More Disappointment – Why are you considering GoogleTV today?

In case you haven’t seen the latest articles about why Google TV is not ready for prime time… or if you missed the two articles that we published after the Streaming Media West about Google TV (in case you missed the post – see it here: Sony’s Google TV at the Streaming Media West Conference).

Not withstanding hitting the wall when trying to navigate to the sites where you can watch your favorite video content… getting blocked in this day and age really sucks… ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox aren’t letting you watch their content through Google TV… so why are you buying it?

Don’t take my word for it… check out what these journalists are saying:

• Walt Mossberg / New York Times: “Google TV: No Need to Tune In Just Yet” >>”Google TV has missed the mark.“
• David Pogue / New York Times: “Google TV, Usability Not Included” >> “Google TV takes an enormous step in the wrong direction: toward complexity“
• Matt Warman, The Telegraph: “Google TV First Reviews Unenthusiastic” >> “the reviews will be a blow to Googles ambitions“

What is surprising is that Google TV’s chief is not concerned about what people are saying about usability. The real motivation behind Google’s push for this technology is REVENUE. The Benjamins.

Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google said at the O’Reilly Media’s Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco: “The way to get more revenue is to create more revenue sources, and the way to do that is through things like Google TV.”

What do you think? What are you looking for?

Question for our readers:

Do you want to hook your TV up to the Internet? Tell us your thoughts…

Yes – I Rant More: Google TV? IPTV? What Do The Consumers Want?

Well… of course, this is one for the books… I’m right? LOL.

A recent study showed that HALF of Americans HAVE or Want Internet- connected TVs!! This week on our #WebSeriesChat (Wednesdays, 11 AM PST on Twitter hosted by Patrick Bardwell of Slebisodes and Stephanie Piche of Mingle Media TV) the discussion came up on length of an episode and earlier conversations were about what the impact of GoogleTV for Web Series creators. Of course, we all have our opinions and many creators are still creating short-form (3 minute average) length video content while our position at Mingle Media TV is that for our audience long-form (30-60 minute average) length video content is perfectly acceptable (in the past two years, I have executive produced over 3,040 hours of long-form video content.)

Other interesting factoids to contribute to the conversation about Connected TVs, Audience and Age:

• The average age of social networking site users: 37 Years Old
• The average age of a Facebook users is 38 Years Old
• The average age of a Twitter user is 39 years old – and 65% of Twitter users are 35 or older
• Average time spent on YouTube per month in the US: 1:12:20
• An average of 24 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute (which is equal to about 150K full length films over the course of a week)
• YouTube streamed 5,799,702,000 videos in June 2010 in the US
• Hulu streamed 598,812,000 videos in June 2010 in the US (about 1/10th of YouTube)
• 36% of YouTube viewers are between the ages of 18-34 and are 50% male

What does this all mean? Well, first there is Venus and Mars to contend with. Men like the remote control option (you know, channel changing) hence the multiple short form viewing of “college humor” type videos…

But then there are women, if we’re going to watch video online, we become invested in that story, the characters and don’t want it to end after 3 minutes… we will watch long form and we are watching it.

I digress… a recent study showed that we are becoming more comfortable with alternative ways of viewing long-form video, including watching those missed TV episodes from last night on Hulu. What does this mean? We need to adjust for our audience – we need to create for our audience… we need Internet connected-TV’s not apps (yes more of my rant).

Organizations like iSuppli Corporation say by 2014 there will be 148 million web-enabled TV’s sold, up from an estimated 28 million in July this year which is double that of 2009.

However, DisplaySearch, thinks the numbers will be higher in their projections with 45 million being sold in 2010 (we still have 2 more months)  but only about 119 million sold by 2014. Considering most of us had to buy a NEW TV in the past 24 months due to broadcast changes – a slow down in purchasing web-enabled or 3D TVs are not a surprise to me… but then again, I do connect my Vizio flatscreens to the Interwebs already and surf… remember AppleTV? It’s really not hard if you have a Playstation 3 or MacMini to do it today… our other methods for the other TVs.

So with 50% of us already doing it… what are people in such a huff about GoogleTV? Because they want to sell you apps and try to monetize on apps and make life a living hell with – say it with me… APPS!!

So if there are 221 million US internet users today and about 50% of us are already connecting to the Interwebs…. why are people clambering for the GoogleTV option? why is there a question about how long an episode created for the web should be? Or for that matter, what the future of TV is going to be? By the time GoogleTV is adopted at any high rate to make sense – TV viewers will already have had their existing HDTVs connected to the Interwebs and watching their favorite TV shows on the nice, big FLAT Screen TVs…

Oh yeah… and if you are creating for the WEB – keep in mind that you need to create for your audience and if you don’t have an audience or a plan to build an audience, then I would recommend stepping back and thinking about that as part of your creative process. Nothing worse than losing your audience because you kept them wanting.

 

Sony’s Google TV at the Streaming Media West Conference

There’s nothing more exciting than going to a tech conference and touching the new products… before they hit the retail shelves. Of course all of us at Mingle Media TV admit to be total geeks so it’s no surprise that we are watching what happens as more and more video is being consumed off the traditional track of Television to the digital world of the Internet.

This week in Los Angeles, The Streaming Media West Conference is going on at the Hyatt in Century City and we thought we’d check out some panels and of course, the exhibits… okay, and yes, we went to check out the Google TV demo at the Streaming Media booth.

As much as we would have liked to video tape a real review, the set up at the event was not conducive to a test run, but we took some photos of the Sony Internet TV powered by Google TV and found this article by CrunchGear that you might want to read for comparison between the Sony TV and Logitech Revue.

After reading this post, I have to admit that I prefer the option of watching more content on the Internet without having to deal with “apps” on the console. Why? Well, for one reason, I have Verizon Fios, now remember I said I’m a geek, I have an iPhone, iPad, wireless connected home – and yes, I was one of those who bought into the Apple TV when it came out… I’ve been watching the Internet on my TV for several years now. However, when you’re looking at the consumer in general… you have to think about what they will and won’t use.

They won’t use apps… I don’t use the apps on my Verizon Fios… it’s too much clutter. How many people use Picture-in-Picture on their TVs? Seriously, I have that too… but damned if I want to use it on a regular basis.

So what’s all the fuss about… well, it’s a disruptor to TV Networks… and if we look at our recent history, industry offerings that are adopted by consumers like VOD (video-on-demand) have put retailers like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster out of business. Prior to that newspapers started feeling the pains of citizen journalism and news feeds that were available in readers and their newspaper in print started shrinking as more consumers moved online for their news and in most cases don’t even read the local daily paper??

What does this all mean? We’re early in the game still and TV and electronics manufacturers are going to try to make nice boxes on the screen thinking that the general public are going to like it (we don’t, I don’t and I’m your target audience… yes, I am a collective of people here at Mingle Media TV and speaking for all of us…) Let’s just connect the TV to the Interwebs and let us surf freely – don’t put us in a nice, neat package, it doesn’t work that way…

Seriously – we don’t want to wait around for you to create containers we have to install and have to have people build more apps for… it maybe the way the iPad works.. or Android… but with less than 30% of cell phone users having a smart phone… get the clue… the Yahoo! connected TV has been out for a year now… not making too many waves are they? There’s a reason for that… you need to look at the numbers of who are using the apps on smart phones and how long they use them for… I spent 20 years in technology marketing – 8 years in Silicon Valley and this makes me crazy!! It’s simple: make techology that is simple for the masses to adopt…. THEN make it cooler….

Of course, if Google TV, Sony Google TV or Logitech Revue Google TV (that goes for Samsung, Toshiba, LG, Vizio and HiSense and anyone else out there developing technology for the masses) folks want to have the experts who broadcast 40 plus hours a week of LIVE Interactive and produced web series to test out the technology in our studios… we would love to. HINT.

Until that time, I say – put your money in a TV that connects DIRECTLY to the internet… if you aren’t sure how to do that… just let us know! We’d love to get you connected on your 50″ flat screen watching Mingle Media TV shows!

Mingle Media TV Network to Air New Web TV Talk Show Series: In Bed With…Jeff and Melissa Debuts with Mark Gantt!

MMTVN is excited to be executive producing and broadcasting a New Web TV Series from New Media Correspondents Jeff Rago and Melissa Jun Rowley – taking an intimate look at the most interesting people making headlines today with their show “In Bed With…”

The “In Bed With…” web series is the brainchild of hosts Jeff Rago (entertainment reporter and producer) and Melissa Jun Rowley (TV and online journalist). Jeff and Melissa are the shows under-the-cover agents getting the latest scoop from some of the most interesting and influential celebrities, entrepreneurs, and activists making headlines today in both traditional and social media. The show is intelligent, fun and disarming, its pillow talk, as you’ve never seen before. The audience will be surprised what they uncover, as you never really know what’s going to come up in bed.

In the debut webisode of “In Bed With…” Jeff and Melissa interview actor, producer, writer, Mark Gantt, winner of the 2010 Best Actor Streamy Award in his starring role in the Sony Pictures Television hit series, The Bannen Way. Gantt has also written, directed, produced and edited over a dozen short films (including the award-winning Martine), as well as acted opposite Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven, Burt Reynolds in The Hollywood Sign, as well as in many other films and TV shows.

About the show hosts:

Jeff Rago is a freelance entertainment reporter and producer who has contributed to both national (Extra) and international (CNN International) l news programs as well as entertainment websites (ComingSoon.net). From red carpets to one-on-one rooms to intimate sit-downs, Jeff has gotten up close and personal with some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Johnny Depp, Zach Braff, and Beyonce. Prior to his entertainment news life, Jeff spent 13 years working in the meetings and events industry sleeping in some of the most comfortable beds both nationally and internationally. Learn more about Jeff at www.jeffrago.com

Melissa Jun Rowley is a television and online journalist who has covered business news from the New York Stock Exchange for CNN Business News, red carpet glamour from the Oscars for CNN Entertainment and social action movements for Causecast. She has also produced and reported for Associated Press Television News, AMC, TV Guide Channel, E! , Entertainment and TechTV. She blogs about behind-the-scenes happenings at Hollywood events, activism, social entrepreneurship, family, love, and self-evolution. Melissa writes for the social media guide Mashable and for the LA Weekly. Melissa rarely sleeps, and she has moved around the country so much throughout her career that she has yet to invest in the kind of decadent bed she’s always dreamed of having. Perhaps, the time has come. Learn more about Melissa at www.melissajunrowley.com.