Malcolm Gladwell to Chris Anderson -- Information Can't Want to be "Free"

Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired and author of "The Long Tail", is renown for his conclusion that "information wants to be free"; and that the Internet inevitably leads to the free availability and access to all kinds of "information" -- text (newspapers), music, and videos. This conclusion is expanded in Anderson's new book, "Free: The Future of Radical Price."

"Not so fast," says Malcolm Gladwell, one of my favorite writers and author of "Outliers," "Blink," and "The Tipping Point" among others. Gladwell critiques Anderson's primary point in his his new review from The New Yorker. This is a "must read" -- click on this link.

I agree with Gladwell wholeheartedly here. I frequently have written that information DOES want to be free -- but, I clarify this by saying that "free", in this context, means that information ultimately cannot be confined in the Internet world and wants to be "freely available." But "freely available" is not the same as "free" (i.e., no cost). I firmly believe that content providers ultimately will/can charge for information of all kinds via a combination of ads, downloads and subscriptions. And, ultimately, I believe that content providers will do significantly better in the brave new world precisely because it is "freely available" in any form that consumers want -- and anywhere, anytime they want it.

Yahoo -- "Quoth the Maven, Nevermore ..."

Maven Networks -- killed by Yahoo! after 17 months and $160 million.

We saw this coming ...

... and Yahoo!'s video ambitions remain murky. On the one hand, CEO Carol Bartz recently underscored the fact that Internet video is still in its infancy -- and that Yahoo! needs to invest in video technology because Internet video presents a massive opportunity. And, on the other hand, Maven is no more.

Maven customers -- come to us -- we will take care of you with our new "Sorenson 360" service and the transition will be painless. You are in good hands. We at Sorenson Media have been leaders in Internet video for 14 years -- and we have a strong balance sheet. We have been here innovating ... and we will continue to be here innovating. You need not worry that we will be shut down. And, that is critical when you are entrusting your prized video assets. It also is a substantial differentiator between Sorenson Media and virtually all others in our video publishing space.

The iPhone 3G S -- Doing to Mobile Video What the iPod Did to Mobile Music

It can't be denied that the iPod revolutionized the music industry by popularizing mobile/portable music on a massive scale. Apple's introduction of the iPod in the early years of this decade -- during my years a Musicmatch (remember Musicmatch?) -- marked a watershed for consumers. Apple made portable music drop dead easy, elegant ... and fun. Yes, fun.

Apple is now doing it again with its recent launch of the iPhone 3G S and mobile video capture. Just like the digital portable music world prior to the iPod (Creative and others were well in the game before the iPod saw the light of day), mobile video capture is nothing new. Many have been doing it for years. But, once again, Apple has made mobile video capture drop dead easy, elegant and -- yes -- fun. See a pattern here?

So much so that in the few days that Apple launched its new iPhone 3G S, uploads from mobile phones to YouTube leaped 400% on a daily basis! Think of that number -- unbelievable. But, when you think about it, it is not all that unbelievable, because Apple has done this before -- revolutionizing a market, in other words.

Apple's 3G S -- which TechCrunch recently pronounced should have been called the Apple 3G V ("V" for video) -- marks the mass popularization of mobile video ... which, in turn, will further accelerate the break-neck pace of Internet video in general.

Netflix CEO Predicts Demise of Core Business

In a must-read article and interview in today's Wall Street Journal, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings predicts the ultimate devise of the company's DVD rental business beginning in 4-9 years.

The culprit? The online video business of course. And, from the company's beginnings years ago, Hastings smartly has been preparing for that day. The company already streams movies to customers as part of their subscriptions, and Internet video, of course, has been growing at a ever-accelerating pace.

For the consumer, Internet video distribution and access eventually will lead to unlimited choice and unlimited flexibility -- what you want, when you want it, and where you want it (including in the living room and on mobile devices).

And, for Netflix, Internet video distribution -- which many predicted to be Netflix's ultimate Achilles Heel -- very possibly could lead to even more explosive growth for the company in the future. The company is positioned uniquely in the marketplace to capitalize on the ultimate massive Internet video opportunity (whereas Blockbuster has faltered terribly), and Netflix's operating costs will dramatically decline since the company will not need to pay expensive snail mailing charges.

$80,000 Per Song -- The Price of Illegal Music File Sharing

I always knew my home state, Minnesota, was comprised of upstanding citizens! Just when you thought the days of the music industry suing those who illegally download music were over, a Minnesota jury hits one such pirates with a judgment of $1.92 million. That's $80,000 per song (24 songs).

Actually, this was the second time the pirate's case went to trial -- the first one was tossed out due to erroneous jury instructions. In round 1, the verdict was a paltry $222,000 comparatively.

Why not simply pay the content providers for the music you like? So many different ways to do it. And, so easy to do. You can pay per song; you can subscribe to unlimited monthly music for less than a price of a CD; and you can even stream it for "free" with ad-supported services.

Yes, the chances that you "get caught" are minuscule -- but, it ain't about getting caught. It is about doing the right thing and supporting those who give you the music, movies, and more that add so much to life ...

Ahh, Now THIS Is What the 24/7 News Cycle is For!

Breaking news across all major outlets on the Internet, including CNN.com -- President Obama swats fly and wins!

Now THIS is what the Internet and the 24/7 news cycle are all about! I thankfully have 3G wireless broadband on our boat on Lake Como, Italy so that I don't miss any of this stuff! This story demonstrates the courage and agility of our President under fire!

Can you even remember the days when you had to wait for the morning paper to learn of such moments of consequence?

Logitech Vid -- Now We See Why Logitech Acquired SightSpeed

Well, at long last, the curtain is up on the initial end result of Logitech acquiring my former company, SightSpeed, last year. Introducing the Logitech Vid -- drop dead easy one click high quality video chat. The Wall Street Journal, via The Mossberg Solution, gives the Vid a big thumbs up -- click here to read it -- which, of course, is about the best badge of honor anyone could ask for.

So, congratulations to Logitech -- and to the entire SightSpeed team (past and present that has been led by compadre Scott Lomond since the acquisition) -- for making this happen. If you have never really tried video chat, now is your time. You will be amazed at how it transforms your communications.

In Europe, Reporting on a New Euro-Based Sorenson Spark Deal

Coincidence? I am in Europe this week, and just yesterday we announced yet another major Sorenson Spark licensing deal -- this time with U.K.-based Imagination Technologies. Read more about it here. Just since March, how many major Spark licensing deals does that make?

More to be announced very soon ...

We are pleased to be in business with our new licensing partners.

(by the way, how cool is it that I am literally on Lake Como in Italy -- smack dab in the middle of the "old world" -- and am able to surf wirelessly on 3G utilizing some of the best the "new world" has to offer ...)

VLIPs -- Think Twitter, But With Video Clips -- Citizen Journalists, Just "Vlip It!"

Twitter has become a true force of nature, being used -- and entering the collective global consciousness -- in ways even its founders never could have imagined. This is not mere hyperbole -- Iranian protesters Tweeted their messages to the world and opened our eyes to the realities of Iranian politics. And, importantly, those endless individual messages simply could not be stopped. Virtually everyone, everywhere has a mobile phone. That means virtually everyone, everywhere can Tweet. And, that means that virtually everyone, everywhere now can be a citizen journalist .... whose voice can not be stopped by any government. Wow, that is power! That is the potential for every voice to be heard! That is democracy!

Now, imagine that democratizing power of Twitter to the "V"th degree -- that is, with video. Video Twitter, in other words. Citizen journalists -- rather than Tweet with text, why not press the record button on your mobile phone and record a brief video clip of what you are seeing. I like to call these brief video snippets "VLIPs" (as in video and clips). And, then, after you capture the video, just "Vlip it!" -- that is, publish that Vlip for the world to see (just like you do with your Tweets). (When I was CEO of SightSpeed, we had an initial vision of this Vlip concept two years ago ... a bit ahead of its time; NOW is the time.)

Those Vlips will be even more powerful than Tweets ... particularly in the world of citizen journalism. Imagine ground zero in Tehran for the Iranian elections. Now, rather than rely upon 140 characters to describe what is happening around you, simply record a Vlip and show the world instead.

Now, THAT is true citizen journalism. Nothing beats the power of video ... speaks for itself and in its own voice ...

The iPhone App Store -- Too Much of a Good Thing?

40 million iPhones sold! 50,000 apps in the iPhone App Store!

In fact, Apple can thank non-Apple developers for much of the iPhone's success -- Apple essentially gets exponential utility on the dime (not to mention the blood, sweat and tears) of others. And, this head-start on third party apps for the iPhone gives the iPhone a tremendous head start against all challengers, including the new Palm Pre.

But, what do these third party app developers get in return? Some have fared extremely well ... but that was then. And, this is now. With over 50,000 apps available for the iPhone, how do third party developers now get their apps noticed (no matter how compelling they are)? And, how do iPhone users now effectively navigate through this avalanche of apps to find what they are looking for?

For an interesting perspective of this dilemma, check out this post from TechCrunch.

The Daily Show Reads The New York Times' Obituary -- What Was the Paper Thinking?

PEOPLE!  If there is one rule you can take to the bank, it is this one -- STEER CLEAR FROM JON STEWART'S "THE DAILY SHOW!"  If they ask to interview you or meet with you, it is NOT to do a flattering story, it is to skewer you.  You can't win.  And, they do it brilliantly.  

This does not just make for great comedy, it frequently results in their own brand of investigative journalism that packs a potent punch and delivers real truths.  Remember the knock-down cage match with Jim Cramer of CNBC's "Mad Money?"  No contest -- Stewart won with a humiliating knock-out of Cramer in the first round!  And, he did it by revealing real disturbing truths about Cramer's machinations while purportedly trying to peddle financial advice to middle America.

The latest victim?  The venerable New York Times.  On Wednesday night's show, The New York Times inexplicably opened its doors to one of "The Daily Show's" reporters and made its top brass available to vintage "The Daily Show" Q&A.  The result?  A terribly sad revelation of the terribly sad state of affairs of today's newspapers -- how newspapers are going the way of the dodo bird as a result of free news everywhere on the Internet (click here to watch the segment).  Even the venerable New York Times bleeds so much cash that its Executive Editor answers the pop quiz question, "What's black and white and red all over?" by saying -- in a cringe-inducing way -- "newspapers."  That is beyond an "ouch."  That is downright painful.  But, it is reality -- and it is real "news" (even if delivered in The Daily Show's inimitable style) -- and it comes straight from the old guard that is steering the ship at one of the last of the classic newspapers.  Definitely worth a watch -- click here. 

(Separately -- and in another cautionary tale that shows that history does repeat itself -- Stewart has now taken on Joe Scarborough of MSNBC for Starbuck's over-the-top immersive corporate sponsorship of his "Morning Joe" show.  And, yet again, befuddled and humorless Scarborough failed to learn from the past -- instead he is taking on Stewart and, again, losing!  And, losing big.  This begs the question to all of the above, "What were you thinking by taking on The Daily Show"?)

iPhone Live Video Streaming? Only a Matter of Time

Yesterday, TechCrunch had an interesting post about whether live video streaming will come to the iPhone (note that video capture just capture was just announced this past Monday for the new iPhone 3G S).   Is there even a market for live video streaming from your mobile device?

The answer to both questions is an absolute "yes."  In the case of Apple, live video streaming from the iPhone is only a matter of time.  (In fact, as the TechCrunch article points out, live video streaming on the iPhone already is here and now for many who are using unauthorized apps to make this happen.)

And, live video from your mobile device will become a routine part of how we communicate to each other ... and in ways that today we can't even imagine.

Palm Tries to Steal a Page from Apple's Playbook ... But Is It Bitten (Again) Instead?

First, Palm launches its much anticipated -- and critical company product -- Pre smart phone only three days before this week's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, virtually ensuring that its Pre launch would be lost amid the Apple clucking (which it was -- did you see all those live blogs during Apple's announcements on Monday? Unbelievable how effective the Apple marketing machine is ... I continue to write about them now!)

Then, today -- less than 1 week after its Pre announcement -- Palm announces that its CEO Ed Colligan is moving out and its head of product development, Jon Rubenstein (former top executive at Apple, by the way) is moving in.  

Whether or not this executive move was planned prior to the Pre launch, it is a highly curious announcement at this moment in time for Palm.  Most likely this move was planned far in advance to signify to the world that this is the "new" Palm with a new attitude -- new innovative products (the Pre) and new top management (Rubenstein).  Apparently, part of Palm's strategy to out-Apple Apple ...

Nonetheless, it strikes me that Palm's marketing department could learn a lesson from Apple.  But, having said that, can't we all?

Hey, Yahoo! Which Is It? In or Out of Internet Video?

I recently wrote about reports that Yahoo! was moving away from providing services to enable Internet video -- in this case, shutting down Maven Networks, Yahoo!'s Internet publishing/hosting operations.  This, despite the fact that Internet video is only in its early innings.  In other words, we ain't seen nothing yet of this massive market opportunity that is changing the way we consume content.  

Why, just yesterday, Cisco released its forecast concluding that, by 2013, video will be 90% of all consumer IP traffic and 64% of all mobile data traffic!  And, even Carol Bartz, Yahoo!'s new CEO, just recently proclaimed her bullish-ness (is that a word?) about Internet video.  In her words, "This is just the beginning.  The whole video area is so exciting.  Video advertising growing four times by 2011."  And, she underscored her company's intent to make acquisitions in the area of "social [media] and in video technology."

So, on the one hand, Yahoo!'s actions indicate that it is moving away from providing technology that enables Internet video; but, on the other hand, Yahoo!'s word indicate that it intends to invest heavily in Internet video technology.  Kinda' reminds me of my favorite line from my least favorite Godfather movie (Part III, if there were ever a doubt) -- when Al Pacino, in a fit of exasperation, shouts, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

So, which is it Yahoo!?  In or out of the video enabling marketplace?  Or, is this simply a strategic move to confuse the rest of us out there?

40 Million iPhones Cannot Easily Play Most Web Video ... Now, Problem Solved!

40 million iPhones have been sold to date -- an incredible number disclosed by Apple yesterday at its Worldwide Developers Conference.   One of the major reasons for the iPhone's success is its big screen for viewing videos.  But, how many times have you clicked on a Web video link on your iPhone only to find that the video simply doesn't work -- it doesn't play -- the link is essentially "broken"?  

Incredibly, this happens most of the time -- check it out for yourself on your iPhone by trying to click on some videos from Hulu (www.hulu.com).  This "broken" experience happens most of the time because the vast majority of Internet video -- likely including the videos you feature on your website -- uses Flash; and the iPhone (and iTouch for that matter) doesn't play Flash video directly via its web browser!  That means that your videos likely don't get seen on the iPhone (unless you have a separate app that solves this dilemma, which the vast majority of your audience does not have).

That changes today with Sorenson Media's introduction of new direct-to-iPhone video publishing through my company's new Sorenson 360 service.  My crack development team now makes it drop-dead easy to publish your videos to the Internet and make them playable with the highest quality directly on the iPhone through its Web browser -- no separate app is needed.  

Our press release just hit the wires -- check it out below -- click on this link to watch the demo video (or watch it below) and watch my intro video by clicking on this link (or watch it below in this post).  (Note: you can just click on these links from your iPhone and you will see what I mean in the best possible way -- by watching it).

Trust me -- it is really really cool.  And, it gets your Web videos seen wherever your audience is ... even on the iPhone (including the new incredibly fast iPhone 3G S).

HERE IS THE DEMO VIDEO:

And HERE IS AN INTRO VIDEO:

HERE IS THE ACTUAL PRESS RELEASE

Sorenson Media Announces Direct-to-iPhone Video Publishing

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Not an iPhone App -- Sorenson Media's New Video Delivery Network Enables Video Professionals to Easily Showcase Their High-Quality Videos on the iPhone Using the Device's Web Browser

View a demo of Sorenson 360's new iPhone video publishing at: www.sorensonmedia.com/iphone-video-publishing

SAN DIEGO (June 9, 2009)In conjunction with the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference June 8-12, Sorenson Media today announced the immediate availability of new iPhone video publishing for its Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network (VDN). This new solution enables small- to medium-sized businesses, video professionals, bloggers and other content creators to quickly and seamlessly encode and publish the highest quality video content on the Internet for direct viewing by Apple iPhone users (i.e. through the iPhone's Web browser and without the need to install a separate app). The enhanced Sorenson 360 VDN represents a significant step forward in one-stop online video publishing across major platforms and devices, including the recently announced iPhone OS 3.0 and the iPhone 3G S.

With the addition of iPhone publishing for Sorenson 360, Sorenson Media is greatly expanding the reach and power of what is already the most cost-effective and user-friendly online video publishing solution in the marketplace, said Peter Csathy, CEO of Sorenson Media. Up to this point, video playback on the iPhone has simply been out of reach for video professionals. This new release reinforces the hallmarks of Sorenson 360: unparalleled quality, innovation, flexibility, ease-of-use and affordability. It is now easier than ever for anyone to publish iPhone-ready video content over the Internet."

In contrast to the one-format-fits-all approach used by many online video publishing services, in which the user has little flexibility in the video format and player used, Sorenson 360 offers specific iPhone presets, enabling users to easily encode video content in the iPhone-compatible H.264 format and deliver that content using the iPhone's native video player. This is a significant development because, while the majority of online video content is encoded in Adobe Flash format, the iPhone does not play Flash content, meaning most videos featured on Web sites are not viewable using the iPhone's Web browser. With Sorenson 360, video professionals can reach their audiences virtually anywhere the Internet is available, including on the iPhone.

Sorenson 360 simplifies the experience of the video publisher and the iPhone user alike through its ability to automatically detect how the user is accessing a video file, whether through a traditional browser on a desktop or laptop computer, or through the iPhone's Web browser," said David Dudas, vice president of product management. Based on this information, Sorenson 360 then automatically delivers the video file using the appropriate player "a Flash player for users on desktops or laptops, or the iPhone's native video player for iPhone users." 

The Sorenson 360 VDN enables users to encode and upload video content either seamlessly through the industry-leading Sorenson Squeeze software or directly via their browsers using the Sorenson 360 interface; both processes significantly reduce upload time and provide automatic access to the iPhone presets. Through its unique browser-based encoding tool, Sorenson 360 users simply drag and drop their video files from their hard drive or record new videos via their webcams and, with one step, publish and make them playable directly on an iPhone.

Sorenson 360 is compatible with all versions of Apple iPhone: iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3G and prior versions 1 and 2, as well as Apple iPod Touch via WiFi. This includes the iPhone OS 3.0 and the Safari 4 browser. Video specifications for the Sorenson 360 iPhone presets are: H.264 video codec - MP4 output, up to 1 Mbps, 640 x 480 pixels, 30 frames per second.

Sorenson Media will be available for meetings during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference June 9-12. To schedule an appointment and for business or sales inquiries, please contact Sales at: sales@sorensonmedia.com.

Apple Set to Rain on Palm's PRErade

Today begins Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference -- and the buzz is off the charts for two reasons: (1) the rumored return of the Great Black Mock Turtleneck (Steve Jobs); and (2) introduction of a new iPhone.

Meanwhile, Palm's long-anticipated and highly praised new smart phone, the Pre, has been essentially lost -- literally, rained out -- by Apple's buzz.  In a reality that only Apple's marketing savvy could conjure up, the Pre debuted Friday night at Sprint's flagship store in New York City Friday night amid heavy rains and with only 11 folks waiting in line.  (In contrast, remember the long lines around the world for the iPhone's debut; and remember the beautiful New York City weather at the time?; almost makes you wonder if Apple's marketing machine is THAT powerful!)

Anecdotally, I am aware of one friend who plans to get the Pre -- but virtually everyone else has or still wants the iPhone.  Kinda' the same phenomenon that surrounds the iPod.  Even if someone makes a device that is "better" than the iPod, everyone still wants the iPod -- for years, there simply has been no substitute in the minds of consumers (especially influencers).  Thus is the expected fate of the Pre.  It may be a great smart phone, but the aura of Apple likely is simply too hard to beat.  And, why Palm decided to introduce the Pre 2 days before Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, I'll never understand.

Palm's marketing folks have a lot to learn from Apple ...

LA Times -- Palm's Pre Beats the iPhone -- But, That Verdict is PREmature

The LA Times weighs in on the new smart phone battle royale that begins today -- that is, the Palm Pre's chances against the reigning champ, Apple's iPhone.  And, the winner?  According to the LA Times, the Pre is the new champ -- at least in terms of sheer functionality.  Read the side-by-side comparison here.

But, as I wrote yesterday, will this really matter?  Functionality alone does not a winner make, especially when Apple is involved.  With Apple products, overall aesthetic and "cool" factor make all the difference.  Who do you know who doesn't want an iPhone?

That's quite a mountain to climb for the Pre ... and for anyone else for that matter.  And, Apple surely will have some more tricks up its sleeves at this week's upcoming Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.

Palm Looks to "Pre"-empt Apple's New iPhone Announcement -- Guess Who Will Win?

At long last, Palm is set to introduce its new "Pre" smart phone tomorrow.  Success of the Pre is absolutely critical for Palm in order to stay relevant.  And, advance reviews of the new smart phone, which runs on Palm's new webOS software, have been mostly positive (including a "thumbs up" from perhaps the single most influential personal technology writer in the world -- Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal).  Sprint is set to sell the Pre at $200 -- and, Sprint too has a lot riding on its success.

But, wait ... hold the phone.  Apple is rumored to be introducing its new iPhone early next week at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.  And, you can bet this rumor will hold true (I am personally waiting to buy a new iPhone until later this month in anticipation of this new version).  Even more -- Steve Jobs is now reported to be coming back to work to introduce the new iPhone next week, after being on a health hiatus for months.

Sounds to me that -- once again -- Apple will steal its competitors' thunder with a major marketing coup.  And, Palm's attempt to Pre-empt Apple (by releasing it in advance of Apple's conference) will backfire and the sounds of its Pre announcement will be muted by the Apple faithful (which include the bulk of the press).

Seems to me like Palm's marketing folks dropped the call on this one ...

Rupert Murdoch Chases Carey Back to Oversee News Corp's Digital Group

Chase Carey, DirecTV's CEO since 2003, is back with the Fox -- News Corp., that is.  Rupert Murdoch has lured him back to fill the void of departing President & COO Peter Chernin, who steps down as of July 1.  Carey previously was passed over by Murdoch for the "right hand man" position when Chernin was chosen as the anointed one several years back.

Among other things, Carey will oversee News Corp's digital business group, which includes MySpace and which is headed by former AOL topper Jon Miller.

Rupert Murdoch ... sly, like a Fox ...

Hulu on the Road to Nowhere -- Its Major Media Roots Sowing the Seeds of Its Own Demise

As popular as video destination site Hulu has become (it trails only YouTube), the seeds of its own demise already are being openly sowed.  The cause?  Hulu's own major media roots -- the online service is a joint venture between News Corp., NBC Universal and now Disney.  And, not surprisingly, these content/television companies are bowing to enormous pressure from the cable companies who absolutely do not want to see television content made available for "free" on the Internet.  You see, "free" (really ad-supported) video content transforms cable operators into essentially "dumb" pipes that enable delivery of that content -- and cable operators, who count on cable TV paid subscriptions, simply cannot allow this to happen ...

... although it inevitably will (as I have written several times before).  Not today.  Not tomorrow.   But, sooner than you think.  (For another and even more aggressive perspective from an innovator of Internet TV, click on this link from Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of Veoh).  

This is the supreme cage match between competing IPTV and Internet TV views of the world.  Cable companies (and the major media companies who produce the TV content and depend upon cable carriage fees) hold firmly to the "walled garden" IPTV approach, whereas consumers expect their content to be freely available wherever they want it, and whenever they want it (the Internet TV philosophy).  Note that "freely available" does not mean "free" -- consumers pay for content even in an Internet TV world via ads, subscriptions, and digital pay downloads.

So, back to Hulu.  The company's CEO, Jason Kilar, in a recent interview openly and essentially concedes that the major cable companies are significantly driving his distribution strategy.  In his words, "we believe that Hulu can be a major part of the solution for cable, telco, and satellite companies seeking to offer their pay TV subscribers valuable online benefits."  Read that statement carefully -- in particular, the emphasis on "pay TV subscribers."  That means that Hulu is under significant pressure to limit access only to cable pay TV subscribers as part of their monthly cable bill.  In other words, IPTV!  Kilar goes on to say, "Hulu respects that important economic reality in our content partners' businesses" -- in other words, the symbiotic relationship between content providers and cable operators who pay for carriage of TV programming.

Cable's and the media companies' perspectives are completely understandable -- how can they ignore their current economic realities?

Yet, ultimately, they will have no choice to accept the brave new world dominated by Internet TV.  Consumers will demand it ...

Want All YouTube Video? You Need Spark ... Sorenson Spark, That Is ...

My company, Sorenson Media, today announces a significant expansion of our Sorenson Spark licensing program as a result of accelerating demand.  Two new partners -- NXP Semiconductors and Ittiam -- join a long list of licensing partners, including Qualcomm, Verizon Wireless, Sony and YouTube.

Sorenson Spark is the world's most ubiquitous video codec (see my earlier post on the subject), and demand to license our innovative codec has expanded dramatically to enable playback of the full breadth of Internet video on mobile phones and on consumer electronic devices (including in the living room and on the TV).  As an example, without the Sorenson Spark decoder, consumers cannot access the full breadth of YouTube video (the majority of which is encoded in Spark).

Here is the full press release:

Market Demand for Sorenson Media’s Sorenson Spark Video Decoder Expands Sharply, Enabling the Full World of Internet Video on Mobile Phones and Other Consumer Electronic Devices

Ittiam and NXP Semiconductors Join Qualcomm, Verizon, Sony, YouTube and Numerous Others in Licensing Sorenson Spark from Sorenson Media to Enable their Users to Playback the World’s Largest Selection of Internet Videos

 

SAN DIEGO (June 02, 2009)—Sorenson Media today announced a significant expansion of its Sorenson Spark licensing program as a result of accelerating market demand and proliferation of Internet video. Sorenson Spark is the Internet’s most widely deployed video codec, powering hundreds of millions of Internet videos, including those on YouTube, the volume leader in online video streaming. Companies looking to add video functionality to mobile phones and other consumer electronic devices – including those bringing video into the living room – must have the Sorenson Spark video decoder to enable users to playback that full world of Internet video.

 

As part of its announcement, Sorenson Media named new licensing partners for its Sorenson Spark video decoder. Ittiam and NXP Semiconductors are among the latest companies to license Sorenson Spark from Sorenson Media — joining Qualcomm, Verizon, Sony, YouTube and numerous others — to enable Internet video on consumer electronic devices, including the new generation of high-performance, low-power, multimedia-rich mobile phones, mobile computing devices, set-top boxes and Internet-connected TVs.

 “The Sorenson Spark decoder has become ubiquitous in the embedded space,” said Shantanu Jha, vice president media processing at Ittiam Systems. “Because of this, we saw a critical need to enable Sorenson Spark video decoding on our vast multimedia application array.”

 Sorenson Media’s Sorenson Spark Software Developers Kit (SDK) enables developers to integrate the Sorenson Spark decoder into a wide array of programmable chipsets and semiconductors. The SDK is designed to provide Sorenson Spark decoding on any platform, including custom silicon.

 “Industry-leading consumer electronic device manufacturers are greatly enriching the Internet video experience for their customers by licensing the Sorenson Spark video decoder,” said Peter Csathy, president and CEO of Sorenson Media. “We are seeing phenomenal growth in the number of ways people can watch Web video, and we are still only in the early innings of the Internet video revolution. Our licensing partners recognize that the Sorenson Spark video decoder is a must-have to enable consumers to enjoy the full world of Internet video.”

 About Sorenson Media

 Sorenson Media (www.sorensonmedia.com) offers comprehensive, award-winning video solutions that empower customers to easily and affordably access and deploy the highest-quality video across the Internet. Included among its products and services are the Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network (VDN); Sorenson Squeeze, the gold standard encoding application; Sorenson Squish and SquishNet, an easy-to-use browser-based video publishing platform for user-generated content; and Sorenson Spark, the industry’s most widely used video codec, which today enables mobile devices and other consumer products to playback the largest selection of video on the Internet. Since its inception in 1995, Sorenson Media has been instrumental in mainstreaming Internet video, and is committed to dramatically improving the online video experience for content creators and consumers alike.

Press Contact

Jacob Moon

Sorenson Media Public Relations

801.490.1017

jacob@sorensoncompanies.com

Top 10 Keys to Entrepreneurial Success

I frequently am asked by entrepreneurs what I believe are the most critical ingredients for success.  I recently wrote about past success (experience) being a predictor for success.  But, how does that help the first-time entrepreneur?  Here is my "Top 10" list that applies equally to first-time and long-time entrepreneurs and early stage companies:

Here are some other basic ingredients: 

(1) obviously, a strong idea.

(2) the right place at the right time (read the book "Outliers" in this regard).

(3) a talented and committed team.

(4) passion, dedication, and tenacity ("never say die") -- I am very old school this way, because I have seen this work time and time again; never underestimate the power of passion and tenacity.

(5) focus, focus, focus!  (don't try to do too much -- otherwise you will fail; pick one thing and be the best).

(6) adopt a partnership strategy and partner wisely (to accelerate growth by leveraging the strength of your partners).

(7) be extremely disciplined and conservative in your spending (the era of spending your way to profitability is, correctly, long past).

(8) be fearless and don't be afraid to fail -- but, if you do, "fail quickly", learn from that failure, and correct your course (an essential part of being an entrepreneur is the freedom to experiment and move nimbly, more quickly -- embrace that freedom, so long as it is consistent with #5 above).

(9) be transparent with your team; share information; communicate frequently; be a cheerleader and pump them up; have fun!  (the life of an entrepreneur -- yes, it is frequently stressful and is not for the faint of heart; but, think of the freedom and the impact you and each of your team members have on a daily basis?).  You are frequently the underdog -- but being the underdog is a lot more fun; and underdogs can -- and do -- frequently win.

(10) measure EVERYTHING!  Detailed metrics and analytics are absolute necessities, they are not luxuries; if you can't measure it, you can't fix it.  You should know everything about your users, and you should be able to measure sales and other success metrics on a live basis.  

I learned these basic lessons over several years and after leading several companies -- and after having made several mistakes -- and after experiencing what has worked time and time again.