It wasn’t too hard to predict that once every permutation of text-based social media had been explored, would-be entrepreneurs would shift their attention to video. And while “social TV” has become an all-purpose buzzword these days, this spring has seen a couple of notable consumer-centric introductions First off are the competing social video services Viddy and SocialCam. Both of which take the cute-puppy-video meme to the next level. While users are encouraged to upload their own video and share it with their Facebook friends, the primary use of both sites seems to be sharing new cute puppy videos on Facebook. That’s because both apps use “frictionless sharing” – updating your Facebook timeline every time you watch a video through the service. Once “Janet Smith just watched “Beaglemania!” on SocialCam” starts populating your news feed, it encourages your friends to sign up so they can watch too. This cycle– both Viddy and Social Cam rate high on Facebook’s SuperSecret Algorithm– has … Continue reading →
This piece, from London-based Fearghal Kelly, is the first in a series of posts from KIT’s international team focusing on more technical issues. Introduction It’s easy to get distracted by the glossy black shells and colourful interfaces of the many thousands of video platforms in existence today. As consumers and users, we often lose sight of the advancements that get us here. KIT digital is right in the middle of building these platforms and we are fortunate enough to work side by side with the key technology enablers. Underneath the usual 3LAs (Three Letter Acronyms) like Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Content Delivery Network (CDN), there are some less familiar names. In this post, we’d like to celebrate an unsung hero – the Graphics Processing Unit or GPU. Not only is the GPU at the heart of the video revolution, but while you read this, the world’s GPUs are acting in tandem to disentangle the proteome and create novel medical treatments … Continue reading →
One of the more interesting side effects of the rapid growth of Netflix and other OTT services is the equally rapid growth of devices made specifically for watching OTT services on your big screen TV. Roku is the biggest indie player, followed by Boxee. Roku gets less PR than Boxee, which seems to be constantly adjusting what exactly it is they do, while Roku has remained a straight up connection device. I have owned a Roku device for about six months now and there’s a lot to recommend about it: it’s cheap (around $50 for the entry level) small (about the size of my fist) and has an impressive array of big league content options: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBOGO – plus a number of interesting smaller channels like the TED conferences and Crackle. In addition, there are dozens of minor league channels, most of which feel like a small step above local access– not a whole lot of production value, … Continue reading →
We spend a lot of time thinking about how people watch TV now, how they’ll watch it in the future and what the best way is to get them to watch more of it. One of the questions that we wrestle with, as a global entity, is how much regional preferences play into the equation. For instance, while Americans and Europeans take the iPad for granted, local import taxes can triple the price for viewers in other areas, who turn to Xoom and other Android devices. We’re also cognizant of the different habits of Western viewers who grew up with “57 channels and nothing on” and those viewers who grew up with a single, state-supported station. Just to give you an idea of how personal the viewing experience is, I asked three KIT digital employees from different parts of the world, to write about their own personal preferences. As you’ll learn below, they each have a unique pattern of where, … Continue reading →
We’ve been getting a lot of great press around our new Social Program Guide and wanted to share some highlights. Lost Remote, the white-hot Social TV site, was first out of the box with a lengthy article by lead writer Natan Edelsburg, who cited the ability to instantly see the which friends are watching which shows as his favorite feature. Beet.tv, whose Andy Plesser has made a name for himself as the tech world’s leading interviewer, filmed a great in-depth with KIT Global COO Alex Blum, where they discussed the social program guide and KIT near term roadmap. Mari Silbey reviewed the app for ZatzNotFunny, the ultimate TV industry insider blog. Silbey, formerly Chief Blogger at Motorola, was impressed by the SPG’s ability to provide unique accounts for each family members and the option to limit social activity to a companion second screen device. To see it in action, check out our demo video. For more details, visit our Social … Continue reading →
