Logo

Digital Dealmakers: Brendon Mills

Sep 2, 2007  •  Post A Comment

The Player: Brendon Mills, president and CEO of RipCode
The play: RipCode does the heavy lifting for Web video. The company’s technology converts multiple video files simultaneously so they can be viewed across computers, mobile devices and iPods. That process, known as transcoding, essentially moves a piece of video into another format, for instance from Adobe Flash to MPEG-2. Currently, many traffic-heavy Web sites manage the transcoding process themselves on their servers. However, as Web video traffic grows, transcoding needs will increase, too, said Mr. Mills, adding, “Video encoding is one of the most algorithmically challenging things to do on a [computer].”
The pitch: RipCode set out to create a piece of hardware that can transcode video more efficiently than PC-based servers, which is what most Web video sites use today, Mr. Mills said. RipCode markets its encoding equipment to mobile TV operators, such as Verizon or MobiTV; to user-generated video sites such as YouTube, MySpace or Yahoo; and to studios and syndicators of video, such as Brightcove or Fox. Mr. Mills estimates a RipCode transcoding appliance can handle the same capacity as 10 to 20 computer servers, with significant power savings.
In the mix: RipCode competes with homegrown solutions, primarily the servers that Web sites already use to convert video into the proper formats for the Web. “But the amount of transcoding they are doing has been doubling, quadrupling, because you have to output more versions of the file,” Mr. Mills said. “When iPhone said it would offer YouTube videos, that’s a different format, so now YouTube has to reformat for Apple, increasing the workload.”
The backstory: Mr. Mills said RipCode will launch commercially on Sept. 17 and will announce its first customers then. The company currently is testing its technology with 30 different customers and expects to make commercial announcements as it converts those tests into deals. The company has spent the last 18 months developing the technology and inking testing deals with initial customers.
Pros: “We are delivering a solution people are starving for,” Mr. Mills said. “They have relied on their own servers.”
Cons: The sheer number of video formats and codecs for those formats makes transcoding a daunting business. “We need to make sure we have solutions for all of them,” he said.
The money guys: RipCode has raised $17.5 million in two rounds of funding. Venture partners include ATA Ventures, Hunt Ventures, Vesbridge Partners and El Dorado Ventures. RipCode will make money by selling its equipment to media companies, online video sites and mobile TV operators.
Background: Mr. Mills was born and raised in Dallas. He earned a degree in English from Westminster University. He is 39 and lives in Dallas with his wife and three children. Prior to RipCode, he served as CEO for voice-over-IP company General Bandwidth, and also worked at Cisco.
Who knew: Mr. Mills has been interested in both computers and business from an early age. When he was 13, he purchased 100 shares of Apple computer at about $32 a share. He sold it for a $700 gain. It’s one of my business regrets,” he said.

34 Comments

  1. This is an extremely excellent site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  2. This is an extremely excellent site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  3. This is an extremely good site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  4. This is an extremely fantastic site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  5. This is an extremely good site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  6. This is an extremely excellent site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  7. This is an extremely great site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  8. This is an extremely great site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  9. This is an extremely good site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  10. This is an extremely good site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  11. This is an extremely excellent site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  12. This is an extremely good site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  13. This is an extremely fantastic site you have going here. The matter is very informative and straight to the point. Excited to read more about your blog next time.

  14. I found your site via google thanks for the post. I will bookmark it for future reference. Thanks Powerlifting is our specialty.

  15. Wonderful to read!

  16. Love the blog here. Nice colors. I am definitely staying tuned to this one. Hope to see more.

  17. Dreamin. I love blogging. You all express your feelings the right way, because they are your feeling, focus on your blog it is great.

  18. Nice blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What host are you using? I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol

  19. This is good info! Where else can if ind out more?? Who runs this joint too? Keep up the good work 🙂

  20. Keep focusing on your blog. I love how we can all express our feelings. This is an extremely nice blog here 🙂

  21. I really like the colors here on your blog. did you design this yourself or did you outsource it to a professional?

  22. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks

  23. I would like to start my own blog one day. This was a really nice blog that you made here. Keep up the success 😛

  24. You make blogging look like a walk in the park! I’ve been trying to blog daily but I just cant find writing material.. you’re an inspiration to me and i’m sure many others!

  25. I would like to start my own blog one day. This was a really nice blog that you made here. Keep up the success 😛

  26. Kudos to you! This is a really good blog here and I love your style of writing. How did you get so good at blogging?

  27. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks

  28. Kudos to you! This is a really good blog here and I love your style of writing. How did you get so good at blogging?

  29. This is good info! Where else can if ind out more?? Who runs this joint too? Keep up the good work 🙂

  30. I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days.. 🙂

  31. Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy.

  32. Great stuff, though there are a few points I would query.

  33. Way to focus and straight to your point, i love it. Keep up the work people. Dont let anyone stop us bloggers.

  34. I stumbled on this article on Google although I was seeking something similar, but I just wanted to say great stuff and I entirely agree. Is there any method to subscribe to fresh content?

Leave a Reply to Full Video Converter Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)