Encoding service provider Encoding.com is taking the wraps off "Mobile Made Easy" this morning, a collection of pre-configured encoding settings for mobile devices including iPhone/iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and certain Samsung and Nokia phones. With the "presets," Encoding.com customers can now also select which mobile devices they want their video prepared and available for and the appropriate encoding process will be triggered.
Jeff Malkin, Encoding.com's president told me yesterday that the company has studied the video requirements for each of these mobile devices and designed the presets accordingly. Until now, the heterogeneous mobile space has meant that video providers interested in going mobile have had to test and optimize for each device, an expensive and time-consuming process which has deterred many. By simplifying the process Jeff sees many more video providers getting involved with mobile. From a pricing standpoint, files outputted for mobile use are counted the same as other files, under Encoding.com's usage based pricing plan.
While mobile video use still lags online use, it is poised to gain rapidly as the universe of video-capable smartphones and tablet computers like the iPad explode. Just yesterday, UBS forecast that the iPad alone could ship 28 million units next year. We've also seen tablets unveiled by Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and others, based on Android, which will add competition. All that means a huge new addressable market that video providers will find irresistible.