The Convergence of Web Media Types
Last: Soul of a Modern Web App
Web media… audio, video, graphic, photo, text, data, and other types… are converging. This change is happening before our eyes, yet few really see how it will soon affect us all. Transitions take time — film to digital, tape to digital — years of technical work by a lot of very talented people — and the results are all coming together right now.
Powerful browsers on larger devices along with expanding 4G mobile speeds and coverage add fuel to this wildfire!
THE PROBLEM is presenting it all in an integrated, connected way.
NOW, it takes a certain program or app and a series of very specific steps to listen to a podcast, a different app and steps to watch a video, another app and procedure to look at photos. And that’s OK, perhaps, if these things are unrelated.
But what if they ARE related?
A true solution should present RELATED media items together, or only a click away… without switching apps… or downloading a new one. All in the same place. Listen, watch, read, look, link, ….
This is our challenge as software developers.
It requires something more than great technical skill to ensure all the SOFTWARE parts work together with the WEB MEDIA parts the way they should. You do not want to arrive from two ends and not quite meet in the middle due to a poor vision.
For your consideration,
To expand this timely technical discussion, we are sharing our vision of WEB MEDIA TYPES in the graphic below. It is a portion of the concept design behind our new VIZdex Annotated Timeline Presentation Platform as can be seen at podDVR.com.
interactive: VIZdex Web Media Types
The link above should be live; here is a screenshot for your convenience.
On the podDVR.com website, this diagram is an INTERACTIVE WIDGET that allows you to “pull apart” the problem in a VISUAL, dynamic way. It also demonstrates capabilities inherent in the newer, web-based technologies. Web-based data visualization is growing rapidly and used in very creative ways by those whose footsteps we follow.
As you see, the puzzle is fairly complex, but any single path is relatively simple. As straightforward as our diagram may appear, however, the topic is not commonly discussed in this manner. So we decided to promote thought and discussion by sharing it.
Note that this is not a theoretical exercise. Other than the few “types” in the VIZdex diagram marked as “under evaluation” or “in development”, ALL ARE FUNCTIONAL.
While there are serious and educational applications, web media is largely about entertainment. The SECRET appears to be in hiding the stage crew while they do their work and offering only the delightful part of the show.
People should not have to be concerned about the underlying technical details! We just want a smooth, unified WEB MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE so we can enjoy the magic.
STATING THE OBVIOUS
Once things leave analog and enter digital, they are all fundamentally the same anyway.
