Video makes it real. Right? How many times has someone told you something happened and you just couldn’t believe it? Now, latakoo makes it possible for you to send that  unbelievable video of your child’s first winning goal or that skateboarder that tends to do dumb, but fascinating tricks outside your window. And you won’t have to edit the size of the video down to send.

When you see video, it becomes a whole lot more likely that it really happened.Video is used by police and prosecutors to make crimes real to juries, video is used by protestors to protect themselves, video is used by families to preserve the most special moments, from birth to death. Think of the political and revolutionary movements propelled by video — Occupy and Arab Spring.

Now latakoo has made it ever easier to make it real. Everybody loves the fact that the latest generations of the iPhone can shoot beautiful video. They just don’t know what to do with the video once it is recorded. You can play it back on the phone and share it with the person standing next to you, and it looks great. Or, if you are really excited, you can go to your computer, plug your phone in with a USB, and dump the video file into iMovie for editing and then posting. Somewhere.

But it won’t be that easy. Because once you have the file in the shape you want it, you then have to upload to your site or your Facebook page or YouTube or Vimeo. And you have to wait as the file takes forever to get up to the web so you can share it with your friends and say, “Woo hoo!! Look what I shot on my iPhone.” (Many hours ago?)

People are learning there are much simpler and more efficient ways to get their videos off the iPhone and share them with friends by using latakoo. The best method is our new free latakoo app. Our users are downloading the app to their phone because it makes it possible to share video directly from their phones. If you have ever tried to upload or share a video from your phone without latakoo, you know that the process takes hours. You tend to run out of battery or connection or patience. And that’s why we created the latakoo app.

And it’s pretty danged simple. Download the app, log-in if you already have a latakoo account or create an account, select the video you want to share, use your contacts to pick out friends you want to see your masterwork, and then press the start bar. Immediately, you’ll see our app compressing the video and, regardless of how long the video might be, pretty quickly it will start the upload. And then it is gone. Your friends get notification you’ve sent them a video and they can stream it right to their phones. Or, if they are latakoo paid account customers, they can even download the file on their computers.

Kinda cool, huh?

We’ve just launched the latakoo app and it’s already getting widespread use. TV news crews are sending back videos to their broadcast centers so editors can get an idea of what they’ll be working with soon. Friends are sharing videos of favorite places or scenery or even dishes at restaurants. There are as many uses for latakoo’s video app as there are people using it.

Even better, latakoo’s app works with our online video platform. So every video you send from your phone ends up archived at latakoo for future reference and usage. And with upgrades, you can use our more powerful sharing and collaboration tools to produce videos with friends and colleagues. Bet you never thought you’d actually send a video from your phone. Neither did we. But we figured we should all be able to. And that’s how www.latakoo.com came to be.

Oh, and we’re not leaving Android users out. The android app is coming soon.

Words by Jade Kurian and  James Moore; Video by Steve Kline

We Make Video Simple and Mobile

The latest smartphones record crisp, clear video in full high definition, but try sharing anything more than a minute of that video and the results are disappointing. (Screenshot on left.)

latakoo just made sharing  simpler with our new iPhone App. Download it now from the iTunes app store. For a limited time, it’s a free download. And, for you Android users, we’ve got an app coming soon for you. 

Below, you’ll find the full press release on the iPhone App release and the new, free consumer plans offered by latakoo. 

latakoo’s iPhone App Speeds Delivery of Large HD Video Files

February 13, 2012

Contact: James Moore, james@latakoo.com, 512.300.9232

(Austin, Texas) – A persistent frustration for smart phone users is sharing video. Never has the video been more beautiful, never better resolution, and yet it’s so difficult to send that video to family and friends. Parents recording a sporting event on their iPhone can’t always share the moments that lead up to the winning play. iPhone owners are used to the “Video is too long” message when trying to e-mail HD clips that are longer than a minute.

latakoo (www.latakoo.com) has launched an iPhone app that makes it possible to send large video files directly from the smart phone to the Internet. The latest generation of phones record HD video, but severely limit the size and length of video that can be shared. latakoo removes the restriction and delivers quality video over 3G in minutes. The app even allows users to choose from good quality at high speed to best quality, which takes a little longer. The app, which works with latakoo’s online video management platform, enables recipients of the videos to stream on their phones or download and stream on their computers. Coming soon, the latakoo service also allows instant video posting to other services, including YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and many business tools.  Shorter upload times will dramatically improve usage of those services.

The app, available as a free download for a limited time from the iTunes App Store, is being offered in conjunction with latakoo’s new free version of its professional online video system. latakoo does require all users to create an account. latakoo, which makes it possible to convey, archive, collaborate, stream and download large video files without expensive hardware or software, is a technology widely used in the television news industry and corporate enterprises. An introductory plan allows consumers to send videos without charge. Consumers are also able to purchase many of the features used by corporate customers.

latakoo’s online platform is already being used by television news networks, public relations agencies, and numerous large corporate enterprises to inexpensively send and collaborate on videos. Nothing more than an Internet connection is required. The platform provides archival, streaming, downloading, embedding, and file trans-coding services without the purchase of expensive hardware or software.

Promotional and tutorial videos are available to the media at http://latakoomedia.net.latakoo.com/ or by calling the communications office at 512 502 5666.

About: www.latakoo.com is an Austin company specializing in the simplification of video delivery and archiving over the Internet without costly investment in hardware and software. 

We spent a lot of time testing the upcoming latakoo iPhone app today. It’s neat: you record video footage using the app of your choice, then click into the latakoo app to send it. Optionally enter a description, tags, destination groups and anyone you want to send it directly to, and the app shrinks the video to a fraction of its original size without losing visible or audible quality, and uploads it over your phone’s connection. The result is a faster upload, and because latakoo is designed around privacy, the video is seen by only the people you’ve given access to. They can comment or attach files, and you can audit who’s seen and downloaded it to make sure it hasn’t fallen into the wrong hands.

In short: latakoo is a cloud video service that gives you full control over who you share and manage your video with.

Here’s an overview of how it works:

Let’s say you’ve got a minute-long piece of uncompressed 1080p High Definition video. That can easily run to 2Gb, which would take forever to upload on most connections – and running your video through compressors like Sorensen Squeeze or the Handbrake client can be similarly painful if you’re not familiar with the right settings to use.

We’ve got a simple app for Windows, Mac and Linux, with iPhone imminent and both iPad and Android to follow. Just drag your video file into the window (or select it from your camera roll on mobile devices) and hit “start”. The file is compressed using the most appropriate settings, and sent to our cloud servers. (If you’re interested: it ends up as an h.264 MPEG-4 file, and we upload using our own API via HTTP over SSL. The result is maximum compatibility with both video applications and Internet connections.) The tool accepts most major video formats.

You don’t lose audible or visible quality, although we do provide quality settings. Users on latakoo’s professional and corporate tiers have access to better settings – but the cheaper version is also good enough to already be used on broadcast television.

Once the video’s been uploaded, it’s in the latakoo private cloud. By default, it’s completely private: only you can see it. But we’ve got a few options that let you share it with the people who need to see it, while making sure you keep full control.

Direct shares. You can send your video to anyone with an email address. They’ll get an email containing a link that gives them access to your video via a private inbox. There’s no way that they can share the email with anyone else. If they’re already a latakoo member, they can just log in and visit their inbox. (They’ll still get an email notification.)

Video networks. Or, to put them another way: collaboration groups. These are shared areas that let you pool video with groups of your contacts. You get to choose who can upload and download. For example, you could set up a video network as a dropbox where people can upload video, but not see anyone else’s contributions. Education and crowdsourced news: I’m looking at you guys.

Hangars and Wings. For some people, standalone video networks aren’t enough. Hangars and Wings are nested groups that allow larger organizations to share within their existing corporate structures. Each group has its own access permissions and individual settings. Appropriately, these are part of our corporate payment plan.

Auditing. You get to see usage throughout all the spaces you control (video networks, hangars, wings and your own private video space).

Finally, each shared video can have notes, tags, comments and files attached to them. These then become part of the search index – so if you post a video’s script to your notes, you can search on its contents.

Coming imminently: the ability to push directly to Facebook, YouTube, Brightcove, Dropbox and many more. Upload once, share anywhere.

All of latakoo’s paid plans allow you to download HD video for use in offline editing. As well as the h.264 MPEG-4 files, the latakoo tool allows you to download in some popular editing formats, including MPEG-2, DV, DVCPro, Avid DNxHD, and more. The idea is to maximize compatibility with peoples’ existing workflows – and although h.264 is pretty great, some of the older editing suites don’t work so well with it. If you’re using Avid, Final Cut Pro, Edius, or many more, we’ve got you covered.

One of the other things that makes us different is that we don’t alter the resolution of the video at all – or its audio tracks. Often, professional video will contain a bunch of different audio tracks for natural sound, speech, sound effects, music, and other useful things, and latakoo will keep them separate. We’ve optimized the tool for editing and professional use rather than broadcasting on the web – although you can do that too.

How’s the quality? Amazing. It’s passed the smell test from many very large video media companies who pride themselves on their quality (trust me, you’ve heard of them). But despite that, the file sizes are very small, making it easier to move them around.

The best way to decide, of course, is to try it.

You’re uploading to a server and then downloading from a server. Isn’t that slower than sending it directly to someone? No – and it’s more secure. With latakoo’s user-centric access controls, you know your video’s being seen by the right people, and the compression means that it’s still faster than using, say, FTP or a file sharing app.

Can I integrate this as a platform with my own service? Watch this space – or get in touch.

What’s that iPhone app like? Take a look.

Any more questions? Just ask below, or get in touch, and we’ll be glad to answer.

There are a few video management platforms on the web. So, what makes latakoo different? First, we’re simple. Second, we simply offer much more. Our CTO Ben Werdmuller spent a few minutes in front of his webcam to explain.

–Words and Video by Ben Werdmuller

-–Jade Kurian

By Yuan Li

I’m happy to give today’s closing thoughts. Monday, January 23rd, was Chinese New Year.

Traditionally, Chinese New Year is a time to bond with family and friends, a time to join together, to give thanks, and to make new resolutions. We here at latakoo are like a family, and with the New Year, we have new opportunities to strengthen this bond and work hard together to make latakoo stronger and better than ever.

According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is the year of the dragon. The dragon is a symbol of power and success. In fact, many Chinese couples want to have children born in the year of the dragon. In Chinese folklore, the koi fish is actually related to the dragon. The koi fish starts his life as a weak, vulnerable creature at the bottom of the river. However, this fish has big dreams for his future. He struggles to make his way upstream with many of his brothers. Even though the journey is full of danger and obstacles, by never giving up, he reaches the head of the river. And at the head of the river is the legendary Dragon Gate. He bravely leaps over the gate, and as he passes over, something magical happens. A surge of power runs through his body. His fins transform into powerful claws. His body lengthens into that of a giant serpent. He has now become a dragon!

We at latakoo are like that koi fish. Like the koi, our energy, vitality and enthusiasm will surely bring us luck and success. In 2012, let’s work hard to transform Latakoo into the powerful dragon that we know it can be.

I wish you all a very Happy Chinese New Year and all the best for 2012.

As we say in Chinese: “恭喜发财!!(Gong Xi Fa Cai!!)”

Got a smart phone? Is it smart with video? If you are like most iPhone users, you have experienced the “Video is Too Long” message when sending large video files from your iPhone.

If the video is too long, you have to edit it in order to send. Well, what if you want to send it all? Just download our soon-to-be-released latakoo Flight iPhone app. You can send any size video from any internet connection. We do all the work for you. Share your video with family and friends through the features available in your free latakoo account.

We have more to come on the app and it’s features. We’re still in beta testing right now. But testing is looking great.

For now, here’s a first look at the app. It’s simple. At latakoo, we make video simple.

Words by Jade Kurian & James Moore; Video by Steve Kline

At UT, Paul was a member of the distinguished Senior Fellows Honors Program at the College of Communications. Directors of the program decided to look back on the almost quarter century of achievement by its students and created a newsletter called “Back Stories.” latakoo’s Paul Adrian was among a small group of former students interviewed for the first edition of “Back Stories.”

Paul is proud of his association with the University  of Texas, in particular with the College of Communications. The school has been a great resource for Paul and for latakoo.

Read Paul’s Back Story.

Written by Jade Kurian

An idea can evaporate as quickly as it came. Or it can take on a life of its own. A life that is possible only through dedicated, unwavering, energy. latakoo’s life force comes from the people behind it – people who willingly sacrifice, people who work long hours, people who built out an idea, people who took the risk to fund the building of the idea.

To have a team of resourceful, brilliant, hard-working people join myself and co-founder Paul Adrian on this road to Koo is the most rewarding aspect of my every day. And, to have a team of small investors who believe in the possibilities is equally amazing.

You see a powerful venture capitalist didn’t propel latakoo. We are a young, boot-strapped, company funded by the people who work here and other small investors who see the promise of the days ahead.

Our investors are our friends or friends we’ve made along the way to building this company. Many of our investors came in because they know Paul Adrian, or James Moore, or Rod Taylor, or me. They came in because they see the work of Ben Werdmuller, Joe Pelayo, Joe Ellis, Carlos Laurel, MaryLou Moore, Kate Padilla. And, we’re growing now with the additions of Yuan Li and Nate Niehuus.

Our investors also give of themselves and sell latakoo wherever they go. Several of them have made introductions to big potential clients and current clients.

So when the Austin-American Statesman wanted to speak to CEO Paul Adrian about the investment climate for Austin start-ups, he was happy to speak to the reporter, Lori Hawkins. We’re here and going strong, thanks to investors we harnessed in Austin and some from beyond Austin. We thank all of them!

We “heart” our investors.

Click here to see photos and read the article from the Austin-American Statesman.

A day at H-Koo. Photo Courtesy of Austin-American Statesman Ralph Barrera

Ben co-founded Elgg, the world’s leading open source social networking platform. Now Ben and his team at latakoo are busy building out the broadest social media network for video. We suggest the New York Times do a story on how difficult it is to upload quality video to Facebook. Carlos Laurel, Joe Pelayo, and Marcus Povey are working with Ben on a new latakoo feature that would allow users to upload video once to latakoo, then push out to a number of platforms, including Facebook.

latakoo makes video simple — and social — thanks to Ben and his team.

Click here to read the New York Times story.

latakoo CEO & CTO Demo at Digital Living Room Summit
Text by James Moore
Video by Ben Werdmuller

Analysts, investors, technologists, and Hollywood deal makers are gathering over the next two days (Dec. 7-8) in Silicon Valley to talk about how to better monetize video content in the digital living room of the future. Ten start up video technology companies were invited to attend this exclusive event and make a presentation. latakoo is among the five asked to demo our technology on the first day of the Digital Living Room summit.

The focus of the summit is on the next generation of digital content deals to transform television, the Internet, mobile content, telephony, music and games in the home. A record number of Hollywood executives are in attendance because they are looking for technology to better utilize the iPad, Kindle Fire, and other platforms for delivery of the movies and programs they’ve produced over the past half century.

The top entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, and angel investors attending include latakoo’s CEO Paul Adrian and our CTO Ben Werdmuller. latakoo’s invitation to be one of the ten presenting startups means our technology will be exposed to influential dealmakers in the video technology space looking for a simple and inexpensive tool for sending, managing, and monetizing video.

In this video, Ben Werdmuller shows you what he and Paul Adrian will demo for the group gathered at Digital Living Room.