[Tig] quality programming/ was Re: a look at the writer's strike

[Michael Bittle]

On Dec 14, 2007, at 2:31 PM, Bob Friesenhahn wrote:

> Some of these markets do not represent quality programming.  Mark
> Cuban represents high quality independent programming (via HDNet), but
> Google and Yahoo represent media with forced up-front adds and
> low-grade video.
>
> I suspect that most people here want to be associated with high
> quality programming.
>
> The audio marketplace already has seen a dramatic reduction in the
> demand for quality due to the impact of MP3 and iPOD, and the market
> failure of DVD-Audio and SACD.  Do we really want to see this sort of
> impact to the industry?

In my humble curmudgeonly opinion.  There never has been a large demand
for high quality audio, and therein lies a lesson for all content  
creators.  The CD
was a success because of ease of use (no need for a PhD in turntable  
physics)
and durability (no tapes stretched/spindled/mutilated by cassette/ 
4track/8track
cartridge players) before "loss of tape his/record crackle" became an  
value issue.
Never mind increased dynamic range.  Do the masses appreciate the  
difference?
Sure. But do they want to pay a differential for it.  No necessarily.  
80% performance
at half price wins every time.

MP3 and iPod succeed due to ease of use and cheap (free or iTunes et  
al).

Audiophiles who love to tinker with their turntables and reel-to- 
reels still do, and
there still is appropriately priced content for them.  Some have also  
embraced
DVD-Audio/SACD.  The failure of these formats is in the eyes of clueless
media executives who misunderstood (and continue to) their role and  
value
to consumers.

It is, has been, always will be first and foremost about choice/ 
access/ease of use.
The vast majority of content buyers, and buyers of consumer  
electronics for that matter,
are not audiophiles, videophiles, or film-ologists.  For them,  
entertainment is an
accessory, not an avocation.


FWIW,
Mike
(note to self: less caffeine after lunch.....)