(Free?) Secure streaming Video

Question

My company wants to upload some videos of some technology we developed - it will be shown to various patent offices around the world.

Obviously, being pre-patent, we don't want to use just any resource. What are the best on-line services that can host and stream our video, that can be secured such that we, and designated others, can view it on-line but the general populous cannot?

Even better, a service that allows us to grant access to specified others would be a bonus - so a given patent office can access specific clips on their own (i.e. independent of us).

I don't imagine we need anything special in terms of video quality - enough to show a clip that proves a basic concept - no fine detail needed.

Answer 1

Vimeo allows you to upload high quality video and also secure it. Video can be shared with certain people and be password-protected. They have a free account which allows you to upload 500MB per week.

Here is a part of their FAQ:

What do the different privacy settings do?

Vimeo respects your videos and your right to decide who watches them. Privacy options allow you to upload videos and choose who can see them. To access the privacy settings of your video, click the 'settings' button represented by the gear icon on the top right-hand side of any video page. There are two options - public, and private.

Public videos are available to anyone on the internet.

Private videos allow you to choose from the following options (and do not appear on any public listings or search results):

• Nobody else means only you will be able to see this video.

• My contacts will only be available to your contacts on Vimeo.

• People you choose allows you to individually choose Vimeo users who are cleared to watch this video.

• Password protected videos will require a password that you choose. You can also embed this video on another site and it will ask for the password there.

Can I share a private video?

You can only share password-protected videos with someone. If you share a password-protected video, an email will be sent with the password inside the email.

Can I share lots of private videos all at once?

Yes, you can set many videos to any privacy setting and then add and share them with Private Albums.

Are private videos indexed by search engines?

No, private videos will not show up in search on Vimeo or in other search engine results.

Why would I make my videos private?

Make videos private if you don't want the whole world to see them. Sometimes you might want to keep a video private so you can get feedback on it or just share it with your close personal friends. Privacy options are available so you can have complete control over who sees your videos.

Can I change the privacy settings at anytime?

Anytime! To access the privacy settings of your video, click the 'Settings' button represented by the gear icon on the top right-hand side of any your video pages.

How do I stop users of downloading my videos?

If you do not want your videos to be downloaded by others, click the 'Settings' button represented by the gear icon on the top right-hand side of any your video pages. From there, deselect allowing users to download your video.

How do I change the privacy on all my videos at once?

Global settings allow you to apply privacy preferences to all of your existing videos and set preferences for future uploads. Go to your profile and select the Settings gear icon. Choose the Video Preferences tab and make your choices!

More info about privacy control here.

Answer 2

I don't think that is entirely accurate. According to http://www.vimeo.com/guidelines

Do Not Upload Videos Intended for Commercial use. You may not upload commercials, infomercials, or demos that actively sell or promote a product or service. Exceptions: independent production companies, authors, musicians, non profits, churches, artists, and actors may show or promote the work they have created. Businesses may not use Vimeo to externalize their hosting costs. Vimeo (including Vimeo Plus) is not a business service.

You may not upload videos containing ads before or after the video, unless given prior written permission from an authorized member of the Vimeo staff. Videos with any advertisements in them, including links to commercial sites, regardless of content, will be removed.

You may not upload videos pertaining to Multi Level Marketing (MLM), get rich quick, cash gifting, work from home business, or any other dubious money making ventures.

You may not upload product promotions or sales videos, such as real estate walkthroughs.

Television stations may not redistribute their programming.

We reserve the right to allow certain commercial content for those businesses who have coordinated sponsored advertising campaigns or direct partnerships with Vimeo.