Jacob, my youngest, has just turned 1 and has recently taken a few steps on his own. I wanted to get a little video camera that I could whip out and crack off some shots and share them online fairly easily. I ended up getting a Flip Mino HD. This tiny little camera shoots in high definition (very compressed, but still) and has a USB connector right on board to plug into the Macbook Pro and start editing. I got it airbrushed with the logo of our Tricities website, thev3h.com, and shipped out, all for around $300.

Here’s an example of what can be done with a $300 camera and a copy of iMovie ’09. Due to the lightness of the camera some of the shots are a little shaky, but overall it’s pretty neat.

Audiences are aware of this, and have now turned to reality TV to try to gain some of that back. The popularity of reality TV comes from that finely-tuned illusion that what we’re seeing is really happening. Reality TV production is now a fine art of maintaining the reality illusion while still putting together a show that is dramatic. We don’t see the off-screen producers, prompting the on-air personas to act and talk a certain way, and the careful editing of a show to shape a story and create the outcome that producers want. Most of it is not malicious, producers want what they think will create the best show for the best chance of ratings success. That’s true with any show on television. But that spontaneity and genuine warmth of Life with a capital L is nowhere to be found.

So at a convention of video podcasters, there was lots of talk about one of the main selling points of what they do, which is authenticity. Because it’s often just a person in front of a camera, online video is much better at cutting through that wall. It’s much easier to identify with that person on camera in an online video, because you know there’s not an army of handlers and executives vetting every word. It is what it purports to be, and cuts much closer to what is real than any reality TV show can.

In that vein, we all in many ways create a public persona, especially when we create the public face of a business. We try to put our best foot forward, say all the right things on the websites, create the most professional outward appearance we can. The problem with that is, like television, people are expecting that and can see it for what it is. Everybody tries to create that image. It’s not to say that we at upNext Media are not professional and polished, I am very confident in the videos that we create and how we serve our clients. That being said, the actual experience of working with me and my team of producers and technicians is something that isn’t being properly conveyed in our public persona. What’s behind the example videos on the website is still a mystery.

The danger in being authentic, in trying to strip some of that persona away, is that our company would then be seen as different. You may be saying that’s a good thing, but it’s still risky, or more people would be doing it. But in being different, we would then become more real, and perhaps a little more remarkable.

Your comments and thoughts would be appreciated.

“But what’s surprising is that so many companies are still betting against the net, trying to solve today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. The past few years have taught us that business models based on controlling consumers or content don’t work. Betting against the net is foolish because you’re betting against human ingenuity and creativity.”

Check out the article here

It uses a Java player, so it should have no problems working with your browser. Check out their showcase.

read more | digg story

The only drawback that I could see was that you can’t download a movie, burn it to a DVD and watch it on your stand-alone DVD player. You can back up to a DVD, but it will still only play on the computer you downloaded it onto. Seems a little too restrictive, but I guess the studios don’t want to undercut their own DVD sales.

Overall, the service seems pretty easy, and a good next step in what will eventually be digital distribution of all content we now get on DVD or conventional television. Next it will be Apple’s turn as the rumours of an iTunes Movie store get louder.

These are early days, but I hope that networks continue to open up their coverage to web viewers that can’t get to a regular television during the working day. Once some more of the sustained bandwidth issues are figured out, getting video coverage of a sporting event from anywhere will be a winner.

Read the Ars Technica article here

The site, Digg.com, went live in December of 2004. I became a registered user 1 year ago this month when it was still pretty much a geek hangout. Today it is the 24th largest site on the web serving 1 million users daily, and growing exponentially. The New York Times, one of the largest and most trusted brands in news is number 19, and about to be eclipsed by something started with a burn rate of $99 a month.

The great thing that this article from Business Week magazine points out, is that now there is lots of venture capital financing available, but the new players in the Web 2.0 space aren’t burning money fast enough to sell off large chunks of the company just to raise the money. They can now afford to refine their product without the pressure of the cash burn. At revenues of $3 million per year, which is just scratching the surface of what could be done with a daily audience of 1 million, Digg can innovate on their own schedule in a very sustainable fashion.

The barriers of entry into previously unreachable market segments are dropping fast. If the New York Times or Reuters could be replaced by a great idea and $99 a month, there is something exciting going on here.

Take the time to read the article, the story is one that should be taken to heart by old media people everywhere.

read more | digg story

On the heels of the success of that venture, the PGA Championship is now going to broadcast 11 hours of coverage over the internet. As broadband penetration is now reaching the point where a mass audience can be had, advertisers are starting to jump on board. At this point, the broadband audience is a compliment to the broadcast show, but the future of alternative distribution is being shaped through events such as these.

Check out the news item here

And another article about broadband sports broadcasting

If you get 100 people online, one person will generate content, 10 people will interact with it (leave a comment on the blog, etc), while the other 89 people will just view it.

The conclusion?

“Only that you shouldn’t expect too much online. Certainly, to echo Field of Dreams, if you build it, they will come. The trouble, as in real life, is finding the builders.”

While the tools and distribution will be democratic, the professional content creator will not necessarily be overrun with user-generated YouTube videos. 

Read the article here