David Eckoff blog » Mobile http://davideckoff.com On Innovation, New Media & The Bigger Better Deal Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:41:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 New distribution methods for TV programming http://davideckoff.com/2006/05/new-distribution-methods-for-tv-programming.html http://davideckoff.com/2006/05/new-distribution-methods-for-tv-programming.html#comments Mon, 01 May 2006 16:59:25 +0000 David Eckoff http://davideckoff.com/?p=34

Newsday has a good read, “TV or more TV?” The article focuses on the changing ways you can watch TV now that you can watch your favorite shows on your computer, cell phone or iPod.

The video-cable iPod is credited with getting the ball rolling last October, with ABC offering downloads of “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives,” commercial-free for $1.99 per episode. CBS and my industry colleague Brinley Turner then jumped into the fray, offering fee-based episodes online of new “Survivor” episodes immediately after their airing, while NBC and other cable channels have joined ABC on the iPod bandwagon.

With video now on the Internet, iPods, VOD and cell phones, the article questions if the current flurry of high-tech innovation seems to be outpacing viewer desires and the ability to follow the fast-moving developments.

“Basically, some products are being pushed forward,” says media analyst Phillip Swann of TVPredictions.com, “not so much because consumers are rising up demanding it, but because the technology could create it.”

But David Katz, head of sports and entertainment for Yahoo! Media Group, (and formerly of CBS where he and Scott Ehrlich formerly of RealNetworks got together five years ago to pioneer the leading edge live online video “Big Brother 24/7″) notes: “If you look at high-definition TV sets, they all have Ethernet jacks in the back for you to put a high-speed connection in. … That then kind of blurs the line. Are you getting content from a network? Are you getting content from a Web site? Does it really matter to you?”

]]> http://davideckoff.com/2006/05/new-distribution-methods-for-tv-programming.html/feed 0 TV on the Net http://davideckoff.com/2006/03/tv-on-the-net.html http://davideckoff.com/2006/03/tv-on-the-net.html#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2006 12:00:06 +0000 David Eckoff http://davideckoff.com/?p=31

What is the future of Internet TV?

The Patriot-News published an article yesterday based on a speech by Phil Swann, entitled “Video Without Borders.”

Swann is publisher of TVPredictions.com, and his premise is that in the next few years, television will experience a revolution with the emergence of Internet TV. Swann predicts that viewers will be able to download thousands of shows and movies from the Internet directly to their TVs.

Swann also revealed his secret formula for making predictions about the television industry, a three-part test for how to evaluate new technology:

  • Is it easy to use and understand for the consumer?
  • Does it add convenience to someone’s life?
  • Does it add entertainment?

    With that in mind, Swann had some harsh criticism for Apple Computer Inc.’s video iPod.

    The original, audio-only iPod passes all three tests, he says. But the video iPod, with its 2.5-inch screen, “is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen. It’s a classic case of technology flaunting,” Swann told The Patriot News.

    “Cell-phone TV is even dumber than the video iPod,” Swann said.

    Whoa, hold on there Swanni. There are more than a few people who would have to disagree on that last observation. Namely the more than 500,000 paying subscribers to MobiTV, which provides the mobile TV service for Sprint and Cingular.

    I expect we’re going to find that many people who like TV… will like mobile TV. But there’s more that needs to be done before mobile services deliver a user experience that passes Swann’s three rules.

    Related Links:

  • The Washington Post hosted a live chat with Swann, covering the topic of HDTV, and it makes for a good read.
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