Flumotion Powers Broadband Video Portal with 3D UI for Spanish Broadcaster, Cuatro

Flumotion, a Barcelona-based company best known for developing an open source multi-format video streaming software that it claims allows streaming of content "live and on-demand in all the leading formats from a single server," contacted [itvt] Wednesday to let us know about a new broadband video service it has developed for Spanish broadcaster, Cuatro. Dubbed "play cuatro" and powered by Flumotion's CDN, the service features a 3D-style interface, which, according to a Flumotion representative, "makes the likes of the [BBC] iPlayer old news." The company says that Cuatro decided to launch a dedicated broadband video service because of the popularity of its YouTube channel, which launched in 2007 and which the broadcaster claims is the second most viewed and subscribed to in Spain.

In an email to [itvt], Flumotion, which says that it was able to deliver play cuatro within two months, described the new service's user experience (a demo video of which can be seen here) as follows: "The 3D interface features an easy and intuitive media center-like navigation. As opposed to text and static images, the entire site focuses on video content as the primary focal point of the WebTV. The video wall provides a natural starting point guiding the user through the featured content. While in full-screen mode, the media center navigation enables a lean-back viewing experience, which is unique compared to solutions offered by other WebTV providers."

Other play cuatro features highlighted by the company include 1) the availability of "rich media solutions" for advertisers; 2) the labeling of videos "according to popularity ('most viewed'), interaction ('most voted') and publication time ('most recent,' 'about to expire')"--Flumotion says that "this information regarding content feeds into a search engine within the portal and provides a more personalized viewing experience"; 3) the ability for users to share its content via social networking services such as Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo! and MySpace; and 4) a flexible backoffice that facilitates management of the service's content and advertising ("within seconds," Flumotion claims, "a new video can be uploaded, an ad can be changed, or any TV broadcasts can be encoded and offered live within play cuatro").