Look out Google and Microsoft Another Internet OS Is Here
Microsoft and Google’s recent announcements regarding cloud computing triggered a recent memory of a video interview from with a company called ViaCube. ViaCube is a cloud computing solution that can be configured as sort of a hybrid solution, whereby a home appliance can be used as a local store of data.
What impressed me about the ViaCube solution is the user interface that ties together various applications, such as word processing, photo editing and communications, into an easy-to-use interface. I have been a big fan and user of Google’s cloud computing initiatives and from what I saw, ViaCube’s interface was superior. Click here to view the video and see get a glimpse for their ideas on helping service providers bring the consumer to the cloud.
Optimizing Video for Wireless & More
Jerky video is the bane of television on mobile devices. Craig Lee of Ortiva Wireless talks about their technology and how it optimizes the transmission of video between wireless base stations and mobile handsets. More than just improving the quality of the video, Lee says that their product also allows carriers to increase the effective increase their coverage area. This technology has been deployed by Vodafone in Europe and is being deployed by an unnamed carrier in the U.S. Watch to learn more.
Cheaper to Give them a Computer – the Demise of the Phone Directory
Is the telephone directory about to be the latest victim of broadband? A recent online article from United Press International suggests that Missouri will no longer require AT&T to distribute the White Pages to its customers. White pages would be distributed only at the request of customers. In the Atlanta market, where AT&T dropped the White Pages, UPI reports that only 1 percent of its customersrequested the telephone directory. Click here to read the rest of this brief post as well as view a very insightful comment about how this may be a "back to the future" type of development.
Nostaglic After All These Years by Roger Bindl
Is it possible to be nostalgic, for the past, in only three years? Perhaps… when those three years were a bit rapid, radical, and rewarding. The videos in the player depicted in the screenshot reminded me just how much the video world has changed over the past three years. I became nostalgic.
Way back in 2006, YouTube had been around for about a year, and would be acquired by Google later that year. Ken and I had been posting video’s since 2005, and more so since March of 2006 with the Content Pavilion at TelecomNEXT, and we were understanding the benefits and pitfalls of streaming video. It was great to have control over our videos, but streaming and storage were expensive, and sites like YouTube, Revver, BlipTV, and Brightcove were better connected to the CDN’s (Content Distribution Networks) than our hosting services, so it was tough to say no to free bandwidth and storage with better streaming – thus the story begins as we progressed from 320×240 low bitrate video to HD video in less than 3 years.
So yes, I am notalgic today as I stumbled into these "old" video’s. I was looking back to create a video to highlight the scope and depth of what we have done with ViodiTV. Instead I realized how amazing the distribution and availability of video has progressed in 3 short years. Today I’m more concerned about free-riding aggregators than streaming video, and I’m nostalgic for a time past by… in a very short time.
This barely touches the surface of what’s to come in the next 3 years, so I’m excited to think what we’ll be doing then.
And Now, the Rest of the Story – I Didn’t Shower
Roger’s nostaglia prompted me to watch the highlight videos from our first ViodiTV at OPASTCO, which was three years ago this month. Watching the interview with Dee Dee Myers reminded me how gracious and nice she was. The interview with John Rose, reminded me that he had a good handle on the changes that were going to occur over the next 3 years and the things a telco needed to do then and needs to do in the future to stay relevant in an ever-changing business environment.
And now, the rest of the story. So, I will leave it up to the viewer as to whether I look more disheveled than normal in this video. The keen observer will note that I was wearing shorts, which is not my normal “on-air” attire. The reason for this casual dress was that Roger and I were literally chased away by the flames of a fire that had engulfed a house that was next door to our rental. I arrived at the Homestead with the clothes on my back and Roger had the camera in hand (and, to be clear, he had the clothes on his back).
For the most part, we acted like nothing was wrong and went about our business of producing ViodiTV that Sunday. I don’t think anyone noticed anything was amiss, although the smoke on our duds and my lack of shower may have turned a few heads. Fortunately for the ViodiTV viewer, we haven’t figured out how to transmit aromas yet, so it still isn’t quite like being there.
For those of you coming to OPASTCO in Colorado Springs in a few weeks, we look forward to seeing you. For those of you interested in getting your message in video to the OPASTCO members and beyond, there are still sponsorship opportunities. Contact Roger Bindl at 608 268 5701 for more information.
