GigaOM has a very good first look (with screen shots) of The Venice Project, from the boys who co-founded Skype.

Back in 1999/2000 there was an app that pushed hugh bandwidth content to users. I recall using it on a broadband connection at my office at the time, it was a pig, very slow and crashed a lot but it reminds me of this, does anyone remember that program?

Bear Sterns research published their Long Tail assessment of the state of Television which they see as shifting to content owner. Among other observations they feel that “Aggregation and Context” will be king and not content.

Slide 11 has an interesting comparison of the "Economy of Scarcity" verses the "Economy of Abundance" matching unlimited content with an optimal supply/demand mix.

While there is an unlimited amount of content chasing eyeballs, the question from my perspective is in creating networks and applications which allow for content convergence, to enable media to follow people from platform to platform in an easy to use fashion. Currently, the technical sophistication for the average citizen, still the vast majority of TV viewers is too high and complex. After all, from the latest reports I've read only about 9 or 10% of the public are using DVR's and that figure may be less for Slingbox or NeuLion type devices.

On slide 13, one of their questions is "Will Niche User Generated Content Find a Audience" Of course that has already been answered, the question is can content creators afford to create content for Internet TV and IPTV distribution for niche audiences? Business Week had a very good article in the December 4th issue, "You Oughta be In Webcasts" While there were examples of low budget, professionally produced niche content projects resonating with audiences, there still is the challenge of making a living. In talking about the show, The Burg the article spoke to the financial obstacles still facing Indie producers.

" Advertisers, including Dewar's, have approached the shows creator, Kathleen Grace, about running video ads ahead of the episodes. The rates are competitive with those of rich media ads offered on other sites, she says, but since they're based on the hits a site gets and her audience is only about 10,000 per episode, any ad revenue generated won't even cover her bandwidth costs, let alone pay the cast and crew. (The show is currently self-financed.)"

What changes to the mix are required in order for this show to succeed financially? A few thoughts come to mind.

- Audience share goes up, which translates in to increased ad revenue and more advertisers
- Equipment costs comes down (they are likely already shooting on low cost DV gear)
- Bandwidth costs comes down (not likely in the short term)
- Show generated significant media buzz and gets picked up by a studio
- Other?

The rest of the Bear Sterns report covers market players, size and share metrics and is well worth reading.

The moment has arrived. After combing through hundreds of submissions, we are proud to announce the results of IPTV Evangelist’s first-annual IPTV Top 50. We would like to thank everyone who participated and to congratulate those whose names adorn our list. All the usual suspects are there, along with more than a few surprises.

Also, the site owners would like to congratulate everyone named and to thank everyone who contributed, especially Anastasia Wylie, who nominated Mike Hudack of Blip.TV. She is the winner of our random drawing who will receive a free case of wine courtesy of WineLibrary TV.

I was at the New York Video 2.0 Group Meetup last week and after the formal presentations had an interesting conversation with Ari Paparo, VP Rich Media - DoubleClick. According to Ari, there are there are few sites and content creators who are going to benefit in the short term from pre-roll revenue from major advertisers. His reasoning is there is less inventory chasing content then people think and that advertisers are still very concerned over the placement of their spots.

Recently, I came across TurnHere, a company based on the premise that low-cost video advertising can address local needs and even national brands. Their mantra is if the quality is good, the message is clear and compelling, content is not be placed against inappropriate user generated media and local crews can offset travel overhead then it becomes a compelling channel for local advertisers.

Having looked at their site, this is nothing like the local cable Ad spots that come to mind and adding Google maps of establishments with inserted video spots is a very convenient and compelling way to browse different stores while getting an idea of where they are located. If this moves to cell phones and PDA's via Flash mobile then you will really have a mobile Yellow Pages. Add an onboard GPS, such as with the current Sprint Blackberry and you can do a lot more then "let your fingers do the walking" as the old slogan went.

So back to pre-rolls and content producers. If it is going to be tough sledding for producers to generate any meaningful revenue from online distribution companies like Blip, Brightcove, Revver, or similar models, perhaps TurnHere might leverage this talent base adding to their spots, local flavor stories to included select entertainment content?

As companies look for meaningful, content they should reach out to the on-line community of Indie producer who are looking to make a living on-line and get their content shown.

Who are the most influential movers and shakers of the emerging field of Internet Television?

Which individuals have created innovative technologies; lobbied for industry or regulatory change; created a killer on-line community or been the most visible personalities who are making IPTV a white-hot field for growth?

Follow the link to the TOP 50 section of the site and cast you vote!

Participants are entered into a drawing to win a case of wine. Sponsored by Wine Library TV

I was in Union Square recently and walked past this group of film students shooting a scene. Aside from a flashback to my days in film school when I used what looks like an Arri SB camera in the photo, I was also surprised by what was absent, namely any form of modern technology for creating content in this white-hot field of IPTV.

Now, the fundamentals of filmmaking are not solely technology driven. As a DP, learning about composition, lighting, working with boards, and the rest does not require a DV camera connected to a laptop running WM Encoder. What I wonder when I'm looking at this photo is what do these aspiring filmmakers know of IPTV, the coming transformation of analog to digital content delivery, and how well prepared will they be in a field where, I believe, differentiation is the key to success.
I worked on a shoot in the early 1990's with a successful DP who at the time had purchased an Aaton Super 16. It was not long before he was mostly getting requests for tape as that movement took root. What that person had to do ultimately was purchase a Betacam package in order to stay current with technology and the trend in content delivery.

My question is how many film schools are creating curriculum to teach students about IPTV production? Topics include: Shooting content for fixed or mobile devices (mobile has its own set of requirements), compression, extensibility across different players and platforms, embedded adverts and consumer conversion, digital rights management issues, technologies and authentication, revenue share models, and so on?

I welcome speaking with educators out there who are interested in discussing this in greater detail....

This is where I go a bit off the reservation of IPTV technology, trends, and the user to address broadband Ad placement. Now, I am not an Ad guy and I don't play one on TV either, but I am a consumer, so here goes.

In the July, issue of OMMA entitled Broadband Bonanza (registration required), Jonathan Blum wrote about the concerns and issues of Ad placement for campaigns. Of note was a section on the "leap of faith" advertisers must take and how buys are charged at a premium even though it is unclear how engaged the audience is.

Ok, here is my through line.

Take the hit HBO show Entourage; they know how to create community and get the audience engaged. There is even a Myspace page and contest. Deep Focus created an interactive with Ari interviewing would-be assistants - it is well-produced and engaging. There are even user-generated versions of the show. All of this speak to the show's loyalty and its ability to be viral!

The article went on to say, "' It boils down to paying for the option of getting the consumer when they are leaning forward and doing something just before they lean back to watch a clip,'" says Arthur Chan, senior vice president Palisades Media Group, a Los Angeles-based agency. "'Because no one knows how to measure broadband television advertising's effectiveness, questions linger.'"

I know that Neilson is planning to measure DVR usage patterns, and I'd think Broadband would be a ripe area to quantify. Back to my idea: I added a TV set in Ari's office, (below) which seems more in keeping for him than a plant however, why not make that set functional with a pre-roll spot, or perhaps one that plays in the middle which he references as part of the story line, for example.

Part of the story
Certainly, the Deep Focus produced interactive video accomplishes that. However, beyond this a spot could be woven into the story -- remember the spot for a Japanese energy drink that Vince starred in?) A sponsor's Ad could be written into the story line for a show as part of an implicate placement without compromising the integrity of the writing.

Make it interactive
Allow users to click on the Ad, which would take them to a micro-site within the HBO page or the sponsor site for more information and hopeful conversion.

Contest for user-generated content
Just as Current TV's V-CAM seeks user-generated spots for well-know brands, shows could employ this sort of user participation into the mix.

Image © 2006 HBO

When I read about the problems with getting the viewer involved and into action, I think there are ready solutions that can be incorporated into the story line. Is Entourage so unique that other shows cannot leverage these interactive tools to engage and thus reach the audience?