Over the last year, we noticed a pattern in our support emails: people who have been getting choppy, incomplete videos – or, worse, no video at all – seem to be coming from areas that are slightly out of reach of our video delivery network. Whether the user is in Revision3′s home country, or in Europe, Australia, or the UAE, it’s possible to be just a wee bit too far out of Revision3′s reach.  We have great programming, and great viewers who want to see what’s happening next on Dan3.0, pick up a few pointers from Tekzilla, or weird out a friend with Scam School antics… so, its up to those of us in the engine room to fix the problem.

We can tinker and tweak all we want – but we can’t very easily get on planes with laptops and fly to all points of the globe to test out our video delivery system. (Although, I think it might be worth it for the free peanuts, actually.) So, that’s where you come in…

We’ve set up two new video delivery technologies that we think will significantly improve the delivery of programming to you, no matter where you are. Taking a page from old commercials and mixing it with a sprinkling of modern crowd sourcing, we’ve created a blind “taste” test on revision3.com. Just point your browser to our Revision3 Video Vote page and help us out.

The test will only take 7-8 minutes of your time, tops. Just play the three videos (it’s Tom’s Top 5, which everyone wants to see at least three times), and answer the response questions below each. Please note, the only reason we ask you for your location is so that we can chart how we’re doing in different regions. We do not maintain or use this information for soliciting, sharing, telling your mother where you are, or any other nefarious purpose. We promise.

Thanks for the help – and please spread the word. Blog, Facebook, or Tweet out the link to our video vote page: http://www.revision3.com/videovote We’re going to leave the page up for the next few weeks and see which technology serves you better.

Thanks again!

Weekly Series to Showcase Cool Tips, Tricks and Downloads for Getting Things Done

Revision3, the leading Internet Television network, today announced the addition of Lifehacker, to its network of more than 20 programs. The show, created and hosted by Lifehacker Editor-in-Chief Adam Pash and writers Adam Dachis, Kevin Purdy and Whitson Gordon, will bring to video Lifehacker’s unique approach to getting things done, including time-saving tips and tricks to make life easier.

Lifehacker.com, part of Gawker Media’s network of sites, is the largest personal productivity blog on the web with 6.5 million unique visitors each month. Recognized as one of the smartest sites on the web, Lifehacker serves up tips, hacks and tricks for getting the most out of everyday technology.

The inaugural episode, launched today, includes tips such as how to turn your hoodie into a makeshift laptop bag and how to uncork a wine bottle using a shoe. Upcoming episodes will feature tips on how to hide the wires in your home, how to boost your Wi-Fi router’s signal, and much more.

“For six years Lifehacker’s been the best place on the Internet to find tips, tricks, and shortcuts for making your life better, often with the help of technology”, said Adam Pash. Editor-in-Chief of Lifehacker. “With the launch of our Revision3 show, we’re finally showing readers the cool things we’ve been talking about all this time”.

“We’re extremely excited for this partnership and to help Lifehacker produce their first weekly show,” said Ryan Vance, VP of Programming and Production, Revision3. “I’ve been a big fan of the site for years and know that the Revision3 audience is going to love how Adam and Adam will help them be better at life…by hacking it.”

Lifehacker airs each Monday and will run approximately 10-12 minutes in length. More information can be found at www.revision3.com/lifehacker

About Revision3:
Revision3 is the television network for the Internet generation, creating and producing original episodic community-driven programs. The viewing audience is made up of hyper-connected, passionate, committed fans who want to watch shows about technology, modern culture, video games, entertainment, music and comedy that entertain and educate.

The company was founded in 2005 by technology visionaries Kevin Rose, Jay Adelson and David Prager because they couldn’t find anything they wanted to watch on traditional television. The company is now led by Internet TV pioneer Jim Louderback. Revision3’s programs can be found everywhere from Revision3.com to a wide range of platforms, including tablets, smart phones, GoogleTV, Roku, PS3, WMC, Boxee, YouTube and wherever fine video is served.

Revision3 has attracted a wide-range of top advertisers including Sony, Netflix, Ford, Verizon, HP, EA, Microsoft, Citrix and Reebok. Advertisers enjoy a unique bond with the audience via customized message integration and host mentions that deliver phenomenal results in a clutter-free environment that is perfect for everything from direct response to branding.

It was great to see some of our fans there, and great to talk about new and old Revision3 shows. I’m really happy for all the feedback – both positive and negative – that we got. And I always like buying folks drinks, so that was definitely fun as well.

We’ll be doing a lot more of these this year, so stay tuned!

Jim

Tweetup At Nook in Atlanta

And that’s a big part of the reason why I’m so concerned about how the courts have removed the FCCs ability to police net neutrality across broadband ISPs. Left to their own devices, it’s only natural to expect large cable operators, including Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T and Verizon to start favoring their own cable networks and services, and slowing down competing services.

Heck, it happened back in 2007, when Comcast was ratcheting Bit Torrent traffic down , which negatively impacted us – as we used to distribute all our shows via BT.

But now, three years later, we’re an even bigger thorn in the side of traditional TV. Our shows are getting audiences that rival some of the best on cable TV, more and more people are abandoning traditional cable services for web-delivery of Netflix, independent TV, Hulu and other video sources, and new devices from Roku, Boxee, Syabas and others offer even more freedom of choice.

But today that choice is threatened. I just wrote an opinion piece for GigaOm detailing Why We Cannot Let Neutrality Fail. I encourage you to read it. But get involved too. Write your representatives and tell them you don’t trust the big ISPs to protect your interests.

Tell them you watch Web TV… and you Vote!

– Jim Louderback

So first, thanks to Dave for supporting Revision3 – and a special shout-out for his Summer Cool-Hot Giveaway. The show’s giving away $75k worth of gadgets, gear and other fun stuff. Check it out, and tell Dave Revision3 sent ya!

— Jim Louderback

STARS GO DIGITAL: First off, some upcoming events.  I’d like to invite everyone to consider the Break Out event that AlwaysOn is holding in Beverly Hills December 15th – 17th.  It’ll be a pretty unique gathering of celebrities that are moving into the online media space, and the folks that work with them and support them..  Everyone from Black Eyed Peas front-man Will.i.am to MC Hammer, Kerli and Marshall Herskovitz (head of the Producers Guild) will be there presenting and exchanging ideas.  I’m there too – sitting in on a panel on the 17th.    If you’re interested in knowing more, or you want to join me there, reach out to Marc Sternberg at AlwaysOn- marc@alwayson-network.com

Oh, and I’ll be at the Whistler film festival this weekend, appearing on a few panels, and gawking at the scenery.  If you’re around, ping me for coffee or a drink!

DIGGNATION BREAKS NEW GROUND – AGAIN:    If you didn’t see our special In-The-Round version of Diggnation, you’re missing out on the future of online video.  You’ve probably heard about the promise of letting viewers pick their own camera angles – well we did it (along with our CDN partners at Bit Gravity).  Head over to http://revision3.com/remix/to watch a very special episode of Diggnation encoded with five separate cameras, all streaming at once!  We’ve got the Kevin-cam, Alex-cam, Audience-Cam and two more!   Forget holograms, this is the future of the video!

SECRET PLAYER UPDATE FORESHADOWS MORE CHANGES:    We didn’t really tell anyone, and it’s not super obvious, but there’s a new look to the Revision3 flash player.   We rolled out a new player with a scrub bar that hides while you’re playing the video.  OK, that’s not really very innovative, but it’s just the first of some big changes to the online viewing experience at Revision3.  Expect some really cool new features rolling out in the next few weeks!

WELCOME SLING!   Revision3 is proud to be a charter content partner with the folks at Sling, who make the awesome Slingbox for watching your TV remotely.  They just launched a very cool new online video hub that’s chock full of great TV shows from the big networks, and emerging networks like Revision3 too!  We’ll be bringing our entire catalog up on the new site – which you can find at beta.sling.com!  I’ve been a big fan and a strong supporter of Sling since they launched, and I’m overjoyed to be partnering with them to bring the best of web video to their new service.

TIVO SHOUT-OUT TOO:  We’re also on TiVo – another personal favorite of mine – and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the results.    You can now create season passes for any of our shows, and have them download to your TiVo whenever a new episode goes live.  It’s really one of the best ways to watch our programs – and it’s also a sneak peek into the future of video, where broadcast, cable and Internet shows co-mingle in a non-hierarchical way.  Hats off to TiVo for this innovative feature!

PROGRAMMING UPDATE:  Lots of great stuff at Revision3 this week.  The latest Diggnation includes our first guests in a long time – Dr. Tiki and LaLa from Tikibar TV.   Speaking of the Totally Rad Show, the crew looks at Mirror’s Edge – a breakthrough game, along with reviewing Special and JCVD.    The Digg Reel  continues to bring you the funniest web videos of the week, and more.  This week features How NOT to Get a Kiss, the new Star Trek trailer, and two of our Revision3 staff in a cameo role!  Over at Scam School we bring CNet’s popular host Molly Wood over to get scammed and learn a new trick.  There’s lots more, including details on how to build a Sumo robot from Hell in SYSTM!

REVISION3 STORE:  Wondering where you can pick up a Revision3 shirt, hoodie or other gear branded with your favorite show logos?  I don’t want to give anything away, but check back here on Monday December 8th for a special, cool new feature that just might include great gear for sale!   If we did actually do anything like that, you’d find it at http://www.revision3.com/store

– Jim Louderback

It’s one small step for YouTube, one giant leap for Revision3! Now everything we produce is available on YouTube – and our channel is absolutely one of the best looking destinations inside the giant video site.

Read all about it in our Revision3 / YouTube press release, if you want more details. But now you can enjoy our revolutionary programs anywhere YouTube is served.

— Jim Louderback

In an effort to make sure we provide you with everything that you want / need, we are looking to you for thoughts and suggestions about products we could supply from the store. We are open to any and every idea (as long as it is appropriate and possible) for every show. For example, AJ Vaynerchuk (a summer intern of ours) designed a concept for a Revision3 sneaker:

As you can see when we say anything, we really mean it! In addition to the products available in store, we’re going to be planning on some great free giveaways and stuff like that.

If you want to make a suggestion you can either leave a comment on this blog post, or make your way over to the Revision3 forums (here) and join the discussion there! An early favorite of the forums posters (and ours) is the laptop skins!

We are truly excited about getting this thing going and thank you in advance for all of the suggestions!
- David Prager

It sounds like a really cool exec conference, takes place in Banff in June. Focuses on Canadian media. And hey, with the Tiki Bar TV folks and other great internet video stars hailing from Canada, I figured, why not go.

Then they invited me to keynote. W00t! Check out our NextMedia press release here, but this one’s going to be fun. I’m bringing the family too.

(BTW, Rick’s also a blogger, check out his Post Money Value, it is hella good)

— Jim Louderback