Latitude

This post belongs to a 3-part series on emergent device-content experiences:

1. Follow Me Wherever I Go: The Next Level in Shifted Media [problems & solutions] [opportunities]

2. See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me: Growing Expectations for Immersive Content Experiences [problems & solutions] [opportunities]
3. Devices in Disguise: Ubiquitous Connectivity Births Multitasking Gadgetry [problems & solutions] [opportunities]

Earlier this week we foregrounded the problems (user needs or desires) and emergent solutions surrounding immersive content experiences.

The key is to push beyond novelty for the sake of itself and to deliver experiences that are layered in meaningful ways, meeting multiple user needs.

1. Build on current behavior. Improve on the immersive experiences users are already creating for themselves via popular platforms/applications. Shazam and Dockers’ Super Bowl play adds a new (and rewarding) layer to existing music-tagging inclinations by fusing product information with the “exploratory” appeal of accessing exclusive content and a contest call-to-action.
2. Tie visceral benefits to more immediate needs. Touchscreen technology is not compelling solely because it’s cool, but because it actually makes it more intuitive to navigate content and features, improving one’s overall experience with devices.

   3D proponents should take a cue by pushing past the novelty angle and connecting 3D with a more immediate desire – e.g.) information access or play.

   Beamz is an excellent example of pushing the visceral interaction to offer an added benefit—meaningful participation in the creation of content itself.

3. Immerse but don’t isolate. Tread carefully when offering add-ons that cut viewers off from interacting socially with those who don’t have the same privileged level of access. Watching something in 3D is no fun if it means the person sitting next to you without glasses is having a sub-par experience. Embed new social payoffs that consider both parties and find a way to ensure there is enough common ground between levels of interaction.

Latitude is a research-driven consultancy for technology and media companies. We work with clients to discover and develop opportunities for next-generation content, software, and communications technologies through a combination of web-based applications and innovative research methods. Email ischulte@latd.com to learn more about working with Latitude.

Header image courtesy of good-karma’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.

Series Recap: 3 Emergent Trends for Device-Content Experiences

User “needs” are now growing expectations created by emerging solutions.

This post is part of a series which discusses three high-level themes we’ve deduced from emergent technologies like the ones showcased at CES last month.

Our first theme centered on seamlessly shifting media across devices: the user desires (“problems”) & current solutions, as well as the potential opportunity spaces, surrounding this increasingly desired experience.

Theme #2 – See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me: Growing Expectations for Immersive Content Experiences

Audiences get a multitude of options for deep interactions with content, from touchscreen tools to information-rich apps on connected TVs, to… yes, we’ll say it—3D.

Thus, mainstream adoption of new technologies faces the additional hurdle of converting a “wish” into a “need.”

User needs in this space aren’t “problems” per se, but rather growing expectations created by the emerging solutions. In other words, as possibilities for greater immersion with content increase, so too will user desires.

This means innovators in this space must understand that mainstream adoption of new technologies faces the additional hurdle of converting a “wish” into a “need.”

What Do Users Desire to Make Their Content Experiences More Immersive?

Information

• Problem (Growing): What song is in this commercial? Viewers increasingly crave in the moment details about content—currently engaging in multi-screen/gadget behavior to solve the need. But, as this expectation grows, the desire to eliminate a second device will too.
• Solution: Gracenote’s MediaLink provides in-the-moment program information about scenes, songs, actors and more, and goes the extra media-shifting mile with its “smart synchronization” feature, automatically shifting music and video mid-stream as users move across devices.

Play

• Problem (Growing): The desire to engage with characters and storylines in playful ways deepens, as does the expectation for “virtual couch” interactions with friends/family while viewing.
• Solution: Social viewing options expand with internet-connected TVs integrating Skype calling (though, for now, TV-viewing must halt when a Skype chat begins), online viewing room tools like Zorap, and content providers taking offline integrations to the next level (ex. Bravo recently announced a partnership with FourSquare).

Visceral

• Problem (Latent): While audiences aren’t necessarily screaming to get closer to content in a literal sense, the mainstreaming of touchscreen and motion control tools sets a new expectation for rich visceral interactions.
• Solution:
  • Touch was everywhere at CES this year, but especially impressive was Light Blue Optics’ Light Touch holographic laser projection (HLP) technology and its limitless possibilities to turn any flat surface into a touchscreen.
  • 3D – Also everywhere, with Panasonic leading the pack. But challenges persist, as 3D remains for now a solution to a much less immediate “problem.”

Read the follow-up post, which identifies opportunity spaces for immersive content experiences.

Latitude is a research-driven consultancy for technology and media companies. We work with clients to discover and develop opportunities for next-generation content, software, and communications technologies through a combination of web-based applications and innovative research methods. Email ischulte@latd.com to learn more about working with Latitude.

Header image courtesy of good-karma’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.

This post is part of 3-part series on emergent device-content experiences:

1. Follow Me Wherever I Go: The Next Level in Shifted Media [problems & solutions] [opportunities]

2. See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me: Growing Expectations for Immersive Content Experiences [problems & solutions] [opportunities]
3. Devices in Disguise: Ubiquitous Connectivity Births Multitasking Gadgetry [problems & solutions] [opportunities]

In yesterday’s post, we discussed the user desires and emergent solutions around “media-shifting.” Today, we’re extending it into the Opportunity Space.

As devices get easier to use with more varied functionality, the desire to shift content will move from an occasional wish to an everyday expectation.

Companies riding the wave should consider the following:

1. Leverage audio to expand connected spaces.

   Consumers will increasingly want to continue their media interactions even when they can’t sit in front of a screen.

   • Ford leads the way in keeping consumers auto-connected by offering open API app integration to its voice-activated Sync, letting users seamlessly engage with music (Pandora), news (Stitcher), and other media services when they get in the car.
   • Tunebug’s Shake makes physical surfaces carry sound, turning otherwise non-media friendly activities (e.g., biking, skateboarding, etc.) safe by converting helmets into surround-sound speakers.
   • Text-audio conversion technologies proliferate:
     • Bluetrek headset
     • Dragon Dictate and Search app

2. Create smart (and safe) interruptions.

   As users expect content to move with them, they will increasingly want it to happen “smartly.” This means devices that are “conscious” of where they are and what they are doing–automatically reshaping not only content make-up, but also its format and delivery, to fit.

   • Zoomsafer’s Blackberry app detects when the vehicle is moving more than 15mph and automatically responds to calls

3. Offer multiple modes of the same content.

   Content providers should consider offering a range of format types but with simplified and single purchase/access points – with everything from visually-rich formats (for TV time), to audio-enabled (when in the car).

   • The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) is a cross-industry initiative which enables consumers to purchase digital video content from a choice of online retailers and play it on a variety of devices/platforms.

4. Turn the mobile device into a central (and social) hub.

   Place-shifting isn’t just about “me” anymore; it’s increasingly about broadcasting content to friends and family. Integrate sharing functionality wherever possible.

   • MoSoNex allows mobile users to broadcast pictures and live video to a private network of TV and phone viewers worldwide.

Latitude is a research-driven consultancy for technology and media companies. We work with clients to discover and develop opportunities for next-generation content, software, and communications technologies through a combination of web-based applications and innovative research methods. Email ischulte@latd.com to learn more about working with Latitude.

Header image courtesy of edan’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.

Last week, we introduced a series that will explicate 3 high-level takeaways (and future projections about them) from CES.

1. Follow Me Wherever I Go: The Next Level in Shifted Media [problems & solutions] [opportunities]

2. See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me: Growing Expectations for Immersive Content Experiences [problems & solutions] [opportunities]
3. Devices in Disguise: Ubiquitous Connectivity Births Multitasking Gadgetry [problems & solutions] [opportunities]

We’re using a Problem-Solution framework here to discuss the larger themes at hand; the follow-up posts for each theme will extend this into the realm of Opportunity.

Theme #1: Follow Me – The Next Level in Shifted Media

While place- and screen-shifting are nothing new—Sling led the way a few years ago, and a variety of over-the-top TV services evolved recently, including Boxee’s addition of an actual box—this year, it gets easier to move more content; expanded services and functionality are cropping up in a number of mainstream devices and brands.

It won’t be long before users expect seamlessly shifted content mid-stream (and without having to press a button).

Three Key Drivers for Shifted Media Experiences

1. Greater variety in tools and offerings allow users to tap into the cloud to easily manage both professionally produced and personally created content.
2. It is no longer just about individual convenience and access, as sharing becomes a key component of the experience.
3. Audio begins to play an increasingly important role in keeping people connected both inside and outside of the home.

The Problem(s):

What needs or desires does place-shifting address?

Wishing you could show that YouTube video to the rest of the family on the living room TV.  Shifting that movie you started to your PC so your spouse can watch live TV in the living room.  Wanting to finish that compelling news story on the commute into work.  In short, hoping for a seamless experience with content no matter where you are, or where you are going halfway through.

The Solution(s):

What products and services are currently hitting the market to address this problem?

Solutions at this year’s CES came from both hardware and software makers, giving consumers a wide array of choices to move both mainstream and personal content across devices easily.

Enhancements to existing favorites:

• Sling Media offers HD placeshifting and announced support for Adobe Flash, making it easy to get the SlingPlayer on devices ranging from Android to Sony Playstation
• Boxee gets user friendly with a $200 D-link box
• Pogoplug adds new features, more USB ports, and instant sharing to favorite social media networks

Mainstream brands in the foray:

• Kodak’s Pulse Digital Frame – WiFi enabled with its own email address, it allows for easy distribution of personal photos to multiple frames
• GefenTV Wireless for HD 60HZ Extender – wirelessly transmit 1080p video/audio up to 30 feet to a home theater receiver or video display
• Intel’s WiDi – wireless display technology

Open software solutions:

• Instantly drag that Facebook photo on your PC to a digital frame in the bedroom with PacketVideo’s Twonkymedia
• Sugar Sync and Dazzboard act like MobileMe for more devices

… and in Mobile TV:

• Tivit from Valups enables PCs and smartphones to receive mobile DTV via WiFi (photo above)

In our next post, we’ll look beyond existing solutions to extrapolate new opportunities which arise from the desire (everyday becoming more “expectation” than far-fetched “what if…”) to shift content seamlessly across devices.

Latitude is a research-driven consultancy for technology and media companies. We work with clients to discover and develop opportunities for next-generation content, software, and communications technologies through a combination of web-based applications and innovative research methods. Email ischulte@latd.com to learn more about working with Latitude.

Header image courtesy of krynsky’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, the hype was all around 3D, e-readers, connected TVs, and Google’s much-anticipated Nexus One.

Taking it one step further, in the coming week, we’ll be posting an article on each of the three broad trends we deduced from this various gadgetry–and applying a Problem-Solution approach to illuminate meaningful opportunities that have emerged from CES tech.

Each post will focus on one of the themes below:

1. Follow Me Wherever I Go: The Next Level in Shifted Media [problems & solutions] [opportunities]
2. See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me: Delivering Immersive Content Experiences [problems & solutions] [opportunities]
3. Devices in Disguise: Ubiquitous Connectivity Births Multitasking Gadgetry [problems & solutions] [opportunities]
4. Other Things to Watch: Futuristic Grab-Bag (or, noteworthy mini-trends we couldn’t quite place)

What are some broader themes that you picked up on from the tech revealed at CES?

Latitude is a research-driven consultancy for technology and media companies. We work with clients to discover and develop opportunities for next-generation content, software, and communications technologies through a combination of web-based applications and innovative research methods. Email ischulte@latd.com to learn more about working with Latitude.

Header image courtesy of basykes’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.