallen behind on your Download Squad reading? Not to worry. Here's a roundup of some of the stories you might have missed this week:

Download Squad at Future of Web Apps

Download Squad's Grant Robertson hit up the Future of Web Apps 2008 conference in Miami this week. And he's been kind of busy. Here are just a few of the topics he's covered or live-blogged:

DivX shuts down Stage6 online video site


This week DivX shut down the online video sharing site Stage6. The web service never got as much attention as YouTube, DailyMotion. But it was a favorite among online video connaisseurs for its excellent video quality. DivX is now directing users to check out online video site Veoh.

TotalEdit 4.1: Text editor for programmers

TotalEdit is an advanced text editor with programs that could come in handy for coders, including syntax-coloring, code-folding, and line-numbering. There's also a portable version you can run from a USB drive. But one of the best things about this article is the fact that a bunch of readers weighed in with their favorite text editors in the comments.

Continue reading Download Squad Week in Review

DivX to shut down Stage6 video sharing service


DivX has announced plans to shut down its video hosting service Stage6 on February 28th. As of this morning, the company has disabled the uploading feature, but if there's a few videos you've been meaning to watch, you've only got a few days to cross them off your list.

Stage6 never really got the kind of attention that its competitors like YouTube and DailyMotion have. But Stage6 has supported high definition video streaming longer than almost anyone else. Their video player is slick and easy to use, and we can only hope that another company will license the technology.

Last year DivX considered selling Stage6 or spinning the service off as a private company, but neither option seemed economically feasible. The company has now decided that it can't justify the cost of running the bandwidth-heavy service and instead will focus on working with hardware makers to deliver DivX-certified devices like media extenders, DVD players, and video game consoles.

[via Electronista]

DivX decides Stage6 is old enough to be its own company

Stage6Oh they grow up so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that DivX's answer to YouTube was taking its first baby steps. But now it's all grown up and ready to leave the nest.

DivX has announced plans to spin Stage6 off as a separate company. According to the press release, the move will let DivX focus on its "high margin, fast-growing technology licensing business" by separating Stage6 from the parent company.

CEO Jordan Greenhall is stepping down to oversee the transition. Stage6 has been gaining visibility in recent months. The site had 10 million unique visitors in June, up from 4 million in April. Of course, that makes Stage6 about .001% as popular as market leader YouTube, but hey, you've gotta start somewhere. And Stage6 has one thing YouTube lacks: better video quality.

Now that Stage6 will be operating independently of DivX, it should be interesting to see how aggressive the company is at marketing itself as a YouTube/DailyMotion/Soapbox/Metacafe competitor.

[via PaidContent]

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