February 2007

It did not start out this way.  That is often the case with many things that we encounter in our personal and business lives.

Many years back when I started this management consulting practice, I began to write occasional articles on business and management topics for a couple of industry trade publications.  I would periodically send copies of the articles to clients, prospective clients and friends. 

I did not expect feedback, but I got it anyway.  It was generally favorable, and at times not as favorable, but it showed that not only were people reading the articles, but they were thinking about the topics.

In 1997, I began writing a monthly column for a new industry newsletter.  My goal was to extend our consulting reach by commenting on topics of interest and importance to our clients and prospective clients, demonstrating our range of skills and insight. 

These columns were distributed periodically to the growing mailing list of people that I would meet.  And the feedback continued, both pro and con. 

It did not start out that way, but today it has turned into a newsletter.  People regularly request to be included on the mailing list and we happily comply.  Many come as referrals from the people who have been on the Shindler list for many years.  And perhaps most importantly, it has served to keep us in communication with the many people with whom we have crossed paths through the years.

Due in part to the feedback that we receive at industry events, many of the past newsletters, as they have come to be called, are now posted on our web site.  Take a few minutes to visit the site and to surf some of the other sections as well. 

Trends in the marketplace

Since we have worked all along the entertainment and entertainment technology food chain, in both our hands on management roles and in the many consulting projects in the past 11 years, we understand the inner workings of the various industry segments.  We also have gained a sense of the direction in which the industry segments are heading and the challenges and rewards that lie ahead. 

This benefits our clients.  All businesses must know where they fit in the whole ecosystem - how their competitors, vendors and customers fit into the food chain.

Among the topics commented on previously in this periodic newsletter is the growing world of 3D stereo image technology.  For a still relatively nascent industry segment, there were a number of important movie releases last year in both digital 3D and Imax 3D. 

There is a growing amount of 3D content in the pipeline, including Meet the Robinsons next month, a U2 Concert movie and a few other 3D releases later this year, Journey next year and James Cameron's Avatar the year after.  Expect others to be announced.

A significant development in 3D was this year's NBA All Star game that was broadcast in HD 3D, not to the world at large, but to a venue at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.  This was a major milestone in the evolution of 3D exhibition and was reported in such publications as The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine.

Just as movies and sporting events helped drive the growth of TV in its infancy and are driving the growth of HD, so, too, will movies and sporting events drive the growth of HD 3D. 

Under the heading of the holy grail of digital cinema being alternative content, it would not be surprising to find that major sporting events in the future are beamed in HD 3D to many of the nation's and world's theaters for a group event. 

Recently, New York's Metropolitan Opera showed Julie Taymor's production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" in 60 U.S. theaters in high definition 2D.  Reportedly, this was a box office success with more events planned.

While rights issues may preclude some sporting and other events from being shown in a theater like setting "today", new agreements that take effect within the content and distribution industries may begin to include the ability to broadcast to such venues in the near future, especially if they are successful. 

Look for more broadcasts to special venues and theaters in 3D in addition to more 3D movie project announcements. 

As for The Shindler Perspective, Inc.

January was technology month at The Shindler Perspective.  Early in the month we attended the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  This was preceded by my moderating a panel discussion at the Storage Visions Conference entitled Digital Content in the Age of Global Archives, a hot topic these days at a very important conference.  See the preview for the 2008 conference.

Panelists included executives from Cisco Systems, Level 3, M4 Interactive, TVWorldwide and SyncCast.  And in keeping in the spirit and intent of the day, the panel was web cast and is now archived by TVWorldwide, the Internet's first TV network.

Topics include the potential in the marketplace for digital content from entertainment product to user generated content and the burgeoning world of internet video.   Enjoy watching it. 

As always, CES is most enlightening and always full of new ideas.  Technology month ended with the more low key, but equally informative Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) Technology Retreat.  I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear many excellent presentations on matters affecting the entertainment industry and to see many compelling product demonstrations. 

It did not start out this way, but we are glad you are aboard.  And if you have comments or suggestions, please send them along. 

Sincerely,

Marty Shindler

MBS/m