Digital Cinema Gets "Aggressively Boring" at Beamfest

Historical questions also emerged in terms of the viability of content business models. Andy Walton of Platinumstudios said that companies that did not learn from the mistakes of Web entertainment failures such as DEN and Pop would be doomed to repeat them in the wireless market. Wireless distribution is only one component of Platinum’s diversified content strategy, Walton said.

Beyond Beamfest, in a separate panel discussion at Streaming Media West about wireless multimedia business models, entertainment video was conspicuously absent. The discussion focused on information, music, video-messaging and commerce-related content.

Ziv Eliraz, vice president of business development for Emblaze Systems, which provides wireless network solutions for the Samsung GPRS cell phone, is optimistic about the prospects of video on mobile devices. But – other than porn (the company recently signed a content partnership with Playboy.com) – Emblaze is not banking on film and video of the Aggressively Boring variety as a commercially viable application for wireless devices.

Eliraz described video on cell phones as a "squint-in" (as opposed to "lean-forward") experience, and said that consumers would pay money for crucial information delivered to them instantly in mobile multimedia format. An Emblaze case study suggests that soccer fans would be willing to pay between 70 cents and $1 for video updates of goals scored in live soccer matches, Eliraz said. Early last week, Emblaze announced content partnerships with ESPN, The Associated Press and AccuWeather. In April, Emblaze signed a deal with OmniVision Technologies to develop a two-way video messaging cell phone. The phone will be commercially available within six months, Eliraz said.

There were differences of opinion on the question of what "killer apps" might be likely to drive consumer adoption of wireless multimedia devices, and whether video would be among these applications. Steve Rand, senior vice president at wireless content delivery software company NewsTakes, said that killer apps on wireless devices vary from person to person, and that consumers would favor a "suite of services."

Pete Zaballos, director of wireless marketing for RealNetworks, questioned whether the market was ready for wireless video content. "The jury is still out on video," he said, commenting that there is much stronger evidence that consumers want audio and information-based applications for mobile devices.

The industry has focused too much on the question of whether wireless video is technically possible, rather than the more important issues of user experience and business viability, Zaballos said. He predicted that subscription services are likely to be the most viable business model for wireless media content over the next five years.

The RealPlayer is available on the Nokia 9210 Communicator, a multimedia download and playback device available in Europe, and will be on sale in the United States toward the end of this year.

Vernon Stevenson, vice president of corporate development at PacketVideo, predicted that location-based mobile commerce services are likely to be a popular wireless video application. He pictured a consumer in a mall watching mobile device-based video ads for stores such as The Gap.