Netflix vs. Hulu.com

Streaming media is rapidly growing.  In the past 5 years many companies that offered traditional media have started branching out into the world of streaming media.  People still use these traditional sources but more options have been developed. 

A short time ago if someone wanted to catch their favorite TV show or movie they would have to watch it when it was on TV or in the Movie Theater.  Those days have been replaced with the Internets broadband speeds and a countless number of devices capable of streaming such media.  No longer are we tied to our homes or movie theaters.  We have companies like Netflix.com and Hulu.com to come to our aid.

Hulu is a company specializing in streaming television shows.  On hulu.com you can catch a variety of TV shows from networks such as NBC, Fox, ABC and CBS just to name a few. This has been a revolutionary thing.  Hulu is a joint venture from these networks with money coming from Newport Television which is a joint venture company created by the network partners. Hulu.com , because of it’s affiliation with these networks, provides a service offering it’s customers to receive  video content in High Definition for a monthly subscription fee.  It is the holder of a countless number of video assets and it increases them each night.  The networks provide viewers with full streaming versions of the same programs that aired over the traditional video feed as recently as the night before.

Netflix originally got it start by offering video rentals to it’s subscribers for a flat monthly rate.  They also gave their customers the added benefit of not having to return their movie rentals without having to pay a penalty charge for returning them late.  This is the assassin of the business model of companies like Blockbuster video.  Netflix has also begun streaming their vast library of movies and specials over the Internet.  This puts them in direct competition with Hulu.  The difference being that Netflix has more movie titles than Hulu.  Netflix generally gets the movies first and Hulu has more television content to offer it’s subscribers.

Video apps and Streaming Video Media

For the past 6 years cellphone companies have been developing apps (applications) for their devices.  These many applications have created a new market for entertainment consumers.  Consumers now have at their fingertips devices that can connect them with family and friends, enable them to play games, carry their entire music collection and watch video on demand.  These apps have challenged some the traditional means of getting this entertainment. Their effects on video game consoles, televisions, books and entertainment systems have been astonishing.

Samsung and other manufacturers have embarked on a track to develop the same technology but allow you to share it between devices, specifically SMART devices.  These essentially will allow the consumer to move the same information between their devices on a fly.  Users will be able to play video games on their gaming consoles.  Pause the games and continue them on their mobile devices.  The same will also be available for music and other apps.

Samsung is currently distributing their SMART TV line-ups. The company has chosen to stick closely to it’s original television functionality the distribution of video content.   How will this effect live streaming video?  This will enable live stream content producers to reach a larger market if they develop apps for these smart TV’s enabling them to stream directly to TV sets via the Internet.  This is exciting news.  The gap between traditional broadcasters and video stream producers is narrowing year by year.

Broadcasting and Media associations

The world of live streaming is continuing to grow.  New companies are being created annually in an attempt to develop and produce content to meet the demand of the media consumer. It is directly associated with the old standards of radio and television broadcasting.  This process has been termed webcasting or streaming media.  It began with the start of recorded programming (video clips) posted on YouTube.  Now the trend spearheaded by two cadets from WestPoint  (Brad Hunstable and John Ham) who wanted to create a way for family members to see their deployed military friends from Iraq.  This has inspired a new generation of producers. Covering a broad range of live events around the globe. 

For many freelance videographers working on random projects there is a bright star on the horizon.  The opportunity has arisen to provide coverage on a local level of sporting, entertainment, and community events.  A coverage that is easy to produce with only a laptop and a web cam. Pretty soon professional producers from the broadcast industry began to try their hand at producing content. Content that generates revenue and has a viral spread across the Internet. This is creating a need for associations to speak on behalf of the professional media producers.

The association of choice for broadcasters and video producers is the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).  NAB provides a voice for some media producers.  It is the premier trade association for broadcasters.  Organizations like this one help feed the industry that it serves.  Creating an incubator of innovation.  They help to promote education and assistants with many community services.  NAB is also actively involved advocacy programs that speak with national legislators about the relevance of it’s state broadcasters. Informing policy makers about broadcasters who are beginning to adapt to the growing need for web media.

Do What You Love to do!

Gary Vaynerchuk: Do What You Love

Inspirational speaker Gary Vaynerchuk gave a speech for the TED.com initiative back in 2008 that should motivate many entrepreneurs to action.  He simply states, “Do what you love”.  I

In his speech he is very adamant about having a passion about what you are doing.   Most of us end up in jobs that we hate and are not passionate about.  It is just a paycheck for us.  This is not a great way to live our lives.  We spend too much time just striving to get by, and not living our dreams. “Please stop that!” states Gary Vaynerchuk. In his speech, he references how he took over his family business.  At the height of his success of turning the family wine business around, he came to a realization. Even though he was good at this job, it wasn’t what he loved.  He only became 1% unhappy with what he was doing. So he changed courses and created wine library TV. 

His family business was increased from a couple billion dollars a year to $50 Billion a year company before he turned 30 and decided he didn’t want to do it anymore.  So he devoted the next 17 months 5 days a week building wine library TV to the success it is today. “You need to care about everything!” Gary Vaynerchuk states in his speech.  “Giving a crap” about everything is very important to our success.  Don’t just listen care.  Figure out what we love and want to do for the rest of our lives and do that. 

This speech really hit me at the core.  What I would love to do professionally is something that doesn’t feel like work to me.  It will come so natural because I love it.  We all need to take heed to his words and STOP DOING WHAT WE DON’T ABSOLUTLY LOVE.

Capitalize on your websites/ Live streams

How to capitalize on your live streams

The technology involved in streaming live video over the Internet has grown over the past few years. The traditional sources of revenue include the use of strategically placed ads.  There are several sources for a publisher to generate this revenue.  The first and most popular would be Google AdSense.  As far as pay per click revenue is concerned Google offers a large catalog of advertisers that cater to every interest available.  Another ad revenue sight that caters to web publishers is Link share and Commission junction.  I have used both of these companies.  They differ slightly from AdSense, but still offer web publishers a variety of affiliate networks that allow for the inclusion of commission revenue.

Once you have applied to one of the ad publisher accounts, it is time to include their source code on your webpage.

 Example of a source code for one of my advertisers Soda Stream below.

These links allow everyone who logs onto your website to view your video content to see the banners created by your advertisers.  There is a call to action for the revenue to generate. Most of these ads require the web viewer to click on these links. The clicks are recorded wich enables the advertisers to reimburse the webmaster or owner of the webpage for the advertising lead generated by the click.

Ok so now you have your webpage designed your stream feed embedded, but nobody knows your site exists.  This is when you promote your site. The most popular way to do this is by utilizing SEO’s or search engine optimization. This is a sure fire way to generate more hits to your website.  Put your website at the top of the search lists on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and all the other search engines. 

This is a simplified introduction to this process for more information check out a few sources:

http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

The world of Live stream Television

            The beauty of technology today is the power that it puts in the hands of the average person. Not too long ago, only three major networks and their affiliates had all of the power to broadcast images around the country.  It was too difficult and expensive for the average person to set up a television studio, create a video and then make it available to the world.  The advent of the Internet has revolutionized the way we all deliver information to each other.  Today it is possible to broadcast straight from you cell phone to everyone you know.

            The live stream web cast is the new trend that is putting the world in control of what is seen.  The concept of broadcasting one image to many people is quickly becoming normal practice.  Whitney Houston’s funeral was available for the world to see live on a web stream. The 2012 summer Olympics are even giving this a try on NBC’s special streaming website Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com. 

If you are interested in creating a live stream for yourself the first thing to find is a great LSSP (live streaming service provider) such as Ustream, Livestream, Justin.tv and to buy a web cam.  Most laptops have web cams built on them. There are also several apps available through the LSSP’s that will allow for the use of the cell phones camera to broadcast .If you are a more professional producer, there are a many professional programs and professional hardware available to help. Wirecast is a great software based program that allows the user to produce a live web cast straight from their desktop computer. 

The options are limited less.  You can find more information on livestreaming on the following sources. Please feel free to check them out.

·       http://www.951tel.com/solutions/conferencing/090817_livestream_business_TA_broadcast_conferencing.htm

·       http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Editorial/Featured-Articles/Buyers-Guide-Live-Streaming-Services-80961.aspx

·       http://smgvoices.com/blog/?p=342

Video production on a Budget!!

     Today's economy has kept many college graduates from finding jobs after graduation.  This also applies to the media and video production industry.  However more affordable technology and the Internet have made it even easier for the budding filmmaker to create and distribute their own productions. This blog will attempt to give information about how to find equipment on a budget.

     First thing a videographer or budding filmmaker should purchase is a good camera. There are many choices out there.  For film, I would suggest getting a good DSLR camera.  These cameras are great because they give a great cinematic look to the video.  There are many great cameras out there.  Here are a few websites that I suggest looking for ideas.
www.cheesycam.com is a great site.  It is full of articles blog links and how to videos embedded on the site.  This is a great start for the Do it yourselfer who isn’t afraid to attempt to build a dolly, motorized pan tilt head, and steady cams.  You can also find articles about in expensive cameras that make it easy to get great footage on a low budget. It is very helpful.

     The next site I would suggest is www.videoguys.com.  You can research the latest editing software and plugins available today.  They have great bundles.  The bundled prices are usually lower than if you bought the software directly from the manufacturer.  They also offer great information on how to select the right gear for you studio or project.  If you are interested in paying a low price for awesome equipment than this is the place to start.
The final website I would like to recommend is www.bhphotovideo.com.  They deal with every aspect of production.  Whether you are interested in audio production or video production. It is possible to find great deals on this site, but some of the items are pried in the tens of thousands.

     Doing the right research is the key to finding the gear that you need to complete your project.  This has covered three of the best available.