Massive Online Collection of Canadian Videos

NFB.ca is a Web site where you can watch films produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Their mission is to make these films accessible to all Canadians (and the whole world) via the web.

It is an amazing collection of over 13,000 productions from the last 70 years including animation, documentaries, experimental films and alternative dramas.

For example, check out "The Cat Came Back" (above) by Cordell Barker from 1988. "This hilarious Oscar-nominated animation is based on the century-old folk song of the same name. Old Mr. Johnson makes increasingly manic attempts to rid himself of a little yellow cat that just won't stay away... Also won the 1989 Genie Award for best animated short film."

Black Cab Sessions Music Videos

I'm a big fan of great music and I also love online video so imagine my delight when I was turned onto Black Cab Sessions. It shows what you can do with a simple concept, a camera, a microphone and talented artists.

The producers bring a band into a London taxi cab and have the musicians record one take of a song while driving around town. The results are fun and intimate. Check out great acts such as Brian Wilson, Ryan Adams, Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Daniel Johnston, The Futureheads and more. Wow!

TV on the Computer

2009 is shaping up to be a huge year for online video. Check out the audio story and associated web page from All Tech Considered, the weekly segment on NPR's All Things Considered.

"Web video is growing up -- we're way past one-shot silly videos on YouTube -- and as more content grows online, we're seeing a real convergence between what's available on TV, what's available online and what we'll be able to stream back to our TVs from the Internet."

I notice many people in the media addressing the issue of watching video on the computer vs. watching it on the TV. The fact that is emerging is that many viewers are searching for good programming with their computer and watching it on their TV. Increasingly they are either connecting laptops to their TVs or using other media center devices. 2009 will see many more options such as the new LCD TVs with built-in Netflix coming soon from LG or other web-enabled TVs from the likes of Apple and Yahoo.

Also, don't miss the NPR.org All Tech Considered section.