August 23, 2010
Volume XXXI, Issue 12
PeerApp Continues Rapid Growth and Surpasses 100 Customer Mark
PeerApp, a leading provider of content delivery platforms and media caching, announced today that it has achieved its hundredth customer, MWEB, a leading Internet service provider (ISP) in South Africa. MWEB has deployed the PeerApp UltraBand 5000 to improve its subscribers' quality of experience (QoE), increase network efficiency, and reduce international transit costs.
PeerApp has experienced a period of tremendous growth and now boasts over 100 customers in more than 35 countries worldwide. The company continues to invest across the world, operating direct sales and support offices in nine countries and more than doubling its partner and OEM channels, including partner Bytes Storage in South Africa.
"PeerApp allowed us to deliver a differentiated quality of service to our customers," noted Jaco Muller, Head of Technology Operations for MWEB. "The UltraBand solution allows our high-speed broadband customers to receive content eight times faster than alternative providers. We have taken control of content delivery in our network and have seen a higher quality of experience for our entire customer base. Congratulations to PeerApp on its hundredth customer milestone."
PeerApp's UltraBand solution enables network operators to increase their customers' QoE, optimize network performance, and reduce bandwidth operating expenses with the industry's most scalable platform for accelerating content delivery. The solution allows the operator to support the growth of Internet video and take control of content delivery providing customers the best service quality.
"MWEB is an innovation leader in South Africa and we are happy that our solution allows it to differentiate its offerings on quality while reducing network costs," said PeerApp CEO Robert Mayer. "The industry is continually looking for ways to positively affect customer experience and contain costs. We are proud that there are now over 100 customers worldwide taking control of content delivery, network optimization and QoE with the UltraBand."
PeerApp was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Newton, MA. Sales and support offices around the world include the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, England, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong.
User Engagement: A Simple and Intuitive P2P Participation Policy
Excerpted from Solid State Networks Blog Posting by Rick Buonincontri
We at Solid State Networks have been steadfast in our belief that user experience ("UX") should be the highest priority objective when developing of our content delivery solutions.
UX in the context of software applications is primarily associated with the user's perception of usability. At Solid State, our concept of providing a quality UX also includes transparency to the user (we mean transparency in the human sense and not as typically used with computing).
An application's UX goes well beyond the user's immediate perception and extends throughout the many ways that a user may be impacted by the application. Therefore, we strive to make applications that any user can easily and intuitively control, even if they do not completely comprehend all that they are controlling.
We believe that transparency is especially important with P2P applications. P2P can provide a benefit to publishers and consumers alike, but at the end of the day, the resources used in P2P belong to the user and not to a publisher or P2P vendor.
We decided long ago that we should be able to clearly communicate to users when, how and why a user would (or would not) be a participant in a P2P network. Yet, we do not want to encumber users with complex rules and instructions.
Ideally, as gamers we would like to see that all publishers provide users the ability to opt out of a P2P network if they so choose. However, we also think it is acceptable to us for a publisher to require players' participation in the P2P network, especially when the content delivered is free to users, such as in a free-to-play game. That said, it seems obvious (to us anyway) that requiring P2P participation comes with the responsibility that publishers and vendors provide an indication that there is a P2P application running along with easily accessible controls to disable it.
Central to our own ideas around a user's P2P participation is the state of that user's engagement with the publisher. Our applications are designed so that participation is determined by the user's perception of engagement with a publisher. As an example, if a player is downloading a game then they may be required to participate in a P2P network. When that player then makes a disengaging action (i.e. by closing the download or game application) then that user should also be removed from the P2P network for that publisher's content.
Why? Because once that player has disengaged and moved on to something else (say, watching a video on YouTube or just walking away from their system) then it is reasonable for them to believe that they have concluded their business with that publisher. If, at that time, the publisher would like to continue to utilize that user's resources then the user should be asked for permission to do so.
To us, employing a P2P participation policy that is based on user engagement is fair, transparent and respectful to the user that is ultimately contributing their resources to the network. Additionally, it minimizes any risk of users that may not be aware of the implications of P2P uploading and the impact it may have on the performance of other devices using that Internet connection.
Perhaps more importantly, it may avert unplanned consumption of Internet usage, particularly for users that are on limited usage plans that may be required to pay overage fees.
QTRAX Appoints Lance Ford Co-Prez/CMO, Accelerates Global Rollout
Brilliant Technologies Corporation's QTRAX Inc. division proudly announces the appointment of Lance Ford as Co-President & Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Mr. Ford previously served as President & CMO of QTRAX advertising advisor Rebel Digital.
Mr. Ford's appointment coincides with QTRAX adopting a new "cutting-edge" 360 degree model and bringing in-house its advertising strategy and management functions.
"There are few people that truly understand the interplay of multiple revenues alongside a core revenue stream of advertising dollars. Lance's deep understanding derives from a long and highly successful career in magazine publishing. And his transition from offline media to Internet enterprises, parallels the massive movement of dollars from one to the other," said Allan Klepfisz, President & CEO.
"Advertisers are looking for concepts and people that accommodate their needs. QTRAX has a completely new take on generating ad revenues globally. And what we think are really enticing propositions for consumers that will provide other revenue streams- and impact on piracy. Nobody could be better qualified to spearhead these initiatives than Lance."
Lance Ford observed, "I believe I have a good handle on the challenges in this space as well as the truly stellar opportunities. QTRAX has pursued the long and at times clearly difficult road of being a pioneer in the legal download arena. Not only are the consumer opportunities better than ever but I firmly believe, that with an appropriate level of innovation, so are the revenue opportunities."
"There are better ways to sell ads, subscriptions, merchandise and tickets, globally. The monetization of the music fans voracious appetite has not been well conceived in the past and we hope to introduce fresh ideas in a number of territories in the coming months," he added.
QTRAX is currently engaged in beta testing in the Asia-Pacific region: India, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. It will soon be rolling out to other territories and introducing portability.
QTRAX is the world's first free and legal global download music service and showcases an innovative 360 degree revenue model that easily directs revenue back to artists and rights holders. QTRAX has successfully signed licensing deals with major labels, music publishers and leading indies. QTRAX will soon provide fans in multiple regions with access to a colorful and diverse catalog of high-quality, high-fidelity digital music files. Based in New York, NY, QTRAX is a subsidiary of Brilliant Technologies Corporation, a publicly traded technology holding company.
Lance Ford was responsible for launching Maxim Magazine in the US, which became the largest men's lifestyle magazine in the world generating over $400 million in advertising revenue in its first five years. Lance launched the number two men's magazine, Stuff, and the music magazine, Blender, which is now second only to Rolling Stone. He also oversaw the launch of their companion websites. Under Lance's leadership Maxim was voted Magazine of the Year by Advertising Age in 2000 and No.1 on the AdWeek Hot List in 2003.
Report from CEO Marty Lafferty
 Last week's announcement by Verizon and Google was particularly significant because the two companies have been such outspoken adversaries in the net neutrality debate.
Verizon has insisted on flexibility in the delivery of web content to protect performance of its network, while Google has been demanding restrictions so that broadband providers couldn't favor their own online offerings over competitors or third parties.
Their proposal was made in the form of a suggested nine-point legislative framework intended as a constructive contribution to this debate now at the center of much discussion in Washington, DC.
Its timing followed the US Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) issuance of a Notice of Inquiry the prior week seeking guidance on broadband policy and its abandonment of related talks among leading private sector representatives including these two major players.
In announcing their plan, Verizon and Google acknowledge the enormous contribution of the original architects of the Internet in making the network open, enabling the greatest exchange of ideas in history; and scalable, enabling explosive innovation in its infrastructure.
They also recognize that regulators should, in fact, monitor Internet service providers (ISPs) to ensure they do not block or slow Internet traffic and that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) may also have a key role to play in that area.
In order to balance the protection of the future openness of the Internet while also encouraging the rapid deployment of broadband, the companies offered what they characterize as a principled compromise.
Verizon and Google stated that they have been guided by two principle objectives: 1) Users should choose what content, applications, or devices they use, since openness has been central to the explosive innovation that has made the Internet a transformative medium; and 2) America must continue to encourage both investment and innovation to support the underlying broadband infrastructure; it is imperative for our global competitiveness.
Both companies have long been proponents of the FCC's current wireline broadband openness principles, which ensure that consumers have access to all legal content on the Internet, and can use whatever applications, services, and devices they choose.
In October, the two companies issued a shared statement of principles on network neutrality. A few months later, they submitted a joint filing to the FCC, and in an April they released a joint op-ed. They also agree that, in addition to these existing principles, there should be a new, enforceable prohibition against discriminatory practices.
This means that for the first time, wireline broadband providers would not be able to discriminate against or prioritize lawful Internet content, applications, or services in a way that causes harm to users or competition.
This new non-discrimination principle includes a presumption against prioritization of Internet traffic - including paid prioritization. So, in addition to not blocking or degrading of Internet content and applications, wireline broadband providers also could not favor particular Internet traffic over other traffic.
It's also important that consumers be fully informed about their Internet experiences. The proposal would create enforceable transparency rules, for both wireline and wireless services. Broadband providers would be required to give consumers clear, understandable information about the services they offer and their capabilities.
Broadband providers would also make available to application and content providers information about network management practices and any other information they need to ensure that they can reach consumers.
The proposal also spells out the FCC's role and authority in the broadband space. In addition to creating enforceable consumer protection and non-discrimination standards that go beyond the FCC's pre-existing consumer safeguards, it also provides for a new enforcement mechanism for the FCC to use.
Specifically, the FCC would enforce these openness policies on a case-by-case basis, using a complaint-driven process. The FCC could move swiftly to stop a practice that violates these safeguards, and it could impose a penalty of up to $2 million on bad actors.
In its most controversial provision, the proposal would allow broadband providers to offer additional, differentiated online services, beyond the Internet access and video services offered today.
These new services would have to be distinguishable in scope and purpose from broadband Internet access service, but could make use of or access Internet content, applications, or services and could include traffic prioritization.
This means that broadband providers would be empowered to work with other players to develop such new services. These new services might include health care monitoring, the smart grid, advanced educational services, or new entertainment and gaming options.
The proposal includes safeguards to ensure that such online services would have to be distinguishable from traditional broadband Internet access services and not circumvent the rules. The FCC would also monitor the development of these services to make sure they don't interfere with the continued development of Internet access services. ISPs would also be permitted to manage their networks, including the ability to prioritize general classes or types of Internet traffic, based on latency.
In another section that has raised concerns because of the growing importance of wireless Internet access, the proposal would not now apply most of its wireline principles to wireless - except for the transparency requirement. In addition, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) would be required to report to Congress annually on developments in the wireless broadband marketplace, and whether or not current policies are protecting consumers.
Finally, the companies reaffirmed that they believe that it is in the national interest for all Americans to have broadband access to the Internet and therefore voiced their support of reform of the Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF) to focus on deploying broadband in areas where it is not now available.
The question for all DCINFO readers to answer is whether this legislative policy framework adequately protects consumers, provides the FCC with what would be beneficial authority over broadband, and allows web start-ups to continue to bring their innovations to users.
It would seem to offer broadband providers the flexibility to manage their networks and provide new types of online services, which is what they seek. And it is clearly a highly visible attempt to influence an extremely important area that Congress has yet to address. Share wisely, and take care.
Telcos Will Be Big in Cloud Computing
Excerpted from TMCnet Report by Gary Kim
AT&T, BT, Orange Business Services, and Verizon Business "can now compete with established players from the IT industry" in the cloud computing arena, say researchers at Ovum.
"The major telcos have a long heritage in providing managed data center services and hosting and have combined this with their networking and security expertise to meet the needs of customers for cloud computing services," says Peter Hall, Ovum principal analyst.
Some observers have speculated that the telcos might not fare so well in some parts of the cloud computing ecosystem, particularly in parts of the ecosystem requiring more application expertise. That might well be true, but there seems little reason to believe telcos cannot be major players in those parts of the business that are more centrally related to managed hosting.
Telcos are well accustomed to managing mission-critical data centers. That, in essence, is what modern switching and routing facilities are.
"All of the players reviewed in the report see cloud computing as leveraging their core competencies and Orange has coined the term 'IT operator' to reflect its new role in IT services by analogy with its traditional role as a network operator," says Hall.
"We believe that the global and major regional telcos will become strong players across the full spectrum of cloud computing services including Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)," says Hall. That makes sense.
Consumer voice services always have been managed services, and their roles as Internet access providers likewise already has required telcos to become managed service providers in that area as well.
It might not yet, and might never be the case, that most telcos can compete directly with larger system integrators that manage enterprise apps down to the desktop. But there is credible reason to believe that managing large scale, mission critical server farms is an issue for the larger telcos.
How well major telcos can compete with Computing-as-a-Service (CaaS) offerings such as Amazon Web Services likely is the more immediate issue, not the direct competition with large system integrators and outsourcing shops.
Google's Shocking Change of Heart on Net Neutrality
Excerpted from Search Insider Report by Rob Garner
A frequent warning heard from sociologists and network theorists is that "exclusion from networks" represents one of the greatest sociological and economic threats that future global societies could possibly encounter. In light of the recent pact between Google and Verizon on net neutrality, and their combined position that somehow "wireless Internet networks are different," one of the societies now at the crossroads of this dilemma is the United States.
While the Google-Verizon pact is not law by any means, many experts and people in government view this development as the first key domino to fall toward "non-neutrality" via legislation. Keeping networks "neutral" means that there is open and free access to the Internet in the US. This is significant to the web as we know it, and impacts the life of US citizens directly for a number of reasons.
First, it ensures equal access, without discrimination of the type of content, originating top level country code domains, load times, and myriad other factors and scenarios. Internet users currently have the freedom to search where they want with the words they want, to speak freely and congregate in the social networks of their choosing, and to start their own Internet presence on the same playing field as any major corporation or government entity. In an open Internet, content will not be denied because the carrier disagrees with a point of view, offers competing services, or offers preferential treatment to paid content publishers.
Second, it ensures an equal playing field for innovation, in the same way two guys in a garage developed Google, or one guy in a dorm invented Facebook. An equal playing field means that the on-ramp for new businesses is fundamentally the same for all players, in terms of non-discrimination toward the type of content delivery and download speeds, and equal costs (no special tiers of access).
Third, net neutrality ensures that economies of all sizes will continue to thrive on their own merits. With the rise of the commercial Internet in the mid-1990s, long-tail economies that did not previously exist arose in a new and meaningful way. An open and equal playing field for both wireline and wireless ensures that our economy will continue to thrive and remain competitive in this networked society that we have created.
As the reality of potential legislation draws closer, it is important that we all give some thought to Google's new position, the motives for it, and the meaning of the loss of Google as a key supporter in the net neutrality debate. I challenge you to become familiar with the issue, and if you are a blogger or active social media participant, to offer at least one opinion or observation, pro or con.
I want to end this column with a pro-net-neutrality letter written to Congress in 2005 by the esteemed father of the Internet, Vint Cerf, also Google's Chief Internet Evangelist and "net neutrality guru." Public record, version taken from the Google Blog, dated 11/08/2005:
"Dear Chairman Barton and Ranking Member Dingell, I appreciate the inquiries by your staff about my availability to appear before the Committee and to share Google's views about draft telecommunications legislation and the issues related to "network neutrality."
These are matters of great importance to the Internet and Google welcomes the Committee's hard work and attention. The hearing unfortunately conflicts with another obligation, and I am sorry I will not be able to attend. (Along with my colleague Robert Kahn, I am honored to be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Wednesday at the White House for our work in creating the Internet protocol TCP/IP.)
Despite my inability to participate in the planned hearing in person, I hope that you will accept some brief observations about this legislation. The remarkable social impact and economic success of the Internet is in many ways directly attributable to the architectural characteristics that were part of its design. The Internet was designed with no gatekeepers over new content or services. The Internet is based on a layered, end-to-end model that allows people at each level of the network to innovate free of any central control.
By placing intelligence at the edges rather than control in the middle of the network, the Internet has created a platform for innovation. This has led to an explosion of offerings - from VoIP to 802.11x WiFi to blogging - that might never have evolved had central control of the network been required by design.
My fear is that, as written, this bill would do great damage to the Internet as we know it. Enshrining a rule that broadly permits network operators to discriminate in favor of certain kinds of services and to potentially interfere with others would place broadband operators in control of online activity. Allowing broadband providers to segment their IP offerings and reserve huge amounts of bandwidth for their own services will not give consumers the broadband Internet our country and economy need.
Many people will have little or no choice among broadband operators for the foreseeable future, implying that such operators will have the power to exercise a great deal of control over any applications placed on the network. As we move to a broadband environment and eliminate century-old non-discrimination requirements, a lightweight but enforceable neutrality rule is needed to ensure that the Internet continues to thrive.
Telephone companies cannot tell consumers who they can call; network operators should not dictate what people can do online. I am confident that we can build a broadband system that allows users to decide what websites they want to see and what applications they want to use - and that also guarantees high quality service and network security. That network model has and can continue to provide economic benefits to innovators and consumers - and to the broadband operators who will reap the rewards for providing access to such a valued network.
We appreciate the efforts in your current draft to create at least a starting point for net neutrality principles. Google looks forward to working with you and your staff to draft a bill that will maintain the revolutionary potential of the broadband Internet. Thank you for your attention and for your efforts on these important issues. Sincerely, Vinton Cerf.
In an interview on Friday, Cerf stated that Google's latest pact with Verizon was about compromise, though his change between the letter he wrote in 2005, and the letter he wrote just last week on the agreement seems immense:
"On further thought and discussion, I'm not nearly as unhappy with this outcome as one might imagine me to be. I'm not a happy camper with the terms and conditions in some parts, but I'm not surprised at that because it represents an attempt to reach some kind of common ground."
It seems that Cerf may be still troubled with the agreement and the argument that wireless is different, which should still give us all pause about what is at stake.
Cloud Computing and the Videogame Industry
Excerpted from CloudTweaks Report
Cloud computing has a huge role to play in the videogame industry in the near future.
Applying cloud computing to video games is good not only for consumers, but for companies as well. This latest technique has solved many problems of the videogame industry and has shown new horizons. Following are some problems which video games selling companies have been facing for years.
Copyright infringement: there is a lot of copyright infringement of videogames. And in fact, many parts of the world with infringing games produce more business than the original games themselves. Although there are laws to combat infringement, it's not so easy to implement these. As a result, videogame companies have to face losses from infringement.
Hardware and software requirements of the end-systems: most of the popular best selling games have very high graphic resolutions and complex algorithms. These games require a lot of processing power which standard PC computers can't accommodate. This problem keeps many potential videogame players away from purchasing and playing such games. So a major part of the market share is lost only because of system-game compatibility issues.
Availability of the latest games in market: in traditional technology you have to wait for the videogames to become available through a retail or distribution channel. In many countries and cities it becomes very difficult to find out where and when the latest games will become available. So again a large portion of potential customers are lost because of this problem.
Supply chain problems: when a videogame has to pass through the whole supply chain before reaching customers, its price increases to a significant amount, making it too expensive for many potential gamers. The impact affects both the company and the customers. Until recently the videogame industry was losing the battle in terms of creating affordable games.
Cloud computing brings benefits to the industry.
It removes all chances of infringement. The physical gaming software will no longer be available to the market eliminating the potential for pirated versions. The gamers will play the game on cloud servers, controlled within their own system and watching on their own display screens.
The compatibility issue will no longer be a problem. Gamers will not be required to purchase high priced hardware for playing videogames. Playing the game on a provider's server will also increase the visual effects and performance of the game because of the ability to accommodate very sophisticated and advanced systems.
Games will be available to the whole world within a few seconds after they are launched, giving everyone equal chances to enjoy the excitement of the latest games.
Cloud computing removes the whole supply chain of videogames. Now gamers will have direct access to their favorite videogame companies, reducing the price of the game for gamer and increasing the profit for the companies.
These advantages to both videogame consumers and companies are evident and will automatically result in a reduction of prices and expansion of the videogame industry on many levels. It just seems to be a matter of time before cloud-based videogames will dominate the industry and the world.
Could Cloud Computing Push Mobile Games Past $1.5 Billion by 2014?
Excerpted from Online Media Daily Report by Laurie Sullivan
Casual games continue to drive game play on mobile devices, making the need for faster broadband connections critical. Sixty four million people will play games on a mobile device at least once monthly this year, excluding preinstalled games, a number research firm eMarketer expects to near 94.9 million by 2014.
As more consumers reach for portable devices to play video games, eMarketer estimates ad supported games will account for 6.5% of revenue this year, rising to 12.3% in 2014.
Overall, revenue from games will rise as more consumers open their wallets to play. In fact, mobile gaming revenue should reach $1.5 billion by 2014, up from nearly $850 million this year, but as it stands today, paid downloads will generate the majority, estimates eMarketer.
While many think of Google Android as the operating system on which to build and play casual games, Apple mobile devices continue to become more popular with teens and tweens. Nintendo dominates the handheld video game space for casual games, but a M2 Research report released Wednesday finds more girls turn toward Apple for mobile games. In fact, the study finds 44% of girls ages 8 to 11 and 58% of girls 12 to 15 use an Apple mobile device to play video games.
Cloud computing could prove invaluable as video game play on mobile devices matures, but the need for speed to connect online will require better connectivity. Parks Associates believes wireless connectivity will become a necessity for devices such as e-readers, iPads, and portable game players. The research firm estimates 55% of the more than 100 million mobile Internet devices sold worldwide in 2014 will contain embedded mobile 3G or faster connectivity on mobile handsets.
Faster broadband connectivity and processing speeds on handsets and other mobile devices also should make it easier for consumers to access multiplayer games in the cloud.
BitTorrent Begins Promoting Content Creators
Excerpted from Techdirt Report by Mike Masnick
We've covered the Pioneer One and Yes Men video releases via BitTorrent, in combination with Vodo, and now BitTorrent is trying to ramp-up similar efforts as well. This week it's helping to promote a new album released via BitTorrent from the artist PAZ, as it kicks off an effort to help those who embrace BitTorrent for distribution. One of the obvious benefits of using BitTorrent or other forms of free music distribution is that it makes it easier for people to hear your music. But, of course, you still need to convince them to make that first step and download - and so these recent efforts to use a BitTorrent release specifically to promote a bit of content is interesting.
I imagine that the skeptical response is that, "This only works when just a few artists are doing it." That may be true in the present form, but I would bet that if more and more content creators embrace these forms of distribution, in combination with smarter business models, there will be many ways to deal with this concern, including greater personalization/filters for those who are actively promoting their works via platforms like BitTorrent.
Optimizing Cloud Computing to Support Application Delivery
Compuware Corporation has published a whitepaper, Optimizing Cloud Computing to Support Application Delivery, that examines key strategies to help ensure IT organizations' cloud investments work for them, not against them.
The paper, prepared by analyst firm Enterprise Management Associates, provides insight into the following: the various faces of cloud computing, public and private, and how and why they are being adopted; critical performance requirements and technologies most relevant to cloud computing; guidance on how to get started with performance management strategies for assimilating cloud services; and Compuware's unified solution to monitor and manage performance inside and outside the firewall.
Hollywood Fears Google TV's Potential to Up-End Television Business
Excerpted from CrunchGear Report by Nicholas Deleon
Guess who's scaring the pants off Hollywood these days? Nope, not teens in their bedrooms downloading screeners off BitTorrent or from shady release blogs, but Google. Yes, almighty Google has Hollywood feeling weak at the knees over the possibility of Google TV completely upending the television business model. Google vs. Hollywood: now there's a Wrestle Mania main event that would actually draw money.
There's a story in the Los Angeles Times that notes the rather cool reception Google TV has received in certain circles in Hollywood. The main is one of self-preservation: how do we (Hollywood) prevent Google from using the Internet to destroy the "television business" like it destroyed the newspaper industry?
And I bet if you asked all the TV execs, that answer would be "stop Google TV from ever seeing the light of day."
Hollywood: not exactly the most forward-looking place to do business, is it?
It's afraid that if Google TV gets off the ground then people will stop paying for cable TV. Why watch "Shark Week" when you can watch videos of actual sharks running wild along the world's coastlines?
Then there's the fear that Google will control the signal: you buy a Google TV set-top box and now Google is completely in charge of the "signal," so to speak. How do you advertise?
For its part, Google says that everyone should calm down, that all it wants to do is "use the Internet to change the television experience," noting that the studios are already trying the same thing with Hulu and the like.
For a sneak peak at "Internet television," install Plex on your Mac, grab a couple of plug-ins, then connect it to your TV. Ta-da! Internet-delivered content on your TV.
At one point in the future we'll ask, "Man, when did Google lose its mojo?"
I think we're living in that period of time. Net Neutrality and seemingly pointless escapades - why would anyone want to get into the television business in 2010? - will be seen as the first indications that Google became too big for its own good.
26 Free Tracks on LimeWire Store's Ear to the Ground
Excerpted from Seattle Weekly Report by Chris Kornelis
And here I thought all LimeWire did was give away free music. The P2P's retail shop, LimeWire Store, has packaged together a swath of free music in the "Ear to the Ground: No Depression" sampler.
The release coincides with Saturday's No Depression Fest at Marymoor (Cave Singers, Lucinda Williams, etc.).
The 26 free tracks on the sampler include No Depression acts like The Swell Season ("Low Rising") and Chuck Prophet ("Let Freedom Ring!"), as well as other No Depression-era acts like Seattle's Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers ("The Running Kind") and Chatham County Line ("Crop Comes In").
Come and get it.
Web-to-TV Video Content Revenue Will Reach $17 Billion by 2014
The growth of Web-to-TV video is happening faster than most people expected. By 2014, there will be 57 million US broadband households viewing full-length online video on the TV, says In-Stat. Revenue associated with this web-to-TV video content will grow from $2 billion to over $17 billion over a five-year period.
"The over-the-top (OTT) video market represents a new distribution channel for digital entertainment. Content producers want to market premium video content directly to the consumer," says Keith Nissen, Principal Analyst, In-Stat. "However, they have not yet decided the best way to monetize OTT video content and how to manage the OTT opportunity in context with their legacy distribution partners."
Some of the factors affecting this revenue growth include: the installed base of web-enabled consumer electronics video devices will grow from 70 million in 2009 to 237 million in 2014; the total number of US broadband households that own web-enabled CE video devices will nearly triple to 98 million by 2014; and within five years, over 11 million operator-provisioned hybrid STBs will be delivering online video content directly to the TV
Recent In-Stat research Web-to-TV Gaining Momentum in the US, uses primary research to quantify current web-to-TV consumer behavior, as well as forecasting total US web-enabled device shipments and installed bases. Three alternative web-to-TV models (Overlay, Bundled, and Integrated) are examined in order to assess how OTT video content may be monetized in the future. A five-year forecast for each alternative model is presented and compared.
For a free sample of the report and more information contact Elaine Potter. To purchase it online, please click here.
Tech's TV Takeover: Why Hollywood Should Embrace Silicon Valley
Excerpted from ZDNet Report by Sam Diaz
Hollywood seems a bit nervous about the tech industry's sudden interest in television - but instead of fighting it the way the music and news industries did, TV execs would be better off finding a way to embrace and help shape the inevitable transformation.
One of the buzz topics this week has been Google TV, a product that's not even available to consumers yet but already has news outlets issuing the warning call that technology is on the verge of doing to TV what it's already done to the music, news and movie industries.
Some might say that technology has ruined those other industries while others might say that the influences of tech have made them better. In terms of TV, it's hard to say what will happen. But when I see "quality" television programming like "The Bachelor" (How many times can someone say "I Love You" for 10 different camera shots and still sound sincere about it?), I certainly hope Google TV can make the programming better.
Actually, making television better isn't the goal for Google. It doesn't own Hollywood studios or employ actors. What Google is trying to do is make the television experience better for the viewers, to give them a place where they can simultaneously search traditional TV, as well as online videosites, from the big screen in the living room.
It makes sense that the content owners, the networks, the Hollywood distributors, the advertisers and anyone else who has their fingers in the television money pot would be a little nervous about Google's plan, especially since the search-and-advertising giant from Silicon Valley has said very little about its plans for monetizing Google TV.
Clearly, advertising - at some point - becomes an important piece of the business puzzle.
But to hear the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times tell the story, you'd think that big bad Silicon Valley is done chewing on the music and news media industries and now has its sights set on taking over television.
But let's take another look, this time wearing the glass-half-full glasses. The television industry is in a unique situation because, hopefully, it saw first-hand what happened to those other industries when they resisted the wave of technology that was headed straight at them. They held their breath, put up their fists and hoped that the technology influence would pass them by without leaving them bruised and scarred.
No such luck. Technology - from software to hardware to the Internet itself - took the music and news media industries by storm. (And, no, the tech industry isn't done with them yet.)
The moral of the story: technology will come in and poach its way into your industry. (In fact, that's already happening.) You can fight it if you'd like, but take a lesson from your buddies in the music and news game. Fighting tech is a losing battle.
Instead, the television industry should take this early opportunity to embrace technology, to walk hand-in-hand with Google to enhance the experiences for viewers so that the television programming offers more value for the viewer and the advertiser. We're early in the game, so early that Google still says (if you believe them) that they don't have an advertising plan yet.
If that's true, the TV industry needs to get in front of the change, to help shape it and to be a vocal partner who comes up with ideas on business strategies. And come up with some better programming already. If you really want to hang on to your viewers, give them some real entertainment - not that reality show trend that's anything but realistic.
I know. I know. Millions of people - my wife and daughter included - are mesmerized by shows like "The Bachelor." But nothing will send me to an online video site faster than walking into the living room and seeing an intimate candlelight dinner between some guy, one of his many potential brides and a camera crew. (Yes, people, there is a crew there with them.)
And my wife wonders why I watch old episodes of "South Park" on the Internet.
Dushare - Cloud-Based P2P File-Sharing App
Excerpted from ArabCrunch Report
There are different ways to share files with peers, co-workers, and friends using tools such as torrents.
Dushare brings the concept of P2P to the web and for free, with no registration fee. Just hit upload for any file of any-size and then share the key with your friend. He/she can join the link to chat with you while getting the file.
Dushare claims that it does not see your files or chat logs as it relies on secure direct transferee connection between the two peers. Dushare also offers the option to protect your files with a password.
Dushare is a product of DuLeaf FZE a United Arab Emirates' Dubai Silicon Oasis based company.
Also on the file-sharing front, Infinite USB Memory Drive (IUM) from Dubai provides unlimited file transfer between devices using WiFi.
Distributed Computing's Broadening Scope
Excerpted from Scientific Computing Report by John Joyce
It is common for people to blithely talk about the power of supercomputers and, now, the popular focus has drifted over to cloud computing. However, to some degree, "cloud" is but the assigning of a new term to an activity that has been going on for some time. In reality, cloud computing is nothing more than distributed computing. In most cases, it is likely distributed just a bit more widely than some of the original developers intended.
Yet, even this is not totally new, as various projects have invited volunteers to share their computer resources for years. Some of these projects have been open-source-based, others have been highly proprietary, while a few have supported both. Motivations for these projects range from how to accomplish a task when you have almost no money to support it, to having money, but machines with the power you need are just not available.
For, you see, some of these volunteer distributed computing projects have several times the computing power of the world's fastest supercomputers. The general idea behind these projects is to allow users to donate unused central processor unit (CPU) cycles from when their computers are idle to process segments of an extremely large data set.
One of the first of these, and perhaps still the best known is SETI@home, which was launched in May 1999. Coordinated by the University of California, it is designed to process radio telescope signals to assist in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Initially, it used its own proprietary client, which is still available, before also introducing a client based on the BOINC Open Source project.
BOINC, which stands for Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing, was developed by a team lead by David Anderson, one of the original instigators of the SETI@home project, in 2004. There are currently over 50 of these distributed computing projects running on BOINC. According to the BOINC website there are currently 296,772 volunteers providing access to 532,139 computers, providing a 24-hour average of 2,509.62 TeraFLOPS. (Where a TeraFLOPS is 1012 FLoating point Operations Per Second.)
While the discovery of intelligent extra-terrestrial life would likely have a significant impact on our society, there are many BOINC projects that potentially would have a much more immediate benefit. These range from research on disease, natural disasters and hunger (the IBM-sponsored World Community Grid), through climate study (Climateprediction.net), to chemical engineering and nanotechnology (Spinhenge@home). If these don't appeal, there are plenty of others.
The flexibility of BOINC provides great opportunity. As a single user, it provides a way to participate in something meaningful on a global scale. If you're part of a large organizational entity, it can provide a way to harness your unused computational capacity to solve complicated computational modeling problems without a major investment in new hardware. The options are yours to explore!
Coming Events of Interest
NY Games Conference - September 21st in New York, NY.The most influential decision-makers in the digital media industry gather to network, do deals, and share ideas about the future of games and connected entertainment. Now in its 3rd year, this show features lively debate on timely cutting-edge business topics.
M2M Evolution Conference - October 4th-6th in Los Angeles, CA. Machine-to-machine (M2M) embraces the any-to-any strategy of the Internet today. "M2M: Transformers on the Net" showcases the solutions, and examines the data strategies and technological requirements that enterprises and carriers need to capitalize on a market segment that is estimated to grow to $300 Billion in the year ahead.
Digital Content Monetization 2010 - October 4th-7th in New York, NY. DCM 2010 is a rights-holder focused event exploring how media and entertainment owners can develop sustainable digital content monetization strategies.
Digital Music Forum West - October 6th-7th in Los Angeles, CA. Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the music industry gather in Los Angeles each year for this incredible 2-day deal-makers forum to network, do deals, and share ideas about the business.
Digital Hollywood Fall - October 18th-21st in Santa Monica, CA. Digital Hollywood Spring (DHS) is the premier entertainment and technology conference in the country covering the convergence of entertainment, the web, television, and technology.
P2P Streaming Workshop - October 29th in Firenze, Italy. ACM Multimedia presents this workshop on advanced video streaming techniques for P2P networks and social networking. The focus will be on novel contributions on all aspects of P2P-based video coding, streaming, and content distribution, which is informed by social networks.
Streaming Media West - November 2nd-3rd in Los Angeles, CA. The number-one place to come see, learn, and discuss what is taking place with all forms of online video business models and technology. Content owners, viral video creators, online marketers, enterprise corporations, broadcast professionals, ad agencies, educators, and others all come to Streaming Media West.
Fifth International Conference on P2P, Parallel, Grid, Cloud, and Internet Computing - November 4th-6th in Fukuoka, Japan. The aim of this conference is to present innovative research results, methods and development techniques from both theoretical and practical perspectives related to P2P, grid, cloud and Internet computing. A number of workshops will take place.
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