The DVD is Dead

In terms of video and film distribution, we seem to be in a state of flux. DVDs, Blu-ray discs, but also downloads, streaming, LOVEFiLM, iTunes subscriptions and not forgetting the cinema are all methods of watching videos – today.

Sales of DVD and Blu-ray discs have slid over the first half of the year, just as spending on digital downloads and streaming has taken off ref. We’re only now starting to see a real tangible shift to digital:

“Digital is growing and has huge potential with the growth of internet-connected devices such as smartphones and tablets now an accepted norm for video viewing” Lavina Carey, British Video Association (ref)

I know we have this in music, but with stores like HMV diversifying and Virgin selling their megastores, I think we know where music is headed. If anything, it will have the positive effect of creating a small niche of cd shops, taking on from what vinyl did for the generation before.

Why are we still using DVDs? I’d say it’s because there isn’t (yet) a better alternative. Brands are trying to tempt us, but nothing, yet, has come out simpler or easier than what we have now.

Notice how the brand that knows everything about our future habits is showing us the way. Apple’s recent computers do not have a DVD drive and exporting to Blu-ray from Final Cut requires more than just a few clicks. I know that when Apple makes it really difficult to do something, they mean for us not to do it, because it’s not the right way.

If you’re interested in finding out my thoughts on where I think Apple is going, check out my previous blog on the subject of the future of TV, but I forecast that they will enable iTunes (or iCloud) to make it super easy for people to share videos – whether it be personal or professional.

At Skysoclear, we don’t deliver to DVD or Blu-ray. Absolutely not. We’re here for the long-term, and I personally don’t see any point in investing in the technology that has little future.

Currently, we deliver to YouTube and Vimeo at HD. This enables the client to embed this on their website or share on Twitter and Facebook – much more useful than a DVD that gets watched once and then sits on the shelf for the rest of eternity.

If clients want a copy, we will supply a download. This keeps it all online and keeps costs down. And if someone really wants their video on DVD, we know a few companies that will do it, just not us.

But the whole case of distribution gets even murkier with some recent statistics suggesting that total consumer spending on all forms of home video has dwindled to $8.3 billion, down 5.1 percent from the 2010 numbers at this point in the year (ref). I know we’re in tough economic times, but maybe there’s a bigger issue here to address. Time will tell.

Featured on Dribbble

Feels great to be featured on Rob Clarke’s dribbble page.

Full writeup on the logo design process coming soon.

YouTube’s new uploader

This week we needed to share some initial edits with a client to approve before they went live. We use YouTube to share edits because it has a really useful feature where you can “unlist” a video. This means that you can upload a video, it creates a link and you can share that with the client – but because it’s “unlisted”, it doesn’t go on YouTube as a live video. This becomes really useful when sharing edits that may need changes, or sharing internal videos. We’ve used this process to great effect when sharing videos with UK Cycling Events, and it really speeds up the edit and approval process.

Recently, YouTube have redesigned their upload process and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Yesterday morning, I had to share seven edits with a client to approve. Uploading them at the same time and selecting “unlisted” was a great time saver (and allowed me to run into the local Apple store to get a replacement power cable).

On my return, I just copied and pasted the new YouTube links to the client, which meant they could view the edits before they went live, and because it’s on YouTube, they didn’t need to download them individually or ensure they had the right software to play, so a real time-saver.

With a speedy sign-off, getting the videos live was a simple trick of ticking a tickbox and they’re ready to share with the world, or in this case, embed on to their website.

The new uploader is on YouTube, but I believe it’s only enabled on a few accounts as a beta.

Thank you YouTube, for making our lives just a little easier!