The integration kit, which "takes a few hours" to install, according to co-founder Kevin Sladek, embeds the VideoEgg Publisher and Player into a Web site. The player can then stream video from the VideoEgg Server Network in Flash 7 or Flash 8.

San Francisco-based VideoEgg's software includes a "universal adapter" that captures video directly from hundreds of cameras and mobile devices and reads dozens of formats.

"Pretty much any obscure camera and any obscure format" works with the software, according to Sladek.

The service is free, but eventually the company plans to support the videos through advertising, he said.

Prior to the release of the integration kit, the VideoEgg Publisher was available only to users of Six Apart's TypePad service. The company said a partnership with eBay was in the works as well.

Click here to read more about VideoEgg's arrangement with Six Apart to support video blogging.

VideoEgg also announced today that it has acquired Popcast, LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, several senior members of Popcast's development team will join VideoEgg.

Popcast's 1.0 technologies will be made available under the GPL and Popcast.com will become the administration domain for the code base.

VideoEgg's software arrives at a time of surging popularity for online video, and interest in embedding video in smaller Web sites to achieve distribution over the so-called "long tail."

News network Reuters recently launched its video affiliate program, which enables Web site owners to place video on their sites.

The Associated Press also recently partnered with Microsoft to launch a similar service called the AP Online Video Network.

Both those services use video player software such as Microsoft's Windows Media Player, whereas VideoEgg's software uses the Adobe Flash plug-in.

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