The Evolution Toward Friction-Free Media, Part 1

By | August 20th, 2007 comments icon (1)Comments


I just published a new white paper for ABI Research (“Free research, get yer free research!”) entitled Digital Content Unleashed: The Slow but Inevitable Race Toward a Friction-Free Media World [PDF]. The takeaway term from the paper is “friction-free media”, which is how I am beginning to encapsulate the common goal between digital media consumer devices, delivery networks and content. The problem today, in my opinion, is there is too much friction in the entire experience, as content flows from its source to the end user, there is usually some point along the way in which it all breaks down. Whether its some overly restrictive digital usage rights, the wrong codec or media format, or the network connection breaks down in the cloud or the home, way too often the consumer is ultimately disappointed in the experience. In other words, too much friction.

Think about your own experiences. We in the technology industry have all tried new devices, ways to recieve information or content, as well as some new alternative delivery network. Sometimes – not very often, and certainly not frequent enough – we are delighted by the new experience, where everything clicks and we can see how it all just works well together. We see the promise, how a recipe of hardware, software and service is baked together just right for a great consumer experience. The whole thing just smells like a game-changer.

But more often than this – most of the time in fact- we are ultimately disappointed. Sometimes its the device itself (it won’t play back some content we purchased, it can’t get assigned to the network, etc…) or the network (the network goes down, the speeds are way too slow for the content, the network is congested, etc…) or the media (its protected by some DRM we can’t unlock, the rights assigned to it are overly restrictive, the media format is not the right one for the device, etc…). Sure, I probably try more new technologies, networks and content types because that’s the business I’m in, and that leads to me experiencing more problems or issues as companies roll out their largely untested, bleeding edge offerings.

But more often than not, these offerings have been rolled out on a wide basis and somewhere along the line something fails.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll spend some time talking about where I think the experience breaks down, and how ultimately these problems will be resolved. It’ll be a long process, but I think it’s invevitable – and necessary – that we as consumers get less friction as we try to consume our media. There is too much riding on the transition to networked based delivery, and I think just as last century we took a while to move from small and grainy black and white screens with 3 channels to a world of 100s of channels in HD, it will also take some time to make this new networked based entertainment economy work right.

But, somewhere along the way, we’ll finally eliminate the friction, or at least most of it, and consumers will be able to enjoy content anywhere and on any device over any network.

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Related
The Evolution Toward Friction-Free Media Part 2: The Home Network





Filed in: Industry Buzz

  • convictus

    Yes, who do you have to punch in the face to make big media hear this? :confused:

    This is exactly the reason that I have a hard time telling others to seriously consider Microsoft Media Center. It works ok as long as you don’t want to do anything unconventional.

    Conversely that video you posted about the Fiire Station, and the way that your content followed you, the ease of ripping a dvd, even streaming a dvd through out the home.

    All of that was exactly what I have thought was in order. The developers where not hemmed in by competing business objectives of knuckling their foreheads to content creators.

    I want content creators to understand I am perfectly fine with paying for my entertainment, I am not a thief. If I bought a movie, and want to watch it in several rooms of my house at the same time, or don’t want to have to go looking for the disc to watch the movie, I am not breaking our initial contract. I bought the content, let me enjoy it.

    If they charge fair prices, give great content and then get the hell out of my way then there is not conflict. If they try to box me in, and try to force me to buy their content 17 times for every context that I may want to use it then we have a problem. Then you will find me with the thieves using their tools to take the restrictions off the media I fairly paid for. No part of our contract says that I have to sit through the Stupid previews every time I want to watch a dvd. I bought the dvd for the Movie, and not part of that contract says that I have to watch the damn commercials.

    I am not a thief, the way we are treated forces us to cavort with them, we laud the thieves not for their thefts, but for removing the friction.