Technology360

Web Execs: TV Merging With Internet

Erik Sass writes:  "Internet companies will increasingly rely on TV networks to provide online content, Yahoo Executive Vice President Greg Coleman predicted Monday at a panel in New York hosted by the Advertising Research Foundation. ..."   Link:  MediaPost.

Recasting the Concept of Podcasting: Part I

Colin Dixon writes:  "... Early RSS converts saw portability was one of the key benefits of podcasting (that is, downloaded files allow for on-demand consumption of content independent of having an Internet connection, whereas streaming required a live connection). But that's all portability was - a benefit of podcasting, not a logically necessary feature of podcasting. In other words, once podcasts were downloaded to a PC, they could be consumed on a variety of appropriately-enabled devices - some portable and some not. It simply didn't matter where or on what device the content was consumed. ...¶... According to a recent consumer survey conducted by Bridge Data, the relevance of portability to podcast usage has been vastly overstated. In fact, more 80% of podcast downloads never make it to a portable player or another device - they are consumed on the PC (or, worse, never listened or deleted). ..."  Link:  Designtechnica.  Be sure to read the comments following the original posting on Designtechnica.  --Dennis

Beyond Mass Media

Robin Good has published a two-part essay by Australian professor Brian Martin, originally a chapter in a 1998 book called Information Liberation.  It's a provocative essay which I can recommend for its intellectual interest without necessarily recommending its premise.  Part I is Why Mass Media Are Bad: Weaknesses And Limitations Of Commercial Mainstream Media (link) and Part II is The Power Of Open Participatory Media And Why Mass Media Must Be Abandoned (link).

I've been taking notes of late about the concept of an information theory of value, something not original with me but which doesn't seem to have reached escape velocity from the gravity of the acadame.  Think of it as an analogue to -- or perhaps even a replacement for -- the labor theory of value which is still a key element of classical economics and about which I read more than my share as an undergraduate and graduate student.  In this case, though, you have Claude Shannon perhaps unwittingly playing the rôle of David Ricardo or Adam Smith, people like Dr. Martin above playing the politicizing rôle of Karl Marx, and a whole range of open sourcers, bloggers, and distribution techies re-creating anarcho-syndicalism.  --Dennis

Satellite radio is not the enemy

Mark Ramsey writes:  "... how do you "drive demand"? You do it by solving a listener problem and doing so better than any other option, i.e., with greater value. It is a vast assumption to conclude that new splinter format options will, in and of themselves, solve a problem. The folks who complain most about radio are the same folks who control their own playlists on their iPods. Between the "best mix" and "your own personal mix" there is no middle ground. ..."  Link:  Radio Marketing Nexus.

Forget the Long Tail!

Well, as often happens, the title doesn't describe what the article really says.  In it, Bernard Moon writes:  "A little over a year ago, I predicted that the PC would become an entertainment epicenter for U.S. consumers, much as it has in South Korea, where more than 70% of the residents cite the PC (over TV) as their preferred source of entertainment. (See "Where Technology Is Ubiquitous, Opportunity Abounds," January 2005.) Little did I realize how quickly my prediction could become a reality. A year later, my wife and I are watching episodes of "Lost" on my laptop's 15.4-inch screen. ... Like the rest of America, our viewing habits are changing based on convenience and advancements in picture technology—and the ramifications of this for content producers could be monumental.  ¶  With their distribution channels disrupted and user-generated content on the rise, the lords of big media and entertainment are looking over their shoulders. And well they should: Thanks to new players like video-sharing services vSocial and Ourmedia, online editing and publishing service VideoEgg, and distribution platform Brightcove, just about anyone can create, edit, distribute, and even receive widespread recognition for his or her creative work today without the help of a major studio. But this isn't a story of the long tail; the hit makers will  get richer. Instead, it's a story of the wide range of new revenue opportunities that are available to established and mid-size players in this evolving media landscape. ..."  Link:  AlwaysOn.

"Best in Class" is a Sucker Bet

Geoffrey Moore writes:  "As my colleagues and I developed our model for Return on Innovation, we saw three sources of attractive returns.  They are:  1. Differentiation leading to sustainable competitive advantage.  The return comes from customers preferring your offer over the competitor’s (more revenues) and paying a premium for it (higher margins).  2. Neutralization of a competitor’s current competitive advantage.  The return comes from being able to compete in more sales opportunities than you previously could (leading to incrementally more revenues, but not better margins).  3. Productivity leading to better overall profit margins.  The return does not come from any change in competitive advantage but rather from your ability to accomplish the same outcomes with fewer resources. ..."  Link:  Dealing with Darwin.

The Vista Gap: DRM Assumptions Dealt a Powerful Blow in Microsoft Setback

John Blossom writes:  "The AP notes along with many others the technology winners and losers in the delayed launch of Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system, but the potential impact to content producers goes largely uncovered so far. Vista was to have been the lock-down platform for digital rights management that would solve the distribution issues of many media and publishing companies. Now delayed into 2007, 2006 becomes a year in which there will be far greater uncertainty amongst content producers about which path to take in protecting intellectual property rights. ..."  Link:  ContentBlogger at Shore.com.

The next broadband battleground

Mark Del Bianco writes:  "Net neutrality in broadband networks has become a major public-policy debate. Every industry whose products or services can be digitized will be affected by the outcome, as tens of billions of dollars are at stake.  ¶  Net neutrality, also called network neutrality, has three components. First, users should have access to any content they choose while being able to attach any device to the network--so long as it will not harm the network. Secondly, there's the issue of the management of the broadband network. This involves practices such as shaping traffic, reserving capacity or spectrum, or blocking viruses and harmful programs. The third component involves initiatives designed to convince applications and content providers to make new types of payments for premium services, such as faster delivery or caching content closer to the edge of the network. ..."  Link:  CNET.  Good analysis of net neutrality issues by a communications attorney.

Also see AT&T Chief, FCC chair clarify on Net neutrality.  Link: ZDNet.  --Dennis

Wireless TV control: Control your Slingbox from your Windows Mobile device

I was on a call yesterday with Ken Devine, CTO of WNET in NYC, who related his amazing experiences with Slingbox's new mobile client called SlingPlayer™ Mobile (free if you buy a Slingbox before Apr. 26th and $30 thereafter).  This morning, I ran across a short video review of it on CNET.  You really have to check this out.  Since it can control your TiVo (and other set-top devices -- even DVD players), you should be able to view or listen to anything accessible from your TiVo, including photos, your music collection, and videos and podcasts downloaded from services like Open Media Network (OMN's TiVo sync'ing is close).  Of course, then there's the problem of me hijacking the TiVo remotely on one of my trips while my wife is home trying to watch paint drying on Home & Garden TV.  But beyond disruption to her, it's disruption to our profession that we should be considering.  Thanks for the tip, Ken.

See also TV Here, There, Everywhere (link: New York Times) and Slingmedia Goes Mobile  (link:  dailywireless).  The latter points to Why By Sling Mobile When Orb  Is Free? Link:  Mobilecrunch.  Here are two reviews (thanks to MSMobiles), Hands On: SlingBox for Windows Mobile (link: Mobility Today), and a more detailed one at SlingPlayer Goes Mobile (½) (link: pocketnow).

Updated 3/26/2006:  Staci Kramer has an interesting first-person account at paidContent.org as does Rob Pegoraro in the Washington Post. --Dennis

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bundle?

A blogger writes:  "Recent reports suggest that "bundling" multiple communications services has not emerged as the "killer app" for attracting or retaining customers. Only a small percentage of subscribers buy bundled services and many of these subs eventually abandon their bundles. Moreover, very few customers have expressed interest in relying on one company to satisfy all of their communications needs, no matter how diverse companies' offerings become. So much for the notion that mergers and the bundling capabilities of the Internet Protocol will transform cable and telephone companies immediately into invincible competitors deserving of regulation. ..."  Link:  Progress & Freedom Foundation.