Interview with BendFilm venue manager Gary at The Oxford Hotel

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Amazing festival so far

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The new challenges of digital projection

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2010 BendFilm day 1

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We want our internet-connected TVs

You can tell by this graph here-

Also note the potential growth curve of these sets.

As a side note I recently purchase a new set. It was not internet connected, but I did order my new Roku. I really believe boxes will make more sense in at least the near future as we will be able to change the software in them to add new channels and functions. The current crop of TVs are not really up to it when it comes to software. It make sense because what do TV makers do? They make hardware not software.

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My new Darth Vader USB hub!

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I will let the video speak for itself

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Younger viewers not watching live TV

So I know the headline is a bit misleading, but according to a recent study by Morpace (Link to the study) the younger generation prefers to get their content from online sources and time shifting.

More than one-half (51 percent) of consumers view at least some video programming online; while 23 percent use a streaming video source such as Netflix. This doesn’t include the percentage of consumers who use Netflix just for the mailed DVDs. This wave of the survey did not associate the programming source with the particular device used but, presumably, most of the online viewing is presently using a computer. However 16 percent of respondents state their television is connected to the Internet to allow viewing online content.

The survey also reveals what share of total viewing comes from which programming sources. Only 52 percent of total viewing is of live TV programming. Nearly one-half of all viewing uses alternative and time shifted sources. Viewing DVDs is the largest share at 14 percent, followed by DVR at 12 percent and “on demand” at 6 percent. Online programming makes up 9 percent of total content viewed.

Of note is the presumption in this study. What we are finding is that IETV (Internet Enabled TV) is beginning to change how we get that content. We still enjoy watching TV we just want our internet content there. Boxes like the Apple TV and Roku make getting online content to our existing TVs as easy as hooking up three wires in some cases. 

Time to start looking strongly at how we get our content into the cloud instead of relying on traditional distribution models.

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This is what streaming live is about

While I realize that Apple has limited the delivery the stream for the Apple event today we should all be focusing on delivery to all devices.

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Mac speculation....

What if this:

Is not for the new nano/shuffle.... What if it is the controller for the new Apple TV?

Just a thought.

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Apple to provide Live Stream

This is huge! A first in many years for apple-

Live Video Streaming

Apple® will broadcast its September 1 event online using Apple’s industry-leading HTTP Live Streaming, which is based on open standards. Viewing requires either a Mac® running Safari® on Mac OS® X version 10.6 Snow Leopard®, an iPhone® or iPod touch® running iOS 3.0 or higher, or an iPad™. The live broadcast will begin at 10:00 a.m. PDT on September 1, 2010 at www.apple.com.

This announcement may be bigger than I thought. If some of the new rumors are true the new Apple TV may be a hit. My prediction is on par with some of those out there iOS enabled Apple TV.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

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Facebook Places Fails #inbend

Last night I did an update for my iPhone and was greeted with the new Facebook version that includes places, their new location based service announced yesterday. Well guess what...

I just want to check it out and am looking forward to it when it is available. I currently use Foursquare and this may or may not shut the door on Foursquare. Time will tell.

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Another Flash Video Site Down!

Vimeo announced today that they are going HTML 5 in what is another march forward to kill flash for video on websites. This is really exciting for Vimeo and this paragraph best sums up the new capabilities.
> The Universal Player is as easy to use as the old embed code, just a lot more compatible. Instead of being a direct link to a Flash player the new Universal Player can automatically detect what kind of device is viewing the video and choose the optimum player based on the device's capabilities. For example, it will serve mobile video to iPhones and Androids and HD to iPads and Desktops. On other mobile devices it can use the native player of the device or an optimized mobile Flash player with bigger controls. It also allows us to introduce new players as technology changes, potentially allowing us to do things like serve HTML5 to IE9 and WEBM video to Firefox.
I think this also shows how mobile is really beginning to get the nod on how we are beginning to consume our videos. Congrats Vimeo.

By the way if I haven't said it before I really don't like flash for video!

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The Google Verizon "Deal"

Last week the announcement was made between Verizon and Google and this great post surfaced. Very much agree with this statement:

Increasingly, technology companies are shipping devices with access to wireless broadband networks pre-installed. It’s not just smart phones any more: laptops, tablets, gaming devices, entertainment systems, navigation tools, automobiles... And while the term “wireless broadband” has come to mean wireless phone services like 3G and 4G networks, the term also likely includes wireless city initiatives. So... what could have caused Google’s founders to abandon the principles of net neutrality just as the web begins entering its wireless era? Could it be that they have the opportunity to control and to profit from a web user’s wireless experience in a not so distant future when being “wired” will be like saying you use a rotary dial phone? 

My thoughts will come later.

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Google is the Mobile Winner

By now you should have seen this graph, but if not here it is in all of it's grandeur.

As you can see if we are comparing the winners in the mobile space Google may be the king for some time to come.

See more here.

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The Future of Video is 3D - Well Maybe Someday

3D is the current hot topic in hollywood and even within consumer electronics, but is the future now for 3D? I doubt it and just like HD I think it will take at least 3-5 years to reach any sort of critical mass if it ever does. What really is even more of a serious sea change going on right now is the shift to Internet-Enabled Televisions or IETV. According to a recent study by iSuppli while 3D will ship approximately 4.2 million sets this year IETV 27.7 million sets. As you see by the graph below the trend doesn't seem to be slowing down.

The true growth for the short term will be delivering your content to those 12' or lean back experiences. I am looking forward to the next couple of years!

My belief if you are interested is that 3D is a fad and a way to get more money out of us.

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In Case You Missed It - Get Your 15 Minutes of Fame

Yes you heard it we now can all get our 15 minutes of fame. YouTube has increased the 10 minute cap to 15 minutes. the reason:
> Well, we’ve spent significant resources on creating and improving our state-of-the-art Content ID system and many other powerful tools for copyright owners. Now, all of the major U.S. movie studios, music labels and over 1,000 other global partners use Content ID to manage their content on YouTube. Because of the success of these ongoing technological efforts, we are able to increase the upload limit today.

This actually is great news for those long form video providers. We now will be able to create content that is a bit more plot driven... OR we may see 15 minutes of lame video. I hope not! As a part of this announcement YouTube has said
> Tag your video with “yt15minutes,” upload it by Wednesday, August 4, and we’ll select a handful of people to truly gain their 15 minutes of fame by featuring them on the YouTube homepage in a future spotlight.

So let's go all get our 15 minutes of fame.

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On location today

Working on a great video for Camp Courage. This is an amazing program for youth dealing with grief.

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Useless Statistics

Maybe I am just getting older and now fall into this last age bracket, but age breakdowns like this are ridiculous.

While this new study by Microsoft for multi-screen consumer insights research is a very interesting read the final breakdown in the age bracket is almost useless.  Again maybe it is just that I now fall into that age range, but this is lumping me into how I experience multi-screens like my mother. I know that this is not the case. Why can't I get information in smaller age groups on the upper end just like the lower end. We owe it to proper analysis to do just that.

Now that I have gotten my rant out of the way this study from Microsoft shows that video is playing an even greater roll in advertising, but not in the traditional older variety. The study reveals that we are interested in the advertising if it is unique and possibly educational. Give us something other than hitting us on the head with it. 

Of note is the number of hours of watched any kind of video vs user-generater (YouTube). As consumers of video we are consuming more video and not less. While this study does not break out traditional television it shows that we are still watching a lot of video.

Good read if you are into facts and figures. 

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Amazing view!

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Here is a view from where I am at. Amazing day!

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A good take on Apple vs the Media

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/07/19/apple-toyota-and-the-great-media-piling-on/ Love the end of the post: "Apple did a lot wrong with this new design and they will have to fix it in the next iteration. But the piling-on is a lot less about Apple and more about a general malaise in the handset industry. A giant’s loss is everyone’s gain, no matter how much Apple’s competitors claim otherwise."

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