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Posts Tagged ‘Media’

The Technology of DVD Media

Sep 6, 2010 A Piece of Cake DVD

A Digital Video Disc or DVD is one of the most popular forms of storage media nowadays. It is an optical disc and mainly used to store videos. However, data in any form can be stored on a DVD. The dimensions of a DVD are generally the same as a common compact disc but the amount of data that can be stored is six times greater.

The different variations of DVD are based on the way data is being stored on it. A DVD-ROM has pre-written data that can only be read. A DVD+R and DVD-R are the ones on which the data can be written only once; and on a DVD+RW the data can be written and erased more than once. The lasers used to read DVDs are typically of 650 nm wavelength.

The terms DVD-Audio and DVD-Video discs are DVDs with suitably structured and formatted audio and video content respectively. Other types of DVDs are called DVD-data discs.

The term `DVD` is used for an unofficial full form `digital video disc`. However, it was officially announced that it stands for `digital versatile disc`.

A typical DVD has a 4.7 GB storage capacity. These discs are one sided and single layered i.e. the data is stored only on one side of the disc and only at one level. The size is enough for a high quality 133-minute movie. The double sided and dual layered DVDs can store about 17 GB of data in any form. The capacity dwarfs a compact disc easily.

The writing speeds on a DVD vary from 1350 KB/s (1 x) to 26 MB/s (18 x to 20 x). For a CD, the speed 1 x means only 153.6 KB/s.

Initially, the burning or the duplication of DVD was an expensive work and required skilled persons to do it. Today, the process of writing on a DVD has become a piece of cake and any one with a little knowledge of computers can do it at a click of the mouse. Producing DVDs requires certain authentication. Also, certain processes and rules are needed to be followed to handle their production. Present day markets are full of illegal and fake DVDs. Especially in Asia, Africa and Brazil. So, certain security measures are applied to check this illegal business. Copy prevention techniques are used that prevents illegal replicating of the original disk.

A DVD-Video is standard for storage of video content on the media. Typically the format in which video is stored in the DVDs is MPEG-2, 16:9 aspect ratio videos. The resolution used are 720*576 (PAL) or 720*480 (NTSC) at 25 or 29.97 FPS. The audio on the disc is stored in DTS (Digital Theatre System) or AC-3 (Dolby Digital) formats. However, a number of other resolutions and formats are also supported. Other features like selectable language in subtitles, menus, multiple audio tracks and more than one camera angle is also supported by DVD-Video.

The DVD-Audio format is used to deliver high-quality audio content. A number of channel configuration choices (like from mono to 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound) at a number of sampling frequencies are offered by the DVD-Audio. The higher storage capacities enable it to store a considerable higher amount of music or a much higher audio quality.

Although the DVD-Audio has higher technical specifications, the debate on whether the audio enhancements that are being included are actually distinguishable or not in a typical listening environment is still on.

There are a number of possible successors to the DVD. The strongest being the Blu-Ray Disc. Others are Maxell`s HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc) and the 3D optical storage discs that are being developed actively.

Tags: Media, Technology

Small Businesses and Social Media ? the door is wide open!

Apr 11, 2010 Online Bakery

A recent study by Citibank shows that a whopping 86 percent of US small businesses said they have not used social networking sites for information or business advice. Ten percent said they have sought business advice and information on expert blogs. Three-quarters of small businesses said they have not found sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn helpful for generating business leads or expanding business in the past year. Not sure about the UK numbers but I reckon they are even higher.

SMBs often think that social media is more for big corporations and premium brands. However social media is useful for almost every type of business. Pubs, retail stores, and even professional services can leverage their online reputation and increase credibility. Here is why:

Small Businesses are personal – they often rely on personal business relationships, a small business that invests its time wisely can improve customer (or client) loyalty and traditional word of mouth marketing efforts. Small businesses are local – the use of local social networks can make a real impact. Sites like Yelp allows businesses to create listings with all the necessary information for a consumer to find you, while other customers can review and comment on your business. Needless to say consumers prefer to listen to their like-minded peers (in form of reviews) any day of the week when it come to order the local plumber. They can also experiment with hyper-local advertising on facebook. It’s possible to target customers based on the language they speak and where they live/work. This means that a bakery can now advertise specifically to people who live within a certain mile radius of the bakery. It is also important to remember the impact that social media content has on the search rankings of a small business and their ability to manage an effective ranking in search engines (SEO) – I think lots of local businesses are searched for in Google. Small Businesses adapt and experiment – they don’t need to change 10 different business processes to introduce a new marketing strategy. It’s easy, create the social media accounts and start. However there’s a danger in jumping into social media networks, without a strong “hub” foundation of a blog or content portal. It’s difficult to convert someone from the awareness that might be gained through Facebook to the trust needed to make a sale. Hence the existence of a social hub in form of a company website or a blog is inevitable. Small business focus on cash-flow and less on long term branding strategies – the good news is its free and the barrier to entry is low! I would consider social media as a high return opportunity marketing/branding opportunity for small businesses to build up their micro brand. Companies that know how to use social media correctly can reach millions of customers and potential customers directly without shelling out thousands of dollars to run TV, radio, or print ads. Using tools like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn which cost nothing can potentially free up advertising dollars to be used elsewhere in the company. A good example of a company called naked pizza(!) using Twitter to build up a local brand can be found here. Small businesses need to focus – Of course, small businesses have only a handful of employees, the amount of time taken up by even one of them to engage in social media interaction could represent a great loss of productivity in other areas. Also, if you fail to plan properly with targeted messaging and focus, you could be producing content that does not accurately reflect your business… and once it’s out there, there is no way to take it back. Yes, there has to be some sort of strategy and also one has to set some meaningful goals. I will talk about strategy and and goals/metrics/ROI in a later post. Still the reach of millions, the opportunities you gain (remember social media can used amongst others for watching competitors, customer relations (e.g. create a custom wiki!), crisis management, event activation, issue advocacy, product promotion and sales) and the ROI outweigh this loss in SMB productivity, again, any day of the week.

At last there’s a one positive thing about the little adoption of social media for SMBs and why the door is wide open: it’s the time now to jump on the bandwagon! Get a head-start to your competitors, join twitter and get followers. Create a facebook page and advertise locally. Do it before your competitors do it…

If you were to take on, say, one social networking site per month, by the mid of ‘10 you would be ahead of 90% or more of your peers (and your competitors). If you do, I’m convinced you’d have at least one new customer, product idea, or other business-building asset to show for it within weeks. Give it a try. Pick a site, log in, and get started.

Tags: Businesses, Door, Media, Open, Small, Social, Wide