[thequality-update] January 2001

[Michela Ledwidge]

thequality.update 1/2001 

 

Update on thequality.com's current projects and insight into film, TV,
and new media issues.

 

thequality.com is seeking additional partnerships and clients to further
the development of online filmic content. http://thequality.com/about

 

PROJECTS 

 

* thequality.com in partnership with Reelthing Animation
http://www.reelthing.org/ is producing a short form online cartoon
(working title: horses for courses) showcasing the process of
constructing interactive 3D content. The workspace includes an overview
of streaming 3D technology and all production materials
http://thequality.com/horsesforcourses

 

* Conceptual and high level architecture design has been completed for
bibliography.com http://www.bibliography.com. thequality.com is now
defining the functional specification and is planning the implementation
of the phase one site. 

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

 

The Emperor's New Broadband

 

"We're waiting for broadband" was a phrase often heard in 2000. Here at
thequality.com we can't wait for fatter pipes either, but we're not
about to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Producers who view
broadband as a panacea, dismissing narrowband content, do so at their
peril. Here are the reasons why... 

 

1. Text is here to stay

The framework for online communication, and therefore content, remains
text-based. This is true even for sophisticated video applications (e.g.
SMIL). The next few years will see a dramatic increase in the amount of
film and video content re-packaged for online use. The best productions
will continue to use text as a framework and tap into over a decade's
worth of narrowband experience. The more things change, the more they
stay the same... 

 

2. Content must be meaningful

Unlike TV, the audience for online content is not just human beings. The
most widely accessed content will enable software to participate and
reference it. Video content simply dumped online without context will
have little relevance. Software 'agents' on the Net, and personal agents
on the desktop rely wholly on the existence of well-structured
information and meta-information (info about info) to do their job. Make
content palatable for software. It makes sense. It extends your
shelf-life, makes your work more meaningful (in a global context), and
it opens up interactive possibilities that are only just beginning to be
explored. Baywatch was never intended to be viewed this way... 

 

3. Content is easily mis-managed

The bigger the pipe, the more content you publish, the more you have to
manage. Obvious? A truly scalable content management solution is rarely
so. Most, if not all, online systems are still partially 'hand-written'
(sceptical? ask your sysadmin...). Forget the hyperbole put out by
content management system vendors. The term "black box CMS solution" is
a misnomer. One process or product cannot manage exponential content
growth. Simplicity and flexibility have their place. 

 

4. Broadband is not television Audio, video, and cartoon (e.g. Flash)
streaming, has begun in earnest. Over-emphasise broadcast (one-way)
content at the expense of usability, interactivity and substance and you
are disregarding the medium at your peril. The barriers to entry in this
game have been lowered - with unlimited channels to choose from, you
don't have a captive audience. 

 

5. The audience will participate Prediction: telcos will be forced to
dramatically increase the amount of up-stream (user to network)
bandwidth in response to a new generation of applications that encourage
streaming and uploading from end users. For reasons of cost,
communication, and conscience, innovative broadband content will be
defined and produced by the audience. 

 

6. Broadband is relative Ultimately the reason why disregarding
narrowband is dangerous is that broadband, as a term, can only be
relative. Think of the bandwidth available five years ago... imagine
what's coming... and how quickly it will all be used up. The artistry
and experience that goes into crafting a narrowband experience remains
as invaluable as ever. 

 

ABOUT 

 

thequality.com is an interactive agency specialising in bridging the
creative / technical divide and producing cross-cultural new media. The
company was founded in Sydney in 1993 and moved to London in 1998.

 

 

Please advise if you require this newsletter delivered in another
language.

reception at thequality.com

 

 

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