Apple’s New Move into Living Room
Posted on June 28, 2010
A couple of weeks ago Apple introduced a “redesigned” MacMini computer. It’s the unit’s biggest upgrade in five years making it especially attractive as an Internet gateway and media center for televisions.
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A MacMini is a computer typically sold without a monitor. Increasingly it is often mated to an HDTV, just like a DVD player or video game console. As a result, the television becomes a gigantic computer monitor. Users often buy a wireless mouse and keyboard in order to control the MacMini from a convenient viewing distance such as the living room sofa.
The unit includes lightning fast dot-11n WiFi enabling it to connect over a home network to the Internet. Consequently, broadband ISP subscribers get high speed Internet right on their televisions. They can choose to watch conventional TV with a one-button click on their TV remote by selecting, for example, the CATV input. Alternately, they can chose Internet access on the TV with a one-button click on the same remote by selecting the socket where the MacMini is connected. Read more…
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Future of Cultural Programming
Posted on June 7, 2010
Phil Leigh
Last year Michael Kaiser of the J.F.K. Performing Arts Center lamented that Arts Programming was vanishing from TV. Since most PBS stations lack the money for quality recording of local performances, he concludes that PBS should reorganize. Instead of relying upon local affiliate productions, he prefers that the parent organization “determine the best in American arts and fund its broadcast across the nation”. Presumably that means PBS must reduce its financial contributions to affiliates, or get Congress give more than the $400 million it presently donates annually – 90% of which passes thorough to local stations.
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Like many leaders of slowly changing businesses, Kaiser fails to recognize how fast the Internet already shifted the ground under his feet. While focusing on PBS and taxpayer subsidies, he neglects to notice that a critical mass of top-quality cultural programming already populates the Net. One example is YouTube which provides three advantages over conventional television. First, it’s free. Second, viewers may watch at anytime instead of designated broadcast times. Third, it’s searchable. Read more…
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Future of Public Broadcasting
Posted on June 3, 2010
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Public Broadcasting offers high quality programming. Presently most of us watch it via one of about 400 local PBS affiliates. However, the most popular shows like Charlie Rose, Masterpiece Theater, Antiques Roadshow, and Nova are produced by only a few originators. Increasingly the creators are also putting many of those shows on the Internet where they can be watched at the viewer’s convenience without needing the local affiliate.
Last year Congress gave the Corporation for Public Broadcasting $400 million. About $360 million passed through to local affiliates. They generally used the money to purchase programs such as those noted above. However, the grants only represent about 20% of the typical affiliates’ overall budget. The other 80% was mostly used to fund affiliate operating overhead. Most of that 80% came from (1) prominent corporate underwriters, (2) grants from the individual states, and (3) “viewers like you”. Read more…
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Ten Months Ahead of Bloomberg
Posted on May 31, 2010
Prompted by the recent GoogleTV announcement, last week Bloomberg-BusinessWeek reported that the product concept would revolutionize advertising in two ways. First, it would lead to a new policy whereby sponsors only pay for ads that get watched. Second, it would enable video ads to be better targeted.
However, regular Inside Digital Media subscribers recognize that we’ve been chanting this mantra since last July’s Future Developments in Video Advertising research report. Another example is our Thinking the Unthinkable about Video Ads last September. Read more…
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Video Summary: Future of Apple
Posted on May 27, 2010
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Today’s video podcast narrates a PowerPoint presentation summarizing our recent Future of Apple market research report.
Although the report is 68-pages, it is also a multimedia document that includes links to videos and animations to demonstrate key innovations instead of merely describing them with text. Included is a five year revenue forecast by business sector as well profitability analysis by product line. We identify four growth engines; two already existing and two yet to be announced. Apple’s ecosystem strategy is forecast including an analysis of whether the company should license its operating system in response to Android’s open platform. Read more…
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Two Conflicting Music Opportunites
Posted on April 26, 2010
Phil Leigh
The Internet presents the music industry with two potent but conflicting opportunities.
First, it can replace radio as a more effective tool for promoting music while simultaneously avoiding costly disguised forms of payola that continue to linger. This applies not only to new releases, which traditionally have been the industry’s lifeblood, but also to old tracks which often fall into minimal demand.
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Read more…
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Television Obsolescence
Posted on March 29, 2010
Phil Leigh
Television industry incumbents often assert that Internet Video is an impractical alternative for conventional television for two reasons. First, they argue that Internet video distribution is presently a money losing business and is likely to remain so for many years. Second, they claim gigantic investments in network infrastructure are required before the Web can reliably deliver video to television-sized screens.
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While such statements are not without basis, they are invalid for two reasons. First, they are exaggerated beyond the point of relevance. Second, they ignore the offsetting advantages of Internet distribution. Read more…
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Internet Video Subscriptions
Posted on March 2, 2010
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Today’s post is a reprint of an article I wrote for Online Video Insider on March 2, 2010.
By: Philip Leigh
Since Shawn Fanning launched the original Napster about a decade ago CD music sales dropped by 50%. Unfortunately, legitimate digital downloads recaptured less than half the total. Given steadily compounding improvements in computer, storage, and network bandwidth, video-centric media companies have been apprehensively awaiting the new media Tsunami on their own shores. Many industry executives conclude it is now arriving. It appears their response is to (1) charge new incremental monthly fees and (2) increase existing ones. In short, after a decade to prepare, it looks like the industry’s most imaginative solution is to raise prices. Read more…
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