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A Video Ad, In a Paper Magazine

Posted by timothy on from the who'dathunkit dept.

lee1 writes "The first-ever video advertisement will be published in a traditional paper magazine — Entertainment Weekly — in September. The video will be displayed on slim-line screens around the size of a mobile phone display and will have rechargeable batteries. The associated chip can hold up to 40 minutes of video, and uses technology similar to that used in singing greeting cards, playing the movie when the page is turned. The first clips will preview CBS shows and advertise Pepsi, but they will only be distributed in Los Angeles and New York. Imagine the fun hacking possibilities."

48 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. fun hacking? Er..no. Imagine the annoyance... by Em+Emalb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How long will it be before someone turns the page in the news paper and Jimbo from Jimbo's Used Cars and Ammo starts screaming about his amazing auto deals (free ammo with every car!) in a VERY LOUD OBNOXIOUS TONE?

    Not long, that's my guess.

    --
    Sent from your iPad.
  2. Soon... Internet connection by nomorecwrd · · Score: 4, Funny

    Congratulations!! you are the 1.000.000 reader... push here to collect

  3. So this by BigJClark · · Score: 5, Insightful


    So this is the best usage for this technology they can find? How about changing 300lb university textbooks into paper thin alternatives? Updating libraries to use this new technology, increasing the life of the books... etc etc

    Ad's? How.... capitilist..

    --

    Hi, I Boris. Hear fix bear, yes?
    1. Re:So this by squoke · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Let the advertisers foot the bill for the technology. Eventually it will become cheaper and more efficient due to their use. Then academia can reap the rewards.

    2. Re:So this by BigJClark · · Score: 3, Insightful


      Whens the last time you can think advertisters have footed the bill? Has the cost of your movie tickets dropped since they've introduced a half-hour of commericals into the movie theaters? Has the cost of your video games dropped since the inception of inline video game ad's?

      Hardly. Relying on advertisers to lower the cost of new technology so that academia can reap its benefits is knowledge probably gained from an academic institute that is relying on advertisers to lower the cost of new technology.

      --

      Hi, I Boris. Hear fix bear, yes?
    3. Re:So this by east+coast · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So this is the best usage for this technology they can find?

      They're the ones paying the bills. I know, how capitalistic of me. But that's the system in play.

      How about changing 300lb university textbooks into paper thin alternatives? Updating libraries to use this new technology, increasing the life of the books... etc etc

      Fantastic ideas. How soon can we expect for you to get the betas out? The great thing about capitalism is that if think this is a good idea for the technology you can make a play at being one of the first ones to market with the product. Why are you waiting for someone else to take up the cause? If you're waiting for the government to take the lead, which I'm guessing you are by slighting capitalism, you are going to have a long wait.

      Capitalism has a really cruddy underside because someone has to lose for someone else to win but it's also this same reason that people step up to challenges such as this. Having an incentive to produce has worked out pretty well. You can still champion the idea if you want to do it for "ethical" reasons and give your profits away. No one is stopping you.

      --
      Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    4. Re:So this by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Whens the last time you can think advertisters have footed the bill? Has the cost of your movie tickets dropped since they've introduced a half-hour of commericals into the movie theaters? Has the cost of your video games dropped since the inception of inline video game ad's?

      Hardly. Relying on advertisers to lower the cost of new technology so that academia can reap its benefits is knowledge probably gained from an academic institute that is relying on advertisers to lower the cost of new technology.

      Except print media relies on ads to pay the bills, The cost you pay tends to pay a very tiny portion of the actual cost production - most of that cost is distribution (printing, shipping to distributors, distributor markup, shipping to retailers, retailer markup, etc), which is how they can easily make subscriptions 50+% off the cover price.

      In this case, the ads pay for the technology behind this. If it's successful, more advertisers would want it in more magazines, which implies that developments would make the technology cheaper. And when the technology gets cheap enough, it'll be everywhere.

      Advertisers are paying for this, plus the normal ad fees. If it succeeds, it forms a demand for this technology, making it cheaper so everyone else can add video to their pages for little extra cost.

    5. Re:So this by FrankSchwab · · Score: 5, Funny

      pioneered steaming video formats

      Best typo ever.

      --
      And the worms ate into his brain.
    6. Re:So this by CecilPL · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yup. 5 years ago, movie tickets used to cost $14 at my local theatre. Now they cost $10.99 - a 30% drop after accounting for inflation.

      Most new video games cost $59.99 - the same as new SNES games cost in 1994. That's another 30% drop after accounting for inflation, not to mention the hugely increased costs of development since then.

      It stands to reason that if content producers can recoup some of their costs via alternative revenue models, competition will force the prices down.

  4. Let me know... by squoke · · Score: 5, Funny

    when Playboy starts using them.

    1. Re:Let me know... by Goaway · · Score: 4, Funny

      What's a Playboy? Is that like a Playstation?

    2. Re:Let me know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sort of. The games are typically only one player though. And once you start playing, the game is over in a few minutes.

    3. Re:Let me know... by networkBoy · · Score: 4, Funny

      yes, but for boys too young for the playstation. It's controller is much simpler, just a joystick.

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    4. Re:Let me know... by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 4, Funny

      You'd have to be pretty experienced to last that long!

      --
      Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
    5. Re:Let me know... by SmlFreshwaterBuffalo · · Score: 4, Funny

      Actually it's more like playing with your Wii.

  5. Re:fun hacking? Er..no. Imagine the annoyance... by qortra · · Score: 4, Informative

    I searched in vain for anything in the article that says something about sound. Even if the ad will have audio, I don't think it will last long in that form. From what I understand, the technology to put relatively cheap audio ads in print periodicals has been around for sometime - nobody uses them for a reason. It would make the periodical a menace for any environment where quiet is valued (e.g. doctor's office or library). Pure video, on the other hand, does not suffer from this problem.

    Moreover, I'm sure that if they can make a small flexible screen, then can probably also make a small "unmute" button that allows the user to choose to listen to the ad.

  6. Cost? by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Isn't this insanely expensive? I thought the return on ads was already very low. How is this going to be any better.

    1. Re:Cost? by east+coast · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You kidding? People are going to buy this nonsense rag just for the novelty alone. They'll make a killing on sales and be able to charge more for other ads at the same time.

      --
      Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    2. Re:Cost? by qortra · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Exactly! I was going to say this if nobody else did.

      I bet this is going to be a collectors item. Everybody in LA and New York will have to buy one. So, not only will EW get a huge sales boost, but there will be millions of people who are pushing, clawing, and begging just to watch the ads for their novelty. How many other ways can you get people to seek out your advertisement rather than have it forced upon them? I bet USA and Pepsi are paying through the nose for this.

      Of course, the novelty aspect only works once. My guess is that we won't see this regularly until the technology becomes significantly cheaper (if even then).

    3. Re:Cost? by zerosomething · · Score: 3, Funny

      yea and i'll take 50 so I can get the screens and batteries to make my next Burning Man costume. Adds? I'll never see em I'll use the Mags to fuel my woodgas generator to recharge the batteries.

      --
      It all starts at 0
    4. Re:Cost? by supernova_hq · · Score: 4, Funny

      Good lord, the thought of literally buying used advertisements on ebay is kind of mind-blowing...

  7. Re:fun hacking? Er..no. Imagine the annoyance... by Again · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How long will it be before someone turns the page in the news paper and Jimbo from Jimbo's Used Cars and Ammo starts screaming about his amazing auto deals (free ammo with every car!) in a VERY LOUD OBNOXIOUS TONE?

    No need for Flashblock, just read with a hammer next to you.

  8. So what toxic materials are in it by rminsk · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What toxic materials are in this screen? Most of the magazines will end up in a landfill instead of being recycled by a proper electronics recycler.

    1. Re:So what toxic materials are in it by non0score · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You're totally right. I just hope every one of those "panels" gets slapped with a $30+ garbage tax. I'd rather see this kind of "land-fill material (literally) that lasts no more than one week off the shelf" not take off at all.

      And let's face it, the vast majority of the readership aren't geeks, so they won't be hacking these things.

      And to hell with my karma. It's for garbage like these that I can afford to burn it.

    2. Re:So what toxic materials are in it by taucross · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Collectors item ultimately means landfills. It just takes longer to get there.

      --
      "In the absence of the ability to establish the attribute of truth they tried to establish the noble attributes."
  9. Article Light on Details by Silentknyght · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Seems great, but TFA seems light on details that would seem to come to most peoples' minds:

    • Is it actually an insert into the magazine, or is it part of a page, itself?
    • How durable is it? And its corollary:
    • How flexible is it?
    • Is it always on, or can you turn it off?
    • Wait, the battery is rechargeable? If this is an ADVERTISEMENT in a paper magazine, why would you want to recharge it beyond the novelty? What good is this, and with a battery of 70min, wouldn't they ALL have no power by the time you get it off the shelf?
    • Can I rip it out of the magazine and keep the screen/device and repurpose them for something actually useful?

    FYI, here's what it does list:

    • Screen uses liquid crystal display (LCD) technology
    • Each is 2.7mm thick with 320x240 resolution Can store 40mins of video
    • Battery can be recharged via mini-USB
    • Rechargeable battery lasts up to 70 mins
    • Developed by LA-firm Americhip
  10. Hi, this is... by ilkensai · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hi, this is Vince with Slap Chop... watch this, you're gonna love my nuts...

    1. Re:Hi, this is... by chord.wav · · Score: 4, Funny

      Don't miss the Rap Chop

  11. It is believed that... by jonnythan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Best line I've read all day.

    "It's believed the new technology will cost much more than normal print ads."

    That's the kind of biting, insightful comment I love from big media.

  12. The key question by Zhe+Mappel · · Score: 4, Funny

    How long before I can play Doom on my copy of Entertainment Weekly?

  13. Very effective in at least one area by lumenistan · · Score: 4, Funny
    The fools at the Academy for the Slightly Evil laughed at me when I introduced my doctoral dissertation proposal last month, but now look, the winds are shifting in my favor! This is going to go far to aid my goal of getting as many batteries as possible into the landfills that service Los Angeles and New York.

    1. Average Joe gets/reads/disposes of newspaper
    2. Batteries get dumped along with newspaper
    3. ???
    4. Profit!

    Looks like I WILL get my D.Ev after all!

  14. and they wonder why... by Tim4444 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If newspapers devoted this much energy to the actual content and quality of journalism, maybe they wouldn't be hurting so much for revenue.

  15. Re:fun hacking? Er..no. Imagine the annoyance... by gnick · · Score: 5, Funny

    The only problem is that, at least in my experience, when I'm sitting down reading and spontaneously start pounding my lap with a hammer everyone looks at me like I've lost my mind. Anyone else have this problem?

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  16. Youtube video of the product... by f8l_0e · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7GErbdNRrE

  17. Any interesting Esquire e-ink hacks by EsJay · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Esquire had an E-ink cover last year. Was there any interesting re-purposing?

    Google tells me it was possible but I didn't find any interesting projects.

    1. Re:Any interesting Esquire e-ink hacks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      It couldn't be repurposed. It was a fixed layout Eink design. Nothing more than an overglorified LCD style animation, similar to those in the Tiger Electronics and Game & Watch systems. Portions became dark, those portions became light. The screen itself couldn't have been salvaged for anything because while it was Eink, it wasn't the kind of Eink that many people hoped it would be (individual granules acting as pixels.)

  18. Yes. With Sound. by SeaFox · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes, there will be sound, no you can't set the volume, yes it plays with sound when you first open it, this is an advertisement after all -- they want you to attract the attention of those around you.

    You should check out the Wired article. It has a YouTube clip.

    1. Re:Yes. With Sound. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      My hammer and I disagree, we can, indeed, set the volume (or at least mute it).

    2. Re:Yes. With Sound. by easyTree · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This is such a great idea - far better than, I don't know, moving the whole newspaper online or onto an ebook reader.

      Oh wait, the opposite of that.

      --
      Requiem for the American Dream
  19. Hi, I'm Darth Harrington by CMBJ · · Score: 4, Funny

    INTERGALACTIC PROTON POWERED ELECTRICAL TENTACLED ADVERTISING DROIDS
    INTERGALACTIC PROTON POWERED ELECTRICAL TENTACLED ADVERTISING DROIDS
    INTERGALACTIC PROTON POWERED ELECTRICAL TENTACLED ADVERTISING DROIDS

    Hi, I'm Darth Harrington of Darth Harrington's Intergalactic Proton Powered Electrical Tentacled Advertising Droids Emporium and Moon Base. Due to a garbled subspace transmission, I am currently overstocked on all Intergalactic Proton Powered Electrical Tentacled Advertising Droids, and I am passing the savings onto youuuuuuu!

  20. Waste of resources by mmustapic · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yes, the device is supposedly rechargeable and new content can be uploaded, but why would you make the effort to upload ads? How is this better than reading the same info on the internet, on a bigger screen and better interactivity? Whit will surely end in a landfill. How fucking wasteful.

  21. Re:fun hacking? Er..no. Imagine the annoyance... by dotancohen · · Score: 3, Informative

    I searched in vain for anything in the article that says something about sound.

    It does have sound. It this video posted by another commenter below, you can see the speaker at the 1:02 minute mark:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7GErbdNRrE

    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  22. Or maybe they would... by PylonHead · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The crisis in the newspaper industry:

    a) They're all giving away their content for free on the internet, print subscriptions are falling through the floor.

    b) No single paper can charge internet subscriptions, because people will just turn to other papers.

    c) Web ad revenue brings in less money than print ad revenue used to.

    d) Craig's List has completely destroyed the lucrative classified ads revenue source.

    So basically, they haven't found a way to make enough money to do the journalism that we expect from them. The whole industry is sinking, from the best of them to the worst.

    --
    # (/.);;
    - : float -> float -> float =
  23. Oh good - sound in a novelty item... by musefrog · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I sense that, if this catches on, you'll get a similar problem to cards and other novelty items which make sounds - malfunctions which cause them to NEVER - SHUT - UP! I had this very experience at a birthday party I was at recently. The novelty candle thingie was cool at first, but no-one could get it to stop playing its cheesy tinny music. It got shut in another room, but we could still hear it... not sure what terrible fate finally silenced it...

  24. The great thing about this.. by SlashDev · · Score: 3, Interesting

    .. is that I can turn the page. Can't do that with video ads on 'live' TV.

    --

    TOP DSLR Cameras Reviews of the top DSLRs
  25. Re:fun hacking? Er..no. Imagine the annoyance... by chucklebutte · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man! Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man! Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man! Hi I'm Al Harrington, president and CEO of Al Harrington's Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man Emporium and Warehouse! Thanks to a shipping error, I am now currently over-stocked on Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men, and I am passing the savings on to yoooooooouuuu! Attract customers to your business! Make a splash at your next presentation! Keep Grandma company! Protect your crops! Confuse your neighbors! African American? Hail a cab! Testify in church! Or just raise the roof! Whatever your Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man needs are! So come on down to Al Harrington's Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man Emporium and Warehouse! Route 2 in Weekapaugh!!! lol like this ad every time you turn your page!

    --
    Visit my Forums?
  26. Re:fun hacking? Er..no. Imagine the annoyance... by rockNme2349 · · Score: 3, Funny

    * Flips open magazine *

    Hello, you have been selected to win a free ipod!

    --
    Sewage Treatment Facilities - "Our duty is clear."
  27. novel idea by Tom · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The more ads I see, the more I get pissed at advertisement in general.

    I have a truly novel idea. Maybe I should patent it. How about we charge for the actual content, save a lot of money on all the staff and equipment that doesn't have to negotiate, draft, implement, print, etc. all the advertisement anymore, and end up with a smaller, more content-dense product? I'll call it "business purpose re-engineering".

    You see, when your business has slowly eroded from informing your customers to selling your customers, and your customers have started to notice and are leaving you in droves, it might be time to change back, instead of speeding up.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org