Understanding the video landscape

Silicon Valley is pumping out new video technologies faster than Pinkberry pumps out mystery sauce on Santa Monica Boulevard.

We're not just talking about YouTube-a-likes either -- enter Crunchyroll, "the YouTube of anime," my company Stage6, "the YouTube of high quality" or BigThink, "the YouTube of ideas."

We're talking geek-core technology innovations in video ad serving, video ad networks, contextual video recognition, video ad formats and beyond third screens.

I may have lost you already. The landscape is evolving so quickly that few people, if any, have a sense of the whole. Further complicating matters, digital video technology and its monetization are very much in their infancies -- there is hardly a whole there to understand.

Stating the obvious, agencies are struggling to fill out their newfound roles as technology connoisseurs and consultants. The proliferation of "everything in general" has left them more strapped for resources than ever and less-than-ideally equipped to push marketing innovation forward.

Here are some suggestions to cope with this dynamic sector and navigate its waters moving forward.

Author notes: Julie Ruvolo heads up advertising sales and strategy at DivX's Stage6. Read full bio.