Flash - Today's 8-Track Tape Player

For some of those reading this the reference to 8-track tape will not even resonate.  8-track was a technology that came and went because it was only a temporary solution and never really that good.  There was no point in fighting it, if you invested heavily in 8-track tape media (as some have invested today in Flash media) you were going to be left with the hefty cost of  replacing your media and hardware (in today's case streaming infrastructure).

Flash advocates and those heavily invested in the plug-in are dragging their heals and fighting a similar yet inevitable battle as the 8-track generation.  Flash was a temporary solution to what is now a 10 year old problem.  Flash was okay, looked cool and solved some challenges but it has never been that good.  And now with the proliferation of mobile computing on handheld devices Flash has met the end of it's useful life cycle.

Why is Flash today's 8-track?  Because as it was with the 8-track, the delivery systems and technology has advanced to a point where Flash is too bulky.  Mobile devices need to run light so as not to consume battery life too quickly.  Flash as a plug-in takes a lot of computing resources, thus consumes energy rapidly.  Apple's statement to never support Flash on iPhone or iPad was not only prolific but technically correct and the industry has logically followed.  Not because Steve Jobs decreed it but because it is the logical evolution of media to smart devices.

It can be confusing for someone who keeps an eye on the latest gadgets (phones, tablets,. etc.).  At a glance it would seem that Blackberry and Android based devices have adopted Flash, thereby keeping the plug-in relevant.  In actuality this is no different that the cross over stereo of the day which had both a cassette and 8-track player.

In the 10's decade online media appears to be the domain of Apple and Google.  Although Microsoft today has had the unenviable persona as an un-hip and uber behind the times sloth, they still have an install base that cannot be denied or ignored.  So when Redmond announces Windows 8 and IE 10 and makes it abundantly clear that the new age is HTML-5 (plug-in free browsing), one still must take note.

Apple - No Flash
Microsoft - HTML-5
Google - WebM

Like the deprecation of the 8-track, when all the major labels stopped producing titles in the format, it was over.  The web's "major labels" above, have made it very clear what the future of mobile browsing will be and that is a plug-in free software environment.  The desktops, set top boxes and gaming consoles will all follow.

Unfortunately no one is likely going to buy your Flash based streaming media site at a flee market or garage sale even if they are nostalgic for that old format.  Best bet is to cut your losses and look ahead but do be careful.  As I write this today, HTML-5 is still bleeding edge.  Few companies have had the required experience with it nor do they have the knowledge and background on the evolution to make it work correctly.  So when you approach providers to assist you, ensure that you are dealing with a company that has the skill set and can accurately explain the migration to HTML-5.  After all, you wouldn't want to spend a kings ransom only to find out that you had inadvertently banked on the equivalent of HD-DVD

Thanks for your interest, davemcilroy.com

Going, going... Silverlight

The writing has been on the wall for some time. Microsoft Silverlight was nothing more than a reactive response to Adobe's Flash. As Flash will ultimately go, Silverlight already has. Get over it! We no longer use Morse code either.

Microsoft, in order to have any place in the evolving "cloud based" Internet, have more or less left Silverlight for dead as their latest OS Microsoft 8 is presented to developers.

The frustrated pro Silverlight Developers, flooded and flamed MSFT Silverlight forums.

I can appreciate the frustration that these developers are experiencing but it's over boys and girls.  Time to move on and realize that the future is HTML5.

This also means Flash is history.  Although Adobe is putting up a good fight, they cannot stave off the inevitable memetic transformation that is video without plugins.

Thanks for your interest, davemcilroy.com

Heeeeeeere's WebM!

With Larry Page (co-founder, Google) replacing Eric Schmidt, all eyes are on the company to see what new culture Page may bring. Perhaps the most recent push of WebM is an indication. 

Google Chrome browser dropped support for H.264 in January 2011, around the same time Page took the helm. There is a distinct commitment to promote the HTML5 platform and this has been made even more apparent with YouTube announcing that it is WebM transcoding all of the new videos uploaded and at the same time "reformatting" the existing library.


According to the YouTube Blog, the H.264 video codec will still be accepted as an uploaded format but WebM is the playback.


Opera, and Mozilla are fully behind this move and the recently released IE9 is HTML5 ready.  So we will be seeing more an more video content streaming to HTML5 based players embedded in web pages, blogs etc.


This translates big-time for the smartphone market.  HTML5 can run on a smartphone with far less overhead than Flash.  As Android OS based phones continue to expand into the marketplace, content providers will be scrambling to transcode their titles and streaming video platforms will need to bite the bullet and swap out the Flash based front and back end systems.


Below is a sample of HTML5 based video.  Note you will need an HTML5 compatible browser to view WebM and you will need to Join the HTML5 trial

Thanks for your interest, davemcilroy.com

Internet Broadcasting: A Look Forward into 2011 and Beyond

In an interview with Streaming Media magazine, I was asked for my observations, trends and predictions based on the current state and future status of the Streaming media industry.  In this article, among other issues, we discussed how models shift from free (ad supported) to pay based content.  By conditioning an online audience that highly specific content is a good value proposition, thus smaller content producers have aided the larger aggregators like Hulu and Netflix in gaining market share.  The article supports some fascinating findings from comScore for example, "Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed like the fact that it is easy to discover new shows by finding them online; 13% just plain prefer the online viewing experience, and 9% either don’t have a TV or, if they do, don’t subscribe to cable or satellite".



The conversation always wants to shift to "traditional TV Vs online broadcasts", this is not germane to the discussion.  The big networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox) will most certainly be around and will continue to produce content for traditional TV.  What we have seen is content moving online as well as airing as a TV broadcast.  Maybe it is segmented into clips or in other cases it is full episodes but very often it finds its way to a web portal / content site.  Where the conversation needs to focus is what we know as Cable TV and delivery.  As more and more users find it convenient to download or stream programs to computers, STBs and related mobile devices, Cable becomes redundant as a linear broadcast stream.  Just look at the amount of infomercial content that has begun to air closer to prime time.  You never saw that ten years ago.


Also of interest in the article is a look at the explosion of STBs (set top boxes) that make it simple to connect an Internet Broadcast stream to a TV, standard or HD sets.  At PlayFullScreen we have leveraged this to enhance the viewer experience for the content that many of our clients produce.


Looking forward to the next 3 - 5 years, more advertising dollars are going to find their way into and around streaming video content.  2011 looks to be the breakout year for Internet Broadcasting.  If you have content like, sports, entertainment, lectures and how to demonstartions, become your own broadcast media company, the timing has never been better.


You can find the entire article at StreamingMedia.com




  

Thanks for your interest, davemcilroy.com

As forecast - Big Media Comes Looking for Little Media Content

Not to sound smug... no I take that back. I am a bit smug on this one.
Your content matters and you should become your own broadcast media company.  
I have been advocating this for some time now, advising my clients that the time to begin broadcasting online is now!  Get a jump on the learning curve.  Perfect your production techniques, work on better lighting and audio.  Try different camera angles, etc.  As you do this, you will be considerably ahead of others who are surely to follow.  The logic I have used and claimed was based on the trends that were and still are clearly evident.  Internet and Television are melding.  Digital channels and 24 hour specialty networks need original content.  This has now escalated to the giants of TV, The Networks.



NBC's Owned and Operated Stations are looking to partner with nonprofit news organizations


Under the terms of the FCC order approving Comcast’s takeover of NBCU, at least half of NBC’s 10 O&Os have to find a nonprofit news center with which to work within the next year.  Will other networks follow?


While the FCC has focused on news reporting, this may be the tipping point for other content like sports, arts and entertainment and lecture series.  


In Canada, the CRTC has a major issue on their hands.  As the big Cable and Telephone companies continue to buy up television networks, radio and specialty channels, the balance of power is amalgamating in the hands of a few.  Independence in news and other community interests is being lost to corporate cost cutting and down sizing.  Will the CRTC step in and demand that Rogers, Shaw, and Bell look to independent non-profits for news?  If so, this would quickly lead to other content partnerships.


While the major networks in Canada are slow to learn, once they have a model, it becomes a game of follow the leader.  As these media giants continue to lose cord cutting customers to Internet only accounts, it will become a race for original online content even in "micro-niche" segments.  After all, eyeballs are eyeballs and if the new paradigm is to reach them any way you can, then acquiring access to the viewers of this narrow cast content will be on the agenda.


The opportunity for independent content publishers to work with networks will happen sooner than later in Canada.  The last attempt by the big three (Rogers, Bell & Shaw) to lobby the CRTC and force "usage based billing (UBB)" on Internet subscribers has blown up the CRTC's face.  As the backlash mounted the CRTC had no choice but to bow to the pressure and review the ruling before it was ordered to do so by the government.  With this issue potentially skirted, there is nothing to get in the way of the natural progression of online content becoming common place in Canadian's homes.

Thanks for your interest, davemcilroy.com