Boomers going digital

Sep 12, 2008 by Dan Taylor    6 Comments    Posted under: Technology

According to a recent report by the NPD Group, baby boomers are a key demographic segment for digital products and marketing.  The study, “Entertainment Trends in America” reveiled that Baby Boomers who stream video are 15% more likely to buy a CD, DVD, or movie tickets (I can only guess that they’ve not yet mastered the art of the torrent).

While once only popular with youth and teen segments, baby boomers have come of (the digital) age, and are enjoying more and more online participation.  Recent consumer surveys found that 61 percent of baby boomer Internet users (aged 44-61) had visited streaming or downloadable video (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), and 41 percent had visited social networks (linked-in, Facebook, and MySpace).

“There’s an ongoing misperception that certain Web activities are the exclusive domain of young people,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for The NPD Group. “That misperception could cost the entertainment industry, in terms of lost opportunities to target valuable consumers.”

The study also went on to find that more than half of all Web users surveyed (57 percent) visited social networking sites within the past three months.  ‘Young’ internet users (13-34 year olds) are far more likely to visit social networks and more often, but baby boomers that visited a social networking site did so on average 8 times over the previous three months (slightly less than once a week on average).

Getting down to the dollars and cents, NPW found that boomers who regularly use social networking or streaming video sites were more likely to buy CDs, DVDs, and/or movie tickets.

“As more consumers of all ages spend more time online, there’s potentially going to be less time for them to consume entertainment content in traditional ways,” Crupnick said. “These findings underscore the growing need for entertainment companies to promote and distribute digital entertainment content online, in order to keep pace with the changing needs and desires of consumers of all ages.”

It may come as no surprise that boomers have already mastered the art of email and web surfing, as the results were nearly universal across all age groups.  Online shopping came in with nearly similar results with 8 out of 10 users making an online purchase sometime during the past three months.  Teens and young adults reported a slightly lower score however, possibly due to lack of plastic (credit cards).

The survey was done by the NPD Group of Port Jefferson, NY, and included over 11,000 consumers, with results balanced to reflect the internet –connected US population of age 13 or older.

Passionato – iTunes for classical lovers

Sep 11, 2008 by Dan Taylor    18 Comments    Posted under: Music

Former Baltimore Symphony Orchestra president and music industry veteran James Glicker has recently launched his newest project: Passionato.  The online retailer will be first launched in the UK, with a potential rollout into US markets at a later date.  Why the favoritism for old world residents?

James Glicker – Founder and CEO of Passionato

“First, the UK and Europe have an incredibly vibrant classical music scene in terms of concert attendance, record labels and journalism – though of course the US is the biggest single country in terms of actual classical music sales,” he said.

“Second, the UK has several innovative entities that sponsor creative projects, including the Creative Capital Fund, which invested in Passionato. So another reason for setting up Passionato in the UK is to take advantage of the financial support that was being offered to us.”

Passionato features the world’s largest collection of high quality classical downloads, with more than 18,000 recordings available on the launch date.  But what makes passionate different from say…hmmm…iTunes?  Glicker and co. tackled this problem by first investigating what was prohibiting listeners from heading to the world leader in digital music downloads first.

Quality.  Passionato offers single track, work, or full album downloads at a high-quality 320kps MP3 or (for the slightly more technical) lossless FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files.  Glicker describes classical music aficionados as “a fastidious lot” which have been slow to adapt the digital revolution, often complaining of the poor audio quality of compressed files.

“Online music stores have typically offered MP3s at 128kbps, i.e. very compressed files, which is fine for pop music but it’s not exactly high-fidelity,” he said.

“There are a handful of online stores currently offering small catalogues of classical music at 320kbps. This is high quality audio and our research tells us people can’t readily distinguish between 320kbps MP3s and CD quality wavs. We are offering 320kpbs and also lossless FLAC.”

Glicker isn’t about to bury his head in the sand.  He realizes that the classical music arena is a difficult one, especially in a format connoisseurs have traditionally shied away from.

“This is a major motivation for us,” he said.

“It’s ironic that while classical music concert attendance is on the rise, labels are reducing their recordings and physical retailers are shutting down like there is no tomorrow.

“So the future of classical music distribution is online. The only thing that has stopped this inevitable shift from happening to date has been audio quality, plus the DRM issue.”

Speaking to the DRM (Digital Rights Management), Passionato tracks are free of DRM, therefore allowing purchasers to transfer the songs to another computer or portable music player (iPod).  A wise move as while the ‘industry’ tends to love DRM, consumers have often felt cheated as their ‘purchase’ has certain limitations after they’ve plunked down the cash.

Passionato’s online store features 60 second samples of all works, allowing users to give a listen before deciding to complete a transaction.  A free music player and organizer are also available, although I’m going to bet the farm that 90% of users will stand by the industry standard: iTunes.

As a special ‘Welcome to Passionato, how can I help you?’ launch promotion, anyone registering at passionato.com can download 10 free pre-selected tracks including a 30 minute work.

My $.02 – while Passionato currently features major label artists, what about hand selecting independent classical artists on a weekly basis and featuring them as an either free or minimal cost download?  It might be a great launching platform for a number of artists in a highly competitive industry, and provide Passionato a wealth of free press and all-important traffic.

Canon Vixia HF10

Sep 6, 2008 by Dan Taylor    22 Comments    Posted under: Photography, Technology

I recently purchased the Canon Vixia HF10 and can honestly say, I couldn’t be happier.  As with any purchases that involve circuit boards and electrical power, I did a boatload of research before plucking down any cash.  The total cost came to approx. $1200.00 at the end of the day, but in addition to the Vixia HF10, I also picked up the additional DM-100 Omni directional Microphone and the WD-H37 II wide angle lens adapter.  Even after paying the 200 euro import tax to have it shipped into Austria, is still worked out being a better deal than if I had bought it here along with the additional accessories.  Yet again, thanks for being my import/export specialist mom.

Right.  Let’s get down to brass tacks here.  Considering that I was previously working on a Samsung SC-X300, the Vixia HF10 is like stepping into the director’s chair on a Hollywood set.  In addition to the obvious difference in quality of an SD camera vs. an HD camera, the Vixia has already allowed a number of variable shot lighting conditions, effects, shooting modes, etc.  One of the main factors that attracted me to the Vixia HF10 is the lack of tape.  I’ve never really worked with tape before, and with the advances in solid-state storage media, I don’t really see a reason to start now.  The Vixia HF10 features a 16gb built in flash media drive.  The Vixia’s less-expensive little brother, the HF100 is exactly the same camera, but without the internal memory, and a slightly less attractive silver paint job as opposed to the HF10’s sleek black finish.  Because I’m slightly anal retentive, I also purchased an additional SDHC 16gb drive that simply slides into the side of the camera.  So in total, I’ve got 32gb or approx. 4 hours of non-stop shooting time on this little wonder.

Size is also another key factor in my gear selection.  I wanted something small enough that could easily be slipped in a large pocket, or not going to take up much space in a backpack.  Weighing in at only 15.1 ounces and measuring 2.9 x 2.5 x 5.1 inches, it a fair statement to say that this junior packs senior power into a small package.  While I did read a few reviews prior to the purchase that complained about the size vs. usability issue, I find the camera incredibly easy to use, buttons are well place, and the joystick navigation just to the left of the main LCD display is nothing but smooth sailing.  The one and only minor gripe I have is with the power button.  It’s located over on the left side of the top of the camera, and it does take a bit of juggling to turn the camera on.  On the other side of the coin, perhaps this is done intentionally by Canon in order to prevent accidental on/off.

Moving up to HD video has presented a bit of a learning curve.  The VH10 records in AVCHD format at a maximum of 17 mb/sec.  At this capture rate, you can shoot in full 1920 x 1080 resolution.  True HD.  AVCHD is a new format to me, and I have to admit, I did have to check a few final cut forums in order to figure out exactly what to do with these files, and how to import them.  On the Samsung, videos were encoded in mpeg4 format, and once plugged in, the camera showed up as an external drive and I was able to drag and drop the files on to the desktop.  With the AVCHD files, I’m required to select the ‘log and capture’ option in final cut in order to bring the files on board.  However, one of the benefits of this method is that I can preview the files in final cut and decide which files I want to bring over, and which can simply head straight to the bin.  While even with my macbook pro with 4gb of memory, large HD files do take a while to move over from the camera to the machine.  I don’t have a point of comparison, but my first guess is that even though taking a few minutes, they’re still transferring via the supplied USB cable faster than a traditional tape method import.

Here’s some test footage that I uploaded to Vimeo.com. Vimeo is one of the few video sharing sites that supports HD footage. The above footage has been resized by Vimeo, as HD is not supported via embedding. To see the full HD version, check it out over here.

The optically stabilized f1.8-3.0 12X zoon lens is slightly longer than most of the Vixia’s 10X zoon lens competitors, and really, who doesn’t need more zoom?  The SuperRange optical image stabilization works well all the way out to the 12X zoom range, and focuses quickly in both bright and dim conditions.  This is going to come in particularly handing while filming live musical performances.  Other than the slightly bigger zoom, most of the features on the Vixia are industry standards for this price and model class.  On video these features include:

• Aperture and shutter priority modes
• Three fixed, one variable zoon speed options. (I personally leave it on variable, as I believe it offers the most amount of control)
• Video light
• Instant AF
• Windscreen filter (on the built in microphone)

Image Taken with the Canon Vixia HF10

A nifty little feature that I’ve played around with a bit is the ability to record in 24 frames per second as opposed to the ‘normal’ 30 fps, and the ability to shoot in 60i.  When hooking the Vixia up to an HD monitor via a mini HD jack, the 24 fps footage really does have a ‘cinematic’ look and feel to it, but sadly, I discovered that editing 24 fps footage in final cut is more or less next to impossible.  It is entirely possible that I haven’t yet found the proper conversion setting, but I’ve also not been able to find much info on the internets about 24 fps editing.

As with 99.44% of video camcorders on the market today, the Vixia HF10 also functions as a digital camera.  In photo mode some nice features include:

• Metering
• Flash
• Burst and exposure bracketing options

Another perk that sealed the deal for me was not only the additional shotgun microphone via Canon’s new ‘mini-hotshoe’, but the microphone and headphone mini jacks located on the backside of the camera.  This comes in particularly useful when doing interviews and is an increasingly rare feature in cameras in the price range.

As is usual with compact designed cameras, the Canon Vixia HF10 ships with an 890mAh battery with a rating of about 55 minutes time.  I’m not exactly sure where Canon is getting these numbers from, as I managed to pull of a full day of recording (over 80 minutes of footage) on a single charge.  Maybe it’s better to underestimate the charge time and over deliver?  If that is in fact the case, well-played Canon – I’ve yet to come up short on juice yet.

All in all, the Canon Vixia HF10 has met and exceeded all of my expectations thus far.  It’s even pushed my boundaries in respect to the way I look at video and video editing, and am looking forward to growing with this camera.

Score one for Internet Privacy

Sep 4, 2008 by Dan Taylor    6 Comments    Posted under: Technology

While I’m not in the usual practice of surfing for letter bomb designs or other items from the Anarchist Cookbook, but at the same time I DO appreciate a bit of anonymity in where I’m traveling on the information superhighway.  Hence when I saw this article pop up at Wired today, I felt compelled to give it a read.

It seems as though a company called NebuAD has been up to some very naughty things.  The business model was based on paying ISPs a fee to let them install equipment to monitor surfers trails and what their search queries were all in order to deliver targeted ads based on user behavior.  The kind of data that companies will pay fortunes for.  Naturally, every mom and pop internet provider raised their hands in support.

All was good in the land of NebuAD until one of the nation’s largest ISPs, Charter Communication announced their intent to test NebuAD.  This announcement raised a number of smoke signals in Washington, and the House Energy and Commerce committee quickly became interested in whether tracking people’s every move wasn’t a violation of federal law.  Let’s spare the irony and ‘Patriot Act’ questions…for now.

Naturally, the inquiry signaled the end of the road for NebuAD, as it quickly became apparent that no ISP was willing to go tete-a-tete with the feds on untested technology.

CEO and Founder Bob Dykes recently resigned for a rather plush gig at VeriFone, a retail payment system firm.  Incidentally,  this announcement comes only one day after the AP ran the obituary for NebuAD.
While NebuAD claimed to be all about transparency, notice, choice and consent, the Congressional equiry revealed that several ISPs had secretly tested the technology (without customer consent), and NebuAD was left speechless when it came to explaining their ‘miraculous opt-out’ process.  A separate report by watchdog groups brought to light the fact that the company also violated key internet protocols and inserted rogue code into incoming packets from sites such as Google.  Ouch.

And now for a moment of irony –

While the feds stepped in to block a commercial enterprise from tracking anyone on the internets, was it perhaps for a higher purpose?

In July, Congress decided that the US Federal Government was within it’s rights to install NSA surveillance ‘equipment’ in any American IS or infrastructure.  Let me say that again…if you’re using an ISP from within the United States of America, the US government has the right to monitor any of your activities.  Granted, the chances that you’re selected as one to be monitored are probably quite low, it still a bit downright creepy that Big Brother could, and has the right to be, watching.

Hvar, Croatia

Sep 3, 2008 by Dan Taylor    19 Comments    Posted under: Photography

When the wife first suggested taking a week off and heading down to Croatia for some fun in the sun, I have to admit, fun in the sun isn’t exactly the first image that comes to mind when I think Croatia.  I’ll fully admit that the whole Bosnia/Herzegovina/Serbia thing went relatively unnoticed by me, but I knew Croatia is somewhere in the neighborhood.  Ok, granted the whole thing came to an end by 1995, but I hadn’t really thought about Croatia since.

After spending a sun filled week on the island of Hvar off the coast of Croatia, near Split, all I can say is if there was a war raging there a 13 years ago, you’d never know it now.  The people, the food, the beaches, everything was just about as close to perfect as you’d want it to be.

We started our journey from Vienna to Split at around 6:30am.  Driving south from Vienna to the Slovenian border was a piece of cake.  Once in Slovenia, things started to get interesting.  It seems as though the Slovenians aren’t exactly building highways at the same rapid pace the Croatians are.  Needless to say, we had to follow some two lane roads the headed through the countryside.  All I can say is, the people that live along those roads must absolutely hate the summer and relish the winter, as every second car has a German, Austrian, Czech, or Polish license plate.  While the Slovenia countryside looks a whole lot like the southern Austrian countryside, once we hit the Croatian border, we were back on track (read: highway) and movin’ right along.

I’m not sure geographically where it happened, but at one point the entire landscape began to change before my eyes.  In the course of 15-20 minutes the green pastures dried up and the view was one of rocks and brush.  And when I say rocks, I’m not kidding.  If the Croatian Government ever found a financial value in (I think it’s sandstone?) rock, they could quite possibly be one of the wealthiest nations in the world.  Everywhere you look, rocks sticking out of the ground, rocks strewn across the ground, massive rocks that have been blasted aside for the motorway, and even bigger rocks that have been blasted straight through (tunnels).

In our inevitable fashion, both of us managed to miss the gigantic sign that read: To Ferry Boat, and had a small tour through Split’s adjoining suburb.  We got back on track eventually, and made our way down to the Jadrolinija ferry line with about a half hour to spare before the next trip to Hvar.  Pretty good timing I’d say.  The wife was driving, and I have to say, she managed to shoehorn the car in the ferry and up a ramp to the second parking deck.  Nice work babe!

A short 1.75 hour ferry ride across the Adriatic to Hvar gave way to my first sunburn of the trip.  Note to self: buy sunscreen BEFORE arriving.  Once on the island, you can pretty much throw the map out the window, as it’s completely unnecessary.  In other words, while not tiny, the island is small enough where getting ‘lost’ would be only half the fun.

Instead of staying in Hvar, we actually traveled over to the other side of the island and stayed in the unbelievably quaint village of Vrboska.  Vrboska is a former fishing village, not stocked with cafes and restaurants.  There is of course a marina, with plenty of flags from all over Europe moored in Vrboska’s natural harbor.  Let’s get one thing clear here, neither one of us knew about Vrboska, and full credit goes to a former work colleague of the wife’s.  Michael knew of the village and highly recommended it.  With her knowing just a little about Croatia, and me thinking it’s still a war zone (joke), we were up for pretty much anything.

We did drive over to Hvar for a day, as the wife’s need to shop had to be satisfied, and to be honest, getting up and going to beach everyday can be a bit grueling ?, so a morning trip to Hvar was a welcome distraction.  I might put it like this: if you’re up for people and cafes and a town square with million dollar boats moored along the harbor, Hvar is your place.  On the other hand, if you’re still interested in some cafes, can forgo the town square, but still want to drool over something you’ll never be able to afford, Vrboska is your place.  That and take about 90% of the population away.

The beach.  Talk about peace and solitude.  One thing I was unaware of before our trip is that there’s no sand in Croatia.  No joke, the beaches are not made of sand, but rather rock.  Ok, maybe not the best for lying around on, but I tend to get forced back in the water by Greenpeace activists every time I lie around on a beach anyway.  What the lack of sand DOES however contribute to is 100% crystal clear water.  It’s a fantastic sensation to stand on a rock ledge with water at your feed and be able to see directly down to the bottom so that you know what you’re jumping into.  We had our own rock each day, but to be fair, we did have to rent bicycles to get there as this wasn’t an ‘official’ beach, but rather just a place to be alone and go swimming.  A good book, beautiful water, and my favorite woman on earth?  How can you go wrong?

I must also mention that should you get the chance to make it to Vrboska, head directly to Restaurant Mediteran.  The food at this restaurant was so good, we didn’t even bother with any other restaurant after trying only a few.  Maybe there were better ones, but really, I’d be hard pressed to match one that can deliver a 50 pound tuna to your plate, accompanied by freshly grilled local vegetables.

Sadly, as all good things do, our trip to Hvar came to an end with a 4am wakeup call.  Yep, 4am.  The first ferry off the island leaves at 5:30, and it’s recommended to get there at least 45 minutes before.  I can’t say that our trip home was uneventful as it included losing the car in the dark while buying tickets for the ferry and almost not making it on the boat, and my not so smart ‘Oh, I’ll just put some regular gas here in the Diesel fuel tank’ moment.  Fear not, it was only 5 litres in a 70 litre tank, so, as the wife’s father said, “Meh…just makes it go a bit faster.”

But in the end, everything worked out for the best, and hey…getting up at 4am, DOES lead to an amazing sunrise over the Adriatic.