KENDRA

 

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 22 OCTOBER 2001

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

Attached are the minutes of the last meeting.  This note summarizes the key points and some proposed actions for moving forward.  These need consideration by the group.

 

First, who are Kendra?

 

An informal, not-for-profit organisation interested in content and convergence.  Over 400 named individuals on the Website list and over 1200 people on the mailing list.

 

Named individuals comprise the following percentages of the Kendra population.

 

 

 

Example Organisations

Any sponsorship Offers

Technology

24%

Blue Arc, Akami, Digital Island, Enon, IBM, Inktomi, Intel, MS

 

Content

13%

BBC, Bertelsmann, Media Channel, PR Newswire, Out there news, Westminster Digital

 

Creatives

13%

Aspects MM, Electric Echo, Floklore Films, Black Shorts, Hot Starts, Imagination

 

Individuals

8%

 

 

Network Related

6%

BT, Telia, Nortel, Cisco

 

Consultants

6%

Big 5 and Independents

 

Academic

3%

City University, SPRU, Tennessee, Minnesota, Victoria

 

Finance,Govt, Legal

1%

Dept of Trade & Industry

 

Other

26%

All Sorts

 

 

 

Few groups have the range of interests represented within Kendra and this is a major strength in considering the whole question of convergence.

 

Kendra Visions

 

Consumer vision  - To have the information I want when and where I want it and to have the ability to pay for such content

 

Provider vision - To deliver open value for money solutions and make a reasonable profit whilst satisfying user requirements to deliver information anytime, anywhere to any device.

 

Kendra Mission

 

To work together and with others without exclusion to facilitate progress towards the visions by acting as creative sources of ideas, prototypes, trials and solutions, to act as commentators and promoters of the Kendra vision and to experiment with potential components that may deliver the Kendra vision.

 

Organisation, Goals and Priorities

 

As determined from time to time by participants and the willingness of volunteers' efforts.

 

Incubation

 

A series of four meetings including 22.10.01 to address the opportunities with the output posted on the web site.

 

Options for Moving Forward

 

More formal activities and report backs from various Special Interest Groups (SIG's) including

 

Ø      Kendra network trial

Ø      Kendra streaming media trial

Ø      Kendra billing solutions trial

Ø      Kendra content rights trial

Ø      Kendra user interface trial

Ø      and others.

 

Minutes of Meeting on 22 October 2001

 

Attached and on the Web site.

 

Sponsors

 

Provide a meeting area and refreshments for Kendra people for a one-day meeting in London or New York for up to 100 people.

 

Sponsor for Next Meeting

 

A sponsor is required.

 

Date and Location of Next Meeting

 

To be advised.

 

Agenda for Next Meeting

 

To be advised but possibly including

 

1.                  Kendra update

 

2.                  Sponsors Welcome and introduction

 

3.                  Special Interest Group workshops and Updates

 

3.1              ISP Developments towards Convergence

3.2              Networking Developments towards Convergence

3.3              Content and Convergence

3.4              Next Generation user interface demo.

 

4.                  Kendra Brainstorm Workshop

 

4.1              What next?

4.2              Value Chain Analysis - Like and Unlike links

4.3              Open Forum

 

5.                  E-mail suggestions

 

6.                  New Members / Marketing of the Group

 

7.         New Sponsors / Supporting Group Activities

 

8.         New Structures for moving forward

 

9.                  Any other business and Date and Venue of next meeting.

 

 

KENDRA

 

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 22 OCTOBER 2001

 

 

Introduction and Welcome was given by Daniel Harris.

 

Gave an overview of Kendra

Ideas on how to build the Kendra Initiative

1)                 Vault of all information

2)                 Monopoly - buy out all exisitng and new solutions and consolidate

3)                 Co-operative development - the Kendra way.

 

1st Speaker

DAVID MORRIS,  Director of Broadband Initiatives - Blue Arc

 

Speaking on Issues in Broadband

 

Streaming media show invitations to participants

 

Background in Telio and ISP's.

Bandwidth constraints restricted content delivery - issues around large numbers of users accessing content.

Content needs to migrate to the edge for effective distribution.  Broadband is on the incubation/take off stage.  "Ego-casting" of annual reports by digitally enabled CEO's.  Broadband to home will be the next big thing.

In US 8 million on 1/2 MB connectivity.  Rest is mainly 56KB so need to move it from disc via network to user.

 

Microsoft and Yahoo not cost effective in giving e-mail away.  2000 servers just for Hotmail type applications.

 

80% of content of Internet is static

Average server 200 Mbits per second

Good server 340 Mbits per second

It is difficult to scale servers

 

So NAS but Yahoo has 200 NAServers.

 

Cycle Pipes / User interface / Content / Content Development 

 

Blue Arc            Focus - Server Bottle neck                 nothing else

 

3 to 10 times faster

field programmable array

Software download upgrades to make it faster to deliver content to users

 

Storage factor x 30  Improvements from hardware over software.

Thruput x 10

Telco HW call switching X 100

All by hardware improvements and software elimination.

 

QUESTION : Business Model or Technology Model?

 

Mobile phone analogy - business model is broken - price Restricts usage so technology allows the barrier to be raised.

 

Internet is broken - Bloomberg/MSN/etc one central repository - have to push content to the edge.

 

PUSH technologies like Napster - not sure where its going.

 

2nd Speaker

PAOLA DI MAIO,  Editor - Content Wire

 

Speaking on Quality of Content

 

Lot of information but distr4ibution restraints.  Content-wire is about technology and has the space to explore it.

 

 

Hybrid Model - Paid-for content and Free content.   

 

Convergence - coming together of content technologies in Lifecycle.

 

Content :  Production / management /DRM / Distribution / Delivery into one manageable process.

 

Context vs The content supply chain -

 

DRM - A class of technologies and business processes for protection of copyrighted works for purpose of control and monetarization of intellectual property.

 

People who make money out of content are often not the authors but the intermediaries - this needs to change if creators are to benefit.

 

Privacy issues with regard to personalisation of content delivery and receipt - need to be aware of these.

 

DRM

 

Protection / Security / authenticity / transaction verification (non-repudiation)

 

QUESTION - DRM for single media can be embedded at the point of origin - but then for multi-source multimedia content you would need multiple DRM's.

QUESTION - Video - "Want maximum freedom in the production process so digital rights difficult at creation production end of the cycle."

 

But need to look at the whole content value chain.

 

Ideal solution

 

Open DRM Standard developed as open source.  Content to contain digital licence throughout its lifecycle.

 

Could it be incorporated into MPEG?

 

Open Standard Architecture - is it possible to develop a DRM Rights Specification  / File format / Trust Infrastructure?

 

Should not be proprietary. 

MPEG21 may be a candidate.

 

3rd Speaker

LISA GORNICK, Film Maker - Valiant Doll

 

Speaking on FILMS  and the requirements of Internet Solutions

 

Quiet in the entertainment fenzy, desire for simplicity … could be a danger in the interface to make it too intrusive (one that you want - not "in your face").

 

Needs feedback of audience reaction.

 

GLUT - everyone is making rubbish if you're not careful.

Opportunity - notes by filmmakers - hear the maker - more intimate experience.

 

Don't replicate the big business culture of the film industry

 

DV and Home Video allow for more personal solutions.

 

4th Speaker

TOBY SLATER, Musician - singer - song writer  www.Tobyslater.com 

 

Speaking on What Artists Want

 

MP3Jukebox player / DSL .WAP mobile site

 

Payment system   Security   copyright / Publishing rights   difficult area

 

Musicnet & pressplay - designed by record companies to own distribution but musicians want to do it direct.

MP3.com      vitamin.com etc

 

Association of Independent Music (AIM)

 

Kendra - Hopes and aspirations 

Anyone can plug into and get paid. 

Copyright owner can enforce rules

Universal plug into other systems

Content owners and technology need to meet and Kendra is a place where they can meet.

 

MP3 - most popular but no security and no payment capability.

 

Payment - is it possible or not possible - per track / per album / subscription?  - different payment models.

 

Music payment systems seem to be in dollars!

 

Wallet systems - Minimum purchase price of song $5 so with tracks @ 50 cents it is 10 "buys" which is a hurdle

-         needs to be transparent and fixed with e.g.  integrated with mobile phone bill.

 

Wallets are NOT compatible - need to be compatible.

 

Talking about a "no clicks" payment system

 

Whatever you listen to you will have a charge for and needs to happen automatically

 

DoSoMo Ù distribution (from subscriptions) is split according to how many people access a particular site.  Simple, easy to use, and easy to operate.

 

Security

 

Everytime its played the customer pays - make it secure enough and cheap enough to make it attractive to pay for rather than hack it.

 

Swap information instead of paying is one option. Eliminate the barriers of complexity - security - payment.

 

Easy way for originator -

Intertrust DRM or equivilent Ù expensive and difficult

Soundtrap - encrypted file Ù open and easy but not persistent

 

Need to divide according to the Royalties requirements so need systems that prove how often a file is downloaded.

 

And human contact needs to be built into the site and the content.

 

Ø      ISP's

Ø      Content owners

Ø      Payment people - Banks / phone

Compatible across computer platforms, broadband and mobile

 

Systems need to be                a)            built

b)                  marketed (even if it is viral marketing)

 

5th Speaker

NEIL HARRIS, Media Channel

 

Speaking on Metadata and where it's going

 

Meta Data                   Data about Data

 

CDDM (internet)   artist name - track - length

 

FREE DB - publishes it for Free

 

ID3 TAGS - within the MP3 file

 

Internet Movie Data Base (now owned by AOL)

Collated into a database with people who entered it then cut out of the process

 

Information started by public should be kept in the public domain (and not be owned by a company)

 

XML               Extensible mark up language

 

RDF            Resource Description format for describing resources needed

 

Dublincore - describe "things" and attributes of "things".

 

Aimed at books and academic papers.  Very elaborate

 

MPEG 7 - Meta Data framework -

Moving picture expert group who developed MP3 and MPEG 4 for streaming video

 

MPEG7 not practical for many commercial users yet

 

BUT the solution

 

MUSICBRAINZ.org (based on RDF/XML/Dublincore) and made it concrete enough that people can use

 

Tools/databases/ public system that can be used by something like Kendra

 

e.g.       How much?

            What forms of payment?

            Where it can be sourced?

            Universal product codes e.g. CD/DVD/VHS cassette

 

But no prescription about how it should be used.

 

Can use other schemes, e.g. Production metaData or DRM solutions.

 

Open source -

 

Userland software - Dave Winer            Metadata about text

 

XML based syndication system

 

These are practical components of a working solution

 

Most news sites generate the syndication tags from this metadata format.

 

6th Speaker

JUSTIN KEERY,  Internet Analyst - Trafalgar Asset Management

 

Speaking on Stop Worrying and Start Making Money

 

Cerberus

Cerbernet

 

www.turtlebeach.com   (Audiotraon)

 

www.pjbox.co.uk  - personal jukebox 20 gig.portable play

 

TIVO - and now ADSL connection (via ethernet connection)

 

Morpheus has replaced Napster as file swapping place -

 

Bandwidth is available but content is limited

 

Content            www.atomfiles.com

                        www.emusic.com

 

New Model

 

Ø      Subscription fee                 £10 per month (higher charge for heavy users)

 

Ø      Users vote on sound quality

 

Ø      Records labels get fee for downloads

 

Open database standards for storage - encourage reviewers and fan sites.

 

MP3 good enough for music

MPEG1 good enough for video

Unified content broker database and/or format needed

 

Wippit.com            Napster look alike with subscription model

 

7th Speaker

STEVE KENNEDY, Head of Technology Futures, Thus Plc       Demon since '94

 

Speaking on Content Providers, ISP's, Caching and content Peering

 

35 million phonelines owned by BT 85% of access into peoples home.

 

DSL - 80k   BT ignite customers who sell to re-sellers of DSL

 

Cable -             40,000    6 months ago

                        90,000 now Broadband

                        50 to 1 contention ratio

 

so 2 Terabytes of Bradband per second of data

 

ISP's  DSL - BT Ignite takes a hugh chunk so ISP's only get £3 to £4 per month so

 

2 gigabits (about) per second