I understand the sentiment, but can you then tell me why Avid workstations run $100k? After all, the cost of the software and hardware is not much more than a few thousand dollars at most.
The reason is that this is not consumer electronics equipment where the margins are razor thin. We factor into this cost the cost of setup and configuration and production. For example. using multimedia within a disfunctional IT environment can be *very* tricky and it often becomes our problem when it is really an IT issue, but we still have to allocate a lot of time and resources to resolve these issues if we want happy customers. We also have to factor in the costs of production: explaining microphone issues, proper production practices, and so on. Of course we could ask our customers to research this on their own, but if they ask us, we want to help them, and we do.
Pricing is a challenge because you are not only paying for the hardware and software (which has been costly to develop over the last three years), but you are also paying for the production support assistance. We have a support infrastructure in place that can assist you when you are in the midst of capturing a podcast and something goes wrong, or you need to troubleshoot an upload problem (whether that is a problem with your network or our appliance), and so on. Production is very costly, and most people who have never done that don't understand how costly it really is, so it is something people shake their heads at initially. But, I do think if you ask our customers (look at our websites and read quotes from our customers) that you would find our support is second to none and worth it, and it because they now understand the costs of production.
Something that people on this site especially should take note of is that if you put something out as free (as in beer) open source software, many people then don't perceive value in that software, as wrong as that is. Open source enthusiasts understand the value of free software, but most people (like teachers for example) might be inclined to think something is worthless if it doesn't cost money. Therein lies the dilemma. So, charging for it, charging for support, or charging for anything gets harder and harder even as we try to be more and more open with our source code. We've tried to make it as easy as possible for our customers to get access to our source code without putting ourselves in too much financial hardship. But, there is a delicate balance there we are searching for.
Hi, Chris Dawson from Box Populi here. The point is that this is not sound recording software. This is a podcast *hardware* appliance.
What we aim to do is solve the production problem, not the recording problem. You are correct in that anyone can record a podcast using Audacity (http://audacity.sf.net/). I use that terrific software all the time myself. However, if you put an unskilled user in front of Audacity and tell them to make a podcast, they probably will fail because the process requires understanding audio levels, uploading a file, managing RSS, and everything else. It is not rocket science, but it is absolutely beyond the ability of 95% of the people out there.
With our appliance, you can plug in a USB thumbdrive to start capture, and then remove it to stop capture, and then walk away. The box does *everything* for you. We think this is something you can train a teacher or church sexton to do in minutes without stressing them out. No other solution (software or hardware), IMHO, offers this ease of use.
Hi, this is Chris Dawson from Box Populi. Just for the record, I said "Our newest live/installer ISO will be built on Dapper." I know a duck when I see one.:)
You can read the full response to the Linux Devices media request on my blog: http://webcastinabox.com/openminded.
Slashdot Mirror
Chris Dawson from Box Populi here.
2 54) from the OSL and I just did a talk on this very thing at the Podcast and Portable Media Expo. You can read more about his presentation here: http://staff.osuosl.org/~gchaix/2006/09/30/asteris k-and-podcasting/
Greg Lund-Chaix (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/01/2234
Chris Dawson from Box Populi here.
I understand the sentiment, but can you then tell me why Avid workstations run $100k? After all, the cost of the software and hardware is not much more than a few thousand dollars at most.
The reason is that this is not consumer electronics equipment where the margins are razor thin. We factor into this cost the cost of setup and configuration and production. For example. using multimedia within a disfunctional IT environment can be *very* tricky and it often becomes our problem when it is really an IT issue, but we still have to allocate a lot of time and resources to resolve these issues if we want happy customers. We also have to factor in the costs of production: explaining microphone issues, proper production practices, and so on. Of course we could ask our customers to research this on their own, but if they ask us, we want to help them, and we do.
Chris Dawson from Box Populi here.
We are really looking hard at our pricing.
Pricing is a challenge because you are not only paying for the hardware and software (which has been costly to develop over the last three years), but you are also paying for the production support assistance. We have a support infrastructure in place that can assist you when you are in the midst of capturing a podcast and something goes wrong, or you need to troubleshoot an upload problem (whether that is a problem with your network or our appliance), and so on. Production is very costly, and most people who have never done that don't understand how costly it really is, so it is something people shake their heads at initially. But, I do think if you ask our customers (look at our websites and read quotes from our customers) that you would find our support is second to none and worth it, and it because they now understand the costs of production.
Something that people on this site especially should take note of is that if you put something out as free (as in beer) open source software, many people then don't perceive value in that software, as wrong as that is. Open source enthusiasts understand the value of free software, but most people (like teachers for example) might be inclined to think something is worthless if it doesn't cost money. Therein lies the dilemma. So, charging for it, charging for support, or charging for anything gets harder and harder even as we try to be more and more open with our source code. We've tried to make it as easy as possible for our customers to get access to our source code without putting ourselves in too much financial hardship. But, there is a delicate balance there we are searching for.
Hi, Chris Dawson from Box Populi here. The point is that this is not sound recording software. This is a podcast *hardware* appliance.
What we aim to do is solve the production problem, not the recording problem. You are correct in that anyone can record a podcast using Audacity (http://audacity.sf.net/). I use that terrific software all the time myself. However, if you put an unskilled user in front of Audacity and tell them to make a podcast, they probably will fail because the process requires understanding audio levels, uploading a file, managing RSS, and everything else. It is not rocket science, but it is absolutely beyond the ability of 95% of the people out there.
With our appliance, you can plug in a USB thumbdrive to start capture, and then remove it to stop capture, and then walk away. The box does *everything* for you. We think this is something you can train a teacher or church sexton to do in minutes without stressing them out. No other solution (software or hardware), IMHO, offers this ease of use.
Hi, this is Chris Dawson from Box Populi. Just for the record, I said "Our newest live/installer ISO will be built on Dapper." I know a duck when I see one. :)
You can read the full response to the Linux Devices media request on my blog: http://webcastinabox.com/openminded.