Maven Networks, a broadband technology company in stealth for more than a year, has launched today. The company, based in Boston, is promising a better broadband experience through its own video software. It has signed up media clients such as Virgin Records, 20th Century Fox and National Geographic Channel.

The company, co-founded by Hilmi Ozguc, an ex-AtHome/Excite exec. and Bill Wittenberg, former SVP at Art Technology Group, has $5 million venture backing from General Catalyst Partners, and has Jeremy Allaire, the founder of Allaire Corp (now part of Macromedia), and now technologist-in-residence at GCP, on the board.

The road to a promise of a better broadband experience is difficult one: many companies have tried it before, and the current landscape is not barren either. Startups like Trusted Media Networks, founded by former chief engineer at RealNetworks, are playing in a same field, whether they like to acknowledge it or not. Another company in the space, though relatively low profile, is EdgeBurst. All of them have the same promise: DVD-like quality without the delays. All of them offer it through the same mechanism: a consumer download, with caching in the background. And that is where the problem begins…I am just banking on Jeremy to get it right…

In fact, he probably does a better job at explaining it than even the company: read his analysis of the company on his weblog: “Thoughts on Maven Networks”

He explains: “Maven Networks’ product is a timely, contemporary fusion of technology and ideas from Hilmi and Bill’s prior startups:  Enliven Communications and Art Technology Group (ATG), where they helped pioneer rich media marketing and advertising on the one hand, and dynamic, personalized, measured content and applications on the other. But Maven delivers this with a deep focus on full-screen, DVD-quality video experiences delivered over the Net.”

Anyway, if you want to read through the details, read these two stories done today:

—Maven offers system to tap into online marketing

—Maven Debuts Video/Data Platform