Jeff Pulver assured the VON crowd during his keynote address that they were witnesses to the next great disruption. Video on the Net will change what we do, how we do it, and the drumbeat of the “digital popcorn,” as he called it, will one day attract the tapping foot of the FCC – just like TV.
Over the course of a Bean Town week, more than 10,000 people will be in attendance there, exploring the latest developments in media convergence – developments that at one time were quite separate, but parallel. What was an optical illusion is confirmed: the lines do cross on the horizon. Television via the Internet is already here.
“It was 1994 that I actually discovered video on the Net,” said Pulver. “I certainly was a product of the Jetsons Generation. I really wanted video to happen. Then, about 14 months ago, AOL made available LiveAid on the Net. When I discovered that 2.4 million people watched this on the Net, I realized that a transformation had occurred.
“You are now seeing this change and disruption happen.”
On the two big screens behind him, Pulver brought up a movie preview, delivered as a live download via a “normal Internet connection.” Rich relates that the preview was movie theater quality.
“This is live, guys!” Pulver emoted. “You can’t argue that this isn’t TV quality. Video over the Net is real and it will only get better.”
It’s real enough that at least 88 websites offer TV shows. Pulver references his blog for a list of TV shows and network Web-extensions. “As a data point, only 20 percent of these TV show websites utilize RSS, he said.”
“Who is going to be the next mogul in the broadcast industry?” he asked. I think on a one-to-one basis that you will be able to insert ads targeted to the individual viewing TV shows over the Net.
“You could also make these shows interactive, and in effect, create a social network of sorts from those watching the same shows. This creates an opportunity to create the next broadcasting mogul. But be warned, I don’t think Hollywood is going to sit idle on this.”
And neither is the government. Because it will be so “TV-like,” the Federal Communications Commission is quite likely at some point to step in to regulate the content.
But enough with the unpleasantries.
Pulver pulled up on screen a virtual live conference room in “Pulveria,” an online space he created at Second Life. From within, where avatars watched this very conference via an Internet connection, one of the animated figures related how much he enjoyed Jeff’s presentation.
The audience applauds.
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