PBS and NPR have teamed up with local public stations to offer the Forum Network — a library of lectures on a wide range of topics. They have some interesting content, and overall the site looks nice. And there is a lecture that I would like to listen to, on my mobile device (Blackberry or iPod) while commuting on the train. But I can’t figure out how to do it. I try the download link, which promises to provide an MP3 — it actually delivers a file in an flv format, which is tough to play — VLC did the trick, but what a pain. I tried to access the site through the Blackberry mobile browser — the player won’t load, and the site it pretty tough to navigate — a mobile style sheet would be nice. They offer an RSS podcast feed, but it is so general I have little confidence that it would supply the specific lecture I want.
These days, IMHO, with this type of resource you START with a mobile strategy — and then fill in the traditional computer-based-browser delivery as phase 2. The end result will be a more flexible and robust application, that better meets the needs of a diverse audience. I bet it would also be a cheaper and easier development cycle — the mobile approach forces more focus on function and essential features, so by the time you get to the traditional delivery you’ll realize you don’t need all the extra window dressing these media-heavy sites always seem to provide.
Open Content and Public Broadcasting: Future Business Models, September 20, 2006, Jake Shapiro Executive Director PRX, Berkman Center Fellow
About the Forum Network | Forum Network | Free Online Lectures from PBS and NPR
The Forum Network online library features thousands of lectures by some of the world’s foremost scholars, authors, artists, scientists, policy makers and community leaders, available to citizens of the world for free.
VLC (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, …) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.
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Randall Rode's online home for thoughts, notes, and experiments with a wide range of technology topics. Visit the about page for info on my recent projects and professional background. I welcome your comments!
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