The Revolution Will Be Televised

"Last week, I experienced that same thrill yet again when I was testing the Archos Jukebox Multimedia 20. This all-in-one, portable, digital entertainment system has a 20GB hard drive, a color LCD, add-on modules, and a bunch of ports that have never before been combined on such a device. The result: A portable digital audio product that plays videos and takes photos. You can use the Multimedia 20 to download movies from the Internet and watch them either on the device's small screen or any television--all for the same price as the new iPod.

One of the best ways to test a portable player is to commute with it. So there I sat on the subway, watching a German version of The Simpsons on the Multimedia 20's little color screen and listening to the dialogue in MP3 format. When I noticed the San Francisco Chronicle on an adjacent seat, I decided to switch the Archos to music mode and have a read....

So in terms of video convergence products, Norr is generally right--the big players are indeed waiting for Congress to give them approval to control what we do with video content before they bridge the gap between PCs and TVs. But I don't think that consumers are going to wait, not when companies such as Archos are already giving them what they want. Over the next year or so, I expect a rash of video-enabled portable entertainment devices to hit the market. It'll be interesting to see which gadgets consumers choose: devices such as the Multimedia 20, which let you do whatever you want wherever you are, or devices that most likely include some sort of onerous copyright protection, such as the one that Sony folks alluded to in a recent call to me.

Regardless of which companies end up controlling this new category, it's time to brace yourselves--the video version of the MP3 revolution is underway, and it could be as unkind to the big companies as the portable digital-audio market has been to them. For the moment, Archos has the front-runner with its groundbreaking Multimedia 20. You probably need one." [MP3 Insider, via Gizmodo]

My only issue with this article is the use of the word "probably." It must be rhetorical.

I've been lusting after one of these ever since it was first announced, and I'm starting to think I should buy one before Holywood succeeds in getting these types of devices pulled off the market. As much as I love the iPod, I'd get the Archos Multimedia 20 first. Now if only Audible books would work on them.

For multimedia blogging, I guess what we really need is a cross between this Archos and an iPod, although I suppose an OQO would work just as well.

Snail Mail Still Winning The Bandwidth War

"LR_none writes 'Today's New York Times has this short piece suggesting snail mail is the leading broadband technology, at least for video movies on demand. The article states that the 8 to 9 gigs of data on a DVD would take two weeks to download at 56kb, making Netflix' three-day distribution by mail seem speedy. (Since they can send three or more movies at once, Netflix compares favorably with DSL download speeds, too.) The author estimates Netflix alone distributes 1,500 terabytes a day, which is impressive considering the Internet carries 2,000TB a day (by estimates cited in the article). The 'immediate gratification' aspect of Internet consumerism has given a huge boost to companies like FedEx and UPS, but it's surprising to think of the post office as being the leading infrastructure provider for digital entertainment, in terms of market share and efficiency, for the forseeable future. (Disclaimer: I don't work for Netflix or the post office.)' " [Slashdot]

I'd have to agree with this assessment. I just received two NetFlix discs in the mail today, and I'm thrilled with their service. I would never in a million years get this selection, ease-of-use, and consistency from a movie company online, telco middleman, or P2P video sharing. Why can't Hollywood focus on how successful the DVD format has been and look at the digital cup as half full?