Stoned and Out of Line? This Video Surveillance Camera Will Catch You

Courtesy Tim Wilson in the Dark Reading section of TechWeb.com, 7/30/08:

Now, here is something different - and scary, if you happen to be stoned and misbehave - that I expect to show up in web cams in a few years.

"The problem with video surveillance cameras is that, usually, there are too many of them for one security staffer to monitor.

'To be honest, it's sheer luck if a security officer spots something in an environment like that,' says John Frazzini, a former U.S. Secret Service agent and IT security consultant.

Frazzini recently signed on to serve as president of a new company -- Behavioral Recognition Systems, or BRS Labs for short -- that aims to stop that waste.





Unlike current video surveillance gear -- which requires a human to monitor it or complex programming that can't adapt to new images -- BRS Labs's software can 'learn' the behavior of objects and images in a camera's field of view, Frazzini says.

'It works a lot like the behavioral software that many IT people use on their networks,' Frazzini says.

The BRS Labs software can establish a baseline in anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on how much activity the camera recognizes and how regular the patterns of behavior are.

Once the software is operational, it can "recognize" up to 300 objects and establish a baseline of activity.

'The great thing about it is that you don't need a human to monitor the camera at all,' Frazzini says.

Because there are so many possible images that might cross in front of the camera, the BRS Labs technology will likely create a fair number of false positives, Frazzini concedes.

Overall, however, the new technology should save money,because security officers can spend their time diagnosing alerts and less time watching their screens for anomalies.

Minority Report Holo-display Is Now the Real Thing

Here is an anything but obscure demonstration of Obscura Digital’s new display technology, dubbed a “multi-touch hologram:”





The demo shows the presenter interacting with holographic images projected before him, moving them around and resizing them, much as you would on Apple’s iPhone multi-touch screen or Microsoft's Surface.

Unlike Apple’s and Microsoft's pet products, all the images are projected in the air, bringing you fond memories of Minority Report.

"We call it VisionAire. Get it, 'vision' and 'air' with a little European flair," says the company on its blog, with understandable excitement.

"Basically, we were looking for a new way to allow a presenter to interface with visual data. This uses our standard multi-touch framework and integrates it with the Musion system we have in house. The result is a truly interactive way to give presentations."

But before you start debating how waving your hands in the air could actually be multi-touch the company quickly goes on to add: "Alright, alright, it is not really 'multi-touch', because you really don't touch anything. The system just senses where the presenter's hands are and allow him to interact. Multiple people could be doing this too."

So I guess it's a multi-personal touch?

3D holographic display technology seems to be advancing rapidly - I recently had a post about Musion Eyeliner, the high-definition video holographic projection system used by VisionAire to project spectacular freeform 3D holographic effects into the air, using “Peppers Ghost” technology. And there are rampart rumors about floating 3D ninjas (the Chinese version, I guess), whales, and who knows what, showing off Chinese mastery of this type of technology at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

Cybercast credit: YouTube

DTV4PC Promises 1056 Live TV Channels on Your PC

DTV4PC is another digital TV offering for PCs, coming from a new company by the same name.





For $30 (until further notice…), you can download the software - strictly Windows - that comes with the following features:

• Instant video downloads
• Immediate viewing
• No hardware to install
• No monthly fees or subscriptions
• Automatic channel updates

Their pitch is that the DTV4PC proprietary technology plugs you directly into hundreds of world-wide LIVE digital television channels right over the Internet. No TV tuner or any other hardware to install. You can:

- Have more channels than cable & satellite
- Watch in full-screen mode
- Navigate through an easy-to-use interface

DTV4PC promises to deliver more channels than satellite TV and cable combined without all the hardware charges, pay-per view cost, and monthly fees. Unlimited news, sports, entertainment, weather, and more from around the world ... who can ask for more ... as long as it works!

Open Your Own Virtual Movie Theater and Become a “Filmanthropist.”

At SnagFilms.com you can watch full-length documentary films for free. That’s fine - BUT they also make it easy for you to “take them with you,” and put them anywhere on the web. Just embed a movie widget on your web site or blog to open your OWN virtual movie theater. You will automatically become a “Filmanthropist,” as SnagFilms calls their “Snaggers.” By donating your pixels, you support independent films. A win-win deal, no matter how I look at it.

When you click on the “info” button on any widget, it will show you details about that film and the related charity you can support. With a starting library of 225 documentaries, growing daily, that you can browse by topic, channel, or alphabetically, you’re bound to find films that resonate with you. There is a widget for EVERY film, so any film you like can be snagged right onto your site or blog.

Here is one - the famous, or if you are MickyD, infamous Super Size Me:





Why Should You Snag?

For one thing, it’s a great way to share something you love with your friends. But there’s another great reason to do it.

Documentary films rarely get the audience that big-budget Hollywood films do. And chances are, if you like a film, your peers will too! It’s a great way to support filmmakers and get the word out about issues you care about. So go for it!

Cybercast credit: SnagFilms

The 5 Commandments of Making Successful Web TV and Video

It's summertime for me too, so I could only muster five commandments to make you into a VERY successful web TV and video producer:

1. Create SHORT-SPAN entertainment.

2. Involve the audience in a way that more closely resembles a videogame than a narrative drama.

3. Dispense with the first act, which sets the plot in motion. Let chaos reign!

4. Start with continuous action in the second act when everything goes wrong.

5. MOST IMPORTANTLY - engage the audience members at multiple levels with:

• The narrative
• Each other
• The characters
• The producers - YES, with you too!!!

Here is an example from NBC's Gemini Division, set to start, only online, on August 18:





"While Anna dodges 'sims' and agents from the misterioso outfit Gemini Division, fans are able to log onto the show's web site and get transmissions from Anna's partner in the police department.

Users can be recruited as Gemini agents themselves, then talk to other agents via webcam ..."

Have fun creating - fame and fortune shall follow….

Become Famous the AniBoom Way

YouTube may have captured the largest video audience, but that doesn't mean there aren't still plenty of niches to exploit. AniBoom is tapping into an impassioned community of video animators to create content that could capture some of that YouTube-sized audience.



Watch more cool animation and creative cartoons at aniBoom


AniBoom is different from most other video sites in one important respect: Almost all of its content is created by members. Sites like YouTube are, shall we say, suspected for having content ripped off from other sources.

By comparison, they even have its own software tools: Shapeshifter, that you can use to make professional-quality animation and Micro-Smotion, which can add simple animated tidbits to regular video.

Like other sites, most of the existing content is stuff you wouldn't want to bother watching. AniBoom is counting on what they call “the star factor” — from any large group of people, a few exceptional individuals are bound to come forth.

AniBoom's CEO, Uri Shinar, compares the possibilities of his site by referencing Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who were unknown talents making short clips until a Fox executive groomed them, leading to the hit cartoon South Park. AniBoom attempts to replicate this success in its Creator's Series, although none seems to have had more than a few thousand views.

However, the South Park comparison is apt in more than one way. The Stone and Parker creation that led Fox to contact them was a quirky student animation of Jesus killing a deranged snowman. Many of the videos on AniBoom are similarly odd, to say the least.

The site also runs contests offering cash prizes, which seem to attract quite a few submissions, proving that the world's junior animators are eager for both fame and money.

Although there are other animation sites around, like Crunchyroll, AniBoom is one of the only sites encouraging indie content. Another is MyToons, which just launched. Check them all out!

Cybercast credit: AniBoom

Family Guy Creator to Produce Exclusive Content for Google

Google's recent announcement that "Family Guy" creator Seth McFarlane will be creating exclusive content for Google, to be served up as part of its AdSense system demands attention, because:

1. The content is uniquely tied to ad revenue through video pre-rolls, post-rolls, or overlays.

2. The content is from a proven creator of programming.

3. There is a significant budget associated with creating the content for "Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy," a collection of 50 two-minute episodes. Production cost is purported to be in the multimillions.

4. The ever elusive "what's the business model?" question appears to be answered in that when a viewer clicks on the video clip, that advertiser pays a fee.

5. Fifth, the general viewer make-up for this content is better known than is usually the case. This makes it possible to push the content to where the viewer is, instead of creating a presence to which interested viewers must go.

The notion (and the allure) that there may be a way to offer one piece of content that is associated with a number of advertisers for those two minutes is enormous. What does a time-slice mean when you can do that? Instead of being able to only sell, say three spots, if the content is syndicated to 50 sites, that's 150 slices for ad placement (pre-roll, overlay, and post-roll).

As a video creator and advertiser, wouldn't you be tempted to place that bet?

So the "where's the business model," "the content looks crappy," "you don't own the content" musings are rapidly turning into very well-thought-out approaches — and these notions are going to become meaningless in very short order. So I hope.