Video, Film, and Television

More SOPA Updates

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It just keeps coming despite the impending holiday.

So le'ts get to my roundup.

  • GoDaddy isn't just being smacked, it seems they're being made an example of.  I don't know their future, but if you work there, you're probably going to want to keep an open mind on new employment – and remember being there may now tarnish you.  I haven't seen this level of hatred for awhile.
  • SOPA awareness is increasing all the time – and the GoDaddy thing fuels it.  Getting SOPA/PIPA through Congress is going to become next to impossible, though I do expect people to try.  Stay aware of this.
  • There are more holes in the "Pro-SOPA/PIPA" alliance than we thought and more are forming.  I'm also thinking this makes the US Chamber of Commerce look even worse – and they've been in political crosshairs for awhile for their positions and backing.  There may be further political fallout for them, and believe me they're not liked in some areas.
  • This has increased awareness of how the U.S. government functions – and doesn't.  It could become a catalyst or a bigger political issue.
  • Some companies took a beating in this (most noteably Google).  Now's a chance for a turnaround.  SOPA non-support could be a powerful political/marketing/reputational tool.
  • Despite SOPA support some companies are going to get forgiven pretty quickly, let's be honest about that.

– Steven Savage

 

 

Steve’s Kill Your Cable Adventure #4: Into The Abyss

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Last week was a convenient way to practice Kill Your Cable – my roommate was out for a trip.  So I decided to go Cold Turducken and not watch anything on cable – just via other sources.

Here's what I found:

  • Hulu has ads, and that annoys me, but when you think about it you get a half-decent selection for a low price.  Being ad-free should not be a measure of something's value, it's more per-dollars.  I get used to it – but I'd pony up a little more for no ads.
  • Netflix still has an amazing selection of items.
  • The XBox really is evolving nicely as a media machine – I like what it can do and I think the latest update shows Microsoft is finding it's niche.  As they have a good gaming box and PC gaming is big, I figure it's entertainment.
  • Any browser hooked to a TV is valuable – because a TV really is a giant honking monitor.  Don't deny the possibility of using it to run shows off of a computer normally not used for the process.
  • The update to the Logitech Revue, which includes apps, is a nice start.  It's got a ways to go, but I think a big advantage of potential Killboxes for Cable is their updatability.
  • The act of having to search for things to watch actually opens up your horizons to other shows, properties, etc.
  • I missed Glee and realized I didn't miss Glee.  Still want a show with Kurt, Blaine, and Puck living together.  That's just me. 

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Apple TV: Not Quite An Assault, But . . .

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Apple TV itself was a bit of a curiosity – at $99 it was an easy-to-purchase curiosity. But it didn't exactly overwhelm the critics.

Well Apple hasn't given up on TV.  Here's a roundup of Apple's upcoming plans, courtesy of the WSJ. There are some skeptics to say the least.

An Apple venture into TV full force would mean economic, cultural, and employment shifts, so of course I'm curious. There's also breathless speculation about how Steve Jobs somehow "finally cracked" the TV problem before his death. Considering the potential impact, progeeks like ourselves need to keep up on this.

However I find myself pretty much in agreement with Philip Elmer-DeWitt. Apple's products are evolutions, so there is nothing new and radical – we'll see an evolution of what's already out there.

I'd actually add I think this is one reason for Apple's success – they deliberately evolve and build on technology where many others start from scratch or throw some new code around the old and declare it done.

Elmer-DeWitt does a pretty good job of summing up the basic idea – the new Apple TV will be the old Apple TV evolved, but I'd add my own thoughts – and their impacts.

  • Apple will do something with TV. They've had their first venture and they can't avoid it. Apple TV: The Sequel is coming.
  • I agree Apple will build on Apple TV, since it's what they do. If you're a developer who wants to work with or on Apple technology in video, study up on it now.
  • Cross-platform integration will be a big feature of theirs, and a big selling point. No one else has this level of potential integration yet – but they'll want to build it. You could help.
  • Apple will rely on brand loyalty and reputation to sell this. That could mean that quality issues may not be the biggest factor affecting sales, which would mean predicting the market is harder.
  • Apple can't fail at this – really just not succeed too well. This gives them leeway, and they may play long game here. They may leave it to others to fail, not to themselves to succeed.
  • It's clear that the future of television is going to be different and unusual controls. I think it's clear that Apple already is focusing on voice commands. The media box battle of the near future will be Neo-Kinect versus Neo-Siri. Microsoft's hackable Kinect was a field day for them, making it popular and helping people learn, An advantage Apple does not have and is unlikely to cultivate.
  • Video is so clearly the future battleground, we can expect all sorts of nasty legal battles. You can be sure all sides in this are already prepping legal teams, and what happens here could have legal impact for years if not decades.
  • How non-big name distribution works in our video future will be important to the efforts of people not affiliated with big (or medium) studios. You need to follow this very carefully if that's you. It's also possible that someone (possibly Google) will see the long-tail potential in the smaller producers and take advantage of that, using small-scale creators as an edge.
  • Timeframe for the next Apple TV? I expect an iteration before next Christmas.
  • I figure Apple is already working on this, so I'm not sure how many employment opportunities it will bring, but I suspect there could be an increase after the next iteration.
  • I think it'll be likely that the future App TV will carry apps, which would be an opportunity for developers, depending on the restrictions.

– Steven Savage