Time now ripe for video blogs: Internet giants to cash in
27 July 2005
News
Within minutes of the tragic London bombings this month, news-sites showed location video footage - mainly from cameraphones - sent in by members of the public.
According to director of news, Helen Boaden, the BBC quickly received around 30 video clips, which aired on broadcasts and online, within 20 minutes of the attack. Boaden called it 'a new world' of digital media distribution.
Vamsi Sistla, ABI Research's director of residential entertainment research, agrees: "Now, anybody who has a voice has a means to express it." Many of those video clips were carried on websites such as Yahoo, Google and MSN, highlighting what Sistla calls the latest trend in digital home 'entertainment': the move by large Internet operators into a realm previously dominated by cable companies and telcos offering broadband services.
The signs are everywhere. Microsoft is collaborating with France Telecom to produce cutting-edge digital media products. Google<, with a new video service, has just announced an investment in a company providing broadband through powerline, and is rumoured to be buying dark fibre bandwidth. China's Shanda Interactive has released a set-top box, and Intel is investing in movie distribution.
This attempt by some Internet giants to take advantage of the digital home media revolution, is discussed in the latest update of ABI's 'Residential Entertainment Technologies Research Service'.
Until recently, insufficient bandwidth to homes, combined with the entertainment industry's grip on content licensing, made home entertainment unattractive to the big Internet players. Now, both those conditions are changing.
"They know it is time for them to take advantage of their brands and their marketing relationships to pursue the next generation digital home and digital media services," Sistla explains. "They are creating the 'Wal-Marts of the World Wide Web', and aim to offer everything and anything to the widest audience. We will soon see true 'video blogs' on their sites."
www.abiresearch.com
Further reading:
Seven Labs partnership enhances local electronics distribution
Seven Labs Technology
News
Aimed at revolutionising the electronics distribution landscape in South Africa, Seven Labs has announced a partnership with LCSC, one of China’s most reputable electronics distributors.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: How electronics is shaping modern warfare
Technews Publishing
News
From radar systems and encrypted communications to drones and cyber warfare, electronic devices have transformed the battlefield into a highly digitised and networked environment.
Read more...
Global semiconductor sales increase 18,7% YoY
News
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced that global semiconductor industry sales hit $51,3 billion during the month of July 2024, an increase of 18,7%.
Read more...
Renesas completes acquisition of Altium
News
Altium is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Renesas, with Altium CEO Aram Mirkazemi assuming the role of senior vice president and head of Renesas’ Software & Digitalization.
Read more...
Altron Arrow joins forces with Identiv
Altron Arrow
News
The strategic collaboration with Altron Arrow expands Identiv’s reach in the southern African market.
Read more...
The rise of AI expertise as a new employment trend in South Africa
Editor's Choice News
As artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to evolve globally, its integration into the South African business landscape is becoming increasingly prominent, and this shift has triggered a surge in demand for AI specialists.
Read more...
SSD-based RAID offload tech named ‘Best of Show’
News
KIOXIA Europe GmbH announced that its RAID Offload on SSD technology received an FMS ‘Best of Show’ award in the ‘Most Innovative Technology’ SSD technology category.
Read more...
Robotic dog monitors manufacturing facility
News
Named Rover, the Boston Dynamics-built robot dog helps engineers save time, while also enhancing safety in the facility.
Read more...
Bluetooth Channel Sounding provides sub-metre accuracy
Altron Arrow
News
Bluetooth Channel Sounding is a new protocol stack designed to enable secure and precise distance measurement between two Bluetooth LE connected devices.
Read more...
Workshop: Product development and industrialisation
News
SKEG is excited to join forces with The Lion Cage to present a workshop on the intricacies of product development and industrialisation to assist in guiding innovative ventures to scale.
Read more...