Video is the new photo.

We can see evidence of the booming video trend in both hardware and software. Virtually every digital camera available is one switch away from recording video. Larger capacity media allows us to record longer, higher quality videos without purchasing a dedicated video camera.

In the last two years, there has been an explosion of videos uploaded to the Internet to be viewed by the world. Only recently have we seen these videos actually take on reasonable viewing quality. High definition video camera prices are falling as fast as high definition televisions. Sharing low quality videos recorded on your cheap digital camera is easy. Lots of services exist. Sharing high definition videos has a limited number of solutions. One I would like to discuss that has been quickly gaining popularity is Viddyou.com.

It's obvious there are so many new web applications which promote community behavior that we, the users, feel overwhelmed. Unfortunately, so many of these services are useful but they consistently lack one crucial element: personality.

Viddyou is bursting with personality which is why I love the product so much, and I know the founders will be successful. Personality gets people to come back to your site. It makes people both enjoy the service and remember it when they are away from their computers.

Personality lives in the details. For example, every service that provides a user profile page has the standard about me, interests, age, etc. How does Viddyou label these fields? "A Little Bit About Me." "Things I Like." "I've Been Alive for XX Years." It may be difficult to understand the importance while reading a review, but it makes a difference when you are comparing services.

You can use Viddyou if you own a digital camera, or if you have a webcam. The service offers both traditional uploading, and also recording directly in the browser window. The process is seamless. Click record, name the video, write a description, click upload. Viddyou handles the rest. Uploading is equally simple. Name the video, write a description, select the file, click upload. Instructions aren't necessary.

The design is gorgeous. Fonts are big and proud. The designers managed to create a site without filling the page with words. Content always stands out. This is a huge difference when compared to poorly designed sites that are overrun with animations, conflicting color schemes, and poor usability. Viddyou eliminates all the junk and focuses on what they know: video.

Viddyou recently announced a major update to the site. This update included messaging amongst members, profile pages, thorough privacy options, and, of course, high definition uploads. Go ahead. Try it out.

Unbelievable. That's streaming. Right now. The quality here makes it difficult to believe we have survived so far with all the painfully low quality garbage out there.

The free version of Viddyou allows you to upload and record five minute videos. For unlimited custom privacy groups, twenty minute recordings, and up to one gigabyte high definition uploads you must upgrade. How much? A very reasonable US$34.95.

Check it out!

If you've tried Viddyou or found a favorite video site of your own, let us know over in the comments or forums.