Trial and Error

Emerging video-on-demand network HealthiNation, which provides health-related videos and information, launched a beta version of its companion broadband service recently.

During my visit to healthination.com, the site includes a featured video on breast cancer since October is breast cancer awareness month. I click on that one first — it’s located smack in the center of the page with a nice big fat “play” icon that launches the video player. The site is powered by online video technology partner Brightcove.

An ad runs first and then I watch a few minutes of a three-minute clip. When I test the pause feature, the video does something pretty cool. Yes, it pauses without trouble — often an astonishing feat unto itself — but an image also appears as an overlay on the video screen with the options to “email this,” “resume” or “get link.” It’s a neat feature — basically a visual reminder of all the things I can do with the video. These cues are still helpful in the early days for online video.

I have to say, I don’t spend a lot of time on the site because, frankly, sometimes I just like to put my head in the sand. But if someone is looking for health information in a video form, then HealthiNation’s broadband service has got that with a host of well-produced, professional quality clips that are easy to find and play.