So long, Stage6

The news had been circulation on the online world for some time and finally the day arrived.

This is what you get to read on visiting the much loved website:

I'm Tom (aka Spinner), a Stage6 user and an employee of DivX, Inc., the company behind the service. I'm writing this message today to inform you that we plan to shut down Stage6 on February 28, 2008. Upload functionality has already been turned off, and you'll be able to view and download videos until Thursday.

I know this news will come as a shock and disappointment to many Stage6 users, and I'd like to take a few moments to explain the reasons behind our decision.

We created Stage6 with the mission of empowering content creators and viewers to discover a new kind of video experience. Stage6 began as an experiment, and we always knew there was a chance that it might not succeed.

In many ways, though, the service did succeed, beyond even our own initial expectations. Stage6 became very popular very quickly. We helped gain exposure for some talented filmmakers who brought great videos to the attention of an engaged community. We helped prove that it's possible to distribute true high definition video on the Internet. And we helped broaden the Internet video experience by offering content that is compatible with DVD players, mobile devices and other products beyond the PC.

So why are we shutting the service down? Well, the short answer is that the continued operation of Stage6 is a very expensive enterprise that requires an enormous amount of attention and resources that we are not in a position to continue to provide. There are a lot of other details involved, but at the end of the day it's really as simple as that...

Sometimes, popularity has a hefty price tag attached.

Update: Stage6 is promoting Veoh as the place where Stage6-ers can move to.

Stage6 is introducing Veoh Networks Inc. as a site that promises to offer our users a smooth transition. Millions of people use Veoh each month and we feel it is a great fit for our users.

Veoh enables you to upload, download, and watch high quality videos, including any DivX file.

...and this is Veoh's welcome message for disheartened Stage6 loyalists:

Veoh is pleased to welcome Stage6 users and publishers.

Veoh already has many of the features you have grown to love on Stage6, and we are constantly expanding our feature set.

Veoh lets you:

* Upload videos of any length (including DivX)
* Download videos to your PC and watch later (including DivX)
* Watch millions of videos from TV networks to independent publishers
* Communicate with over 23 million monthly users

We hope that you enjoy using Veoh, and welcome :-)