Who makes video? Who licenses video, and on what terms? Who aggregates and distributes video? How are different kinds of video encoded? How does video travel across the Internet and other kinds of networks? What roles do backbone providers and content delivery networks play in the process of transmitting video on the Internet? How much control do ISPs have over users’ ability to access video? Who is capable of exercising political control over video? And what can you do with video once it gets to a device? It’s impossible to answer these questions from a one-dimensional perspective. Rather, the open video ecosystem should be thought of as a multi-layered environment. But, with more content creation, network capacity, device options, and sharing platforms than ever, it can be difficult to grasp the the way that these layers interact.

Open video is based on the concepts of sharing, including source code, ideas, applications, best practices and standards. This movement promotes collaboration and open communication, free expression and innovation in the online video space. Simple as this sounds, the open video ecosystem can be a difficult landscape to traverse. It is comprised of multiple layers, involving the (un)coordinated work of various entities, including content creators, Internet service providers (ISPs), content distribution platforms, aggregators, and ultimately, the end user. Advanced technology, which has opened the door for comprehensive innovation in layers such as content creation and bandwidth, and the often overlapping nature of key players, continually adds new dimensions to the ecosystem.

As the Internet becomes a ubiquitous part of our lives, it’s easy to take these complex technologies and networks for granted. This has led to consequences such as regulatory asymmetry and undue reliance on traditional media models. At the same time, technologists often don’t understand the reasoning or hierarchies behind policymaking. By visualizing each layer and its context within the whole video landscape, a map of the video ecosystem will help to close the comprehension gap and create new avenues for collaboration and participation.

At this year’s OVC, we’ll try to make sense of it all. Marvin Ammori and Nicholas Bramble will lead a multi-part workshop to make a comprehensive infographic. They’ll be joined by sketchnoter Amanda Lyons (VISUALS for CHANGE), who will lend her artistic ability to help lay the foundation for the map, and a cast of experts from across the regulatory, software, and content spectrum, including policymakers, video makers, distributors, investors, and developers. The graphic will illustrate how different layers of the open video ecosystem, from devices and bandwidth, to software and standards, and filmmaking and distribution, fit together—and what kinds of legal, competitive, or creative constraints are in place at each layer. In creating this map and refining our understanding of the economics and the infrastructure of the open video ecosystem, we will develop a better sense of how to interact with a variety of public and private design levers important to the future of open video.

Plus, it will look cool.

Register by Wednesday for OVC 2011.

We’re excited to announce that the Pace University Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems has joined help support this year’s Open Video Conference. As one of the first comprehensive schools of computing in the country, the Seidenberg School is at the forefront of the computing field. The School prepares students in computer science for lifelong participation in a new and dynamic information age through hands-on development of innovative projects. We’re very pleased to be able to draw upon the expertise of the Seidenberg faculty and student programmers who will be in attendance at OVC, and we know that many of our attendees will greatly appreciate their help with designing and programming their next generation video tools.

Don’t forget to register to join us – the last day to register online is Wednesday!

According to some statistics, 12% of sites on the net are pornographic. 25% of all search engine requests are pornographic. And 35% of all internet downloads are pornographic.

Porn is the 800 pound gorilla in the world of online video, and we’re delighted that Cindy Gallop will be talking about what it means at this year’s Open Video Conference.

Cindy Gallop delivered one of the most talked about TEDTalks in history at TED 2009.

Speaking very frankly, and from direct experience, she argued that hardcore pornography has distorted the way a generation of young men think about sex.

At TED 2009, Cindy shared with attendees her plan to fight back, with the launch of a website to educate people about the nuances in human sexuality. At OVC, she’ll start to share the next part of her project: MakeLoveNotPorn.tv, which launches in early 2012.

How do amateurs, independent and niche producers fit into the ecosystem? How can porn be a diverse and sex-positive experience? What’s porn’s place in our media space?

Cindy is not anti-porn, or about judging what’s good or what is bad. Her project is intended to stimulate open, healthy conversations about sex and pornography.

This talk will be frank. This talk will be honest. It will be graphic. But we think Cindy speaks to a hugely under-recognized issue, and does so in a funny and thought-provoking way.