Today I went down to the westbury to see the 3 public presentations for the 3 commercial DTT mux that will join the states public service (not commercial entity) mux. What follows is all about style not substance - the fact that there was no questions allowed to be asked today must mean that substance is in the main documents submitted to the BCI beyond the exec summaries we could read in the press or the BCI website. Here follows my review of the styles of those glass slipper holders as they seek to find their Prince.

BOXER
Ending as they started with the very able Lucy Gaffney boxer put some meat on the bones of what they have to offer. Lucy then closed with a video which starred the DTT ‘champion’ character of Swedish DTT “Robbie” doing a rocky style run & shadow box to the tune ‘Gonna Fly Now’ (theme from rocky). I’m not so keen on robbie and I would drop him for the irish game. the big play here is, we have done it (Sweden / Denmark), can do it in Ireland, we are DTT champions. bhg scores 70%

EASY
Roaring out a distorted audio the Easy TV presentation began and went down hill from there. If the prizes were given based on quality of presentation today then Easy TV would be any easy 3rd place. To a format of, I stepped out and he stepped in again, the projected presentation slide cueing seemed difficult for the Easy TV pair of presenters to manage, on this basis I wouldn’t give them a DTT playground to play in. Easy TV should have been presented differently/better (like get the very talented Kate O’Sullivan from UPC to do it, too late now). Big play here was we are the big boys in this space we will be well integrated with the public mux, well integrated with RTE NL bhg scores 45%

ONEVISION
Opening with a video (no audio distortion here) the video looked like it was made by TV people which is more than can be said about the other two camps videos (which looked made by flash designers). To the sound of Queen - One Vision this slick video started off the best presentation of the afternoon. On cue out of the video no pause no fade Fintan Drury launched a Barack Obama sytle (ok I exaggerate for effect) “We have one vision” speech, introduced his team, explaining the investors etc. All speakers were very well coached and not over coached but delivered like people who wanted to a run TV platform. Big play here, we are Irish we are not big players in the media space so we wont own too much media. bhg scores 90%

All platforms proposed have a pay element. Based on my reading of this market (and I don’t want to make any money out of it) I would tend to think the player with the most FTA and least PPV or pay as you go will succeed. That player is OneVision. As RTE NL is involved with all 3 above the difference is the flavour of DTT not the ability to provide it. A Boxer slide said that they would provide a free box while later sides talked about the networks & chains that would be partners to sell boxes, i’m confused, but with Aldi UK selling MPEG2 freeview for £18 boxer might get a SD/HD MPEG4 box out for free but at some cost, if they are more about top up than subscription TV then the free kit for contract ain’t on offer, I would have liked them to have been asked about this.

I have presented before the IRTC in the past and it is nerve wreaking. The best pitches do not always win but this is a BEAUTY contest. And I know who the ugly sisters are, and who Cinderella is. Remember Cinderella didn’t always get to go to the ball but after a while she met her Prince. I would still bet on an ondigital meets freeview future for Irish DTT, why? its MPEG4 (that’s good, that’s also problematic) & there is plenty of PPV euros wanted by all the entrants in a saturated carrier market, and today was about the last and smallest entrant. RTE on Freesat would kill DTT dead and that’s not going to happen either. Roll on July 31st when the BCI decide.

channel 4, E4 & more 4 go Free To Air (FTA) 06/05/08
clock linked from 625.uk.com

this is how I first remember News24, but as of 21/04/2008 News 24 is now (the) BBC News (channel?) the new name does not include brackets. let me explain. ‘The Channel’ refers to itself as BBC News and other BBC outlets refer to it as the BBC News Channel. Why re brand with built in confusion? I notice the Sky News has followed the CNN direction on minimal background to OSG very odd at first but one can get used to it. What ever the graphics ~ let us hope they dumb up not down the content.

Originally uploaded by theginjaninja1979

My new banner head on the blog is not just about funky design, it is the radio glass as one would view through it looking out on the world. Metaphorically speaking or not radio still offers one of the best outward looking world views.

via MW SW LW internet streaming radio & podcasting and via the much unloved radio transponders of the Clarke Belt radio crackles and bubbles news from corners of the world closer to conflict that we are.

My first ever perma post I put online was in 1995 called global warning and was all about media slant, long before blogging was a glint in any one’s eye.  Since then the net itself has assisted in the democratisation on media but only if it is used.

News is made and two thing happen, its reported by large media or agency and fed to the filter of the subordinate network where it is edited to suit local consumption including the cutting room floor or blatant censorship. Or its reported locally where the news happened, and by its neighbours, likewise this news is slanted for its intended output, no surprise there.

But what happens when the later is received far beyond its intended audience / geography and sampled and mixed with the available western/first world (for want of a better word) view point. You get a mash up of the story that was never intended, conflicting stories about conflict.

This has me working steadily in the background on two new media / programming  ideas that could end up on podcast or stream or both. News Views Information Slant Bias Censorship - the listener decides no additional slant added. Based on an original idea of SW on FM via RadioActive 101FM Dublin (credit to the station 1992-1996)

When they hatch they will be plugged here. subscribe today.

ABC News Reported Thu Apr 3, 2003 11:46am AEST

Irish police wearing riot gear have clashed with protesters outside the gates of the country’s parliament in central Dublin, a spokesman said.

“Two people have been arrested in connection with public order offences,” the spokesman said.

About 400 anti-war activists staged a sit-down at the Kildare Street entrance of the Dail, the lower house of Parliament.

They were protesting against the Iraq war and the continued use of Ireland’s Shannon Airport to transit and refuel US troop-carrying aircraft on their way to the Gulf and bombing missions in Iraq.

Riot police cleared the way for legislators leaving Parliament by car.

Amongst those lifted out of the way by police was the Socialist Party’s only MP, Joe Higgins, a strong opponent of the war.

Hats off to TCM breaking news video looks good I added two features myself. NO AUTOSTART (please TCM) and I added a default still image. TCM please enclose (enclosure tag) the rich media in your RSS so I can see/hear it in my RSS reader.