video

MobaTalk is a big step forward for video and Twitter

October 8, 2008 By Dan Thornton

I’ve been watching the developments in online video from the sidelines, as somone who is still embarrassed by his time hosting a semi-professional daily webcast, and who has managed to avoid owning a webcam.

I can see why there’s an initial curiosity around lifecasting, but the reality is generally somewhat duller. I do get the idea of Seesmic, but I think to get the most out of it requires a commitment similar to starting out on Twitter, and I haven’t quite yet convinced myself it’s an additional output I need to find time for. I occasionally enjoy 12seconds.tv, but although the short clips are quite punchy and to the point, it always feels like I’m skimming over people’s ideas. (Although I do think @Documentally has really transcended the medium)

But I’m being totally honest when I say Mobatalk has convinced me that video has now arrived for microblogging – and for quick, easy broadcasting to friends and contacts.

Put simply, you go to the site, record a video clip (which plays back at a reall high quality in comparison to other services), and type a Twitter message into the site, along with a hashtag, which then posts it to Twitter with a link to the video.

Not only is it stunningly simple, but the navigation is really nice to use, with a really simple, intuitive and attractive display.

And then you discover you can subscribe via iTunes and Google Reader to an individual – or a hashtag – perfect for videos of live events etc. And did I mention you can also access videos via your iPhone?

I’m not the only one impressed by Mobatalk , but considering my natural cynicism, and the fact I’m in the middle of quitting cigarettes after 13 years, and I’m pretty surprised I can’t find any obvious faults.

It’ll be interesting to see how Michael Bailey – @mobasoft – develops the site, but there are advertising options already available, the video upload is quick and amazingly good quality, and it integrates well with Twitter.

It might even be enough to get me in front of a camera again – 140char weekly vidcast, anyone?

The success of Youtube was only partly about video….

October 3, 2008 By Dan Thornton

Which is obvious if you’re into social media, communication, conversation and social networking, but less apparent if you’re used to broadcasting out messages.

If that’s the case, I highly recommend this post by Mindy McAdams ‘Social Media, Youtube and Mwesch’.

Especially as it gives everyone yet another good reason to check out Michael Wesch’s absolutely brilliant cultural anthroplogy work on new media and human interaction.

Here’s a taster before you click on the link:

Losing reasons to watch television…

September 26, 2008 By Dan Thornton

I’ve previously blogged about how you can watch PayPerView TV via streaming sites without having to download any software, or fiddling about with P2P software and accidentally making your bank account details available.

But my time watching broadcast TV has shrunk to nothing. It seems I’m discovering new shows every week which are actually relevant and interesting for me, rather than being the ‘least worst’ of what the channels are broadcasting. Plus the Freeview reception where I live is worse than waiting for an online video to buffer!

Suddenly I’m discovering more and more ‘quality’ content on Youtube. (And I share any good Tech stuff, here)

And it makes my life much, much easier. Take the example of BBC tech show Click, which is mainly shown at 04.30 on a Sunday. Since I now have a baby son, I’ve actually caught the show at 06.45 on a Saturday – but it’s a short version. Presumably because of the 7am rush to see generic news. Online, I can watch the full version any time I bally well like.

Between Youtube, BBC’s iPLayer, and the likes of Qik, is there much of a point to broadcast television? And if you’re about to blame the BBC for being the most popular old media convert to aid the decline – my guess is they’re the best placed to survive successfully for a variety of reasons (including the TV licence fee in the UK), but mainly because they’ve done the best job of making their content available.

And that’s before we look at the likes of Joost, Hulu, Vimeo, etc. Let alone Seesmic and 12seconds.tv. Or Ustream. Or justin.tv.

It’s why I’m glad my broadband account with Zen Broadband actually has a sensible data limit even if it’s the same speed and slightly more expensive than rivals (the customer service is also ace – can I get a discount now?). And one cable to connect my laptop to my HD TV means broadcast TV really is in trouble. A percentage of geeks already spend their entire entertainment time in front of a laptop for text, music and video. Make that work on a 32″ widescreen TV and suddenly it’s a lot more mainstream.

Internet pirates will sail the streams…

September 3, 2008 By Dan Thornton

Interestingly, after postulating (and possibly posturing) my view on how streaming TV and video solutions are a bigger piracy threat than Peer-to-Peer services like Bitorrent (Which grab all the headlines and the attention of the multimedia industries), I spotted this: P2P traffic drops as streaming video grows in popularity.

While the Ars Technica article looks at legal streaming solutions, like the BBC iPlayer, Hulu and Veoh, the fact that it’s encouraging users to utilise faster broadband connections to consume content which is quicker, easier and safer to view means there’s likely to be an equally large amount of people realising ways they can share paid content for free via streaming websites.

Funnily enough, it’s not just problems with the content itself – The Spyware Guide blog reveals an example of a fake site claiming to stream the complete Batman: The Dark Knight movie – but the real motive is to get you to download a dodgy .exe file.

New video microblogging in 12seconds.tv

July 13, 2008 By Dan Thornton

So far, much of the focus on microblogging has been on text, with the one major exception of Seesmic. But using Seesmic as a producer requires a certain amount of effort. It also lends itself to video blog type discussions.

Hence interest around the private alpha launch of 12 Seconds, limiting video uploads in the same manner as Twitter and Plurk et al limit the amount of text.

Updates are by webcam or mobile phone, and there’s no scientific reasoning disclosed behind the 12 second limit, although apparently “Our patent pending Electro-Tear-Duct Prongers have determined that exactly 12 seconds of video is the ideal amount of time to keep anything interesting.”

What is also quite interesting is that the people behind 12 Seconds are open about: “The more we can get 12seconds off of the 12seconds.tv site the better. We are building a platform for video status. We want these clips to be anywhere you are, or at least anywhere you want them to be.” So widgets are already available for Myspace and blogs, and more distribution is doubtless on the way…

It’s worth taking a look to see how much information can be conveyed in 12 seconds via video. My only question about the service is that it successfully replicates the upload portion of microblogging – but are there mechanisms for replying to people, and forming groups? Those are the things that have driven Twitter, Friendfeed and all the famous social networks. If I see 12 seconds that are worthy of praise, comment or argument, I want to be able to respond directly via the service – not have to track people down by alternative means.

Take a look at the site, and share your thoughts below…