Hiro-media

Infobox_Company
company_name = HIRO-Media
company_
company_type = Private
company_slogan = Free your downloads
foundation = August 2005
location = Tel Aviv, Israel
industry = Ad supported video downloads
homepage = [http://www.hiro-media.com/ http://www.hiro-media.com]

HIRO Media is an Israeli based company that has created a platform for ad-supported video downloads. HIRO developed the "Positive DRM^tm" which enables the distribution of video content with no viewing or distribution limitation (including P2P networks) while protecting the content owner's rights & revenues. HIRO offices located at Tel Aviv, Israel, New York city, USA and Sydney Australia

History

HIRO-Media was founded in 2005 by Ariel Napchi and Ronny Golan. Prior to HIRO-Media, Golan and Napchi founded and managed the wireless community start-up Valis, which was later sold to Axis Mobile (AIM : AXIS). In November 2005 the company launched the world’s first free ad supported video download service with Jetix Israel. In, 2006, HIRO – Media launched Vofree.co.il video portal and created the download feature for NBCU's dotcomedy.com [cite web |url= http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118669947011393568.html?mod=technology_main_whats_news |title= WSJ: NBC Unit To Enable Ad-Supported Downloads For P2P Networks] In 2007 Reshet TV launched with HIRO media a download service which became the first free ad supported download service by a broadcaster [

cite web |url= http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117974366.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&nid=2562
title= Variety: Israeli TV programs available online ] .

Other partners of HIRO Media include BT [cite web |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/dec/05/digitalmedia.television |title= Guardian: BT Vision to put ads in films]
rambler [cite web |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072200982.html |title= Washington Post: Rambler Launching TV/Movie Downloads Site, A 'Russian Hulu'] and Noga communication.

On March 2008, HIRO-Media launched its Mac version becoming the first platform to enable ad supported video downloads for Mac computers [ cite web |url= http://www.macworld.com/article/132340/2008/03/hiromedia.html?t=230 |title= Macworld: HIRO offers ad-supported videos for Mac |accessdate=2008-04-21 |format= |work= ] and launched a catch up tv service with ninemsn in Australia [cite web |url= http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/tv-takes-the-online-challenge/2008/04/17/1208025342224.html|title= Sydney Morning Herald: TV takes the online challenge]

Positive DRM

HIRO's proprietary DRM branded "Positive DRM" is designed especially for ad supported video. The "Positive DRM" uses an alternative approach for protecting content, which focuses on protecting the embedded advertisements and not the content itself. One of the manifestations of this DRM approach is that the files can be distributed through any P2P or social network environment. No hack to the "Positive DRM" has been found to date. HIRO-Media founders won the title "10 Innovators to watch" by the Variety (magazine) [ cite web |url= http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117985046.html?categoryid=3046&cs=1 |title= Variety: Ronny Golan and Ariel Napchi, 10 Innovators to Watch, Media ] for the innovation of the positive DRM.

External links

* [http://www.hiro-media.com/ HIRO-Media Official website]
* [http://www.vofree.co.il vofree video portal]
* [http://www.reshet.tv/content_page.aspx?dynamic_page_id=473 Reshet's download service]
* [http://video.ninemsn.com.au/catchuptv NineMSN catch up TV service]
* [http://kinozal.rambler.ru Rambler free video download service]

References