Web & New Media Blog launches

I've set up a new blog at http://webandnewmedia.blogspot.com/ where I'll be posting general links about web design, online media and information useful to students on the degree in Media & Communication (Web and New Media) that I lead.

Given the potential for duplication, I'll stop posting to the Media Online blog - so please check at the new blog instead.

Storage space

I've discovered two very useful sites in one day for storing media online. The first is Dropload - it allows you to upload up to 100MB of material, although it will only stay on the site for a week or so.

The second is Ourmedia - this is "a cool non-profit initiative that provides free storage space and bandwidth to anyone with videos, audio files, text files, or software that they'd like to share with the world." Source: Poynter.

Capture media streams on the Internet

StreamBox VCR Suite contains all the StreamBox related software needed to capture media streams on the Internet. It comes in a single installer package and doesn't need any further patching.

http://tinyurl.com/e4g8

Bill Best
--
Community Media Association
http://www.commedia.org.uk/

Streaming audio/video from a web server

some very good information here about streaming audio/video from a web server and other useful stuff:

http://www.spartanicus.utvinternet.ie/streaming.htm

regards

bill best
--
Community Media Association
http://www.commedia.org.uk/

NerdTV

Poynter Online - E-Media Tidbits: "The transformation of the Web from text-centric to multimedia-driven is under way. PBS is producing its first Internet-only, downloadable TV series: 'NerdTV.'"

Easy Audio Blogging for a Virtual Radio Station

From Poynter. Here's my lengthy quote:

"I love an idea that's both simple and brilliant. Here's one: Unite podcasting with "live listening" and make it point-and-click easy on a platform that supports community contributions. Drupal for Artists and Musicians has done exactly that with a little open-source Flash applet and a bit of documentation. You can see and hear the results on a demo site."

I'd copy the whole article but go read it for yourself...

Champions League broadcasters must show live matches on internet

The Guardian reports on the likely retention of joint rights to Champions League football by BSkyB and ITV, with the related development of online broadcasting:

"in an effort to promote viewing across a range of platforms and continue to placate European commission competition authorities who want to see rights owners encouraging mobile phone and internet usage, both will have to simulcast games on the internet.

"A spokesman for Uefa confirmed that all broadcasters showing games live would be "obliged" to show them online. Uefa has allowed clubs to show delayed Champions League coverage and highlights online, never live broadcasts."

BBC3 previews programmes online

New Media Age reports extensively (14/7/05, p12) on BBC3's move to "become the first major UK channel to [stream] its programmes on the Internet before they're shown on TV"

"BBC Three controller Stuart Murphy told NMA that he plans to ... launch at least one original comedy every month in an attempt to be more relevant to audiences in the digital age"

O-Journalism: TV news without a TV

O-Journalism: TV news without a TV

Computer games 'do have benefits'

Off-topic? I'm not sure, but this article from the BBC may be particularly useful for those defending the merits of games...

Apple takes Podcasting mainstream

"Apple takes Podcasting mainstream by building everything users need to discover, subscribe, manage and listen to podcasts right into iTunes 4.9, the latest version of its award winning digital music software and online music store. iTunes users can now easily subscribe to over 3,000 free podcasts and have each new episode automatically delivered over the Internet to their computer and iPod.

"For more info see: http://www.apple.com/podcasting/

"--Michelle McGuire
"Development Officer

"Community Media Association
"http://www.commedia.org.uk"

Some links for wannabe podcasters

PC World's '30 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do on the Internet' includes some useful links for podcasters. Here's their rundown:

"You don't need a mellifluous voice or wild hair to become a cybermedia star. All you require are some podcasting tools.

"To start, you need audio software, such as Audacity or IPodcast Producer ($150), that records MP3 files. (You can also use Windows Sound Recorder to record .wav files, and then convert them to MP3s using a program like Musicmatch Jukebox.) Once you've recorded your file, you'll have to enclose it in an RSS feed, and upload it to your blog or Web site.

"But for my money, the easiest route to podcasting is Audioblog.com ($5 a month or $50 a year). Here you'll find everything you need in one easy bloglike interface. For example, to record a podcast, you just log in and click the Audio tab, and then Record New Audio Post. Click Allow to let the site access your microphone or camera, followed by Begin and then Record. When you're done, click Stop and enter a title and description for your recording; then click Save. On the next page, click Publish Audio, and then select the blog or RSS feed you want to publish it to. It's that simple.

"In fact, you don't even need a computer to begin your podcasting career. You can dial a number, record entries via phone, and then automatically post them to your blog. And if you want the world to see as well as hear you, Audioblog can do the same thing for video files captured via Webcam. Stardom is just a click away."

Internet TV channels

I'm going to start compiling a list of internet TV channels - starting with ManiaTV, about which PC world reports "you can submit your own 5-minute video clip; if it's picked, the site will devote an hour of programming to a video of your life. You can also send in clips from your mobile phone, or program an hour-long "mixtape" of your favorite video clips for broadcast online. This self-styled MTV (without the TV) claims 1 million unique visitors a month."

Online media storage (Streamload)

Today's useful link no.1 is Streamload -

"a personal, secure digital library of all your MP3s, videos, digital photos and work related documents... Streamload provides you with unlimited capacity, unlimited access, and unlimited speed. Our unique technology allows us to handle files of all sizes. Plus it detects popular music and videos — so you don't pay for storage."

Peer-to-Peer Internet Television

From Bill Best at http://www.commedia.org.uk/

"A community television station based in Austin, Texas is merging the free software and copyleft communities (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft) through a new internet TV station: ACTLab TV (http://actlab.tv/).

"ACTLab TV are streaming Creative Commons, Copyleft, public domain content, and original videos using Alluvium software (http://actlab.tv/technology.htm) and their own media player.

"The software used is open source and the community is encouraged to make their own audio and video streams (http://actlab.tv/your_actlab_tv.htm).

"The website went live this week and the player and demo stream will be made public next week."

Glastonbury/goals beamed straight to your phone

Journalism.co.uk reports on Orange's launch of a mobile TV channel to cover this weekend's Glastonbury festival. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that " Video clips of Premiership goals could soon be available superfast from the stadium to footie fans' mobiles".

P2P firm can be sued

Lots of comment on the decision that Grokster can be sued for providing peer-to-peer software - harder to find the actual news. For a British angle see The Guardian's piece, including my quote of the day: "there will probably be fewer Tracys in Wolverhampton being prosecuted" (from Conan Chitham, of solicitors' firm Mishcon de Reya).

BT to offer TV via broadband

The Guardian reports that BT has "reached an agreement with Microsoft [and] said it would begin trials of new broadband television service early next year, and hoped to have it up and running by next summer". Here's the useful info:

"BT's announcement comes less than a week after BSkyB and Telewest announced similar trials to launch into what analysts see as a sizeable growth market.

"Last week the BSkyB chief executive, James Murdoch, said subscribers would be able to download sports and movies to their computers when its on-demand service launches later this year - designed partly to help it reach a target of 10 million subscribers by 2010.

"Telewest, the UK cable operator that is soon to merge with rival NTL, also said last week it was launching a TV-over-broadband trial.

"The company currently offers four channels, including highlights from its Living TV, Bravo, Challenge and Trouble channels, which it runs through content arm Flextech.

"AOL and Wanadoo, which both rent lines off BT to provide customers with broadband connections, are also planning to introduce video-on-demand.

"BT's new service will also compete with HomeChoice [link], which offers television, on-demand films and digital channels such as E4 and The Paramount Comedy Channel to over 15,000 subscribers nationwide."

Internetwork TV

Another useful posting from the Community Media Association:

There is an interesting article in today's Seattle Times profiling a new Internet television company called Brightcove along with a programme on 'hog cooking' (???) to be broadcast on the Barbeque Network by DaveTV.

DaveTV and Brightcove, along with companies like Akimbo, Total Vid, Open Media Network and OurMedia are part of a growing new group of companies called internetworks that are seeking to compete with regular network television and offer alternative niche video content.

These offerings are likely to be delivered to the domestic user via platforms like TiVo and Microsoft's Media Center shortly.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002276076_btinternettv16.html

I believe that the Internet is going to play a greater role in delivering television content in the very near future - take the news from the BBC today for example
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/05_may/16/imp.shtml)
- and that 'store-and-forward' delivery methods for television will possibly become the norm.

I think this has particular relevance to community television as it is such a cheap and convenient way to transmit content to what is perceived to be a niche audience.

There is so much of this news that comes out on a daily basis that I try to keep track of some of it via my blog at:

http://www.colondot.blogspot.com/

Best regards

Bill Best
--
Community Media Association

Google video-hosting allows you to charge

From Poynter:

"Google unleashed a beta version of its video-hosting service yesterday. Users can upload videos of any size and Google will host it for free. Amazing as that is, it isn't the most interesting feature. It also will allow you to charge whatever you want for users to download the videos.

"The implications of this are utterly staggering. Any person with a video can now sell that video for any amount they want at no overhead cost. It potentially creates an opportunity for video producers to make a living from their work. The types of files probably will range the breadth of garage-band music videos, indy movies, the inevitable porn, and maybe even news.

"Another angle to consider is the effect this will have on news. If someone captures an incredible event with a camcorder, how many would be inclined to give it to a local news channel for free when they have a free micropayment system to sell it to a worldwide audience?"

Developments in video delivery over the Internet

"Announcing a new platform for internet television and video. Anyone can
broadcast full-screen video to thousands of people at virtually no cost,
using BitTorrent technology. Viewers get intuitive, elegant software to
subscribe to channels, watch video, and organize their video library.
The project is non-profit, open source, and built on open standards.
Today we're announcing the project and releasing our current sourcecode.
The software is launching in June."

http://www.participatoryculture.org/

"Google is preparing a video distribution platform that provides a
complete ecosystem of services for content producers, publishers and
end-users. The first phase of its video upload program rolled out today,
and content owners will be able to control distribution rights
themselves, even setting a price for their video clips. Eventually,
users will be able to search, preview, purchase and play videos directly
from within Google."

http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_Preps_Video_Distribution_Service/1113441557

_______________________________________________
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webcast-l@commedia.org.uk
http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/webcast-l

Online archive moves step closer

"Free internet access to thousands of clips from public service radio and TV programmes is a step closer after the launch of the Creative Archive Licence."

Google's Video Hosting

Dan Gillmor posts that "Storage is becoming a commodity, online and offline. Google now offers to host videos (BBC), but its constantly expanding GMail storage is part of the same trend.

"Google is aiming to be everyone's storehouse of data and knowledge. Who'll own it, or at least control it, over the long term? Not a trivial question."

Podcast Music Licensing Not as Financially Daunting as Bloggers Surmise?

[source] While the post is completely Ameri-centric, it's worth noting that all of the major rights organisations worldwide have reciprocal agreements, so this is probably as good a guideline as you're likely to find - for now.

There promises to be a follow-up, and the comments at the bottom of the article are worth reading for a fuller understanding of the issue - but this is a great place to start:

Licensing music for podcasting is a perfect example of how real world legal models must be reformed in the wake of emerging technology. As the Cyberspace community members' ability to create a podcast increases with time and technology, the explosion of podcasting is imminent. While many consider podcasts to be digital download, there is also the view that they are broadcasts, and as such, performing rights organizations want to tap this new revenue stream for their members...

Read the full article here

Converting video to play on the PSP

From webcast-l-bounces@commedia.org.uk; on behalf of; Bill Best [bill.best@commedia.org.uk]:

"There are tons of videos available for download from the internet.
Unfortunately, nearly all of it is unplayable on the PSP. Wouldn't it be
cool if you could automatically download, convert and copy these videos
to your PSP for later playback? Well now you can.

Enter PSPcasting. Automatically downloading video files for viewing on a
PSP at the your convenience.

http://www.pspvideo9.com/pspcasting.html"

Blog about online media issues

Darknet accompanies a book about rights issues and online media, and is well worth checking out for an overview of some of those issues.

O-Journalism: Free media storage - or free video and audio

O-Journalism: Free media storage - or free video and audio Online media site Ourmedia has launched to embarrassing success. They "provide free storage and free bandwidth for your videos, audio files, photos, text or software", but perhaps more importantly, "A condition of posting material is that contributors must share their work. Reworking or remixing content is permitted including the use of 'snippets' of copyrighted work, although 'infringement and illegal misappropriation' are not be allowed." The site even has RSS feeds updating on new content. [source: journalism.co.uk]

It looks like a particularly useful site on two fronts: firstly, as a place for bloggers and webspace-starved web designers to host - and showcase - images, audio and video; and secondly, as a place to find copyright-free materials.

New Music Strategies: How TPM can lead to DRM

New Music Strategies: How TPM can lead to DRM

Very interesting article from Bill Thompson about how TPMs - Trusted Platform Modules - which are aimed at making your computer more secure from viruses and theft at a hardware level - may end up restricting what we can do with the media on our PC. Key (lengthy) quote:

"Because the trusted computing base is also used to make digital rights management (DRM) systems more secure, this will give content providers a lot more control over what we can do with music, movies and books that we have bought from them.

"We have seen recently how allowing digital rights management services into our lives can lead to unwelcome consequences.

"Users of Apple's iTunes used to be able to stream the music they had brought to up to five other iTunes users, a great way of letting your mates discover your music collection. Apple has changed some of the streaming capabilities

"But the latest version of iTunes limits this capability, just as an earlier upgrade reduced the number of times you could burn a selected playlist of purchased songs to a CD.

"Another took away the ability to play songs downloaded from Real's Harmony service on your iPod.

"...Similarly, users of TiVo digital video recorders have found that they cannot record some shows, and other programmes that they have recorded are automatically deleted after a day."

But Thompson argues that the moves will not work because "in order for the purchaser to view the content it has to be unlocked. Once it is unlocked then someone, somewhere, will figure out a way to make a copy of the unlocked version. And once an unlocked version leaks onto the network it will be uncontrollable."

'Blair Witch' creator takes new project to Web

Interesting piece about Blair Witch creator Daniel Myrick's new project, with particular relevance to anyone interested in distributing media online. The world premiere of his new project will be available for free at www.strandvenice.com.