Video chat service Viddyou has been acquired by video sharing service Motionbox for an undisclosed sum.

Viddyou launched in 2007 into the then new “video chat” space, eventually competing against sites including Phreadz and Seesmic. As the space faltered, the company reinvented itself as more of a YouTube style sharing site, and was one of the earlier sites to support HD video.

Video sharing site Montionbox is a competitor of sorts to Viddyou, pitching itself as a share your memories type service with related services including the ability for users to put their video on DVD. With its consumer slant, Motionbox hasn’t gained a lot of attention in the tech space, but is smartly backed to the tune of $17.2 million from Canaan Partners, Constellation Ventures and SAS Investors.

Viddyou CEO Aaron Wadler said in an email to Viddyou users that “it is with great pride that we are able to take our mission to the next level and announce that Viddyou has been acquired by Motionbox.com.”

Under the terms of the acquisition, Viddyou will cease to trade as a separate site, with Viddyou accounts to be migrated onto Motionbox’s platform. Viddyou Premium users will be given Motionbox Premium subscriptions.

Related posts:

1. Hands on with Viddyou
2. One of the Best Video Sharing Sites out there…And you’ve still probably never heard of it.
3. TokBox Releases Video Chat Via Facebook

I have been a member of a particular video sharing site for a while now & I have come to realize that generally this site is virtually unheard of amongst the people who would probably make the most use of it.

Duncan reviewed the site back in June & frankly I thought it was worth a revisit. 

The site is viddyou.com and in my honest opinion, it’s the best video sharing site out there – here’s why:

1. The site itself is crisp, clean, visually pleasing & easy to navigate – despite the fact that Duncan believes the pink is too girly(!) 

2. Wonderfully clean player – probably the slickest, in terms of design, I’ve seen in fact.

3. Faster upload than the majority of the video sharing sites out there.

4. The quality of the videos is second to none with a higher bitrate than majority of video sharing sites out there.

This is a standard quality video, not HD. 

5. Smooth playback for both normal & HD videos (this was a recent update).

6. Strong & Innovative privacy settings, one example highlighted by the Viddyou team in the video below:

7. Ability to respond to other videos “on the fly” essentially allowing for video conversations.

8. One click video blogging from your webcam.

9. Watch videos virtually anywhere including mobiles and yes, the iPhone!

10. Premium Accounts (Yes! They have a business model!) and for only $35 dollars a year, this brings you: 

• High Definition shareable video quality.
• Downloading of your videos
• 1 GB Video Uploads & 20 minutes on site video recording.

An example of HD Video below: (how can you not be impressed).

There is absolutely no doubt they’re in a crowded marketplace & on face value it’s easy to categorize Viddyou with sites such as Phreadz & Seesmic because of their slant towards personal videos & conversation. I must admit, I have yet to get involved with the Viddyou community in that respect so it’s by no means a must that you use the site for “video conversations”. Personally, I have stuck to using Viddyou as most of us use sites such as Vimeo & Viddler – more for sharing my personal & home videos and that is who I envisage Viddyou’s competition to be. What I love is the fact that a “premium” option does exist, it gives me the confidence that these guys are serious about sticking around and not having to rely on a fickle advertising market to ensure they stick around. Check out Viddyou at Viddyou.com .

About the author: Zee is the Co-founder of London based marketing agency WeDoCreative. He is also a devoted European Tech Blogger, Design Connoisseur, Social Media Junkie & Web Application devotee. You can find him at zee.me, twitter & friendfeed.”