Mind you, we didn’t say Steven Spielberg. Although units like the Zi8–which can capture several hours of 1080p widescreen, high-definition video on interchangeable SD memory cards–make filming easy, they’re no replacement for an experienced production company. While Kodak’s latest model offers handy features like image stabilization, external microphone input and auto-assists that aid with filming in dimly-lit conditions, know this: You won’t be using it to record any feature-length broadcast spots.

But just because slick TV commercials and green screen-backed evening news segments are beyond the reach of such entry-level units doesn’t mean you can’t attract as many eyeballs as you would via broadcast distribution. Buoyed by heightened broadband penetration and viewers’ insatiable appetite for original content, demand for video is skyrocketing as consumers continue to gravitate en masse from television toward online aggregators like Vimeo, Viddler and Crackle. That includes category leader YouTube, which now attracts more than 100 million viewers a month, though even that figure’s peanuts overall, considering that U.S. households can watch roughly 15 billion videos online in the same 30-day period. Likewise, marketing opportunities are also growing by leaps and bounds, ensuring that even if it’s not a current cornerstone of your current promotional or public relations strategy, online video should be.

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