There are reports that the new Firefox version 33 browser is now displaying the Youtube 3D player again.
I do not have time at the moment to check on this – or whether the feature is working in other browsers yet. Let’s hope that this gets repaired – it is odd for companies not to issue official statements when there are serious defects that cause serious problems for customers.
Monthly Archives: October 2014
Fascinating article about Youtube stars' business models
Is YouTube Risking A Creative Exodus? ⚙ Co.Labs ⚙ code + community.
It’s getting hard for many of them to make the money needed to fund their production efforts based on Youtube ad revenue, alone.
Musicians make their money primarily by selling their music outside of Youtube (e.g. iTunes) – and use Youtube for the promotion of the music.
For others, the “stars” are branching out with sponsorships and paid product placements (a lot of videos now have hidden ad placement – some like the endless fashion/hair/makeup videos targeted at tweens through age 20 or so feature products the star was paid to show), merchandising and the latest is books, movies and even TV deals. Others, like Devin Graham, do sponsored videos that get shared with his millions of subscribers, featuring people having fun with products and services. He just announced he’s off to Istanbul courtesy of Turkish Airlines (and then probably other destinations as well).
Youtube is rapidly turning into something other than what it has been. Whether it ends up in a good place only time will tell. Obviously, Youtube and its content creators cannot sit still.
Yahoo might use Tumbler as a way to compete with Youtube. Hmmm.
Related articles
YouTube to open its 4th production studio
Youtube Studios adds New York City to its existing studios in Tokyo, London and Los Angeles – accessible to any Youtube channel with at least 5,000 subscribers:
It will be chock-full of expensive equipment wired for collaboration all over the world, and it will all be available at a cost of exactly zero.Creators can easily gain access to the space. YouTube artists need a minimum of 5,000 subscribers to their channel and must be part of the company’s Partner Program, in which ads are hosted and revenue is shared.
Partners are given access to better cameras, production spaces and editing facilities as classes train them not just in shooting video, but also in makeup, design and anything else that might make programming pop online.
via YouTube Takes Manhattan – NYTimes.com.
Perhaps more importantly, the new studio is located near “Madison Ave” advertising agencies as Youtube content increasingly turns into smaller versions of what you watch on cable TV. Indeed, Youtube stars are already using the same agency, management, talent lawyers and agents as Hollywood. (I was amused, recently, to learn that one of the Youtube “stars” that appears by himself, is actually supported by a team of about two dozen people now!)
Some Youtube creators are complaining that Youtube takes 45% of all ad revenue and it has become very difficult to make a living creating content for Youtube.
However, some Youtube “stars” will also soon be adding books to their revenue streams.
Personal note – Youtube has coalesced into an increasingly “winner take all” market place. With so much content uploaded every minute, my own videos, which once had at least thousands of views, are now lucky to get tens of views. With their recent dropping of the 3D video player, I am contemplating ending uploads of video to Youtube. Youtube has become saturated and it is difficult for new offerings to get viewed.
Flickr, on the other hand, has been incredibly successful for me.
How the industry ruined 3D TV for viewers
And the more I thought about that, the more apparent it became that 3D’s failure is a fiasco of colossal proportions in which the film industry is at least as culpable as the TV makers.
Before getting into that, though, let’s first just confirm that 3D really does seem to be in serious, potentially terminal decline.
via 3D Can Be Brilliant – When Hollywood And Your TV Aren’t Messing It Up.
The reasons 3D faded:
- Lack of good quality 3D content
- A bad story in 3D is still a bad story
- Poorly filmed 3D movies – technically bad 3D; and the related use of poorly converted 2D to 3D, turning 3D into a marketing gimmick
- Poor use of 3D – turning existing 2D scenes into 3D misses the opportunity of using depth cues
- And of course, lack of 3D porn…
- Other technologies are now in competition – namely 4K (eventually 8K), 48 and 60 frame per second video, “RAW” and HDR video – which mean fewer resources to pursue 3D now
4K 3D may resolve some of the technical issues with greater resolution for passive 3D glasses or glasses-free displays. I have seen some spectacular 4K 3D glasses-free displays – they do exist in prototype form.
For now, the new technologies appear to be larger opportunities for the industry – 4K and high frame rate, in particular. These technologies are likely to be the focus on the industry for some time to come before interest – and investment – returns to 3D. The Return on Investment in pushing 4K and HFR probably looks better than the ROI of further 3D work right now.
