Blog » Uncategorized http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:43:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Music, Portability and Convenience http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/2010/05/12/music-portability-and-convenience/ http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/2010/05/12/music-portability-and-convenience/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 21:31:32 +0000 Kate http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/?p=385 This weekend, the New York Times ran a piece on music players and the degradation of music quality in consumers’ quest for ultimate flexibility.  You may ask what we’re doing talking about music quality.  Well, I don’t want to talk about that (although it’s a great subject, it’s for another time and another place), I’d [...]]]> This weekend, the New York Times ran a piece on music players and the degradation of music quality in consumers’ quest for ultimate flexibility.  You may ask what we’re doing talking about music quality.  Well, I don’t want to talk about that (although it’s a great subject, it’s for another time and another place), I’d like to make a few comments on portability and convenience.

“In Mobile Age, Sound Quality Steps Back,” (NYT, 9 May) it’s said that “the ease of loading songs onto a computer or an iPod has meant that a generation of fans has happily traded fidelity for portability and convenience.“

Even more interestingly:

“People used to sit and listen to music,” Mr. Fremer said, but the increased portability has altered the way people experience recorded music. “It was an activity. It is no longer consumed as an event that you pay attention to.”

Instead, music is often carried from place to place, played in the background while the consumer does something else — exercising, commuting or cooking dinner.”

Do you see where I’m going with this?  Even music – its consumption and users’ sound preferences – is changing in a way that supports portability and convenience in a fast-paced world. People are doing multiple actions at once.  If you can load songs onto your iPhone, and listen to your favorite tunes while surfing the net on your bus ride into work, well… so be it.

Again, I’m a music lover, and I appreciate good sound quality (although I can’t say that my ears are as finely tuned as some, but I digress).  However, I also greatly appreciate being able to bring my music with me in a way that makes it very easy for me to consume.  In fact, if it weren’t as easy to consume as popping up the iPod feature on my iPhone… I likely wouldn’t actually listen to it as much.  It’s all on one device.  It’s in my purse, my hand or my car whenever I want it, since I don’t go anywhere without my iPhone.  I don’t even have to think about it.

To some, there may be a trade off between quality and convenience.  But to others, that trade off still doesn’t outweigh the benefits that come from “multi-device convenience.”

]]> http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/2010/05/12/music-portability-and-convenience/feed/ 1 TV Everywhere: Where we are today and where we’re headed http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/2009/11/11/tv-everywhere-where-we-are-today-and-where-were-headed/ http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/2009/11/11/tv-everywhere-where-we-are-today-and-where-were-headed/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:10:51 +0000 Kate http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/?p=90 The “TV Everywhere” concept seems to be just that these days: everywhere. It seems everyone wants a piece of the TV Everywhere pie, and each player is scrambling to be the first/best/only provider.

Of course there are myriad challenges to becoming top dog in the TV Everywhere game, but one thing is certain, we’re likely to [...]]]> The “TV Everywhere” concept seems to be just that these days: everywhere. It seems everyone wants a piece of the TV Everywhere pie, and each player is scrambling to be the first/best/only provider.

Of course there are myriad challenges to becoming top dog in the TV Everywhere game, but one thing is certain, we’re likely to see some major moves made in the next few months. With a major presentation on TV Everywhere coming up this week at industry conference NewTeeVee Live, we’ve put together a round-up of latest news and developments in the TV Everywhere initiative.

Dish Network files to Trademark TV Everywhere

With Comcast, NBC, Apple and others already on the TV Everywhere kick, it might be too little too late to try to trademark the term. It doesn’t really matter anyway. Even if Dish corners the market on the term, major competitors will still be launching solutions and services. Focus on implementation, not what you’re going to name it when it happens!

Apple is Getting in on the TV Everywhere Action (of course)

Did anyone think this wasn’t going to happen? Online media maven Apple sitting out the race for TV Everywhere? So this week, along comes Apple with a report (rumor?) that they are looking to offer a $30 a month service that would give users access to traditional cable and TV programming — without ads. I think a Hulu exec just fainted. Check out the article for the full scoop.

Comcast + NBC = TV Everywhere?

Comcast and NBC’s engagement party is pending, but talks continue and sources say the two companies are close to an agreement on how to value NBC. Core to this relationship is the online TV component, and the options that a joint Hulu/Fancast online service would offer. While most of this is still pure speculation, many agree that this move by Comcast is as focused on securing a top place in the TV Everywhere effort as it is focused on traditional media services.

CableLabs wants providers to help define TV Everywhere

While providers scramble to offer TV Everywhere services, industry groups and gurus are struggling to determine the true definition of TV Everywhere and what technology is necessary for different solutions to work together. For example, this week CableLabs announced an effort to shore up the technical needs for a robust TV Everywhere implementation. The industry group wants vendors to provide its cable provider members “a way to define the technical requirements and architecture for a TV Everywhere rollout that incorporates online video with subscription cable TV while including multiple content owners and multichannel video programming distributors.”

GigaOm Releases Full Report on TV Everywhere

In the theme of trying to define and provide parameters for TV Everywhere, Paul Sweeting has written and released a report through GigaOm Pro offering what he calls a “full lowdown” on TV Everywhere. In it he discusses technical and economic challenges to TV Everywhere efforts and takes a long look at how the country’s many cable, internet and online content providers fit into the TV Everywhere puzzle. Check out the article for more info, or if you’re a GigaOm Pro member, you can read the full report.

]]> http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/2009/11/11/tv-everywhere-where-we-are-today-and-where-were-headed/feed/ 0 Virtual Viewing Parties – Public or Private? http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/2009/10/16/virtual-viewing-parties-public-or-private/ http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/2009/10/16/virtual-viewing-parties-public-or-private/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:29:52 +0000 Kate http://blog.mediafriendsinc.com/?p=38 Virtual viewing parties are popping up everywhere, with Hulu and YouTube both coming to the table (check out YouTube’s viewing party of Taxi Driver tonight at 9pm EST).

These developments are all moving the Social TV space in the right direction, and also highlight some of the main decisions that providers will need to make when [...]]]> Virtual viewing parties are popping up everywhere, with Hulu and YouTube both coming to the table (check out YouTube’s viewing party of Taxi Driver tonight at 9pm EST).

These developments are all moving the Social TV space in the right direction, and also highlight some of the main decisions that providers will need to make when they think about offering these services.

One of the major decisions is whether or not to have virtual viewing parties – or any group interaction – public or private.  Tonight’s YouTube showing will integrate Twitter, resulting in an entirely public experience.  For Hulu’s viewing party, they did offer the option of either getting the full stream of comments during the show, or filtering it down to the level of their friends.  We take conversation to an even more private level, using SMS and basing group members on the contacts in your phone.

All in all, it’ll be interesting to see which level of group interaction the users prefer.  It may be that entirely public viewing is good for some settings, or for some individuals, while others may require a more private level of access.

What would you prefer?  Do you think things will move in the direction of a more public forum, or one that’s more private?

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