The Web 2.0 Revolution and Why it Matters to Home Movies:  A Brief Overview

 Mark Rukavina, iMemories

 Home Movies and Web 2.0 - The new convergence

The term “Web 2.0” has been discussed and analyzed on the blogosphere for several years, even though many consumers have not yet heard of the term.   It is extremely relevant to home movies for the reason that, the more interactive the Internet and social networking become, the easier it is for the so-called Baby Boomer generation to use it.  And these Boomers are the ones who have closets and basements full of old home movie reels, tapes, slides and photos that are degrading.  

There are several definitions for Web 2.0 on the Internet, including O’Reilly and wikipedia.   Combining these two worthy sources, one might simply explain Web 2.0 as the acknowledgement of a noticeable shift in the Web toward a two-way conversation, rather than one-way publishing.   The user both accesses and generates content, rather than merely receiving it.   Some disparagingly call Web 2.0 a marketing term, while others use it as a more technical term to refer to the infrastructure.   No matter what you call it, however, a shift has clearly taken place since the Internet first became “popularized” in the ‘90s.   

This overview looks briefly at the nature of video, and what makes it a challenging medium to work with.   It also summarizes the ways in which key Web 2.0 features help facilitate the transfer, sharing, editing, organizing and storing of what was previously a very difficult medium to manage:  old-format home movie film reels and pre-digital analog video tape. 

Why Video is Difficult to Manage

Online video is a relentless, demanding master.  It requires significantly more bandwidth and storage than photos.   Consider that there are an average of 30 frames per second of video.    Just a five-minute video alone, therefore, consists of 9,000 different frames.    Online sites that enable users to post short clips have solved the problem of how to publish brief videos that are already digitized, such as those from digital camera videos and cell phone videos.  They allow users to post only clips under 10 minutes or so, and occupying <2GB of raw video storage. 

But how do you manage the transfer, editing, organization and storage of the old physical media that most Baby Boomers own?   It isn’t in digital form yet; it is rather old film reels in 8mm, Super 8 and/or 16mm format, or analog video tape, and their shelf life is rapidly diminishing.   The footage is also much longer in duration than the quick clips we’ve become accustomed to online.  It’s straightforward to upload video that is already digital, and this has contributed to the popularity of online video sites.   Yet over 95% of all home movie content is current stored in legacy (pre-digital) formats, and most people have a mixture of these formats:  8mm and 16mm film reels they inherited from their parents, VHS tapes that were popular in the 80s and early 90s, and digital video from the later years. 

As a vendor, to coordinate the intersection of the Internet and old home movies requires a certain technology expertise and investment.  Not only do you need to know how to work with physical media, which can often be brittle and extremely fragile, you need to be comfortable in a Web-based service model and have the technology processing and storage equipment available – a significant investment that raises the bar for most individuals and cottage industries.

Yet the wonderful irony of Web 2.0 is that as the interactivity becomes more powerful, the benefits to users also increase exponentially and it becomes more intuitive to use.    Previously, online video was primarily accessible to a YouTube generation of computer-savvy individuals who had short-form, already-digitized video that they wanted to share and enjoy.   Now, a comparatively older generation, who has slightly different motivators and older video in a physical format, can utilize software services from specialized vendors in order to participate in the Web 2.0 revolution.

Checklist of Web 2.0 Features

The nature of Web 2.0 is that it changes the “landscape of communication, collaboration and personal interaction,” as Dion Hinchcliffe describes it.  It consists of numerous features that make it different from what we will call Web 1.0, and these features are inherently suitable and timely for the transferal and sharing of old home movies.   Although there are probably dozens of differentiators, we’ve condensed them into 3 major points as they relate to video:

1. Software as a service - the form of applications has changed:  Until recently, software was most typically delivered as a point product.   It was developed according to milestones, rolled out in sequence, and required individual installation on every individual desktop.   Updates were announced and delivered at regular intervals by the vendor who developed the software.  The new model, however, is that software becomes a streaming service, rather than a point product.   The software is a service, not a product, and is not “installed” on a desktop or device so much as it is connected with it through the Web.   

   1. For home movies – this means that once the old home reels and tapes have been transferred to digital format, they can be easily delivered to individual users, no matter where they live.   No custom software is required to install on their PC.  The software has no software “releases” or cycles, and instead evolves.   The user benefits from the horsepower of downloaded software without the inconvenience.

2. User-generated content - the power of the individual has increased: The traditional communication model favored specialized vendors who communicated or published one-way information to their target markets.   Now, the individual controls his/her own data, choosing what information to access, how to share it and with whom, as well as whether or not to edit it and generate his/her own content.  It is more of a “pull” environment rather than a “push” one.  There can be collaboration between and among individuals and vendors to an infinite degree.  And, the user can enable his system through RSS feeds to alert him/her to when new information is created as soon as it occurs.  

   1. For home movies – this new interactivity and power of Web 2.0 mean that the user experience is much richer and more interesting.  The customer can enjoy the experience and receive a better home video product if the potential of the Internet is leveraged properly.  HTML was a step up, and Web 2.0 has gone a step further by providing two-way conversation instead of a monologue or lecture. 

3. Delivery to multiple devices - the lines between devices are blurring:  Under the old scenario, the different consumer and electronic devices were fairly discrete and separate:  PCs, TVs, etc.   Now, a software service can be delivered or  connected to multiple devices besides the PC, such as iPods and cellphones. 

   1. For home movies – this means that no longer do families have to haul out the dusty old projectors, camcorders or tape players on which to view their reels and tapes.  Once the media is digitized, it can be delivered to the device(s) of their choice for the utmost in clarity, size, and mobility. 

Conclusion

It’s probably not so important that the average consumer or videographer understands how Web 2.0 works, but rather that they understand that there has been a major shift, and the benefits it brings.   Thanks to Web 2.0, the past has never looked brighter or more interesting and fun.  

About iMemories

iMemories is a leader in the dynamic Web 2.0-generation of Internet services. The company transforms old-media memories into crystal-clear digital files that consumers can enjoy and share—whenever and wherever they like.

In iMemories’ 8,500-square foot fiber-optic studio, production professionals use state-of-the-art technology and techniques to convert old home-movie films, videotapes, photographs and slides into organized archives and full-length digital productions. Memories that were deteriorating in the dark are preserved forever on optical disc—and easy to edit, organize, store and share worldwide through iMemories’ private, secure user online experience.

In a market crowded with audiovisual houses and small firms offering basic video-transfer services, iMemories’ technology and expertise enable it to deliver a premium product efficiently and affordably. Founded and led by new-media entrepreneur Mark Rukavina, iMemories is privately held and based in Scottsdale, Ariz. To learn more, visit imemories.com or call 480-767-2510.

©1998-2006 iMemories. iMemories name and iMemories mark are trademarks of iMemories, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.