[Written by me, but in the third person, for a variety of reasons]
For many at the sold-out Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) luncheon at the Banff World Television Festival, the presentation by two solitudes' Alan Sawyer was an eye-opener. In his talk entitled "TV... or not TV" Sawyer challenged the audience perception of the so-called three-screen world. He dissected the confusing world of mobile TV and discussed what watching television on a computer can really mean.
Sawyer called upon the audience to go beyond the now-common multi-platform discussion and to consider multiple distribution channels as well. "Everyone is talking about mobile content as a platform we need to address", said Sawyer. "But bear in mind that there are multiple ways of getting the content to [the wireless] platform. Downloading of content is a very real possibility." "What we're not hearing is people talk about multiple distribution channels." Sawyer proceeded to show that a 2 GB Secure Digital (SD) card can easily hold eight hours of content suitable for viewing on his PDA, and that such cards can be moved between PDA, laptop, desktop computers and some newer TV sets. This was followed by a discussion of the viewing experience possible when connecting a computer to an HDTV-capable screen. He demonstrated that, with the right setup, even in HD, you can't tell that you're watching TV on a computer. "In fact", he said, "the common set-top box is actually a computer in sheep's clothing".
Sawyer went on to discuss why the differing natures of mobile versus conventional television consumption (secondary versus primary activities) lead to the need for different programming paradigms and he identified that the mobile consumer is becoming more discerning -- and demanding -- in their content choices.
The twenty-minute presentation was rounded out with a brief discussion on the new media phenomenons of MySpace, YouTube, Rocketboom and the like, and the threat they pose to conventional television viewing.
Sawyer closed with a call to action to producers and broadcasters to experiment, take risks, and work together to explore new ways to use new media -- and to collaborate rather than fight on rights-related issues.
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