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ETO Technology News - August 2006 edition
Pressing the right buttons gains access
London-based Coulomb Ltd, an established supplier of Internet payment technology has branched out into the world of DVDs. Their new product, 'DVD Lock and Pay' is a mechanism allowing users to pay for premium content on a DVD. Either as a 'bonus' bundled with a film on the same disc, or from a promotional disc supplied free of charge. The system also allows a whole disc or individual scenes to be locked, and fully customisable price-points can be integrated. For example individual scenes might be £1.50 to unlock, or unlock all ten on a DVD for £12. Even those requiring Pay-Per-View can be accommodated, as the system can be set to generate a new random code every time a scene or film is watched. Thus it needs to be unlocked with a fresh, chargeable code every time someone wishes to view the content. This exciting technology means that someone is able to make an impulse purchase by premium SMS or call when the disc is already in their possession, opening up both a new market and new marketing opportunities. For more information contact David Knell of Coulomb on 020 8114 1001 or via david.knell@coulomb.co.uk.
MobVision launch live 1to1 Adult Mobile Video Chat!
In July MobVision announced the launch of two products, Mobile1to1 and Gay1to1. Using the latest technology and 'per minute' billing, users can enjoy a private, live, 1 to 1 chat with a model whilst watching them live on their mobile. The service works via Java on 2.5g and 3g phones, and has had £250k invested in developing the following features:
Frame rate optimisation to eradicate drop off and buffering - An intelligent system that helps users obtain the right phone settings, which in turn will increase the take up of the service - Superb range of straight and gay live models, available 24/7 - Secure global billing, initially via Credit Card and PSMS - Affiliate system - Streaming branded video clips if the user who doesn't want to chat live.
Mobile1to1 and Gay1to1 are turnkey end-to-end solutions, all ready for Adult partners, webmasters, and affiliates to promote. Payouts have been described as 'high' and MobVision believes, since the user pays per minute, returns for partners and affiliates will be excellent. Plus large partners have the option of a fully branded solution.
MobVision's core philosophy with Mobile1to1 and Gay1to1 is was to introduce a live video chat service where the user comes first. MobVision believes the success of this service will not be simply through technical superiority, but also by providing the user with a service that's fair; upfront about costs; secure; has straight and gay models; has a user-friendly interface and quality customer support. In other words, a service the user can use easily, and trust, encouraging them to come back to time and time again. The inclusion of two free minutes to test the service when the Java program is first downloaded to the phone is a bonus.
A Mobile1to1/Gay1to1 spokesperson added a cautionary word: "Companies looking to promote such a service be warned - as far as we are aware, we were the first service to have been granted an ICSTIS licence for live 1 to 1 video chat. It took 6 months of discussions to obtain this licence. If you are looking to promote a live 1 to 1 video chat service that does not have the ICSTIS license you could face serious fines. Mobile1to1 has a clear statement from ICSTIS which will be on all ads for the service telling the user that there will also be bandwidth costs associated with the service."
While clearly ideal for erotic services, the technology behind Mobile1to1 will also be used for non-adult markets, and there will be a number of non-adult live 1 to 1 services being unveiled within the next few weeks. For more information
Jenna Jameson ranked. No typo
The world of celebrity used to be measured in column inches but increasingly it's by web search hits, and thus it should come as no surprise that some porn stars do well. 'Adult megastar' Jenna Jameson rose to third place in the authoritative AceShowbiz.com Celebrity Buzz (www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/buzz) ranking is June, making her one of the most-searched celebrities on the Internet. By moving up a notch in the rankings, she displaced US singing group IL Divo (out of the top 10 by July; Ah, the fickle nature of stardom) and beat off Mariah Carey (4th), Nicole Kidman (5th) and Angelina Jolie (6th). In July only Britney Spears (2nd) and Brandon Routh (the new Superman) were above her. Jameson was recently in the news when her own film and other media production and management company, ClubJenna, Inc., was acquired by Playboy Enterprises. She continues to manage the business as a subsidiary company, producing films with the 'ClubJenna Girls'.
The Dawn of a Brave New World?
Sex and technology go together like hand on joystick and things are hotting up in coupling them together. Brad Abram, president of xStream3D.com, developer of the VirtuallyJenna.com online game says, "We're looking at the [games] market and saying there's a whole lot of violence, and not much sex. I look at it and say, sex is the last frontier in video games. They've done shooting to death. You can't make tennis or hockey much better. Now everyone is trying to do sex."
Highjoy.com's founder Amir Vatan spoke about his site, "You can do everything there you can do at traditional dating sites - put up pictures, search by attributes and locations," You also can use video and audio on the site. Taking online interaction a step or two further, toys designed for use with the site means intercourse with other chatters. "You can see them, hear them and have sex with them over the Internet," Vatan says. A vibrating bullet for women or gay men and a moving sleeve for men can be controlled remotely, via a pay-to-play service on the site, from anywhere in the world. Even Iraq. Military personnel, says Vatan, are among Highjoy.com's thousands of customers.
Designed for use while away from a PC, 'The Toy' is an insertable unit that's triggered by text message. It has 72 modes of movement according to George Pilkington, sales director for Cool & Groovy Toy Co. Ltd. based in Swinford, England. "All of us are apart from our lovers at least some of the time, and we designed it so people would have more fun, smile more, have a better relationship and have more sex."
As new routes to sexual stimulation without a partner are opened up, some fear that it's damaging some people's ability to form and sustain adult relationships. Lisa Thomas of a US sex-therapy practice says Internet porn has become a problem in particular. She says it "has become a third party in everybody's home. People satisfy themselves sexually and are doing away with their sexual relationships with their partners, so what I see is a lot of couples that come to me who are in trouble. They haven't been sexual for a while - weeks, months or years - and now they have to try to become reacquainted with being sexual. The Internet thing is running rampant and people don't know how to bounce back from it." She's counselled people who have lost their jobs for looking at pornography and used to tell people to unplug the computer, but that doesn't work anymore because it's become integral to the house. Many clients, she says, must be online for work while they are at home.
One thing Thomas sees increasingly is suppressed libido, she says. "I think all of the pornography has created unrealistic expectations. They've seen all of this stuff that isn't real."
Busman's Holiday?
Every industry has its management games. Where Theme Park, Railroad Tycoon and Premiership Manager lead, HandyGames (www.handy-games.com) have followed with 'PornManager', which was launched in mid-July for mobile phones. This colourful cartoon romp lets you, in true strategy style, write, cast and direct low-res adult films, using pixelly performers with their own characters. Starting as an unknown producer, you have to both edit the ikkle virtual movies and sell them as DVDs, to adult cinemas and to TV channels in an ever-changing marketplace in order to make enough money to fund another title. Adding a touch of realism to the very small screen, studs and starlets fluff lines (etc) and throw strops when sets aren't decorated to their tastes. There are more diva-like performances in their messy private lives that the player has to steer them safely through. There are even market analysis reports on sales figures so you know how your pocket studio is performing. So if you've always wanted the Sims to be saucier, this could be a mobile-platform game to watch.
British Telecom to offer porn on its cable TV service
You would have seen BT's telly adverts for their Home Hub 8Mb box, boasting TV on demand is coming soon. It's been reported that as a part of their cable TV service, which is due to be launched in the autumn, they expect to include 'Adult Entertainment' in their schedule. BT Vison, as the service is to be called, would react to customer demand for 'mildly pornographic' movies but BT stresses all content will comply with regulators' rules and the firm's taste and decency standards. In an ever more aggressive home telecoms market, BT Vision underlines how the company is casting around for new ways to generate revenue, including offering a 5-way VoIP service that will be incorporated. The prospect of soft porn movies still hasn't convinced some industry analysts that the service will be a commercial success, although BT insisted it would make a profit.
Telecoms research firm Enders Analysis said the principle justification for BT Vision was that it might help the company retain broadband subscribers in the face of competition from rivals including Carphone Warehouse. However, Enders said the ability of BT Vision to enhance BT customers' loyalty might be limited. It estimated that BT will only have up to 800,000 subscribers by 2010, compared to Sky's 8m.
Through set top boxes that double as video recorders, BT Vision will provide the TV channels available on Freeview, the digital terrestrial TV service, as well as provide VOD programmes via a broadband landline. BT is also planning to make 'Catch-up TV', mainstream movies, music and sports services available. A BT spokesperson said: "In common with many UK entertainment providers and in response to anticipated customer demand, we expect BT Vision will carry some adult entertainment services." They added, "We will have industry leading standards on protection to make sure that only adults who want to view this material can." Only adult movies with an 18 rating will be available via BT Vision, not R18 films.
A fist full of Trade Shows
The 7th annual Mobile Content World conference returns to the Olympia Conference Centre in London from the 19th to the 21st of September this year. Run by Terrapinn Ltd, who can be contacted on 020 7827 4168, the show is billed as the world's largest and most important mobile content event, bringing together a truly global audience to discuss the hottest issues and debate the future of the booming mobile content industry. Mobile Content World 2006 will be a three-day interactive conference featuring over 60 international speakers (including bigwigs from Sony, T-mobile, Vodafone and Chuck D, co-founder of Public Enemy) running alongside a free-to-attend trade exhibition. Complete with focus group discussions with mobile-lovin' 'yoofs' and speed networking opportunities, it's the Must Attend UK event for mobile content.
November the 21st and 22nd sees Next Gen TV 2006 come to the Royal Garden Hotel in London. Again organised by Terrapinn(.com) Ltd., they say it's, "Where the bright lights of the small screen settle on the bigger picture. Next Gen TV will examine the implications of television's revolution and its repercussions for broadcasters, network operators, content producers and distributors. An international panel of industry leaders will outline how to adapt business models to disrupt the reliance on advertising revenue and meet the demands of the new media environment. The Next Gen TV conference agenda will examine the enormous potential of the most powerful D2C medium available. Key themes include launching and sustaining an attractive VOD service, deploying a successful IPTV rollout, the development of content to suit emerging distribution patterns, the impact of internet video and mobile TV on media consumption patterns or the changing nature of TV advertising, and much more." Keynote speakers include Malcolm Wall, Chief Executive Officer, Content of ntl: Telewest, Geoffrey Ellis, Senior Vice President, Development and Distribution for Walt Disney Television and John Pluthero, Executive Chairman, Cable & Wireless UK. Fittingly there will be a 'Talk Show' format to the conference, to keep PowerPoint presentations to a minimum. Instead, Q&A sessions mean you'll see speakers challenged on their presentations. There will also be more frenzied Speed Networking business-card-swapping opportunities where the decision makers at the conference will be available to talk briefly.
Following Internext Summer 2006 in Hollywood, Fl. (August 4-6), dates have been released for the next winter digital-media and adult webmaster show. January 15th to 17th 2007 sees Internext Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in the city. It's going to be a busy week in Vegas as the show will follow the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, which runs from January 10-13 at the Venetian, and the AVN Awards on January 13th. The Consumer Electronics Show also takes place in Las Vegas, from the 8th to the 11th of January. Teri Owens, Internext show manager said, "We solicited and considered a lot of feedback. The great majority wanted Internext after AEE, but still in January. With AEE just before Internext, attendees have the option going to just one show or doing both." Visit www.Internext-Expo.com for all the latest information.
What would you do with 1000x1000 pixels?
Nothing's copied faster than a bright idea, so it comes as no surprise that 'Porn's Million Dollar Homepage' (pornsmilliondollarhomepage.com) has launched its pixel-advertising site. Art school graduate Jason Kovach started the website in July, creating an adult advertising site comparable to that of UK media-darling Alex Tew's MillionDollarHomePage.com. The latter sold a million pixels at $1 per pixel (min 10x10 squares) in advertising on a homepage guaranteed to stay online five years or longer and sold its ad space in a short amount of time. It also drew worldwide media attention. Kovach is aiming to do the same with the adult online market and said, "With new market trends leaning more toward pixel advertising on the 'net, sellers have a much more cost-effective means [of] promotion in a smaller space. By allowing the users of the site to upload and host their own graphic pixels, the site becomes user managed."
While the original MillionDollarHomePage didn't allow adult-related material, P.M.D.H.P. only displays adult content. The simplicity of the site is designed to allow visitors to view a few words on the content of any site that they roll their cursor arrow over, before choosing to click on that link. Each promoted site has a determined pixel size and location and will be hosted for five years. The one-page system will allow thousands of advertisers to be able to compete next to each other without having to pay per click. The site offers a one-time, flat rate fee and accepts ads from all legal adult-orientated content.
"I wanted to provide a website that viewers could find thousands of adult content sites located right on one page," added Kovach. "By being able to limit the amount of open windows on your computer will allow views to have a more rewarding search without having to use a search engine." Advertisers can purchase ad space for $1 per pixel with a minimum of 100 pixels. At the time of writing, only one 10x10 square is on display, looking rather lonely in a see of grey 'unsold space' - however, the original site was such a success I can't imagine this one will take long to fill up.