SF Gate did a little ditty on the video hosting scene (that we're vigorously tracking at Dabble) and how it looks like some of the smaller hosts might start consolidating soon.

Dabble, of course, isn't a hosting service, we're a video searching/social networking site that can help you find video across all hosters.

Here are some quotes from Ellen Lee's article. Funny how she first talks about companies "dabbling" in video, then goes on to actually talk about Dabble.

By one count, about 240 sites now dabble in online video. And chances are many won't survive the next year. Some will simply shut down; others likely will be gobbled up by larger companies...

Dabble, a Berkeley startup, plans to start its online video search site this week. It lets users search for and collect video from other sites on a personal page; members can also join communities on topics such as cooking, where they help identify the best the Web has to offer on cooking-related videos.

For several months, as part of the database it's building, Dabble has been tracking the growing number of online video sites, which by its count has reached nearly 240.

Not all will last, said Dabble founder Mary Hodder. But if cable and satellite television can have more than 200 channels, Hodder said, why can't the Internet? And why can't there be something like Dabble to act as a TV Guide for the Web? (Incidentally, TV Guide offers an editorial guide online on the latest, most entertaining video clips and shows on the Web, though it's mainly focused on traditional Hollywood fare from Lifetime, Comedy Central, Disney and others.)

"When you turn on your TV, do you just go to NBC?" Hodder said. "If (the online video sites) are creative and provide different services, then they can end up thriving."