Digital-Lifestyles

Content

Content in its shift to become digital

  • Chrysalis Launch Music2Mobile

    Chrysalis Mobile have launched a new range of licensed products for mobile phones under the name Music2Mobile. The product range will include ringtones, images and, eventually, downloads of full tracks. The label also intend to licence content to other major providers in the UK and abroad.

    Music2Mobile has already been picked up by Carphone Warehouse, and they will soon be offering products through their UK stores. That’s right – although the product is available download from internet and WAP sites, the range is principally intended to comprise of branded, physical products. They’ll be popping up in point-of-sale displays in a shop near you soon.

    Content is selected on a weekly basis by a team at Chrysalis Mobile to keep up to date with consumer tastes, and will initially feature these three offerings (information supplied by Chrysalis Mobile):

    Playlist – full physical catalogue of tunes across seven genres. Content can be requested directly by texting to short-codes, accessing via a music2mobileTM-powered WAP portal or over-the-counter instore using pin-code activation.

    Genre Cards – seven individual cards updated monthly, containing ten leading songs within a specific music category; these cards are paid for over-the-counter and the consumer can then select multiple content items from the card list.

    Monthly Theme Cards – individual cards promoting official content (including real tones and wallpapers) from a specific artist and negotiated directly with labels; the consumer purchases the card over-the-counter and selects their favourite content for download.

    Monthly Tone Chart – a Top 20, instore ring tone chart updated fortnightly. Content can be requested directly by texting to short-codes, accessing via a music2mobileTM -powered WAP portal.

    Chrysalis Mobile are not offering full song downloads immediately, preferring instead to wait until network bandwidth and phone technology are capable of delivering the user-experience the company wants.

    But why concentrate on retail? Nick Gregg, Strategy Director of Chrysalis Mobile, said “Retail is a logical extension for Chrysalis Mobile given our focus on leading brands that have significant audience reach. Under the music2mobileTM brand we have coupled the development of high quality content optimised specifically for mobile phones with our experience working directly with record labels to provide a real differentiated service for major retail players.”

    Chrysalis Mobile

  • Adobe Propose Digital Negative Standard Format for Cameras

    Adobe have proposed a public, archival format for raw digital camera data to deal with the archival problems of detail loss and accessibility. For most camera users, images are stored as JPEGs, which is a lossy format even with the gentlest of compression. Some cameras make use of a raw format, storing the image exactly as it is captured without compression – but of course not all manufacturers use the same format and the specifications for many of them are not publicly available. This lack of an open standard also creates the risk that software to read a particular camera’s raw image data may not be available in the future, making archiving problematic.

    To combat these concerns, Adobe are suggesting the adoption of DNG, or Digital Negative Format and have made its specifications freely available. DNG is based on the TIFF-EP format, and supports metadata so that images can be described and differentiated.

    To encourage adoption, they have released a free converter which will take the raw image format from a variety of cameras and convert them to DNG. Adobe hope that a single processing solution will improve workflow for photographers if they have to use raw files from multiple cameras and manufacturers.

    Adobe on DNG

  • OPA Generational Media Study Yields Interesting Results

    This week the Online Publishers Association (OPA) announced the results of its latest Generational Media Study, designed to provide a detailed view of the 18 to 34 year-old media consumer. The study examines how the Internet, television, radio, newspapers and magazines compare across the generations on a range of attitudinal measures.

    It’s no longer a case of ‘Book Good, Screen Bad’.  It’s now increasingly accepted and understood that the screen is a ‘moveable feast’.  So, all of you who are involved in online content will be happy and relieved to learn that 97% of 18 to 34 year olds believe that online is the same or better than magazines for finding information about products and music.

    Since it has now become apparent that TV advertising is outmoded and ineffective, advertisers must turn their attentions to the online community especially since 67% of respondents say that watching a short video clip online is the same or better than watching highlights on television.  Notwithstanding, television moguls can breath a sigh of relief, temporarily any way, since more youngsters still favour television over online media for watching longer video programming.

    For the Internet, the only way is up, with 47% of respondents indicating that they spend more time using the Internet now compared to one year ago, while interestingly, a healthy minority reported spending less time playing video/PC games and watching television.

    The print media should be worried though since the Internet and television are by far the most frequently used media by all respondents, 83% saying that reading a story on the Internet is the same or better than reading one in a newspaper. Furthermore, the importance of newspapers differs significantly, with more daily readers coming from the 35 to 54 age group.

    But attitudes take a quirky turn when it comes to trust; with more 18 to 24 year-olds saying that they trust the news they get in newspapers, compared to older readers.  Could the technobabes be too naive, or is it really true that we become more cynical as we grow older?

    Online Publishers Association

  • PassAlong Networks Launch Innovative Music Referral Service

    PassAlong MyShowcasePassAlong Networks have launched what should not be dismissed as YAMS (Yet Another Music Store). They are starting with a 200,000 track catalogue and increasing to 500,000 by the end of the month.

    There are two interesting parts to this one. Firstly, they actually encourage people to pass music around, and secondly they’re using multiple sales channels for the music they are representing, including eBay. While they’re not the first company to sell via eBay, they are the first to offer eBay-ers tracks from the major labels. They will also be selling via their own site at PassAlong.com.

    The passing of tracks is very exciting and something that we’ve been enthused about for a long time. Our logic – what is the most ideal sales person? A passionate one, and you don’t get much more enthused than a band’s fan.

    PassAlong allows links to songs to be passed to others via email, instant messaging (IM) or Web sites/blogs and to thank them for the viral spread of tracks, each track that is passed on and purchased by the receiver earns credit for the initiator of the transfer.

    The content that they launch with, is protected and they are initially using Windows Media DRM (WME) but are keen to point out that they have (wisely) designed their systems to work with any DRM system or music format.

    In October, the company will launch its Discover Music service, which will allow users to publish playlists for others to view, and in turn purchase. Following this, their future plans include offering white-label digital music stores.

    PassAlong Networks are a Nashville, Tennessee-based company who were founded in 2002 and are now a 60-person startup. Dave Jaworski, who entered the world of technology at a pre-public Microsoft, after some time spent in radio, heads them.

    It is very refreshing to see a company that appears to really understand the music consumers’ drivers and natural enthusiasm. We’ll be watching them with interest.

    PassAlongNetworks

    PassAlong.com

  • Sony Shift to Support MP3

    Those super sharp cookies at CNet news.com are reporting that Sony has confirmed that it is working on support for MP3’s on its portable music players. Until now Sony has steadfastly refused to support any other format apart from their own Atrac music format on their portable music player. This is despite their Clie PDA’s have MP3 support.

    “We’re discussing plans to bring flash players to the United States that support MP3 files, but we have nothing to announce at this time,” Gretchen Griswold, a representative of Sony Electronics, told ZDNet France, a CNet affiliate. There is no official word on whether this will shift to hard disc players as well.

    Having established the portable music market with the original Sony Walkman, Sony has failed seriously behind with digital media players, to the point that they aren’t even in the top five suppliers.

    Sony

    CNet news.com – Sony to support MP3

  • Warner Bros license films to Netflix VOD partnership

    Netflix are doing a trial run of their movie-download service, and Warner Bros. have joined in the fun by agreed to license some of its films to Netflix for that very purpose, reports CNet.  This move adds strength to the rumour that Netflix and TiVo are poised to team up for a movie download service. 

    What this means for the ordinary punter is a video-on-demand service (VOD), which would allow consumers to rent and download films from Netflix. This is where TiVo comes in. The downloaded film would then be accessible on TiVo’s personal video recorders for viewing on a regular television set.

    While this may be a new venture for Netflix, it is not a new one for Warner Bros, who along with four other studios is currently a partner in Internet movie-download service Movielink.  It has also licensed films to competing Web service CinemaNow.

    Apparently the agreement does not yet constitute a deal between Netflix and Warner Bros. and anyway, the video-on-demand service from Netflix is still only in the rurmour/planning phases.  Furthermore, TiVo has not actually announced a video-on-demand service. 

    For the moment though, everything is unconfirmed, but quite often there is no smoke fire.  Enough clues have been given out to make the average reader pretty confident that something is going to happen soon. 

    Netflix, for example has already said that it plans to launch an Internet download service next year, while TiVo has announced features that would support the download service, although it has not specified a time frame. But then on the other hand, representatives from both Netflix and TiVo have said in the past that they didn’t expect an Internet service to form part of their revenue earning strategies.

    Netflix

  • Opera Mobile Browser Hits 1m Downloads

    Opera Mobile browserOpera Software ASA, who are headquartered in Oslo, Norway and make the web browsers of choice of the technical stalwart, has had one million downloads from the Web site of their mobile phone-based browser. This is in addition to the browsers that they have provided to many mobile phone makers including Nokia, IBM, Sony Ericsson, Kyocera, Sharp and Psion.

    Browsing Web pages designed for PC screens has been a problem as many web sites fix their column widths, primarily to ensure their advertising banners are displayed, leading to a lot of horizontal scrolling when viewed on a small screen, such as those on a mobile phone.

    Opera’s Small-Screen Rendering™ (SSR) technology intelligently reformats Web sites to fit inside the mobile devices limited screen width, thereby eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling. All the content and functionality remain available; it is only the layout of the page that is changed.

    It has been running for some time on the Sony Ericsson P800/P900 and Symbian OS-based phones. Adding to these platforms, at the end of August, they launched a browser product for Windows-based mobile devices.

    In June Opera displayed that they understood that browsing many web pages at their original created resolution would not only take a considerable time to download, but that phone users would be paying high mobile data charges to bring down large graphics that wouldn’t even be able to be displayed on portable handsets. Their approach – the Opera Mobile Accelerator – a subscription service, which via a proxy server run by Opera, compresses Web pages and eliminates unnecessary content before it is downloaded to the mobile phones. The net effect is a reduction in the size of download of between 50%-70% and also in the data charge. Popular with mobile phone users but, we imagine, not very popular with mobile phone service providers who will be losing income.

    Opera

    Opera – How SSR works

    Opera Mobile Accelerator

  • BT Broadband Delivered TV – This Month it’s on

    The rumours of UK incumbent teleco BT considering a broadband-delivered video service have been circulating again.

    It is often said that you can tell if it is an odd or even numbered month by seeing if BT is saying it is launching a broadband service or not.

    The latest rumours are that BT would work with Sky. BT has been getting cosy with Sky over many years. It started when Sky wanted to ensure a return path from their Set Top Boxes (STB’s) and had BT install a phone line specifically for this purpose each time a new Sky customer signed up. This relationship continued to grew to include BT offering their customers pricing bundles.

    It has been known for some time that BT has been in discussions with makers of Freeview boxes. They are exploring the idea of combining this with downloaded content, distributed to the consumer via broadband.

    ZDNet UK reports a currently running 100-household trial with London-based BT employees. They proffer the commercial rollout could be achieved as early as Summer 2005.

    There are two broadband-TV services in the UK; HomeChoice, with operates in London; and KIT running in Kingston-upon-Hull. Both have been delivering service for many years over their own networks.

    There is a fly in ointment. One of the major problems with delivering broadcast-quality video to households was introduced by BT when, while trumpeting their price reductions, they set limits on the amount of data that could be downloaded in a month. With video being the most data hungry application, this could preclude the delivery of video to the home without an additional charge being incurred. Unless of course BT lift those limits for their own video service …

  • Sidekick ll has Arrived

    SideKick IISideKick II, Danger’s successor to its Sidekick “smart phone.” hits the US shops running on Wednesday.  The launch happens today though in Santa Monica where you can also buy the 25 percent slimmer version a day earlier.

    This is a portable office, and not only because the screen swivels open to showcase a full QWERTY keyboard.  What else would you call a device that incorporates instant messaging, email, web browsing, a phone service, and a personal organiser, which stores up to 2,000 personal contacts, all accessible through a simple interface?  Not to mention a built-in low-resolution digital camera with flash, and built-in speakerphone, and enhanced battery life giving approximately 4.5 hours of talk time.  Retailing at $299 (~£166, ~€244) with a one-year contract also makes it a very affordable moveable feast for the mobile professional.  Furthermore, each Sidekick II owner gets a personal Web site, run by T-Mobile and Danger, that automatically synchronizes with the device.

    T- Mobile Sidekick II owners get their own email account and can set up as many as three external accounts to deliver email directly to their inbox. Yahoo! Messenger is now available for download to the T-Mobile Sidekick II, in addition to the fully integrated version of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service, meaning users can IM their friends and colleagues while surfing the Web.
     
    The T-Mobile Sidekick II, based on Danger, Inc.’s hiptop Wireless Solution, will be available through T-
    Mobile at T-Mobile retail stores, selected national retailers, and online at www.t-mobile.com.  Along with the launch of the T-Mobile Sidekick II, T-Mobile and Danger plan to introduce software that will enable Sidekick customers to wirelessly synchronize their desktop contacts and calendar information with their T-Mobile Sidekick. This synchronization software will be available for the T-Mobile Sidekick II and previous Sidekick generations.

    Danger Inc.

    T-Mobile

  • Microsoft ’emulate’ Local US Radio Stations online

    Wired News has an interesting piece by Randy Dotinga about a new Internet radio service that Microsoft has launched into beta. So far, so what. The interesting twist is that these radio stations mimic real-world Radio radio-stations by providing the online listener with a near identical music track playlists. One of the examples given was listed as “like” New York City’s Z100. While offering the same music, they also promise “fewer ads, no DJ chatter and less repetition.”

    All of the 978 US and Canadian radio stations that they are emulating are only available under the Radio Plus service which will become a pay-for service. It is understood that the yearly $30 paid by listeners to Microsoft will not be divided with the radio stations that are emulated.

    While listening to the Radio Plus stations, each track is listed with an options to pay for the download fo the track.

    It appears that Microsoft is able to get away with this by using the “Monitored” playlists that have been available since 1990.

    We are going to be watching this one with interest.

    It is notable that since the story was published on Friday, and we assume has attracted attention, Microsoft appears to have modified the way it lists the radio stations. No longer do they use the words “like” New York City’s Z100, but instead like 100.3 FM, New York, NY. Clearly a frequency is not trade markable.

    Original Wired article – Attack of the Radio Clones

    MSN local station emulation via Radio Plus