Review of Octane TV

Octane TV, an online video network for motor enthusiasts, is the newest platform from on demand video giant Ripe Digital Entertainment. Octane TV is the sister site for Ripe Digital’s online forum, RipeTV, and targets the same young male viewers with videos of fast cars, dirt bikes, gruesome crashes and beautiful women. The site was launched in late 2006 and supports Ripe Digital’s blueprint, synthesizing video online, on TV and on your cell phone. Octane TV presents viewers with every aspect of motor trend lifestyle, from motocross to import tuners to drift races. It’s a top stop for the hormone-charged motor head.

Beautiful porn stars are the oil in Octane TV’s engine. Kendra Wilkinson, the cute, energetic tomboy from Playboy’s Girls Next Door, is the face of the site and host of the channel Now On Octane. Each Wednesday, Kendra and other lovely pin-ups break down the newest news in the world of motor sports and the car and bike scene. The site is broken up into several channels, each displayed across the bottom of the screen like a macho iMac dock, which enlighten the average viewer about car culture as well as unabashedly flaunt the assets of the female hosts. One of the channels, Sexy Road Test, lets viewers hit the road for a tour of a new vehicle accompanied by a sexy and knowledgeable host. Drift Scene profiles a relatively new

fashion in street racing called “drift,” a method of hitting turns in a car without slowing down. Hot Import Nights is a channel for the hobbyist and car tuner. Viewers of this channel are invited to check out the hottest and fastest imports, as well as Ms. Amber Lancaster, the channel’s smokin’ host. All of the videos play on the site’s one internal viewer, a feature that makes the browsing easy and efficient, and episodes can be stored in a playlist as well as rated by viewers for quick and personal customization. A free membership entitles the viewer to downloads, extra footage and photo galleries, but is unnecessary for general viewing and enjoyment. Overall, the videos on Octane TV’s channels are informative and fun, with a commitment to the culture and a sense of humor about the provocative marketing methods.

As a Francophile, I went crazy for Marseille Madness, an episode of Fuel Girls that follows the delicious motor vixens through the arrondissements of Marseilles as they promote Octane TV worldwide. The charismatic trio gets drunk, naked and loud as the girls hit the streets and the clubs. I particularly enjoyed when, posing with French troops, a topless Fuel Girl fires a round from the biggest gun I have ever seen in my life. Mon Dieu, my pistons were firing!