Ipod Sony : The Practicality of a Video iPod
Is a iPod Video really practical? Music, unlike videos, can be enjoyed without the audience's full attention. Such activities as jogging, walking, cooking, dancing, driving are all ideal applications. The iPod as just a music player is wildly successful. But how would the iPod fair as a video player? And what about the small screen? Other video players like the Sony PSP have a much larger screen compared to the iPod. The current way we are accustomed to consuming motion video isn't compatible with a Video iPod for two reasons.
First, the level of attention required for observing video content is more intense. Watching a video screen requires both sight and hearing in tandem. This makes activities such as those listed above incompatible with observing video on an iPod . Bottom line, you will most likely still use the audio features of your Video iPod more that the video screen.
Second, the format of existing video content is not compatible with small displays. If you have recently visited Japan or Europe, then you may have seen someone watching video on a cell phone. This video content for the most part is rebroadcasts from live TV. The United States has consistently been behind other areas of the world when it comes to cell phone technology. However in a move to push ahead from the rest of the world, many of the major broadcast and cable TV networks in this country are starting to produce special content for the smaller screens. Everyone from NBC to the Discovery Channel have some kind of mobile video content deal with a major cell phone provider.
This new portable video medium demands a total rethinking of the current video production process. Everything from studio camera angles to graphics and editing has to be customized for cell phone video delivery. For example, sending an unmodified on-air feed of CNBC would not work very well. The ticker would be too small to read. After the video is compressed and scaled down to cell phone screen size, the scrolling stock ticker would be a messy pixilated blur. In order for text graphics to appear legible it must be sized to occupy half the screen.
If Apple plans on releasing an "in screen" video iPod in the near future, the secret will be in the content. Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, also wears the captains hat over at Pixar, the animation studio behind films such as Finding Nemo and Toy Story. Pixar often creates animation shorts for film festivals and DVD bonus materials. Perhaps they could develop video specifically tailored for the "smaller screen". Maybe a small screen animated comic strip series featuring some of the popular characters from Pixar's movies. But even with Pixar's help, Apple can't do this alone. Apple will need to enlist a fleet of content providers to produce everything from news and sports to entertainment offerings like movie trailers and music videos. Apple was successful in doing this with the music industry with the iTunes Music Store. Can they do it again with Hollywood and the television industry?
No matter what happens, Apple already has a smash hit on their hands with the iPod . The trick for Apple will be keeping the iPod fresh for consumers while fending off competitors.
