The internet has changed vastly since I first began surfing the web over 10 years ago. I remember MetaCafe and eBaumsWorld being popular free video websites before youtube came onto the scene in 2005. eBaums and MetaCafe however, instead of streaming flash embeds, used Windows Media Player and QuickTime embeds, which was not a very intuitive or enjoyable way to watch free videos online. In 2004 several technological advances emerged in flash compression, making flash video compression and mega-sites like Youtube to emerge. MetaCafe followed, successfully, and eBaumsWorld has faded away - still a successful website, however nowhere near the volume on traffic sites like MetaCafe and youtube receive.
YouTube innovated first and solved two huge gigantic problems which left free video on the internet relatively uninteresting. First they utilized Flash to stream videos, and Second, as a byproduct of the first, they decreased the bandwidth requirements needed to view videos. These two reasons are the primary reasons the website has had massive success. Arguably, the social aspects implemented on the site are just as important, but the fact of the matter is, they delivered connivence first, which sells better than anything, and made it remark-able with its social aspect. Video truly exposed when it was announced Google bought Youtube for over a billion dollars.
What's next for free videos on the internet? Niche video sites. Sites that focus on free videos specific to a community, whether local or online, or specific topics. Further down the line, special screens have been developed for televisions to produce 3d images without the glasses, and I expect this to be prevalent on the internet once consumers can afford the special screens and special cameras required to make this technology work, even for videos online.
