Yes, I know none of it makes any sense. We leave in a few
days for what we are calling our Lone Star Summer. After years of silly summer trips
to silly places, wasting a bunch of money, we purchased a second home in
Austin, Texas. We leave this Wednesday (July 2) and are driving to Austin for
an unspecified amount of time.I know it
makes little sense to go from one hot place to another (especially since Austin
is both hot & humid), but to us it makes sense.
We’ll be driving via El Paso figuring we’ll make it there in
one day and then reach Austin on day two. That gets us there in time for July 4th.
It will be a mix of work and fun for the summer including trips to South Padre
Island, Corpus Christi and perhaps even San Antonio for a AA Texas League
baseball game.
It will be an adventure filled with food, fun, new places
and a lot of video. I am hopeful our Lone Star Summer invigorates my video
activity which has been light for quite a while.
What’s there to say about CES—it’s exhausting, exhilarating, a pain in the ass and there’s a lot of waiting in lines. My feet hurt, but I saw the immediate future of the media-technology world. It’s a world going in opposite directions. We are looking to connect everything together and we’re looking as having the freedom to roam. We want portability but we want to have all our gadgets and gizmos connected to alow us to play anything, anytime, where.
This “clip” is long, but has lots of cool stuff inside. Enjoy.
In the UK, on the 11t h hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the nation commemorates those who served in World War I and II with two minutes of silence. The 11-11-11 marks the time of the signing of the armistice that ended WWII. This shot was taken in The Tube, where those on the platform either stood silently or quietly went about their way. As you note, most folks are wearing poppies that are sold with the proceeds going to war veterans.
It was with some sadness and nostalgia that we read that Tower Records (and Video) was finally going out of business. The company, which started as a record department in a Sacramento drugstore, was sold to a liquidator on October 6th. There is no final date announced, but it’s coming...soon.
Alas, Amazon’s low prices for physical CDs and Apple’s iTunes did Tower in. Here’s an example of a bricks and mortar store totally unable to see the digital business coming. Could they have taken advantage of the Tower brand and made headway as an online presence ahead of the more nimble cyber-competition? We’ll never know.
When I started this site back in Dec. 2004, it was my intention to explore the options facing consumer creators and to create videos and Podcasts to experiment with platforms, technologies, and so on. To a large degree, I think I have been successful. Hundreds of thousands of folks have looked my videos and/or listened to Mike and my Podcasts (MADCasts). I am looking forward to continuing that journey. Maybe I will be not be a cheap you-know-what and replace my JVC Everio that was stolen in Amsterdam.
My next project takes me in a different direction and will also be chronicled on this blog. I am among those who hate watching long-form video on my PC in my office. Two-three minute clips in my office on my Media Center PC are fine, but watching the hour CSI Miami episode I downloaded from Amazon was a painful experience. I watched it four minutes at a time, so do the math. Also, I just found out about a great New York TV Festival that takes place this week. The event features 30 minute home grown TV shows that may make it to air or might live on the Internet for distribution. AOL will air NBC’s new shows the week before they air on TV. CBS will air its shows after they air, etc…
So, I am wondering, how do I get the TV-PC experience outside my office? I have a Media Center PC with extender box, but that has some network limitations and only allows me to watch programs that live inside Microsoft’s Media Center Platform. I want to have a TV-like experience and want to watch anything I want anytime I want. I am lucky enough to have a larger enough home to create a “living room media center” to become a lab or sorts for this experiment.
My options under consideration:
Those TV’s that take streamed content from the PC. I think Sharp makes one. My hunch is it’s costly.
A new media center PC with Wi-Fi with a big sucker monitor. Sounds OK, but I cannot find a good monitor larger than 20-inches. This requires further investigation.
A dual-core Apple machine with Front Row. My problem is I don’t know that much about Front Row. Still, these seems like it could provide me the best of all worlds. This requires further investigation.
So, I will examine these and other choices and keep you posted. I believe this experiment represents the future of TV consumption, so I am willing to try several approaches. Stay tuned.
Well, without a doubt, our time in Amsterdam was filled with highs and lows. Despite everything, our time at the Amsterdam Historich Museum seeing Anne Frank, Her Life in Letters, and then later a visit to the Anne Frank Huis (Anne Frank House) was a lasting memory. Everyone–not only Jews–should visit the Anne Frank House; it will not only change your perspective on history, it will change you perspective on modern events.
I think shortly after Apple iTunes started offering Podcasts from ESPN I begged (maybe a bit strong) for ESPN to add “Pardon the Interruption,” the mano a mano verbal sportsfest between Tony Kornheiser (he of the new MNF broadcast team) and Michael Wilbon (he the ghostwriter for Sir Charles among other notable accomplishments). So, I see PTI is now available as a Podcast from the iTunes home, but it leads me to wonder…”Where’s the video?” Would it kill ESPN to put the moving pictures with the voice? Heck, if you want to drop a commercial in the download, I won’t object—especially if it’s those funny Guinness ads. Brilliant!
While we’re at it, I had to quibble, but I don’t like how Apple iTunes mixes “regular’ Podcasts with video Podcasts in its directory. They are not the same, no matter how you look at it. Video ones, such as the hilarious one with Jack Black from the set of “Nacho Libre,” deserve their own categorization and even own name. My take, at least.
I have been in the technology and media business for about 30 years. I have seen the growing impact on society of the Web culture, but today, I am convinced more than ever that it has changed everything forever. A family member was one of those killed in the horrific shootings in Seattle, and for the past hour, I have been unraveling the story. No, I have not been unraveling it from The Seattle Times or P-I or even a local radio or TV station. I have been to The Stranger and Myspace. None of the “traditional media” sources have the details. If you want to know the facts, the inside story and even the names of the victims (not publicly released), you have to go to these two sites for starters.
I had the chilling experience of going to our family member’s Myspace and seeing notes posted to his space in memoriam to the young man. I went to the comments posted on The Stranger--the ultimate example of consumer-generated news reporting--and found a TV reporter looking for the inside story—the story she could not get going the old-fashioned route. Even the online versions of the city's two big papers are not able to keep up with the reporting found in these alternative sources.
I am not sure what all of this means. I do know that for those who lives are being shaped in the bask of today’s media spotlight; this is proof that the old way of getting news and information is neither timely nor relevant. I know I am changed from this experience, but so is media. Forever.
More troubling news on the Sanyo HD-1, this from Gizmodo, calling the video from the camera “Disastrous.” Makes me that much happier with my JVC Everio. Still, the Sanyo intrigues me but for $800, it seems too much to risk to determine whether it’s a good videoblogging tool or a cool-looking paperweight.
I looked the "commercial" below (which was generated via Youtube) and am wondering why pundits say this is an Apple vs. Microsoft play. How can you compare a product which is pre-vapor with one that's so far ahead of the pack it's become synonymous with cool? Wake me when there's something I can put in my hands.
I see that NBC is striking back against those who rip off snippets of its content and then post them on social video sites. The network has a new viral video site, Web favorites, that allow people to email others their favorites. It’s close, but not the same as offering consumer creators embedded players to virally distribute those clips.
I saw this quote, and shook my head. I said this in my little video clip about the future of the Olympics on TV. The networks are way too excited about low ratings and high Web traffic. It’s not an even exchange in one medium for the other. I see danger ahead for shortsighted media execs.
From the World Association of Newspapers' Advertising Conference in Paris. Vin Crosbie says "The revenue generated from a print reader is 20 to 100 times more than the revenue generated by the user of a newspaper's website. To put it another way, for every print edition reader lost, the newspaper would have to gain between 20 and 100 website users to replace the lost revenues
NBC is stepping up to show its ability to peer into the future. The Peacock Network is offering free Apple iTunes downloads of the pilot episode of “Conviction,” a new show from Emmy-winner Dick Wolf, set to debut on March 3rd. Given the ratings success NBC has had for “The Office” by selling downloads, this move is a logical progression of its future digital strategy.
When incumbent media companies team up with smart partners (such as Apple) the net result is powerful.
There is lots of talk about a number of new media players which will soon be entering the market to compete with the iPod. Hey, why not, it’s a free market. But, here are some issues that these hopeful entrants must consider:
1. Any new player must support open MPEG-4, the lingua franca of the videoblogging world. 2. Any new player must have open MP3 support to facilitate podcasters and listeners. 3. Any new player company must have some tools to empower community sharing of content. 4. Any new player company must have some capabilities to empower consumer creators, such as easy MPEG-4 editing tools for videobloggers (like iMovie) and for podcasters (like Garageband).
Here’s a statement of the obvious from Daniel Okrent, former NY Times ombudsman:
Blogs will overcome mainstream media as a source of news unless traditional media organizations successfully transfer the integrity of their brands onto the Internet, the former ombudsman of The New York Times says.
Is the game already over? A number of newspapers are stumbling in their efforts to incorporate blogs into their coverage maps, because they are hung up with old rules of workflow and editing. I particularly like the one newspaper that has separate blogging systems-- one for staffers (reporters and columnists) and another for consumer contributors. Who dreamed up that IT nightmare?
The window for newspapers is rapidly closing. The social community notions of Web 2.0 fall smack in the middle of what most newspaper used to be about. Get with it, or get out of the way.
For the better part of the last three years, Mike and I have been wondering when Starbucks would step up and take advantage of its large Wi-Fi network. The possibilities are endless, ranging from an in-house TV network that can be accessed by all manner of devices in its cafes to turning Starbucks cafes into media centers for Podcasters and Videobloggers. Come to the café, have a coffee and record your Podcast or upload the video you just shot.
I am not sure what to think of the new Monday Night Football crew. Individually, the announcers (Tirico, Kornheiser, Theismann) are good, but I am not sure how the team dynamic works. Joe Theismann, a former player, has decent insight, but tends to fall in love with the sound of his own voice and talk over his colleagues. How he mixes with Kornheiser (a favorite of mine as a columnist, radio personality and TV commentator) might not work and fall flat. Tony Kornheiser, as a judge on that reality ESPN wanna-be-a-Sportscneter anchor show, was way out of his element. But on radio, his extemporaneous comments were brilliant and often controversial. In fact, once he was suspended for an on-air comment.
Mike Tirico is quietly one of the best play-by-play men around (he does NBA and college sports). He has class, a smooth style and knows how to let the moment be the star. My sense is he’ll be able to bring out the best in his new colleagues. Tirico did a good job bringing out the limited warmth from Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick during the Super Bowl XL coverage.
Well, it’s no Dandy Don and Howard Cosell, but it could be interesting…
iFilm gives those on the Web the ability to cut and paste emebedded players for their favorite Super Bowl 40 ads and place those ads on their blogs, social communities, etc...
Now, if only the TV networks and film studios understood the power of such viral buzz, we'd really be on the way to what Mark Sigal (of vSocial) calls "water cooler videos."
I hate LA. I always have, and suspect I always will.
Reasons? The traffic, the smog, the $60/one hour cab ride from the airport, the plastic people, mindless conversations about long work commutes, oddball posers on the street, the pretense…and did I mention the traffic? And how can you like a place that recognizes the talent of the Olsen Twins by rewarding them with a Star on the Walk of Fame. And what's there to like about the Dodgers and/or The Lakers?
I was excited to see that ESPN would be airing the World Baseball Classic games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Desportes. I am looking forward to my coverage of the WBC games (here in Arizona and in San Diego). I am not looking to encounter the wrath of Major League Baseball, Fidel Castro or the Treasury Department, so I will have no game footage. I will, however, have lots of pre-game action, events in and around the semis and finals in San Diego and whatever cool stuff related to the game happens to unfold in front of my lens.
After a little more than a year, I figured it was time to make some steps toward actually creating “a program” or a segment of a program. My first stab--which required some interesting editing lessons--is this clip that provides a commentary on the advertising buzz around Super Bowl XL.
This give me more impetus to 1) Buy a tripod 2) Set up a studio in my garage and 3) Be first in line for that new Sanyo HD1 camera which not only shoots in high definitions but also has an external microphone.
According to published reports, Amazon plans on offering streamed downloads of movies. OK. Interesting plan as Amazon experimented with movies on its site a while back (independent feature-ettes that actually were quite cool). But this? Not sure what the plan is and how it will prevent people from capturing the streams (no brainier) and circulating them on the Web. I imagine there will be some sort of DRM scheme, but that remains to be seen.. When companies proclaim that by using streams consumers cannot download them, they are naive and shortsighted (and don’t spend much time at hackers sites).
Lots of pieces of this puzzle are missing, but the cognoscenti have been waiting for Amazon (and eBay as well) to enter the digital download fray. Does Apple have anything to worry about? Doubtful.
In the past week, I have spoken to a few executives in the video hosting/community space, attempting to get deeper insight into the trends for 2006. Specifically, I am anxious to get a handle on what business models will be tried and what business models will likely work.
It’s clear (just look down the page) that I use vSocial as the host for my clips (although you also can download them from this blog). After talking to the execs from Revver yesterday, I decided to try out their model in which consumer creators get paid a percentage of ads that are viewed when surfers click through on their videos. So, I tried it. I added a Revver-hosted clip for an older video that’s popular (I know from Google video logs). So, I am here to report I made $1.20 yesterday on that video. Now, that’s one video—an older one at that. Am I tempted to try more? You betcha. Will the ad model that rewards consumer creators who offer up interesting clips work? Not sure, but it looks promising.
One of our favorite Phoenix haunts, Luby’s, is out of our life. The Luby’s, located in Paradise Valley Mall, closed, leaving the area with one cafeteria, that being WAY OUT on Bell Avenue on the way to Surprise Stadium. Some folks think Luby’s is a restaurant for seniors, but it has great, fresh food with a wide selection. I think, as I said in the clip, it makes me doubly sad as it’s a place we used to go with my father when he lived in the area. Guess, it’s one more reason to visit Texas--Luby’s stronghold (as well as corporate headquarters).
Even though I have only seen one episode of “Ham on the Street,” a clever new show on Food TV, I proclaim it a hit. George Duran, the star, does clever “man on the street” bits that showcase his talent as a chef who’s up for a laugh or good gag. As I learned later on, Duran is a former radio personality who (five years ago) went to Paris to become a trained chef. In the show I saw, he hollowed out some hot dogs using some hardware paraphernalia and filled them with cheese, peppers and other assorted goodies. He then had some hardware store employees sample the handwork, and the humor ensured. It was funnier than it sounds.
The highlight was when Duran (who is a native of Venezuela) made some Venezuelan hot dogs (topped with potato ships) and offered them to some Brooklyn Cyclone players who also were from his South American home. One guy ate six; wonder if he ran out of gas late in the game?
The promo for the next show included midnight turkey bowling in the aisles of a supermarket. Don’t miss it.
Will “Ham on the Street” challenge “Good Eats” as my favorite Food TV show? Right now, it’s a close second.
There’s a growing problem with all the video communities (Youtube, vSocial, etc..). Those who upload videos to the communities do not understand that offering a 10 second clip of “Family Guy,” some obscure European TV commercial or 20 seconds of their favorite “SNL” bit is NOT consumer generated content. It is consumer ripped off content. I find it frustrating when so many consumer creators are trying to use these communities as a venue to experiment with video and test this exciting medium. At some point, TV networks will figure out a way for consumers to license clips of TV shows for creative purposes, but we're not there now.
For a second, let’s overlook the fact that ripping off commercial TV is illegal. More important, it’s boring. VERY BORING. I implore these communities to start taking these clips off their sites and/or institute filters that find and delete them. Actually, one of the better things about Google’s video upload service, is that they attempt to nuke these ripped off clips before they make their way to the Google video search index. Sometimes, the filter is on too strong and legit stuff gets nuked, but that’s OK.
If I want to watch “Family Guy,” I’ll tune to Fox; that’s where it belongs. NOT on the video community sites.
As 2006 becomes the year in which the monetization of digital media moves forward, here are two blows against the incumbent radio empire:
**Podtrac, a leader in connecting podcasters and advertisers, today announced the availability of the first on-line advertising auction to determine ad rates for the podcasting market.Podtrac also announced that beginning today, advertisers and advertising agencies can buy advertisements in individual podcasts from Podtrac.To facilitate ad sales, Podtrac offers customized podcast media plans, access to Podtrac Demographic Profiles and Podtrac Media Kits.The combined ad offerings give the advertising industry, for the first time, the services they need to include podcasting in their advertising and media strategies.
**Google Inc. announced it has agreed to acquire dMarc Broadcasting, Inc., a Newport Beach, Calif.-based digital solutions provider for the radio broadcast industry.
dMarc connects advertisers directly to radio stations through its automated advertising platform. The platform simplifies the sales process, scheduling, delivery and reporting of radio advertising, enabling advertisers to more efficiently purchase and track their campaigns. For broadcasters, dMarc's technology automatically schedules and places advertising, helping to increase revenue and decrease the costs associated with processing advertisements.
In the future, Google plans to integrate dMarc technology into the Google AdWords platform, creating a new radio ad distribution channel for Google advertisers.
