A reason to switch

So I found this article of some interest why people may be switching to a mac.
Apple of Our Eye: Macs Save Money

Te article raises some interesting point, but I find the discussion about the Apple TV the real interesting point. I have stated before that this is a change vehicle and I think there are even a few things us in the marketing world can use it for. I plan on giving it a whirl to see if perhaps you could make it into an inexpensive digital signage platform.

The beginning...

So when one goes silent on their blog does that truly mean they are out of ideas or thoughts? I know I have been absent for a while and wanted to take a few moments and bring you up to speed on what we are up to.

1) The Drakes- The once a year recognition of the great advertising that we do in this market.
2) A space- More details to follow on this, but we have moved! In the coming months I will bring you a few details about what is going on, but we will be developing a 25' X 25' insert stage. This stage will be available to clients as well as be useful in producing our own content.
3) Marketing and sales- We really have not done a good job within Central Oregon of telling our story. We have been helping others tell their stories, but our own has not been told. Anyone got any ideas here?


That is it for right now, but I am going to give a post a day for a week and see what thoughts I may drum up.

Amazing technology

As a highly visual person I look at this and wonder what the possibilities are. This could power amazing multi layer editing platform.

What marketers think?

What are your thoughts?

Digital Delivery

It was announced that Wal-Mart will be selling digital downloads of all of the major movie companies movies. This comes on the heals of a weekend where movies saw a decline from the previous year of 12 percent. The motion picture companies are finally discovering that they have a vast inventory why not make it easy for people to get at it in other ways. Putting that aside for a second though let's look at if this makes sense for Wal-Mart.



Wal-Mart is the world's retail sales giant. You either love them or hate them so obviously if they are getting into this there must be money in it right? Well here lies the "Long-Tail" theory. Movies that are new releases will cost you almost as much a if you went down to Wal-Mart and bought the DVD, so then they are going after the user who may want to download the older movies as it will be more cost effective. In my opinion Wal-Mart is going after a different customer with this venture than they get in their average store. In order to succeed with this they will have to bring web viewers to their pages which Wal-Mart currently does not do a very good job of. Why would I want to look at their site when I can go down the street and get it for cheaper. That is where HP supposedly comes in. They reportedly have been hired to optimize and change Wal-Mart's digital movie area into a better experience.

I think that this recognition in digital download model change by both Wal-Mart and the motion picture companies is a good start. Wal-Mart has to somehow bring people to their website though in order for this to succeed.


Oh yeah and this little jewel:

Sales for the top 12 films fell 12 percent to $71.6 million from a year earlier. Sales have fallen 3 percent to $779.8 million this year from a year earlier, while attendance has decreased 5.2 percent.

Mac Transition Week 2

So the transition continues. A couple of thoughts and recommendations.

I know all of those PC people out there will disagree with me, but the Mac OS just feels smoother. I enjoy the simplicity of design and ease of use. I know that the PC has gotten much better in it's over all design, but I just find the Mac to be somehow more user friendly.

Issues: Seems to be a small one under Boot Camp with Premiere, but only an annoyance and as such it does not preclude the work flow that I am developing until the full switch.

Programs:Here are a couple of programs that I have found on the Mac to be invaluable and have opened up new work flow possibilities that I had not discovered on the PC.

Handbrake: A great DVD ripper. I do not use this to rip movies, but often we record a backup DVD of the events we do. This program allows us to rip that file into the computer. I know there are PC programs out there, but I have not found any that are as fast and easy as this one.

Perian: This is a QT plug in that allows virtually any file to be played back including FLV. Very nice for attempting to open those pesky windows files. Now it doesn't support wmv, but that is what Flip for Mac is for.

So far so good and we are progressing well with the migration.

iPhone or whatever it is going to be called...

So this is an interesting post on a person who will be getting an iPhone hopefully in June when it is released. The interesting part is that it would appear Cingular does not have a concrete plan on what to tell people that may want to switch now. Revolutionary product, but no plans on how to handle things?

Build it and they will come... Okay couldn't resist.

The switch....

So a few weeks ago I spoke of a transition that I may make. Well I decided to do it.



Yes it is a Mac. We are needing a speed boost in our production and this seems to be a very good solution. The next photo shows XP being installed in Boot Camp.




Finally this is After Effects running inside OS X using Parallels. I will write a bit in the next few weeks about how this is working out.

Oh yeah and there is one more thing....

Steve Jobs on nightline last night. Is there anyone out there that is still doubting there is convergence today?

New media...

So a few things are going on in the world of media and I thought I would take a moment and give my 2 cents.

Apple TV Those of you out there know that I am a Mac fan. I would stop short of saying fanatical, but I admire what they have done. I really think this product will begin the next step in bringing internet content to you television. It is exciting to think of the opportunities that this device that is syncronized through iTunes can bring television shows, podcasts, and any other media you have in iTunes to your television wherever you have it plugged in. They have taken the time to develop a user interface that will be easy for the most people to use it. It will not require a geek and that is a distinct advantage.

CES: Being a geek I could go on for a day about all of the exciting products that are being unvailed, but some of the most interesting things are how the broadcast networks are showing up. They are beginning to realize that the model of television as we know it is has shifted and they need to begin to develop a new model for themselves. Time will tell, but I am excited because the next television will be the internet.

Interesting music stats

Interesting read today from Chris Anderson in regards to the recording industry.

OS X vs Vista

Well... David Pogue gives us his comparison. I think it is fun as I may be looking to convert to the dark side. Or is that the right side?

Guy Kawasaki: Ten Questions With Aziza Mohmmand

This post struck me this morning. I guess it goes to show you that when you make a difference in peoples lives you are rewarded. Give it a read and let me know your thoughts.

DVR captures a different audience.

Nielsen product placement has come out with a few new numbers that show that DVRs are being used to time shift drum roll.... Scripted shows instead of reality shows. What this means is that all of that fabulous product placement going on surrounding reality shows is not garnering the repeat eyes. People watch these scripted shows because they get hooked into the plot and want to watch repeatedly and when they want to. Their also is an interesting discussion of how production techniques may be changing sow that viewers on the smaller screen may get a better look at the subject. Production people will be required to shift their ideas on how they produce content as their is a shift to smaller screens both for those pesky product placements as well as to better showcase the production.

Girls Go Bend

Take a look at Bend!

Stephen Spielberg anti viewing movies on iPods?

A statement he made through Reuters/Hollywood Reporter:

"That's one medium where I have to draw the line," he said. "We'll shoot for television and the movies and let there be a wide gap" between that and the small 3-inch screen. He also said that he felt that people are social animals who will choose to go out to a movie rather than watch a show on wide screen."

Now I can agree with this statement in principle, but after watching a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy playing off my iPod onto my TV I will have to disagree. The general principal of viewing content on the smaller screen is not without its challenges, but the realization of the when we want it world is coming. I certainly hope the MPAA is up to letting us have it our way.

I also know that in a recent Nielsen study it shows- less than 1% of content items played by iPod users on either iTunes or the device itself were videos. Among video iPod users, that percentage barely improves, up to 2.2%. So video is not being played back using the iPod, but what if it was a different experience. Media today is not necessarily targeted at this small device, but it can be used as a tool to shift that content and make it easier to playback on other devices like your television. I also believe this shows that there is a large opportunity for growth within this market if the user experience can be improved.

So the future of media is yet to be truly determined, but with Apple, Microsoft, Tivo, SlingBox, and many more actively working on how we can shift the media to when we want it I believe it is only a matter of time.

Why the TSA should think differently

Marketing guru Seth Godin rants on his experience in travelling in the last week and why the TSA should be different. On a more personal note Jo Ann flew to Denver last week and had a very similar experience as Seth writes.

read more | digg story

Why have you stopped posting?

Well... BendFilm.

This is an exciting time with the "buzz" that goes on around Bend. Independent cinema for the filmmakers and fans. We are proud to be providing the AV logistic and consultation for this years festival. It is an exciting time. I will post photos of the happening this weekend.

So now a quick multi billion dollar thought on gootube...

Do you really doubt you should have video on your website? I think it will take Google to monetize YouTube. Just my thought, but it makes sense. I am not sure that it is worth the amount, but Google I think needed the technology and had the cash to buy it.

Just my humble opinion.

Okay finally back....

It was a wonderful ceremony and I am so happy.

A few thoughts on convergence and media:
1) Apple and their news. First I applaud their increasing the size of their resolution to 640 X 480. This will allow a better quality viewing experience as they migrate with their "iTV" project. Now I feel this is important because their are not many devices out there that will just plug in and work and as I have mentioned before Apple seems to at least understand that. This device will allow you to automatically (not sure how they are planning on it completely) allow you to play and watch your iTunes library content on a TV connected to it. There are some other interesting ideas like taking your photos and having those play with music as a nice different background for a party or a slide show. I have 3 hours of photos from our last vacation wan't to watch? Okay maybe not.

The other interesting thing that this will make possible is targeted delivered video podcasts on subjects that people enjoy. Easy all I have to do is go down to the podcasts and watch them. This could be interesting.

2)Amazon- They launched their new download service. I am trying it out with the pilot episode of Studio 60. The challenge is that Joe consumer still will have a challenge. Amazon became easy because all one had to do was find the book they wanted and click buy. Once their details were entered it came right to them. The challenge I still feel is how are we going to make that jump between easy and hard. I will let you know tomorrow the whole details of the experience.

"Labor Day"

A labor of love. That is what it is and will always will be. A business is about a way of love if it is done correctly. You must have that feeling of love for it. You work long hours and at often times for an unsure future, but if you are staying pure to your thoughts and why you do it you will succeed. Do it for the love of it and not the money. Do it to make a difference and change something. Oh and truly love those around you that help you make these things a reality! Thank you Jo. I love you.