EyeTV Tuner - The Third Generation

If you're tuned into Macs more than Windows and have been using Elgato's EyeTVhardware and/or software, the new 3.0 version expands your options in a big way, enabling you to:

1. Watch, pause, fast-forward and rewind live television on your Mac, at your desk or in the comfort of your living room.
2. Search the Program Guide using any criteria.
3. Record hours of television.
4. Create subscriptions to TV series and topics of your choice.
5. Manage saved episodes, and organize them in Smart Playlists.
6. Edit unwanted content from your recordings
7. Put them into iTunes in one easy step.
8. Export for current media types and playback devices or burn to DVD.
9. Share EyeTV recordings with other Macs on a local network
10. Play back using Wi-Fi Access on an iPhone and iPod touch and selected smartphones.

Here is what Jeremy Horwitz, Editor-in-Chief of iLounge says:

"What's great about EyeTV is the incredible scope and generally smart, intuitive functionality of the software: what you get here is now officially leagues beyond what TiVo and its many lesser competitors offer in today's digital video recorders.

Tell Your Story in Video : Compel Me to Watch

You can be a tech wizard; hire real(ly good) actors and actresses; spend on marketing like no tomorrow; you can do everything in style, yet end up with a dud. If your story and the script, based on your story sucks, nothing will save it from oblivion. Fortunately, there are videos about how to make very good videos, such as the one from Norm Mintle at Regent University. Here he explains the techniques of storytelling, specifically the importance of creating a story that follows Confucius's advice: "Involve me and I will understand." In other words, you must make it so compelling I can’t stop watching.





I must admit that this, and the other pieces I plan to post could be considered "infomercials." FYI, I have no connection to Regent, nor do I receive anything from any other source (meaning advertising revenue) to show them. I find them compelling enough to show. I trust so will you.

Upcoming postings will be about:

- Casting
- Cinematography
- Lighting

Cybercast credit: YouTube and Regent University

ATT Mobile TV - Will You Watch It?

Ok, so this blog can't handle the ampersand sign ... that's why you see ATT in the text.

ATT plans to start offering live mobile TV service through Qualcomm's MediaFlo in May, after more than a year of delay. It says that they decided to wait until May to offer the service because it is "a brand new service on a brand new network, and two brand new devices," the devices being the LG Vu and the Samsung Access.

As one of the lucky subscribers to be (if you are so inclined), you will get access to eight channels of live TV plus two exclusive channels. Pricing information will be available in May when the service officially launches.

Verizon Wireless has been offering the service for more than a year. However it has not published specific subscriber numbers, but Qualcomm's CEO Paul Jacobs said during a speech at the Tech Policy Summit in Hollywood on Wednesday that the uptake has been going slower than the company would like, according to RCR Wireless News.

Jacobs blames the carriers for not advertising the service enough. He said that carriers might be waiting for MediaFlo to increase its coverage, which he said will happen in February 2009 when TV broadcasters will transition to digital TV, the article said.

Some mobile experts question whether people really want to watch TV on their phones. Verizon is charging $15 a month extra for eight channels of live TV. Perhaps the price point is still too expensive for consumers who on average spend about $40 to $50 a month on cell phone service. And as the economy dips further into a recession, I question how willing people will be to spend extra money on what I'd consider an unnecessary service like mobile TV.

It will be interesting to see ATT's customers' response to the live TV service. ATT already offers an on-demand video service to customers who buy certain 3G data packages. Stay tuned for the results - they could foretell the future of smart phone TV uptake.

Shatner Is a Shaman - Merges Revver and LiveUniverse

Not really but a good way to capture your attention, isn't it?

The Revver and LiveUniverse deal is true, though. Revver did announce that they are now "part of the LiveUniverse network of sites." Sounds official (everybody at the companies waxes eloquent about this wonderful turn of events, as expected) yet I can't shake the feeling this is not good for the larger community. Why? Because it means one more of the original cast of video sharing sites has bitten the star dust.
LiveUniverse claims its sites are visited by more than 55 million unique users each month, so video creators on Revver are now exposed to a much bigger audience. We'll see ... literally.

In association with this new partnership, Revver's best known creators GameZombie, Black Nerd Comedy and Pansy Warrior Princess all began publishing live shows on LiveVideo, LiveUniverse's signature live broadcast portal. Want your own live show? Head over to LiveVideo.com and check it out. Here is one from ShatnerVision, called "Shatner Is A Shaman." Enough said....

Cybercast credit: LiveVideo and ShatnerVision

Online Video Ads for Your Business

Jivox wants to be a one-stop shop for small businesses, helping them create and distribute simple online video ads.



The San Mateo, Calif. company provides its own images, videos and musical scores, that you can match with the text message of your choice. It lets you choose demographic information such as age, gender, and location. It then runs your ads on its partner publisher’s sites, matching up the content of the video with particular types of viewers. It also lets you:

1. Set a budget for your ads.
2. Determine the dates the ads will run.
3. Choose "look and feel" and other options.

The cost of an ad ranges from ten to forty dollars per 1000 impressions. Here are some sample ads. The company launched only a few weeks ago. With competition becoming fierce, I wonder how they will fare. I report back if they are still around next year.

Mash-up Your Videos with EyeSpot

The big news coming from EyeSpot is that they are making their video mash-up technology available to all website owners, not just the big guys. Their offering is called "The EyeSpot Personalization Suite" and you can sign up to use it right away at EyeSpotNetwork.com.

Eyespot's technology has always been available on other websites, For example, Star Wars fans have been able to use the Eyespot Mixer to remix Star Wars clips, like this one:



We are talking about a full set of hosted applications that you can easily add to your website, enabling your users to view, upload, and share videos online and via mobile. It is designed to be so easy to work with that you can turn your website into a video sharing site in a matter of hours. Some of the benefits include:

* Personalization features that allow your users to easily mix professional and user-generated content

* A library of more than 1 million rights-cleared videos, photos, and music tracks

* Instant monetization with in-stream ads from leading networks such as Google AdSense For Video, Tremor Media, Adap.TV, and others

* The option to leverage the Eyespot network for content syndication and extended reach and visibility

* Free (ad-supported) and low-cost monthly subscription offerings

Sign up or learn more here.

About the new Mixer - it is here too. Features include multiple-audio tracks, inline trimming, a whole new design, and lots more. Don't forget to check it out!

Cybercast credit: StarWars.com and EyeSpot

Bottom Line Video - Dude, Dude You Gotta See This!

Guess what? Fifty seven percent of U.S. Internet users watch videos online and most of them share what they find with others according to a recent Pew Internet and American Life Project report.



It might even be more, depending on the age group.

It's just the first decade of the 21st century, yet technology is already king and video is its queen. Sounds good? Cliche? Both? So what?

So, if you want to reach the Tween, Teen, and Twenty-something market heavily into this web video scene, you must have:

1. A website that loads in ten seconds or less or
2. Videos (that also load quickly).

The new generation is not accustomed to waiting for anything. Now, whether this is right or wrong I'll leave up to you, but it is true - to capture their attention video is the way to go.

"Three in four (75%) say they receive links to watch video that others have sent to them," again from Pew Internet and American Life Project report. Video is fast, engaging, and most importantly viral. I urge you: If you do not have a video on your website, look into producing one, because in this day and age this is a business must.