• by Masha Geller , August 6, 2003

Motif or no Motif, Eyeblaster is sticking to its familiar schedule of releasing a new version of its rich media platform once every quarter. Today brought the launch of the ninth version - Eyeblaster 5.3 - which boasts a number of significant enhancements, including the ability to serve larger file-sizes of up to one megabyte.

And they already have AOL UK signed up to use the new technology to launch a 1 MB rich-media ad for its AOL Music Sessions@AOL this week, which may just be the coolest ad I've seen online this month. (Here's a sneak peak at the demo.)

The ad, using Eyeblaster's expandable banner ad format, will combine music video segments from various artists in a fast-moving Flash MX-based environment upon user interaction. The 1 MB limit can be used for Flash files in all seven Eyeblaster ad formats, including floating ad, commercial break, interstitial window ad, and full-page overlay formats.

Eyeblaster says that web publishers who have stayed away from ads with large file sizes in the past have often done so as a result of concerns about their affect on website usability, as well as poor experiences with older video streaming methods. Eyeblaster aims to alleviate those concerns by combining best-of-breed solutions in one platform, which results in surprising creative power and a user-friendly viewing experience.

According to Nielsen//NetRatings' AdRelevance service, Eyeblaster is the number one branded rich media platform in the industry, and represents more ad campaign impressions than any other branded rich media technology provider.