The New York Times Readies HD Online Video Channel As Part of New Brightcove Implementation

The New York Times has launched a new HD-format video player with a 16:9 wide-screen frame. Other new features include a redesigned video library, a "Most Viewed" rank, and tools to share videos to social sites like Facebook and Digg.

The new video player is from Brightcove, the Boston-based video services company. Previously, The Times streamed its video using The FeedRoom.

This is the first newspaper implementation of Brightcove 3, the company's new publishing solution. With the technology, The Times has the capability to stream video at DVD-quality of 1.5 megabits per second and higher.

Called Dynamic Delivery, it allows publishers to serve videos to users based on their connection speed. It is currently streaming HD video for Showtime and FEARNet, a Brightcove spokesperson told Beet.TV.

Plans are underway at the Times to deliver HD video online, Ann Derry, Video and Television Director told me in this interview. This would be the first newspaper to deliver video in true HD.

Beyond the newspaper, Times videos are distributed on on multiple platforms, including TiVo, broadcast television including NBC News and on JetBlue's in-flight entertainment.

Since video is being seen on so many platforms, the company is shooting and editing all of its videos on HD. Ann tells us: "We assume it can be anywhere. And if it's going to be anywhere, we want it to look good."

Here is the company press release.

Brightcove has been doing well with newspaper publishers. It provides video publishing for Dow Jones, The Washington Post and others. The New York Times Company is an investor in Brightcove.