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MSN Soapbox now part of MSN Video (beta)

By on September 22, 2007 1:43 PM
7 comments

A number of changes to MSN Soapbox just occured, most notably that Soapbox is no longer a stand-alone site, but has become a tab at http://next.video.msn.com.

nextMSNsoapbox

The old url for Soapbox, Soapbox.msn.com, now resolves to show the “Soapbox User Videos” tab.

In addition, according to Brandon LeBlanc at WindowsVistaBlog, changes in MSN Video “V4″ include:

  • Enhanced copyright violation notifications
  • Improved encoding time, meaning videos are uploaded faster
  • A new Mini-Showcase
  • and a new wider design for the MSN Videos site
Posted in News | Tags: ,

Comments

  • tophtucker

    Phew, I’ve been waiting for enhanced copyright violation notifications! Thanks guys!!! ;)

  • Anchelspain

    Actually this new MSN Video website is awesome!
    It is the closest I have seen yet to a real “watch what you want” TV. Also look at the TV tab. Do you realize they are going to publish videos from FOX, NBC and more? I’d say that is A REAL IMPROVEMENT.

    So now MSN Video is a Youtube clone with far more quality content thanks to MSN Entertainment and MSN News.

  • tophtucker

    Anchelspain, I actually agree. I didn’t mean to sound like I didn’t like it. I just thought that was a funny-sounding feature bullet point. (And frankly, the enhanced copyright violation notifications ARE an improvement!)

    Moving on, I do like how they’ve combined MSN Video & Soapbox. That I can have an MSNBC report & a video my friend uploaded the other day on the same playlist is awesome. But there’s still a lot to be done. Some suggestions:

    1) The home page is 100% StupidVideos clips, and News home currently lists “World reacts to Saddam’s death” as a featured video. Not good.

    2) Improve Layout. The one-thumbnail-size-fits-all format is familiar to YouTube visitors, but the old MSN Video did a better job of drawing attention to major stories & videos w/ larger thumbnails. The Mini-Showcase is a step in the right direction, but how about rollover-previews like we’ve been hearing about in the new Live Search? Sometimes a thumbnail gives you no idea of what the video is like.

    3) Do better highlighting content on the home page. It should have the latest news, the latest entertainment stories, & a couple of the most-watched user videos.

    4) Carry over certain Soapbox features to the rest of MSN Video, especially commenting, favoriting, & embedding.

    5) I’d love to be able to watch HD movie trailers right on the site. Now, I just watch them on Apple.com.

    6) Parts of the UI just aren’t as attractive as the old MSN Video, especially the video player.

  • paulstorm

    On the point about the homepage being full of “StupidVideos”. Note that the homepage is showing “Whats Hot”…the most frequently viewed videos in the last hour.

    If you’re unhappy about the choices; blame your fellow man. :)

  • paddy

    I am still stuck working in China and as a result, continued to be denied access to this site as well as many other Betas. Discrimination. (It really doesn’t bother me all too much, I can just wait until I return to the Sunshine State when this assignment is over). But I can tell you, it does not do anything to improve Microsoft’s image here. Chinese computer users really dislike Microsoft and most will do anything to avoid using its internet/Live products, as well take great delight in using non-legal Microsoft software. Live should reach out to the few Chinese fans it does have and incite them to participate in more Betas.

  • tophtucker

    paulstorm–Yes, I realize that. I think that the home page shouldn’t be based purely on view count. It’s a little too… chancy. The new MSN Video is part entertainment, part actual news (which is something YouTube generally lacks). For the entertainment part, view count tends to be a pretty good metric, because people know what they like. But for News, the viewers are in the dark, and it’s the site’s job to enlighten us. It’s not so much a matter of what people have liked, it’s more a matter of what’s newest and most important. View count is still relevant, but shouldn’t be the sole factor.

    I guess what it comes down to is that I don’t think there should be just one category on the home page. They should have a News pane, an Entertainment pane, and a User Uploaded pane. That, I think, would keep it nicely balanced.

  • Hb8

    You know though, nice to have all media combined into one place. Wish there were a way I could download MSNBC videos to my smartphone so I could watch on my ride into downtown.

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