SteveTube
Coming in June, YouTube on your widescreen via Apple TV. Barely acceptable web video makes for unacceptable HDTV content, but that misses a bigger point. Is this combination of two of the biggest names in online media and content distribution IPTVs killer app? Many have said this is what IPTV has been waiting for to hit the mainstream.
Some questions to consider:
- Apple and Google will have to tackle the interface issue. A huge part YouTube’s appeal is that it’s so easy to change the channel. How will Apple TV fare without a mouse and keyboard?
- Why not open up Apple TV to FLV, rather than convert the YouTube catalog to H.264? This seems like an opportunity missed, or is DRM coming to YouTube?
- What about context? YouTube is great for killing a few minutes here and there (especially at work). Will it become the commercial break destination, further eroding the reach of the :30 spot?
- This is exciting for independent producers. Finally a real gateway into the living room. Will we be allowed to build a business model around it? Probably not anytime soon.
- If YouTube on Apple TV succeed, will other distributors get in line?
Interesting times. The possibility of the independent content market exploding is very exciting = just as I’m going back to big media.
My colleague at StudioDaily.com, Park Seward, also had some interesting points.
Summer of NASCAR
So now that it’s official, I can tell the world. I’m taking a brief leave of absence from my duties with Kingpin Interactive and Xprove to work with a team from ABC News as a producer/editor for a series on NASCAR.
Through all my career changes of the past seven years – e-business consultant, web designer, MBA candidate, software developer, teacher, and writer – whenever someone asked what industry I was in the answer was always, “Television. I’m an editor.”
I will return to Kingpin and Xprove in September. My work in both companies isn’t done. But the stars aligned and I had to jump at the chance. I know I won’t be able to resist answering Xprove support queries on the weekends. Nor will I be able to keep my nose out of the Kingpin projects in the pipeline, but everything’s in good hands.
I’ll continue to blog here and at StudioDaily.com. Being in the trenches day in and day out will surely provide me with a different perspective.
Hoping Dan, Dave, and my clients will have me back in September.
Amazon going DRM-free, Adobe wins
Consumers hate DRM. It’s plain stupid. I buy a piece of music for my personal entertainment and I should be able to use it as I please – in the car, in the iPod, on my phone, as a ring tone. I paid for it, so leave me alone.
In the digital world music leads and video follows. At least that’s been the consultants’ pitch to the studios – the digital music business is a predictor of the online video business. Of course that glosses over significant differences in the user experience, but let’s go with it.
Amazon’s announcement that it will sell all its music DRM-free is a winner, and it’s possible because there is a universally accepted digital music format – MP3. iPods, Zunes, Zens, PCs, and Macs all play MP3 files. This is a winning strategy.
But what about video? Right now, there’s no standard video format that every device plays. Flash is close, but Apple TV, video iPods, PlayStations, Xboxes, and many more don’t play FLV files.
Video needs its own MP3 format. Users will determine what that is, and my guess is that it will be FLV. Those that don’t jump on board and support the format are destined to remain on the fringe of the IPTV world.
Adobe video applications’ return to the Mac, the content creation platform of choice, and the development of the Adobe Media Player look pretty darn smart right now.
A different approach to NLE workflows
Today I met with Boris Yamnitsky, the founder of Boris FX. You know you are the ultimate video geek when you Google “Boris Y” to check the spelling of his last name and you’re surprised Boris Yeltsin pops up first.
Anyway, Boris had a very interesting take on my take on Avid’s predicament. He doesn’t understand my fixation with need for software suites. In his view, properly implemented plug-in strategies meet the user’s needs more cost effectively. You might expect something like that from someone who made his name in the plug-in space, but he brings up a significant point.
Added May 20, 2007: Boris FX whitepaper on RED in Final Cut Pro. It makes a surprisingly strong case for RED over Motion.
The major NLEs are all pretty feature-laden, and there’s a lot of video work being done that doesn’t require a lot of back forth between NLE, compositor, compressor, and DVD authoring tool. Also, many of those ancillary tasks still require a specialist and are done at different workstations.
Yet anyone who has edited professionally over the past decade has also seen that the editor’s job is expanding gradually. Rostrum work, basic color grading, and motion graphics are now part of the editor’s job description. This is where Boris sees opportunity. Editors want to work in NLEs, so Boris brings the tools to the NLE.
Our views are not as diametrically opposed as they might appear at first blush. The NLE decision today is purely workflow-based. For example, an XDCAM production is best served by Avid, Varicam by Final Cut Pro, and a video-driven Flash site by Premiere Pro. Many editors must be comfortable on multiple platforms, and those editors aren’t going to want to learn multiple compositing, DVD authoring, and motion graphics applications. So there will always be a place for well-integrated tools that work across a variety of platforms.
Who’d have thought?
Ten or so years ago the Boris FX booth at NAB was a few feet square, and Media 100 had a huge presence. Now Boris owns Media 100.
Ten or so years ago Promax had virtually no presence at NAB and SGI was a must-see, this year the Promax booth was the same size as SGI’s and its foot traffic looked to be a factor of ten greater than SGI’s.
What small vendor do you think will be a major player in 10 years? Silicon Imaging? Red Giant (not to be confused with giant RED)? Something to ponder during renders.
Mark your calendars
Got a busy week and beyond ahead as I hit the road to peddle Xprove. This week I’ll be at the CTFCPUG meeting to join in the post-NAB discussion on Tuesday.
Wednesday I’ll be at the Boston Avid Users Group meeting to wax poetic on my NAB 2007 takeaways.
And finally, June 1 I’ll venture to scenic Burbank for Alpha Dog’s Editors Lounge with SyncVue’s Michael Buday. The topic will be long distance collaborative editing – a fancy way of saying editing in your underwear. There might be an interesting, carbon neutral announcement.
