Sunday, December 04, 2011

Raystream (RAYS) Streaming Out Of Somewhere

Ooh boy!  Guess what I got in my inbox today!  Something called The Stock Detective sent me an unsolicited email touting Raystream (RAYS), a video compression technology provider.  The email came from a domain name called Investingvibes.com that didn't have an operating website at the time I wrote this blog posting, which makes me wonder.  Anyway, this stock deserves a mention for the benefit of my readers. 

Raystream's technology isn't patent-protected at all.  The company's own FAQ mentions this fact.  IP protection is a very important advantage that serious investors want to see in a young company whose strategy is to establish dominant players.  Raystream's streaming of compressed videos seems like something Netflix or another competitor could easily deploy without the disadvantages of a startup's adoption hurdles. 

Raystream is practically a brand new company.  It has no real earnings history, so seeing it trade at a buck or two is still pretty generous.  The Stock Detective's claim that this enterprise is set for massive gains by comparing it to early dot-com pioneers like Amazon or eBay is far-fetched.  Those early Web 1.0 companies had different business models. 

Investors looking for a high-tech play in online compressed video streaming may check out many options.  Larger online technology companies can easily roll out advanced video streaming on their own.  BTW, the touter email has a disclaimer that it's a paid ad (fair enough) but mentions two partner companies I've never seen before.  Who are Agora Multimedia and Foresight Media?  Maybe I don't want to find out.  That's why I've unsubscribed from The Stock Detective's unsolicited pumps. 

Full disclosure:  No position in RAYS or other companies mentioned.