Facebook will expand its movie business interests today when it continues experimentation with streaming feature films.
The latest feature offering will be “Tomorrow, When the War Began” — a two-year-old Australian action adventure about teenagers fighting against a military attack. Facebook will get 30 percent of the revenue.
“Milyoni Inc. (pronounced ‘Million Eye’), which calls itself an ‘f-commerce’ (as in ‘Facebook commerce’) social media provider, is handling the Facebook release,” reports Multichannel News. “The movie will also be distributed via iTunes, Vudu, Amazon, YouTube and In-Demand.”
Are we on the cusp of a new era of social cinema?
“Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie” debuted on Facebook last week, two weeks prior to its theatrical release. “For $10, fans will be able watch the movie and chat with its stars in real time,” reports ReadWriteWeb. “The model represents a new sort of social cinema that, while not widespread, appears poised to become a potentially major trend.”
“Like Google, Facebook has let it be known that it intends to play a big role in the development and distribution of feature films — competing with cable and other legacy providers,” explains Multichannel News. “The added value of such delivery, as Milyoni emphasizes, is that viewing via a social media platform lets fans watch and chat simultaneously, creating ‘a massive social frenzy that would be impossible to duplicate anywhere else.'”
Consumers are using their smartphones more than ever before as a useful tool for retail shopping. Compared to the previous year, retail app downloads have doubled.
“A new study from Nielsen’s upcoming United States Digital Consumer Report states that 29 percent of all smartphone users utilize their mobile devices to aid in shopping-related activities, whether online or in stores,” reports Digital Trends.
Nielsen found that consumers use their smartphones the most for price comparisons, with 38 percent checking prices online while browsing in stores.
When they get closer to a purchase, “32 percent of smartphone owners prefer to read consumer reviews online before making the final decision.”
“The least popular option of using smartphones to shop is actually paying for products with the phone,” indicates the article. “The study cites that only 18 percent of iOS and 13 percent of Android users are interested in using their phones as credit cards.”
Last year U.S. consumers spent more than $170 million on products that assist use of portable media devices in their vehicles, according to the NPD Group.
The report found that 84 percent of owners possess a portable media device and 79 percent use them in their cars.
“Traditional radio and CD audio remain firmly entrenched in the vehicle from both a device and entertainment standpoint,” says Ben Arnold, NPD’s director of industry analysis. “But as ownership of mobile devices, digital content, and apps expands, consumers will be looking for ways to customize the in-vehicle environment with content and services.”
“The key is for auto makers and traditional audio manufacturers to facilitate consumer use of connected devices in the vehicle, allowing content from the smartphone, tablet, or digital media player to easily stream or be controlled through the deck mounted in the dashboard,” according to Arnold. “We’re only going to see greater consumer attachment to social media, streaming audio and video, and other services as content options grow.”
CNET has posted a fascinating 2-minute video from SmartPlanet on how to convert personal photographs into 3D objects using new free software.
Autodesk recently released 123D Catch and 123D Make, both of which create “a 3D model of your images, which can then be sent to a 3D printer or can be constructed out of cardboard as a template,” indicates the post.
The video demo illustrates how multiple photographs of a garden buddha captured with a point-and-shoot camera are used to create a 3D model reference file in the cloud.
The recorded textures of the object become a wire frame model that can then be sent to a 3D printer or users can print their own cardboard model via 123D Make that slices the model into layers.
The company sees initial applications for hobbyists and educators.
The technological possibilities of the Internet are challenging our traditional approach to TV, according to Eric Spiegelman writing for AllThingsD.
“When it comes to delivering audio-visual content to a wide audience, the Internet has lowered the barriers to entry so far that anyone with even the dinkiest camera can become a major broadcaster,” he writes. “The television industry may face a crisis of overhead when a large number of scrappy upstarts deliver comparable value with almost no fixed costs. Also, there are some aspects of the television business that the Internet simply does better, specifically when it comes to reaching an audience.”
The concepts of “channels” and “shows” are dramatically changing, especially as a result of YouTube.
Use of the iPhone as a TV remote is no longer a novel concept for Apple TV owners. Via AirPlay and a growing number of apps, viewers can “throw” videos wirelessly from the phone to the TV.
TV and publishing are becoming similar. “Reuters, Slate and The Wall Street Journal all have news and documentary programming on the new YouTube channel lineup. The New York Times and New York Magazine have been doing their own video programming for years. It’s only a matter of time before some of these compete with the cable news channels.”
While 55 percent of consumers consider point-and-shoot cameras as their primary photo devices, 18 percent now turn mainly to their smartphones for taking pics, according to a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association.
The number using smartphones as a primary means of taking photos has tripled in the past two years.
Although smartphone photography is on the rise, many rely on digital SLRs for higher-quality photos, reports the CEA.
“With 61 percent of photos taken as spur-of-the-moment shots, consumers liked the portability of smartphones. The study also found that consumers who used smartphones (and to a lesser extent, tablets) were more likely to use sharing applications, such as sending images via SMS services, email, or posting on social networks,” adds MediaPost.
UK-based startup Speech Graphics has developed new software that predicts how facial muscles move to produce sounds.
“The new lip synching technology uses just audio input to automatically make a 3D character speak,” explains VentureBeat. “Since it uses a universal physics model, the company says it will work across all languages, saving game development time and resources.”
The team from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics and the Centre for Speech Technology Research created the software in response to the growing quantity and cost of dialogue that appears in story-driven video games.
“With our technology, we’re aiming for robust high quality, even better than what you can achieve with motion capture. And because it’s audio-driven, it’s at a price point that makes it scalable to huge amounts of speech,” said co-founder Michael Berger.
Digital Connections (from digital marketing agency 360i) offers an interesting overview of emerging trends in second-screen apps and social TV, including tips for creating effective second-screen experiences for consumers.
1) Design the right space: “Create a space that makes sense for your show and community — find a balance between providing value for your network and value for your fans.”
2) Understand what you’ve created: “Make sure you understand all aspects of the app — if you want to prove value, make sure the app you’ve created has the ability to do so.”
3) Make the app available where fans are: “Be available — if you design an awesome app, your fans will want access to it all the time and from multiple devices; be sure to remain appealing to all ages and demographics.”
4) Try not to turn fans off: “Don’t irritate your fans — if you take the time to build the app, give your fans time to adjust before pushing ads in their face.”
5) Keep fans turned on: “Keep it fresh — your competition is fierce and your fans won’t make a commitment unless you give them a reason to.”
6) Be patient while awaiting results: “Give your community time to adjust to the second-screen experience before attempting to change it; if you’ve done everything right, second-screen success will follow.”
Consumers are watching streaming video content for longer periods of time, according to analysis by tech provider Ooyala.
The study found that video plays on Internet-enabled TVs and mobile devices nearly doubled in Q4, with nearly half of all connected-TV viewers watching through to completion.
This stat is significantly higher than the average for all devices.
“Another interesting tidbit from Ooyala: Though this may not be particularly surprising, Facebook remains a much more active source of online video sharing than Twitter: For every video shared via Twitter in Q4, more than 10 were shared on Facebook,” reports TechCrunch.
In a related MediaPost story, nearly 1 in 3 homes with broadband are regularly screening TV content online, according to Parks Associates. Almost 13 percent use Apple TV, a Roku device or other OTT equipment.
Sales for OTT devices are projected to hit 14 million in 2012, suggests Parks.
Nintendo’s Wii gaming console will be adding TV programming and movies to its entertainment line-up. Hulu and Nintendo have reached an agreement that will allow Wii owners to stream video content from Hulu Plus.
“Subscribers to the service for $7.99 a month will be able to access a wide array of current TV shows, library content, kids fare and classic movies,” reports Multichannel News. “For the first month of launch, users who download Hulu Plus for Wii and do not already have an existing Hulu Plus account will get a two-week free trial.”
“Wii is not only one of the most important entertainment devices in the living room, but one of the most heavily anticipated and requested platforms by users and subscribers,” said Pete Distad, VP of marketing and distribution at Hulu, adding that the Wii launch is part of a larger strategy to expand service availability. “Teaming up with Nintendo gives millions of households across the U.S. an immediate way to access some of their favorite current season shows on-demand in their living room through Hulu Plus.”
The subscription VOD deal also plans to offer Hulu Plus on the handheld 3DS device by the end of the year.
Hollywood movie promoters are finding success with social media — not just with Twitter and Facebook, but also through sites such as Instagram and We Heart It.
Many executives now receive regular briefings on the social buzz surrounding their films.
“If you have thousands of people talking about your movie, don’t you want to know what they’re saying? The leap people are starting to make is that social media is actually reflective of what audiences think about your movie,” says Ben Carlson, president of research firm Fizzioli.gy.
The Los Angeles Times cites the recent success of a socially-distributed video featuring actor Channing Tatum. “Tatum’s performance wasn’t from a movie, but a ‘Sweet Nothings’ video that marketers for his new film, ‘The Vow,’ posted on Facebook in advance of its opening last weekend. It worked: The romantic tear-jerker blew past expectations to open at No. 1 with $41.2 million in North American ticket sales.”
“With new software to help remove unwanted objects from your pictures, Scalado aims to make mobile photography and digital photo editing that much more advanced,” reports Digital Trends.
Scalado’s Remove is a new patented object-removal technology that records stationary objects in a scene and adds the ability to edit and re-edit elements on the fly.
“After the picture is taken, users can pick out moving objects in the frame that the program had deemed impermanent to the shot, such as passing cars, people or stray animals,” explains the post. “Then, with just a quick tap, those items are cleared from your photo as if they were never there.”
Remove software will be officially unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month.
Sony is developing new power outlet tech that is capable of identifying users. The outlets have an IC chip built in and can authorize users by sending information over the power line.
Sony expects the technology to be used in cafes, restaurants, airports and other public places for “managing energy usage in large buildings, device theft prevention, and — yes — the potential for paid access to power,” reports The Verge.
The IC chip is based on Sony’s FeliCa standard that millions of people in Japan currently use for mobile payments. For users to access the power outlets, authentication information would be transmitted by a IC chip built in the plug or using an NFC-equipped device or card.
The Verge suggests “with the technology still in developmental stages, we imagine it’ll take a while to catch on. Docomo’s Qi-powered inductive charging solution Okudake Juuden is already rolling out across Japan, and while support is still limited, it has the distinct advantages (to consumers, at least) of being both wireless and free.”
However, according to Geek.com: “Ultimately, this power outlet is probably bad news for consumers. It affords an easy way for power to be charged for in public areas, and most companies focused on making a profit aren’t going to pass up an opportunity to generate more money from its customers.”
The Verge post includes a concept video from Sony.
In its latest annual mobile data traffic forecast, Cisco predicts an estimated 10 billion mobile connections by 2016.
The company expects the majority of these connections to come via cell phones, but also foresees a significant rise in tablets. The forecast does not include Wi-Fi-only models; Cisco will release Wi-Fi traffic in a separate forecast later this year.
“If the market does indeed swell to 5 billion cellular-connected tablets, that would represent a 25 percent jump over today’s global figure,” explains Engadget. “Moreover, Cisco estimates that by 2016 21 percent of those 5 billion tablet owners will be relying solely on mobile data to get their Internet fix.”
“All told, whatever the mix of smartphones and tablets, we’re going to be chugging down an insane amount of data: 10.8 exabytes per month, worldwide, or 130 exabytes annually,” indicates the post. “4G will account for only six percent of mobile connections by 2016, but is expected to generate 36 percent of mobile data traffic.”
IMAX has announced it will partner with Barco to co-develop new laser projection technology for IMAX theaters.
According to the press release: “The new IMAX digital laser projector will present greater brightness and clarity, a wider color gamut and deeper blacks, and consume less power and last longer than existing digital technology. This state-of-the-art solution, which will implement the patents IMAX exclusively licensed from Eastman Kodak Co. last year, will allow IMAX’s entire global theater network to show the highest-quality digital content available.”
Under the 7-year agreement, the companies plan to develop next-generation laser projection tech “based on IMAX intellectual property in image quality, Barco’s unique laser innovations and the Kodak digital laser patents, which IMAX will sub-license to Barco.”
IMAX and Barco expect to deliver a market solution in the second half of 2012 while also working to “manage the transition from Xenon-based to high-performance, laser-based projectors, which are expected to be deployed in 2013,” explains the release.
