3. Advertising and DRM in Net TV have in common?

Let's see how the 'advertising (hereafter Adv) is involved in the new dynamics introduced by Web 2.0 (as a user-generated) and mobility. As we mentioned, a first element in common that the Adv and DRM is the need to be present on devices Player.
The Adv plays an important role in the scenario of mobile and Net TV. New technologies have enabled an unprecedented Advaita, making it dynamic, interactive and "intelligent."
The Internet in particular, has allowed us to experiment with new techniques of investigation related to marketing, the results are far better strategies of the past, imprecise and based largely on the concept of "sample". The Adv, however, finds it difficult to place evenly on the various platforms and technologies proposed. This has created an almost paradoxical situation that sees the emergence of attitudes ranging from the ineffectiveness of the total advertising at a great and unexpected result with attractive returns.

Mobility and Dynamic content

As is (or will) with the content standards, Adv must also adapt depending on the device. The new era of cross-devices (the same content can be enjoyed on multiple devices) clearly indicates that the same format or content must have different characteristics depending on the device from which it is received. A cell phone, for example, can "experience" is quite different from a plasma 38-inch 16:9 screen or a PC. The various devices also are not always recognizable by the software-adv and a standard in this sense is the first obstacle to overcome. This is because today's devices are similar too, and a software-adv may not be able to recognize them, unequivocally, immediately. In addition, the technology evolves rapidly, leaving little time for updates. The introduction of operating systems (albeit in a small or light) in some mobile devices in the long term will produce a complete convergence between the home PC and the "PC" laptops.

Here, as an example, some of the essential features of a software-adv should be able to identify its contents to make the best possible different circumstances:

Content
Obtain (via tags for example) information about the content (audio or video) is a first discriminator, already used for example in the Google AdWords system that is able to provide Adv contextualized according to the information on the web page host
Date and Time
Allows the software-adv to present content appropriate to the season and time of use
Screen Size
The size of the screen are essential for the choice of formats to present. Small screens need to have different details and different times of animated screens larger than
Audio capability
Determine the "listening mode" is also a useful tool for determining the type of sound to be used (it is useless to run a digital-surround sound on a mobile phone)
Interface Devices
For software-adv that richiedno interaction (see also AdvGame) the different interfaces available today (mouse, phone keypad, multi-touch screen, etc ...) produce different experiences and therefore can not be ignored for the purposes of improved efficiency
OS / User Data
A provocation, if you like, not too far from reality. Some devices are contained our profiles (gender, state, city, date of birth, etc ...), sensitive information, but often accessible from software-adv so they can filter content entirely irrelevant to the identified target

This is one of the most interesting new technologies that provide: adv make intelligent, able to change its content according to a set of parameters. This possibility makes the very most effective advertisement, aligning themselves, in fact, needs and context of the end user. The amount of information obtainable is obviously linked to the evolution of technology. The new GPS devices, for example, will provide even our position on the globe and then they can make more effective the advertising content further proposed: for example, if I am at sea in August will receive advertising on nicely iced drinks or sun cream, otherwise if I am in the mountains I'll be liento of "put up with" a spot on the hot chocolate or a blanket ends!

In short, marketing analyst for a real - unexpected - paradise.

However, "ability" is not directly "feasibility". The essential elements that now prevent mass commercialization of these new "recommendations for purchases" are:

The player - one who provides the content and the adv
The management of all variants of Advaita

The Player

The software-adv on the "imagined" needs to be integrated in the system use, be it audio or video. Think of it as a separate element makes it easier to be ineffective and bypassed by anyone. They will then be the Player and aggregators to incorporate adv-intelligence software, thus providing a single system that will allow the use of software-adv sincronizzarzi with the content received, which is also a source of information to bring the message Advertising: If I look at an episode of CSI instead of Ballarò I provide information about my interests.
The player, in this view, the Internet browser that is comparable within the same Web page that shows both the happy author of any messages Adv.

Distribution of Advaita: online vs. offline

If we have entered the era of online then we continued to remain very disappointed. Nonstante the network connection is now extremely widespread and faster than a few years ago, most software does not give for granted "be on a network." It can happen, in fact, that for one reason and another, it remains offline ... especially in Italy!
This is demonstrated by the effort that ultimately you are doing in the writing of applications that can run both online and offline. Technologies like Adobe AIR and the new features of Firefox 3, indicate the need to work disconnected and update all our data in due course. Tools such as Windows Live Writer link on the ability to write posts offline and dipoter update in due course on the net!
This surely indicates that the Adv totalemtente not be online, otherwise it would not work in all cases (many) for offline use. The first difficulty, therefore, is to store the contents in a static memory, which is contained in our device and accessible regardless of the connection status.
A possible solution may lie in a hybrid system, able to retrieve new content from the network adv and place in a cache on the player as well, in case of power failure (not online) can be seen, however, the last adv, although not "-date" (but consistent). Despite these difficulties, separation from the content of Advaita is a step forward, both for the end user for the sponsors.

Hackering

Due to these characteristics, its new adv induction could be pointed double-edged sword. Its invasiveness could be targeted by some hacker. Besides being a technology player in the latter could also be replaced by a custom-Player (or "hacked") could bypass the adv!

This point is probably the best Adv binding and DRM. In computing the "protection-software" (also the hardware that they have met with limited success) can be very powerful and totally unnecessary, especially when it comes to open systems, easy to use, and involving - then - the User-Generated.

There are, for example, extensions and plugins for today's browsers can filter the ads, banners and the "famous" pop-up, so it is efficient and simple! Eliminadoli completely from the displayed page.

As set out for DRM, even for the adv solution might lie in a new approach, a different way of presenting the advertisement to minimize the invasiveness and discomfort. We must ensure that the user is in some way, to receive the advertisement, dressing it with the new dynamics allowed by today's technologies.

But the real issue, perhaps, lies not just in the same audio, video and so on?

From the file to 'iFile

The portability of an image file (JPG, GIF, TIFF, etc ...), audio (MP3, AIFF, WAV, etc ...), a PDF document or an MPEG movie (FLV, AVI, MPG4, etc. ...) is strictly related to the fact that a file of this type contains information relating solely to the object in question: an image file, for example, contains information sull'immmagine bitmap and its internal structure does not take into account the operating system or type of device on which the image is then displayed. Today, in fact, you can read (and write) an image file in JPG format (one of the most common) with a lot of devices: phones, DVD players, Personal Computer, Laptop, PSP, etc ...
The same goes for other media: audio and video above!
What happened, ultimately, is that over time have to adapt to the devices formats (image, audio, video, etc ...) more widespread, and not the other way.
With files - so called - executables, a "program" so to speak, that is, files that contain machine code and then understanding, the issue is much more complex. An application for Microsoft Windows, for example, can be performed only on a very specific type of operating system. This behavior is valid for all platforms on the market today: a Playstation game does not work on Mac and Unix application is not available for the Nokia N70!
Although there are emulators and virtual machine environments, an application in 98% of cases it works only on the device / operating system for which it was written. For this reason, in fact, there are different versions of the same product: Microsoft Word for Mac and Windows, the game Spiderman 3 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the Opera browser for the Nokia Symbian operating system, etc. ... A real world! Ultimately if you have multiple devices need to buy a "copy" of the game or application written (or compiled) specifically for our device.
These differences have always existed, of course, since the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, which are also incompatible. However, recently it was possible to discern a possible solution or at least a "hope" solution! With Java, to name one, has created a "third" virtual world where the same application (same mean for the same file) is capable of running on different devices and operating systems. The trick lies in developing a "third" entity (virtual machine), make it available for all the different devices and operating systems, so from that point on, you can develop a single version of an application that lives in this 'virtual environment, uninterested in the rest.
In this example, a browser acts as a virtual machine from its own against the "code" HTML. The Internet was conceived and had its "success" thanks to this very peculiar behavior compared to traditional applications. A website, in fact, offers the same HTML code without worrying about the type of device or operating system that will be supported (although today, in truth, this is not entirely 100% true, but the substance remains). The so-called Web Application, which opened the era of Web2.0, allow anyone to be simply offers a well-used browser, does not require installation and, in theory, work dapperttutto!

Solutions such as Adobe AIR, in fact, focus on this fundamental concept: Deploy a Run-time (virtual machine) for the different platforms and devices to allow development of a unique code, making applications easily portable from one system to another, like a JPG! This approach could have repercussions on the data files that would become traditional, grant me the neologism, the iFile (or if you prefer Media Application Files - MAF), or "file-smart" hybrid between traditional data files and portable applications.
What would be the advantages? For example, you might think to provide a video or a song is not as data files, as it does now, but as an application (or iFile). Application, of course, portable, ie running on different devices through the adoption of a standard (runtime / virtual machine) released on DVD Player, TV, iPod, Playstation, PC, Laptop, phones, etc. ...
Having therefore available to our video or audio as an application, it can manage both the DRM Adv, having merged into a single "element" both the Player and data.

So you lose the centrality of the raw data! An image is no longer just "image" but also incorporates the viewer: It would be almost "self-conscious." Un'involucro, then, that can contain any type of information: audio, video, text, etc ...

By comparison with computer programming, for just technical, it's like going from C to C + +, where the structures (struct) of raw data into objects! Or the evolutionary leap led by Flash in the "static" web pages!

A video is no longer just a stream of data. Embedding the Player's compression format used could be any. This iFile would be able to do many things, just because "application". In addition to manipulating Adv embed and DRM so could provide a range of services, properties and events now entrusted to the various types Player (and there are many) Sparzo in different devices and operating systems.

Conslusioni

This scenario, however, is far from being achieved in a short time, except for surprises! First of all the standard, discussed in the first part of this series of posts, plays a key role. To make real and realistic iFile is the first virtual machine unique for all systems and all devices: Java? Adobe AIR? These are some of CondID present today.
An audio or video files will become heavier, just because it incorporates a number of additional dynamics within it. Someone could just reveal a certain redundancy in having 100 songs with the same code Player "on board"! However, it could be a "price" and Adv DRM acceptable to solve at a stroke, even if the question is, would be resolved without actually act also on how it is "political" and Adv DRM?

We can summarize the pros and cons of the partially hypothetical iFile below:

Pro
- Management and custom embed DRM
- Management and custom embed Advaita
- Ability to make dynamic, interactive and traditional inteligente an "inert"
- Forniitura services in the form of methods, properties and events: here opens a universe, in my opinion, depending on the type of data processed. For a piece of music, for example, can access the image of the cover, the text of the song (in different languages). For a video interaction, Adv contextualized in terms of frames, multiple frames, captions, etc. ...

Against
- Partial disappearance of the "data file" traditional: they would remain where they are needed the additional features of iFile
- Increase the space occupied: in bytes
- Obvious effects on the free distribution and transmission bandwidth
- Proprietary formats for the protection of DRM and skipping of Advaita

The most controversial, however, remains difficult to determine how "open" must be a file of this type. To protect DRM and Adv, iFile a picture, for example, could not be opened with Adobe Photoshop with the ease with which it does today. In addition, the closure of the formats of these files limit - if not cancel - productions open source software, freeware or shareware, making the latter "illegal". In short, the best protection threatens to kill almost always exactly what you want to protect! The classic dog chasing its tail.
From sviluppattore, then, I know that everything can be "hacked" (Live debugging), it is always just a matter of time!