The Mobile Age of Video

It was only a matter of time, but it seems we are now getting closer to the time where professional video production aimed squarely at users of mobile devices is upon us.

The latest news story suggesting this is the case was the announcement by Michael Eisner, ex-CEO of Disney, of a new studio called Vuguru, which will be dedicated towards developing professionally-made programming for portable media and cell phone devices. What is unique is the format -- short episodes of approximately one minute for the current production of Prom Queen. Later projects might see programs where episodes last for five minutes or more. Viewers will download the latest episodes to watch while they are on the go.

It is a concept that has gained steam thanks to what we've learned from the YouTube phenomenon, which is that people enjoy short bursts of entertainment, particularly if they are on a short break at work, standing in line at the bank, or commuting to work.

The Internet is, once again, the foundation for a new way to approach media development. Network television has long dictated that a standard TV show last for approximately 22 or 44 minutes (allowing for commercials), so that viewers may know that they can turn on their TVs at the top or the bottom of the hour and begin watching a new program. But that's the way people thought about media in the 20th century. Increasingly, we are demanding the right to watch media on our own terms. We use a Tivo or some other form of PVR (personal video recorder) to allow ourselves the choice of when to watch programs. We use iPods, cell phones, or other PMPs (portable media players) to watch programs wherever we happen to be. And thanks to the Internet, individuals have been able to lead the revolution in programming -- thanks, again, to sites like YouTube plus personal computer software.

So now, someone like Eisner has decided to bring studio-level production to the format. Which begs the question: is there a viable market for this? Can money be made from it, because you know Eisner is looking at this as a profit venture.

Well, again, we need only look at the Internet and online stores such as iTunes to know that many people are willing to pay for content when it means having the right to watch that content on their own terms. As well, the major networks are already placing regular TV programs -- with commercials -- on their websites so that people can watch them later if they missed the original air date. Perhaps money will be made from cleverly-placed ads, or maybe these mini-programs will link to other services as a way of cross-promotion.

In any event, I found myself intrigued by the idea of Vuguru. As someone who is about to enter the film and TV industry through my studies at Vancouver Film School starting in April, I will be looking for all kinds of outlets for my creative ideas. As anyone who has read this blog from the beginning knows, I am deeply interested in the possibilities for mobile devices. Two years ago, I looked at cell phones and iPods as portable educational media delivery systems. Now I'm more interested in the creative arts as a whole. I'll be following this development closely over the next year.

Black Wednesday

Just a note for remembrance in the future: I received my black belt in hapkido today. I took the test on Friday, October 27th, and I managed to not embarrass myself too much. Actually, the test went quite well.

Obviously, it is a milestone to attain a black belt in the martial arts. I first trained in the martial arts during university, where I learned taekwondo. In three years of training, I reached brown belt level, one level away from black belt. Ironically, I then came to Korea only to never train while I was here. Then, in 2001, I got the urge to go back into training, and this time I chose hapkido. I trained with Master Shin for one year, again reaching brown belt level, before I decided to stop due to work commitments. Five years passed, and my body aged. The pounds continued to add up on my 30-something body to the point where I finally had enough. In September of this year, I returned to Master Shin's hapkido school along with some co-workers who wanted to try it out. I was like a beginner all over again in those first classes, but I soon began to get the hang of it once more.

After two months of re-training, I was put through the test last Friday. Like I said, it turned out pretty well, and I gave a pretty good accounting of myself. Today, Master Shin placed the black belt around my waist. I won't kid anybody -- it was an enjoyable feeling.

Hap-ki.

My pre-occupation with video

I have thrown myself into video-related projects in recent months. This includes making home movies, creating an iTunes-based library of my DVDs, and planning my studies for next year in Australia.

Since I got hooked up with Google Video and YouTube this past summer, I have really delved into my collection of video tapes made since I got my first camcorder in 1998. At first, I focused on making short movies of my various vacations in recent years. YouTube's 10-minute limitation on video uploads required me to do some serious editing, and the result has been that I've got the best of the best of my vacations clips.

Later, when I started writing my ESL Memoirs, it occurred to me that including video clips from my teaching days would be a perfect compliment to the stories I was telling. I emailed some of my former co-workers to tell them about the videos, and many of these friends have responded with their thanks for making these memories available.

In addition to my own movie-making, I am really stoked about developing my iTunes video library. Using PQ DVD software, I have converted many of my DVDs for play on my iPod. Since the iPod can be hooked up to a TV, using your iPod to contain a large video library is a convenient alternative to using DVDs. The problem until recently was that the video resolution was limited to 320x240. However, with the upgraded iPods now sporting 640x480 capability, PQ has released an upgrade of its own. Now, thanks to the H.264 video codec, DVDs can be converted to a beautiful resolution for TV.

Because of these developments, I am strongly considering buying another external hard drive, one that holds at least 1 terabyte of data. Then, when Apple releases their iTV box for wireless video streaming from iTunes, I'll have my entire video library available at my finger tips. Furthermore, given the existence of Internet-streaming products such as Slingbox, I have to imagine that we'll be able to access our iTunes content remotely. I don't think Slingbox has this capability, but Apple should develop it for iTunes users.

Of course, where I'm really excited is thinking about July 2007, when I expect to begin my studies in Film and Video at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. I'm not sure what I will end up doing after this program finishes, but I love the idea of making documentary films.

There is one more video-related topic that has me excited these days, and that is Internet-based TV. I purchased the Yahoo NFL Game Pass program that plays all NFL games over the Internet for viewers outside North America. Finally, another sports league has followed the lead of Major League Baseball by broadcasting games online -- a perfect solution for overseas fans. As well, TVU is a cool program that streams TV stations for free. Admittedly, this service is breaking copyright laws, but I'm loving the access to major networks, including ESPN, CNN, and regular American networks. Plus, NHL Center Ice is available on TVU, so I'm getting to watch hockey again for the first time in years.

So, yeah, I'm pre-occupied with all things video these days.

Videography, Photography, Moregraphy

I have taken up some hobbies as of late, which explains my lack of activity on this blog.

First, having discovered the potential of sites like YouTube and Google Video to be a host for my numerous home videos, I decided in June to start using my video editing software (Adobe Premiere Elements) to make movies. Thus far, I have created more than a dozen short movies, mostly of vacations Heather and I have taken over the years. They span from 1998 to the present. My public videos can be seen on YouTube. The same videos are on Google, but Google has the advantage of allowing videos of any length; thus, I have also uploaded my longer version of the Sydney video there.

I have other video projects in the works, including one about Bundang (the city in Korea where I live), and an interview with a former student who is preparing to go to university. Frankly, I am loving this new hobby of mine!

Besides videography, I have recently decided to use Yahoo's Flickr program to store my digital photos. Up to now, I have been using Sony Imagestation, but I found the uploading tools inconvenient and buggy at times. Flickr, meanwhile, has become a phenomenon of the social networking world, and for a fee I am able to store all my photos at their original resolution, which makes for a perfect backup solution.

I have also recently begun a new blog to document my experiences as an ESL/EFL teacher. There are many stories to tell, and so far I have only touched upon my first year in Korea (1995-96). This is a project I plan to work on through the end of my contract at JLS. It is my way of not only remembering this part of my life, but also to provide a window for my children later in their lives to be able to understand what I was doing in Korea.

So that's what has been occupying me lately, keeping me from blogging as I usually have. By the way, it is August in Korea, and we are baking. I wish our air conditioner worked.

Nothing to say

Haven't blogged for a while... haven't felt inspired to write about anything in particular. Not enjoying my work too much, however. Can't wait to get out of here and on to Australia. Less than 10 months now until I finish my ESL career -- hopefully for good.

Korea reaches an early end

In spite of the efforts of Korea's twelfth man (that would be the fans), Korea was whipped out of the 2006 World Cup by losing to Switzerland.

When it was all said and done, Korea finished with a record of 1-1-1. They didn't play badly in this tournament, but they showed that they aren't quite in the league of the Euro powers when it comes to talent and execution.

The sad part of it is that the partying has ended too soon here in Korea. As I've mentioned before, the experience of having been in Korea during the 2002 World Cup was one of the most thrilling times of my life. So much energy, so much euphoria anytime Korea played and won. We got that feeling once this time, after the Togo match, and people were pretty happy with the draw against France. But there was no joy in Korea-ville following the loss to Switzerland. And just like that, the atmosphere in Korea seems to have returned to normal.

If I pay further attention to the World Cup this time, I'll probably root for Australia. It'll be interesting if Hiddink can work his coaching magic with a third consecutive team at the World Cup.

Korea-France pre-game

In the hours before the Korea-France match, I spent the afternoon strolling through downtown Seoul. Here is the video clip.