Ofcom lays out the next steps for TV white spaces

Ofcom has laid out its vision for how the spare capacity in the gaps left between TV station coverage areas in the UK could be exploited for wireless services and applications. US regulators (the FCC) have made the first move to open these pockets of spectrum up – for enhancing broadband availability and assisting wireless technology innovation. Ofcom’s proposal is more sophisticated, allowing more efficient use of the spectrum. The benefits of TV white spaces is increased propagation, compared to higher frequency bands. This translates to lower coverage costs and better indoor reception, than would be possible with Wi-Fi or current 3G services.

The geolocation database which is at the heart of both US and UK proposals is more flexible way to manage spectrum than traditional allocations/assignments – opening the way to more efficient sharing of spectrum. This is desperately needed as more businesses and consumers go wireless.

What will you do with your white spaces?

Brad Smith’s routemap to the Cloud

I heard Brad Smith (Microsoft) give a talk on the issues standing between Europe and its cloud computing destiny. Much has been written on the benefits of the Cloud, but Brad’s talk got to the heart of the challenges facing European policy makers, if Europe is not to be left out of the party. Apart from the more predictable issues of data privacy and security, Brad highlighted the less familiar theme of broadband connectivity. Without pervasive and robust connectivity, the Cloud won’t be able to deliver its full benefits. This leads nicely into what has become a favourite theme for the Lark – namely the TV white spaces. These spectrum gaps left between terrestrial TV stations are a delicacy which is ripe for converting into wireless capacity – whether to convey HD content between devices in your home or to allow rural folks the opportunity to enjoy the level of broadband that town dwellers are more used to. … Take a look for yourself at a recording of Brad’s talk, on ….. www.microsoft.eu

Brad gave an example of how server centre energy requirements are going down – MS’s latest centre in Dublin consumes only 50% of the power of predecessors. A fair proportion of this is apparently down to Ireland’s temperate clime. Taken to a logical extreme, this might see data migrating North each year with our feathered cousins, as the summer heat arrives.

Slime is great at networking

Slime has a habit of hanging around in unpleasant places, making them even more so. But does it have anything going for it at all?

An interesting article appeared on BBC News today about slime’s talent at designing networks. Apparently scientists have found that a slime network bears a remarkable resemblence to the Tokyo Rail Network. I don’t know enough about Tokyo to know whether that’s a good or a bad thing, but I can imagine that the rail network copes with a fair amount of traffic most days and has evolved to provide an optimum match between local needs and available budget etc.. See the article at: http://bit.ly/7ua7UN

Blown away to San Francisco

The lark has been blown off course this week – as far as San Francisco. Which is not such a bad place to end up.
In fact in ICT it is positively buzzing with innovation here. The key themes here in the birthplace of the iPhone are:
*how to make money out of having lots of content available free
*how to combine content and communities (aka Facebook etc.)
*what partnerships are going to be key in developing the market for multi-platform content distribution
*how to search video + implant interactivity – to further increase advertiser potential

YouTube’s approach of enabling online communities to host their video content -seems a great way to match content with audience. This keeps the razor sharp targeting it already enjoys with search-based advertising.
All this sunshine is making the lark want to stay here, but perhaps there can be too much of a good thing.

Going International

I attended an event last week on how to internationalise content offerings, run as part of the Digital Horizons programme I mentioned in an earlier post. It was fascinating to hear the experience of other companies in taking creative ideas from the UK into new markets  - predominantly Asia in the sample we heard from.

One of the really interesting aspects of taking content across international boundaries is the extent to which you need to invest in localisation. On my trip to China, I heard how some US Internet majors had attempted to enter that market, but had made little headway because they had not invested enough in localisation.

 I suppose it’s obvious that for a mass market, you have to make what you are offering (be it a TV programme, film, game etc..) look like something they know they like. This means studying what the potential customers in that market really do appreciate. It also means checking/guessing what the regulator(s) in that market will let you get away with.

An alternative, lower cost, approach would seem to be to go for niche status and appeal to the niche by being authentic UK content as produced for the UK market. This approach fits naturally with Internet-based portals such as YouTube – where a combination of quality and uniqueness can help propel content to the top

One of the big challenges in going international is faced by Interactive TV, because in many parts of the world , regulatory frameworks have yet to adapt to this combination of telecommunication and broadcast service. Another big challenge is the area of content standards, which vary widely between cultures.

Gradually our world is becoming a smaller place, aided by the Internet, but there are many small cultural and political barriers to be crossed along the way.

Filmobile and Mobilefest (Brazil)

This afternoon I went to a seminar in London called Filmobile – about content for mobile phones. We heard from producers who have actually used the device for capturing at least some of their content. These included:

Camille Baker, has embarked on a PhD on the subject of how individuals can use mobile phones for non-verbal expression and how the mobile can become part of a sort of collective consciousness. Her fascinating project includes an examination of how biometric sensors built into the could phone could be used to adapt the service/device behaviour. Parameters such as heart-rate, blood pressure and skin conductivity could all be factored in determining how to represent the state of that users ( and what content or services might be appropriate to offer to them).

Max Schleser (Mobile filmmaker and researcher), who uses the constraints of the mobile to provide artistic effect in a cinematographic experience (a movie). The mobile’s limitations almost seem to become virtues in his hands.

Daniel Florencio (Filmmaker and Current TV pods producer), who demonstrated how and why he had used mobile phones in documentary making – in his native Brazil for example. The mobile phone is simply less threatening in sensitive situations, with subjects who might be otherwise nervous about being filmed. Their comfort is not well grounded since the mobile phone’s video capture performance is powering ahead.

This is changing the who business of news since footage from cameraphones, is likely to be available long before the camera crews can arrive. It’s the freshness of news rather than the picture quality that counts. Mobiles are democratising news – though it still seems to be important to have some trusted ‘hubs’ to sift through, host and highlight the best stuff.

Our London seminar was hooked up by video conference to a panel and audience at the Mobilefest in Brazil. From Brazil:

An MTV producer noted that he likes using mobiles because the presentation is fresh and original. Although the shooting is fragment it comes across as being a more ‘honest’ representation than the polished professional camera output.
 

Lend me your ears

Audio is a great medium with a long history, though it always seems to end up losing the limelight to video. Radio gave way to TV decades ago and now music sharing is rapidly being joined by video film/sharing as platform capabilities improve. Audio clearly hasn’t died out, of course, it has had to readjust its attention share after periods of exclusivity on each new platform. Even the iPOD has now made room for video, after comments by Steve Jobs that it’s the music that counts, not the pictures.

Mobile TV is no different. Whilst, by definition, mobile TV has to be about video, providers would do well to remember the importance of audio to consumers. This came out clearly in mobile TV trials in the UK, where BT found that just over half of its service use was for digital radio rather than TV. It’s easier to fit audio into odd pockets of daily life, where having to keep your eyes on the screen is either incovenient or perhaps even dangerous. The presence of radio also helped to broaden the appeal of the service across age groups and genders.

High definition, the latest and greatest form of TV, is also critically dependent on the audio. This seems obvious, but I am actually referring to the stereo/surround image that the audio can convey. Attending a major HDTV demonstration in London hosted by Sony, I was struck by the difference that a well constructed sound stage makes. Sitting at the back of the auditorium I could close my eyes and still get over half of the enjoyment of the HD music video to which we were being treated.

I think the lesson for service providers is that they should try to ignore the legacy restrictions of their roots (TV, Radio, Telephony) and start thinking about a balanced choice for consumers. This probably means a balanced offering of music, videos – live and on-demand where appropriate.

For digital radio I think it means that there is some hope, if the broadcasters and others can think more laterally about how they can increase entertainment value of their platform. This might be by allowing video into the service mix and by embracing hybrid platforms – for example using broadband to supplement the mass offering with whatever niches appeal to each customers taste.

Thanks for listening!

Tails – who wins?

Today I’ve been making good progress through the book, ‘The Long Tail’. It’s very impressive to see how the items that high street retailers don’t stock still enjoy enough demand, when aggregated online, to make sizeable contributions to the business models of online retailers. Online, extra ‘shelf space’ costs virtually nothing. It is also a lot quicker to get to the title you are looking for than it is in one of the big retail outlets – Foyles makes for an interesting exploration but doesn’t compete on speed or price with Amazon et. al.

What struck me as particularly helpful is the idea of content interests being defined by the community you belong to or seek to belong to, rather than the ‘hits’ favoured by mass distribution economics. So which comes first, is it the community that grows the demand for content or the content that acts as a catalyst for a community? Probably it depends on what binds the community together. For example music fan clubs are presumably catalysed by the artist’s output, whereas communities formed around workplaces etc. are not catalysed by content – though they might form sub-communities which are (lunchtime clubs etc.). Social networks are the perfect medium for building an fuelling content-centred communities and naturally a great medium for the distribution of that content. As well as consuming the content, the members of such networks are likely to be passionate marketeers for what they believe in.

What are the implications of diversifying tastes for society cohesion overall? Does diversity act as a natural relief valve for otherwise pent up interests? Does choice simply distract and dilute attention for what might otherwise have garnered major audiences? These are interesting questions without apparently simple answers. However for politicians aiming to build social cohesion they are important questions to consider.

Perhaps in the end, diversity nutures curiosity and encourages people to step out and gain a broader view of what it means to be human. This must be good for cohesion as well as consumers.

Digital flux

This opening post gives me a great chance to talk about my love of digital media in all its richness and diversity. It fascinates me to see the way new digital media are nibbling away at the shiny stainless steel edifices of established media organisations and stirring a huge melting pot of content creation, discovery and enjoyment. The content producers get ever closer to viewers – of course with user generated content they are the same people.

My background spans broadcasting, home networking and mobile media. As the blog runs, I plan to present thoughts on the development of different platforms – from PC to mobile via TV and radio. With convergence onging, the similarities between the platforms grow – something we’ll be exploring here.

I recently joined an initiative called Digital Horizons, run in the UK to bring independent content producers and others together to explore the potential of new platforms – by exposing them to the first hand experiences from the leading edge. Where else would music composers mingle with animators, scriptwiters and platform specialists – the results should be worth seeing. You can read more at: http://www.southeastmedianetwork.co.uk/digitalhorizons.htm . I was inspired to start this block by another Digital Horizon’s participant from music composers – The Mogul and the Prawn [ see: http://theprawn.wordpress.com].

I hope my blog will be an interesting guide for you on the digital journey we are all making, with some personal angles and insights. Come again!

As a start, I have a few thoughts to share on my personal experience of Internet video.

The Internet is such a fantastic way to share content and connect with audiences. I was impressed with the BBC’s Radio Player when it launched a few years ago and the number of users now is a strong demonstration of its success. More recently YouTube and a host of other video sites have appeared -and possible a few disappeared.

It’s at the stage where TV manufacturers are planning how to include an Ethernet connection at the back of their products: there was at least one demonstration of this in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year.

But how good is the Internet video experience – my impression so far is that it’s already not bad and getting better all the time.

YouTube is a phenomenon in its own right and has become the defacto place to post video conetnt, but I’ve been impressed with some less well know players I’ve encountered too.

Joost is another interesting experiment, which has a feel of being like TV once you have got the hang of the user interface. I almost have. However, I haven’t seen much that wants to make me keep coming back there, so the shortcut is parked on my desktop but has gone cold.

Miro is more interesting (http://www.getmiro.com), because it seems to be a clever use of the now well established podcast model for distribution. It claims the most HD content and freedom from DRM, borne out by what I’ve seen so far. You can take a look for yourself if you download the player.

Two particular issues arise, among others:

1. How do we as users find the best and most relevant content and on the other side how do new producers get connected to an audience?
2. How will the best content attract the necessary investment?

The other thought to reflect on is that Internet TV is mostly a ’tied-down’ experience, meaning that you typically need to sit in front of a PC of some kind. The next stage of Internet TV is to take it with you in your pocket, to enjoy when other options may be sparse.

This brief review has been a mere drop in the Internet ocean, but that’s all for now.

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