The Google Keynote is on and covered by Engadget. Video of the presentation is available from C/Net Video, Digital Life and CES. The Google Blog, the Google Video Blog, the Google Video of the Day, the Google Video Group and the Google Pack help section have more.
It’s insane here at the Las Vegas Hilton. The mob is in full press, even more than the older crowd of Gates groupies the other night. But we somehow got into the second row.
Here it comes — warmup video of Google Earth on the big screen. Zooms into high-res shot of the Eiffel Tower to audible whoooaaaaa from audience. Now zooms out and in to a buffalo and egrets chillin’ in the grass. Cape fur seals on Cape Frio … the Grand Canyon … this is real data folks … swooping over to Vegas and in on the Hilton … into an animated auditorium and back to the original screen we saw with the Google logo ..
“This is yet another exciting platform in which CBS can leverage its market-leading content to a whole new audience,” said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. “Making our programming accessible to the Google Video Store guarantees our shows significant new exposure to millions of users who are likely to access this Web service and who may not be traditional TV viewers. As the industry’s most prolific generator of popular TV content, it’s only natural that CBS would partner with Google on this service, which is destined to become one of the web’s most popular destinations.”
Google also announced Google Pack beta, a free collection of safe, useful software from Google and other companies that improves the user experience online and on the desktop. It’s available at http://pack.google.com.
In just a few clicks, users can easily discover, install and maintain software to surf the web faster and safer, communicate better, and effectively manage information.- Adobe Reader 7
- Ad-Aware SE Personal
- GalleryPlayer HD Images
- Google Desktop
- Google Earth
- Google Pack Screensaver
- Google Talk
- Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer
- Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar
- Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition
- Picasa
- RealPlayer
- Trillian
The ability to sell video is great, but not news. We’ve known that was coming. What is really interesting is the pricing leverage: Google is splitting revenues 70/30 - that’s 70 to the content producer.
Also very important is that the producers of content are the ones who set the price - again, totally different from traditional models. Thirdly, Google is doing its own DRM. That’s very interesting, and probably best left as the subject of another post. Producers can decide to not use DRM, as Charlie Rose did.
ABI Research projects that 250 million people worldwide will be watching movies, TV shows and “podcasts” on wireless portable devices like cellular phones and handheld organizers by 2010.
FireAnt is focused on video blogging. The “aggregator,” can locate content and play it no matter what video format it’s been uploaded in, including Quicktime, Window Media, or Flash. Digital cameras like the Pentax Optio S60 ($300) or Pentax A10 ($350) can record video in DivX format.
“I met a Japanese woman, fell in love with her, and decided that a good way to impress her would be to walk the 2000-mile length of Japan. I spent nearly five months walking through the countryside, arm wrestling old ladies, running from trains, and eventually becoming a Japanese media sensation. Then when I got back home I edited the documentary of my walk, ‘Kintaro Walks Japan.’
I am passionate about making movies, but not about distributing them. Google Video puts my movie one click away from the audience, so anyone can share the adventure.”kintarowalksjapan.com 1 hr 6 min 23 sec
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