Video Revenue: Revver, Blip.tv, or Brightcove?

Sure, Google's coming out with a new program (probably) that will let you get money from ads. And yes, you could also just sell DVDs via Lulu.  But in the meantime, there are three video hosting companies that have advertising: Revver, Blip.tv, and Brightcove. Revver has offered paid content the longest, but Brightcove is getting a lot of attention right now, and Blip.tv is really big. So which one?

Comparisons
All three we reviewed had offline clients (very important for large files).  However, only Blip.tv's was cross-platform (using Java).  Revver was (I believe) Windows only, while Brightcove had Windows and Mac support.  I didn't test either with Wine, since I don't have a Linux box (donations, anyone?)  All converted your video (Blip.tv and Brightcove to FLV, Revver to MOV).  And all paid via PayPal.  Revver and Blip.tv had podcasting support, and all three allowed you to post the videos to blogs (though Blip.tv didn't keep the ads when posted).  Blip.tv allows users the option of disabling ads, but for good ad-free hosting you'll want a site with a bigger crowd like YouTube.  Brightcove automatically sends your videos to Blinkx, AOL, and Yahoo! Video.

Revver
Revver claims to be "the first viral video network that pays". At any rate, it was the first one that gained a lot of attention. It allows ratings (G, PG, PG-13, R, etc), automatically converts your videos to MOV, and allows other people to post them to sites and blogs (and the creator still gets paid!). It has a offline uploader (a must with videos), and will pay in quantities of $20 and up (after waiting a month for fraud protection), using a pay-per-click method. It also automatically creates an iTunes podcast (listed in iTunes), and also creates iPod compatible videos. It also has RSS. However, when I tried uploading a tutorial on FlyakiteOSX, I ran into some trouble because of copyrighting from Revver. Eventually, they said to go ahead and reupload it, but then the uploader didn't upload. It may work better for you, however.

Blip.tv
Blip.tv has been around for a while. So, they have a bigger user base than Revver. They also have a better uploader than Revver, since it is Java based and therefore cross platform. You can also get a Windows Movie Maker plugin. It was SO EASY! It uploaded about 217 KB/S (on a broadband 100 MBPS Connection), so my 40 MB movie took about five minutes. It also has RSS and podcasting support, and even cooler: a blogging system for vloggers. The ads are not viewable on sites other than Blip.tv (so if you put a movie on your site, it doesn't have ads). It's ads are CPC, CPM, and CPA, giving you the most flexibility of the three hosts. For a working example, check out my Blip.tv blog. That's where the good times ended. Viewing my MPEG file did NOT work in IE or Firefox. It tried converting to Flash Video, but that broke down. I was thinking about trying WMV, but I didn't have the patience.

Brightcove
Brightcove is a really slick looking site. It's Publishpod uploader is by far the coolest looking (and it automatically converted to Flash Video),  working with both Windows and Mac (sorry Linux users). The site itself is also cool, sporting a mini video editor with the ability to add titles to movies. It automatically submits your videos to AOL Video, Blinkx, and Yahoo! Video.  But again, I ran into some problems.  I couldn't find the video I uploaded!  I'm sure that it is completely my fault, and maybe it is also because I use Firefox.

Conclusion
None of these guys are perfect, but there are many benefits to all.  Podcasters with a host will want Revver, but podcasters without a host will end up with Blip.tv or Brightcove.  Brightcove is more for the professional user, with its extra tools such as allowing paid downloads, adding titles, creating lineups, creating a more professional looking site, and making custom players.  Blip.tv is more minimalistic, which is a good thing for users who don't need power tools and just want to make a buck or two.

Note: All of the sites gave me trouble, BUT that may have only been me (it probably was too).  Revver's problem was due to the fact that I had already uploaded the file, for example.