From Television to Tele-Nimus-Vision

Today, TV Shows are consumed increasingly in multiple devices, ranging from Television sets, to Tablets, PC/laptops and the Smartphone, rather than just the Television set.

However, TV Shows are exactly the same in each of these devices and do not exploit the unique characteristics of these devices.

When Television started, its programming were simply radio programs reformatted for television. It wasn’t until the 1950s, that they figured out, how to exploit the visual medium.

Similarly, we are in the cusp of a omni platform TV show experience. In order to predict how the omni-platform

experience would shape up, we need to look at the different devices, from a video perspective.

The Television set is largely a family device, where long-form videos are watched passively at home, programmed by the Television Networks.

Tablets and PC/laptops are both interactive personal devices, where both short form and mid-form videos are watched in a semi-active fashion, i.e., by both searching and social media, primarily at home.

The Smartphone is a personal device, where short videos are watched passively, programmed largely by Social Media, while on-the-go.

The main change in the television set, would be the Remote Control. It would become more user-friendly, to match the similar expectations of todays’ mobile devices.

Social Television came before its time. Interactive Television, as well, came before its time, to the wrong device. Now with OTT possibilities, it is going to be reborn especially for the Tablets and PC/laptops, to exploit the interactive nature of these devices. Co-watching the same TV Show, with others who are not in the same place, regardless of whether it is on-demand or live, would become the norm. Another feature would be that, users would provide “hot links”, for all things, people, clothes and other objects of interest on the screen, for others. One could enable/disable a chat mode along with enabling/disabling display of “hot links”.

Smart phones would have the ability to skim TV shows, to catch-up and refresh TV shows. Thus, just like TV branched off, from Radio, TV would evolve into an omni platform, I call it the “Tele-Nimus-Vision”, nimus being a latin word for interact.

Who is going to execute the “Tele-Nimus-Vision” among the virtual MVPDs? Sony, Verizon, Dish or is it a hot new startup?

The "However much" Video Watching Pattern

We could watch TV Shows whenever aka Tivo, whatever aka VOD, wherever, in your living room or outside home, however, with your TV, laptop, Tablets or Phones.

Netflix ushered in the Binge TV Show watching trend, when people started to watch multiple episodes of "House of Cards", in one sitting.

When Television was first introduced, its programs unsurprisingly resembled the Radio Show format. Similarly, at the present time, TV shows watched in the TV has the same experience as watching in other devices, such as the Tablet and Phone.

In the coming years, some say, we are headed to a omni-platform experience, just like TV emerged away from Radio.

I see the emergence of such a omni-platform experience clearly. For instance, mobile devices are not naturally conducive for Binge-watching. 

Skimo is natural for "catching up" TV shows in your mobile device especially using your phone.

So, we choose a device based on "however much" we would like to watch, a summary of an episode or an entire season of a TV Show, in one sitting.

Thus, the omni-platform experience, would likely be shaped by this "however much" trend.

Get back the Keys to your digital life

Is your home's front door keys, always available, to all your extended family and 'friends', that you haven't met in years?   No.

Does your Kindergarten classmate, who you barely meet in person, come in to your house, when you are away and peruse your photo albums and home video, just because they are bored? Probably not.

But, that is exactly, what is happening in our digital lives. When we share pictures and video to our "friends", it is available to them forever, to do whatever they want, whenever they want and we rely on their honor code, rather than on an explicit social contract.

"Why should people 'own' my video or photo?  asks Saranya. Why can't I share access to my photos and videos, when I want to, to whom I want to and for how long?"

That question set me thinking. If you are buying a TV Show in iTunes, you don't 'own' the content, you are merely given access to watch it, in the ways, that they support.... and you cannot download a YouTube Video without violating terms of use.

If that is the case with corporations, why should we hand our, keys to our digital life, to all our 'friends', giving them unlimited access and license. This is precisely the root cause of the "Randi Zuckerberg" incident.

When you create a 20 minute video of your kids' birthday party, let a program magically create a summary of that video and share a minute video synopsis in Facebook, to your friends, accessible during that week/day and not forever. But, your mom could access the complete video, whenever she wants to, from your Dropbox.

Share access to the Video/Photo, not the Video/Photo itself. Let Social media, give back the keys, to our digital life, so that we not only control access as to who gets in, but when they get in and for how long?

Urgent Now for Entertainment

Over lunch, I was narrating to a buddy, a hilarious episode of a show, that I watched on TV, the previous night.

I went on and on about,  how hilarious  the episode was...how the "gang" tries desperately... going through sewage... pretending to be a boat tour guide...just to watch a movie.

My friend could not wait and his hands went instinctually to the Mobile and he started his Google Search. After some time, he watched a youtube promo.

The TV Show promo says "Kitten Mittens"and my friend looks at me quizzically.

"No, the episode I am talking about is fantastic. It is nothing like this commercial. Go home and watch it on Hulu or Netflix."

While it is possible to Google Now for information, there is no affordance to "sample" video here and now, so that people can get introduced to awesome shows, catch up on past episodes, re-watch interesting portions of the "Soup Nazi".

...until now. 

"The walls between Art and Engineering exists only in our Minds"

Theo Jansen builds large mechanisms out of PVC pipes and plastic bottles, that are able to move on its own, without battery or electricity.

He strives to equip his creations with their own artificial intelligence, so they can avoid obstacles by changing course when it detects an obstacle.

“Life should be able to move itself. When I  started creating "Strandbeests", I found the top of legs should  move the parallel with ground first and after a while,  moved up a little in a certain way. I decided to trace this same movement with a link mechanism and simulated the movement on the screen of my ATARI computer. Finally, I came up with the 13 "Holly numbers" that expressed the proportion of the  length of legs segment

Theo is neither an Artist nor an Engineer. He is sort of both. As he characterizes,”the walls between Art and Engineering exists only in our minds”.

RIP Dave Davison

RIP Dave Davison, the great man who was a huge fan of my passion and my ideas. He provided the first validation of my Connected Intelligence Management 2.0 Framework, with the following post on my blog.

“I have read the ChangeThis Manifesto on Connected INtelligence and am trying my best to connect with YOU, via linkedin etc. I would like to talk with you directly about the implications of Connected INtelligence and finding a way to work with you in a collaboration consulting practice that we call Innovationlabs. Care to collaborate?
Dave Davison
--dave davison

2008-05-08 19:00:59 GMT”

The following weekend, I vividly remember the call he made from California, when I was still in Massachusetts.

The earth revolves by the positivity of folks like you, Dave and we are gonna miss you!!

Silicon Valley's Arrogance Problem

"Silicon Valley has an arrogance problem…." The Wall Street Journal writes.I sat with Charlie Steinberg, who had a long career of 5 decades, in the Silicon Valley, in executive management, as President of Sony, and Ampex etc.,

Charlie, despite his impressive accomplishments, stays humble and soft spoken. He is in stark contrast to the typical chest thumping Silicon Valley Success Story. He currently inspires and mentors young people to start companies from the Plug and Play Tech Center, Sunnyvale

Vasu: I pull this quote from Quora: "People come to the Silicon Valley, from all over the world with a lifetime of always being in the top 10%.Simple math dictates that 90% of them would have a terrible shock.

The victors have extra swagger and lot of the losers are vain and pushy as a defense mechanism." What are your insights?

Charlie:

"Different people measure success in different ways. Success to some people is just not the economic success. It goes beyond that. 

100% of people can be successful, but in different ways, doing different things.different goals, different accomplishments and what have you. So, it is a matter of getting to know yourself, learning what you are good at. Learning what you enjoy doing…and be a success at that."

Vasu: " What does humility buy someone, who wants to generate economic value?"

Charlie: "Being a braggart or trying to spend your time patting yourself in the back, is not going to get you where you want to go. 

What gets you there, is to recognize what you can do well and what you enjoy doing …and do that. …you don't have to tell the world about it…It will be obvious to people."

Vasu: "In this age of "The Brand You", if we exclude outliers like Warren Buffett… most people think, how do I cut through the noise and be louder so that they can  be heard.

Charlie:

"I don't think one should worry about that. What you should worry about, is doing the best, of what you are up to right now and then you will be heard…you will be recognized. You can't force that recognition…."

Vasu:

"What is your practical suggestion of someone pursuing economic success to lead a balanced life?"

Charlie:

"What is a balanced life to you and what is a balanced life to me could be totally different….but still be a balanced life. You have to have your own values and measurement of success…and you have to live your life and carry out your efforts in keeping with that. I don't think there is a standard mold or standard pattern. I had a very balanced life in my earlier years. I spent a lot of time working…many hours each day, 6-7 days a week. Some people will call that imbalanced. I call that a balanced life. It was a right balance of me."

Vasu:

What are some of the admirable qualities of entrepreneurs, that you have seen?

Charlie:

"In the very early days of the Silicon Valley, the company that was most respected was Hewlett Packard. Those two individuals, Hewlett and Packard, that I had an opportunity to meet, …They set a pattern…and it  makes sense paying attention to and trying to emulate. They believed strongly in treating people with respect…with dignity…treating people in the same way they would like to be treated…They built their company on firm values and fundamentals. They pioneered the technology ….along with building a big business."

Vasu:

What are some admirable qualities of individuals of present time, that entrepreneurs need to pay attention to?

Charlie:

"Warren Buffett.He has a set of values, I think, are ones, to be admired. He has been extremely successful…extremely charitable…He is a warm human being…from what I have read about him.He just seem to have the right balance for him, between his personal  and professional life.

Mark Zuckerberg. From what I read about him, He is an amazing person, Considering his age…he is running a large enterprise..at the same time, he is very interested in the welfare and well-being of people around him and using his vast wealth to improve the world at a very young age. I think he is the third largest charitable contributor in the United States, this past year, which is amazing, for somebody that young."

Habit Facilitators - The next generation in Advertising

Raise your hand, if you agree with me, that ads are annoying, particularly video ads.  

You ask, what other way exists to hook your user, to your product….other than reminding them, every now and then, until they…well …ignore you totally.

Nir Eyal Author of “Hooked” has a solution for this:

"Habit-forming products change user behavior and create unprompted user engagement. The aim is to influence customers to use your product on their own, again and again, without relying on overt calls-to-action such as ads or promotions. Once a habit is formed, the user is automatically triggered to use the product during routine events such as wanting to kill time while waiting in line.”

So, I suspect advertising would evolve, in the future, into Habit Facilitators. 

Skimos, of your multi-episode TV Series, does exactly that, i.e., hook your viewer, to your show, without annoying them.

"A Skimo is a 2-3 minute video created by the Skimo Engine, from any type of long-form video, in any language."