• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, March 17, 2006

Online video provider Roo Thursday launched a new site, UndercoverHD, that streams music videos at the relatively high bit rate of 700 kilobits per second. With that speed--more than twice Roo's normal 300 kilobit-per-second rate--the quality of broadband streams approaches that seen on TV.

Offerings available at launch include a wide range of music videos from groups like newcomers Arctic Monkeys and We Are Scientists, as well as interviews and news clips, like footage of Kid Rock inducting Lynyrd Skynyrd into the Rock Hall of Fame. Roo also plans to post original content to the site, including clips of musician interviews from South by Southwest, the Austin, Tex. music festival underway this week.

Roo will support the site with streaming video ads--most likely 15-second pre-roll, with companion banners, said Greg Verdino, senior vice president of sales and marketing. The company will likely sell the site as a component of its music channel, which also includes sites Music.com and Rock.com, Verdino said.

Roo also operates Rootv.com; the company also powers video on other Web sites. Roo's own library exceeds 8,000 videos, Verdino said.