Use of Smart Devices to View Videos
Before the iPad launched this month, video was already an increasing component in persuasive communication. Most traditional media – like newspapers – have some on-demand video component while other new media entities eschew text all together for video monologues and dialogues. While the iPad is certainly the newest, and biggest, mobile device on which to view video content, mobile devices like smart phones and portable media players have been available for a number of years.
Both the devices and the networks that serve data to them are maturing and soon they will catch up to the superior wireless networks in Europe and Asia. Then it will be a race to corner that market for the institutions that want eyeballs on their training, awareness, and recruiting media. If you can manage that workflow now you will be in an envious position. Right now, I would say that the newspaper industry and the social media industry best understand how to serve their content simultaneously to the web and the mobile markets. More and more people will look towards their mobile devices for educational, training, and recruiting content as untethered devices become the norm.
Image Courtesy: globwon-online
Sam said,
on April 20th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
The issue of video on the iPAD is one of non-support of Flash and the forced adoption of HTML5.
Not a huge deal, but, it’s like we’re back in the days of QT, WMV and REAL, where we all must encode/package up for multiple platforms; and make sure the User gets what they need.
So, now, what do we need:
.flv
.3gp
html5 – for one set of browsers
htlm5 – for another set
Workflow? While everything is to be auto-detected, are Users losing out in the end? Or, will they even notice? As most Developers are “Flash” boys/girls, have they even considered the requirements of HTML5? Hosting and delivery costs of HTML5 and impact on increased cost of sale?
Jason Hunter said,
on April 21st, 2010 at 9:11 am
Hi Sam – thanks and good point. Personally, I think that Apple should support Flash and that the multimedia industry as a whole should move toward unified codecs. In video there is an increasing amount of different codecs available to clients and it’s starting to have an adverse effect on production. Clients want to get started editing right away but get frustrated when we spend a day conforming the different media to a common format. I hope this is not the fate of developers like you and your users with regards to Flash vs. HTML 5 but I think that ship has sailed.