One of the advantages of having DVR functionality and being a fan of the syndicated prime access program "Jeopardy" is the gift of time my cable company gives me. With DVR in hand, I can watch a half-hour episode of "Jeopardy" in about 18 minutes. As a near-daily viewer, this saves me about four hours a month, or 48 hours (two full days) a year. Time is precious to me, so I'm grateful for this technology that allows me to recapture time and spend it doing things I really want to, rather than having to watch or otherwise avoid commercials. …

With online video advertising expected to grow by 40% in comparison to last year, topping $3.1 billion in 2012 (according to eMarketer forecasts), advertisers are looking for new ways to drive video engagement and reach their target audiences. One such "solution" has been to extend commonly used display tactics into the video space. While many companies tout their ability to use targeting algorithms and the ability to buy "premium" ad impressions in real time, most advertising buyers remain interested in more tangible forms of media and a clear understanding of where and when their message has been seen and heard.

Netflix' recent announcement about surpassing one billion hours of streamed content in June inspired a host of good articles about the future of content delivery, discovery, aggregation and creation. In TechCrunch, Ryan Lawler built on an interesting theory by YouTube's Hunter Walker. Walker believes that of the five hours of TV viewed by an individual on average each day, hours four to five are vulnerable to being converted to digital because they are filler, just-flipping-through-the-channels watching - as opposed to dedicated and interested hours one to three. Furthermore, Lawler believes that cable companies' sluggish rollout of "TV Everywhere" packaging will …

While there was naturally an element of truth in Dangerfield's "no respect" persona, obviously over time Dangerfield did command respect. He wasn't the loser that he conveyed in his act. What on earth does this have to do with online video?

Online video has moved out of Silicon Valley and across the globe. More and more, people are watching TV shows and movies on their laptops or the latest viral video on their smartphones. ComScore's recent "Surviving the Upfronts in a Cross-Media World" report found that more than four out of five Internet users consume online video in a given month and that the number of Americans who watch online video in an average day has increased 30% in the past year. The firm also reported that one in every 10 tablet users are viewing video almost daily on their device.

Content is an increasingly ad-supported medium, but content creators and publishers all seek to generate a two-pronged revenue stream to make production and publishing profitable. With the democratization of content creation and a barrier-less publishing landscape, the supply of ad inventory has mushroomed, making ad-supported models unsustainable for most (unless you have some kind of comparative advantage rooted in a low-cost, high-quality model). With users not all that interested in paying for most forms of premium content (consumers have proven to be willing to pay for ultra- and super-premium content, but not for made-for-Web premium content), this leaves licensing and …