Profile: MSN Video

Whether you are a professional filmmaker or a budding blogger, chances are you use some helpful tips on where and how to host your online video.  One site, MSN Video, out of many is another good option. 

History

MSN Video, under software giant Microsoft, is one of the largest video providers on the Web.  The online streaming video host MSN Video draws in 12 million unique visitors a month.  The MSN conglomerate, on a whole, has a worldwide audience of 465 million unique visitors per month.  That makes MSN Video the second highest trafficked video hosting site, according to a recent study by compete.com, after Google’s YouTube – a very distant second, that is.  Featured in 21 languages, MSN Video has an international audience including outlets for the UK, Australia, and Canada. 

MSN Video has categories on News, Sports, Celebrity, and Autos and partners with FOX Sports, CBS, and MSNBC.  The video sharing site recently partnered with music programming Control Room to stream Live Earth music videos.

Optimal Video Format

MSN Video accepts plenty of video formats including the following: .AVI, ASF, WMV, MOV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, 3GP, QT, DivX, Xvid, and DV.  File size can reach up to 100 MB.  MSN Video does not specify the optimal audio format.

EULA

Like most video sites, MSN Video has extensive End-User License Agreements that comes with some catches.  MSN Video is directed for ages 13 and older.  It strictly bans profanity and pornography.  If users break the agreement, Microsoft can pull the content and cancel the subscriber’s account.

Contributing videographers should also note that all the work is considered under Creative Commons License, which means that copyrights are flexible.  The public can view and embed the work without payment to the original creator.  That’s not unusual for free video hosting sites.

Pros / Cons

MSN Video has a few things going for it as it has against it.  Its members, called Soapbox users, gain the benefits both PC and Mac compatibility.  They, however, are restricted by MSN Video’s need for Adobe Flash Player, the free program that takes a few minutes to download.

MSN Video has the core features for any good host site, including comments, tagging, privacy settings, and embedding for personal blogs.  Uploading isn’t as quick as YouTube, but it gets the job done. 

Viewing is superior, compared to YouTube, because the player tracks viewed movies.  Soapbox members can create a playlist of up to 50 videos; 24 of those can be shared.  Geared for sharing with an international community, MSN Video is compatible with MSN Messenger, direct links to email, and a personal blog Windows Live Space. 

The verdict is that MSN Video is a sufficient all-purpose player and uploader, although the website does not excel in either feature.  Where MSN Video does stand out is its easy sharing capabilities.  If users like to simply go to one destination to watch news and upload home movies, MSN Video is a viable option. 

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The PROFILE series examines all the whatevers of uploading, viewing, and sharing.  We compare the pros and cons of the top hosting websites and some lesser-known sites.  Keep a lookout for more profiles and guides to come.