Over the past couple of years, online video has been the focus of a considerable amount of research. That research generally falls into two classifications: dollars and usage. The "dollars" type focuses on revenue, usually along the lines of what percentage of marketer spend goes to online video now and in the future. The "usage" group typically focuses on user interaction. Both are important pieces of the puzzle as the medium grows into its own. This month, eMarketer released an important report focused on the dollars category.

While online video advertising is certainly driving ad dollars to the Web, there is more to it than commercial spots. We've all heard the stampede of advertisers with slashed marketing budgets dashing online. Still, if you haven't jumped in yet, there's no better time than now to get started. So what are some online video options for digital marketers?

Today television is transitioning from the second to a third generation -- and it's all about Internet-Video- to-the-TV. One reason is that an abundance of connection sockets in flat panel televisions enables a multitude of Internet-connected devices to mate with the TV.

From V Cast, Hulu and iTunes to in-flight and on-demand, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of digital content distribution platforms out there. And more are popping up every month, it seems. For studios and television networks, the question is deceptively simple: how will you get your content everywhere it needs to be seen?

This past week, Google made the news yet again in online video, buying the company On2 for $106.5 million in stock. In talking to colleagues and scrolling through the blogosphere, I find there seems to be a significant amount of confusion surrounding this deal (myself included). Looking at the deal and its implications more closely, here's what I've found....

This past week I "witnessed" the wildest story ever: how the "Entourage" crew stepped up to help progress Internet-delivered television. I know this story seems beyond comprehension, and I wouldn't believe it either if mega agent Ari Gold hadn't reached out and offered to do even more. But before I get to how he wants to help, you just have to hear how this all came to be. And before you say no way as I did, remember sometimes reality is stranger than fiction....

OK, I know the issue I am about to tackle is a hotbed of controversy, but I am going to do it anyway. It's just that I can't stand by and watch so much being said in the industry, in the press and in conference rooms everywhere without speaking up on the topic of the online GRP. To date, I do not believe the models that have been proposed and published take the concept far enough or are even well developed enough to merit usage. Among other missing pieces, the models that I have seen proposed lack an element that …

It has been said that "media is the new creative." To clarify, the idea is that in this age of hyper-audience fragmentation, the "who" you're speaking to is now as important as the "what" that's being said. As a creative director who was once employed by a media agency (Universal McCann), I couldn't agree more.

One of our favorite topics to talk about and debate, whether it is here on the Video Insider, on other blogs or in conferences, is YouTube. Whether it is the merits of the acquisition by Google, copyright issues or just the general fascinating scale of the service, YouTube is a topic that we have yet to tire of discussing. Google's well-known opaqueness when discussing key statistics and figures about YouTube only adds to the controversy.

Can the delivery of digital media files over terrestrial IP networks provide an alternative to satellite usage? We are seeing an ever-increasing demand for managed file movement, spurred on by having to get content to online portals and mobile devices.