Comcast has announced a new video e-mail application designed to allow subscribers to send video messages recorded with a webcam.
From Comcast’s press release:
Comcast today announced the launch of Comcast Video Mail, a fresh and electrifying new way to communicate online. Comcast Video Mail enables Comcast High-Speed Internet customers to easily create video messages up to 45 seconds in length, using their personal computer and a webcam. Customers can also use Comcast Video Mail to send personalized video greeting cards and to share their digital photos via narrated photo slideshows.
Comcast Video Mail is available to all Comcast High-Speed Internet customers at no additional charge, and the service is designed to be easy to use and enjoy. Sending Video Mail messages is as simple as 1-2-3 – that is, record, preview and send. With the Greeting Card feature, customers can insert their special video message into more than 50 different cards covering various occasions and sentiments, including birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Video Mail’s Photo Narrator function allows users to import up to 10 of their digital photos and narrate their own personal slideshow, with the ability to get creative and toggle between a live recorded image of themselves and the actual pictures.
Comcast has also made it easy for customers who do not already own a webcam to obtain one. Current High-Speed Internet customers will have the opportunity to purchase select webcams at discounts of up to 35 percent, beginning with Logitech’s popular QuickCam Messenger and QuickCam Pro4000 models. Free shipping and free toll-free support are included, and additional brands will be available soon. Details are available at: http://www.comcast.net/products/webcamoffer/.
Additionally, users who sign up for Comcast High-Speed Internet service throughout the month of August will receive a free Logitech webcam, as supplies last. Details are available at: http://www.comcast.net/freewebcam/.
“Comcast Video Mail offers our customers a new powerful and poignant way to communicate how and when they want, by combining the performance of our best-in-class network with one of today’s most innovative, built-for-broadband applications. We are proud to be the first major broadband provider to offer Video Mail – and by providing this service to customers at no extra charge, we continue to deliver enhanced value,” said Greg Butz, senior vice president of marketing & business development for Comcast Online.
“Consumer feedback has been overwhelming, including such enthusiastic comments as: ‘now this is what broadband is all about’ – which succinctly summarizes how Comcast is differentiating itself in the marketplace,” Butz continued.
While this Video Mail application is currently exclusive to Comcast customers, virtually anyone can receive and enjoy Video Mail messages from them. These messages can be sent just like e-mail to anyone with a valid e- mail address and Windows Media Player, which is already installed on most PCs. Furthermore, the actual video is sent in the form of a Web link, which means no big files to tie up connections or overload inboxes. Instead, the video is streamed from a secure server, where it can be saved for up to 30 days. In addition to making the process easier on both ends, this approach ensures that sending Video Mail is speedy, by eliminating the need to wait for video downloads.
Signing up for Comcast Video Mail is also an effortless process for Comcast High-Speed Internet customers. Customers can simply visit the Comcast portal at http://www.comcast.net and log in to their accounts. From there, they select to download the Video Mail client by clicking on the Video Mail icon at the top of the Comcast.net home page. Customers can then download the Video Mail client by following on-screen prompts. Once downloaded, Comcast Video Mail can be launched from three different locations: the top of the Comcast.net portal, within Comcast Webmail, or via a Comcast Video Mail icon on the taskbar.
