I guess Cynthia and I are on the same wavelength today. Earlier today I was reading a bunch of articles and blog posts about Microsoft’s new UMPC/Origami device and found myself thinking “mobile video.” Then I went to the IPD site and found Cynthia’s post about Movielink’s deal with Microsoft, which I hadn’t seen mentioned in any of the other stuff I’d been reading.
At a recent conference, Jim Ramo, Movielink’s CEO said roughly a third of his company’s movie downloads are to laptops, but also suggested that “the jury is still out” as to whether cell phones, iPods and other mobile devices will emerge as an attractive platform for distributing movies. He also acknowledged that Movielink is still “missing the younger demographic” that are relatively heavy users of both mobile devices and piracy-based download services.
Several articles and blog posts I read suggested that the UMPC will be an attractive product for students. Assuming this is the case, its UMPC deal with Microsoft could help Movielink address the two issues Ramo raised. The device’s 7-inch screen seems reasonably well suited for watching video, and some models also include a fold-out stand to make it even more convenient. And, by becoming “the premier brand and provider of video content for the UMPC Program Launcher,” Movielink should have at least a somewhat better chance of convincing users that paying the company $1.99-$4.99 per movie is a better choice then using free but illegal (and presumably less user-friendly) download services.
The UMPC news also reminded me of the recent Senate Commerce Committee testimony by Craig Mundie, which I discussed yesterday. Mundie was encouraging Congress to make unused broadcast spectrum (aka “white space”) available for unlicensed use and applauding Committee chairman Ted Stevens and others for introducing bills toward that end.
A next-generation WiFi platform using relatively plentiful broadcast “white space” spectrum would, as Mundie noted, have much better propagation characteristics than today’s WiFi spectrum. In addition, as he points, out:
Deployment of unlicensed devices is fast; it’s efficient…It…gets the FCC out of the job of picking technology or service provider favorites. Instead, it lets the market decide — or lets the community, or even individuals, do it for themselves. That means innovation is faster, and competition — not the Commission — pushes companies to innovate and deploy new services [and]…the capital investment comes when it is needed and is fueled by individuals and businesses, not by larger network operators. And because buying blocks of spectrum at auction is not required, the cost of entry for these services is lowered. Thus, the cost of providing these services is extremely low relative to the substantial benefits that can accrue as the result of broadband Internet access.
Though Microsoft is aggresively pursuing business with the dominant telco, cable and licensed mobile service providers, I suspect it would be happy if low-cost networks built on white-space spectrum transferred some end-user dollars now going to these network providers to purchases of UMPC devices and their future generations, which will be faster, cheaper, lighter and with longer battery life and more features—especially if they’re linked to a low-cost ubiquitous wireless network.
The introduction of the UMPC follows shortly after the successful launch of Apple’s video iPod, and a rash of deals for web- and mobile-delivered video. As I said in yesterday’s post about Mundie’s testimony, it would be great to see big players from Silicon Valley and the consumer electronics industry join together to push Congress to pass one of the pending White Space bills, and then compete like crazy to create new generations of devices that could conveniently deliver all sorts of valuable services on these ubiquitous low-cost networks.
As I said an earlier post, I’m beginning to wonder “if Congress could resolve the battle over the Internet’s future by choosing not to impose net neutrality requirements on incumbent broadband providers, while opening up broadcast spectrum to unlicensed use…[based on] new and more “open” access models reasonably well aligned with the goals of municipal broadband advocates” and net neutrality proponents.
Mitch Shapiro at 2:54 PM|Comments(1)
Mitch-- Thanks for your excellent work. This is an important issue that has gotten minimal attention in the mainstream press. --Jim Snider, Director of Research, Wireless Future Program, New America Foundation
Posted by: J.H. Snider at March 11, 2006 9:52 AM
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