Skype "a good thing" for CNN
The Hollywood Reporter has done a nice story on how quick-thinking CNN tech staff in the US helped the network out of an equipment crunch by using Skype to carry a video interview.
This isn't the first time a major network has done so, as the article also points out. But it could help open the rusty floodgates. We're all used to seeing journalists in khaki-colored vests filing reports from the world's distant hotspots over the videophone, and strangely, the choppy quality of these reports does add a layer of raw believability to what is being transmitted. (Similarly, AM broadcasts to me feel more "radio-like" than the squeaky clean FM signals or the kills-bugs-dead sterility of satellite radio)
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atjackiejohns commented Tuesday, Mar 18
Tom Green takes Skype video calls on his show as well: http://www.tomgreen.com
portagejer commented Wednesday, Mar 26
With all of these advances - and yes, I do understand the "believability" but I think there is an additional market you guys could serve at a premium price compared to what you charge now.
There are a lot of podcasters and producers who use Skype, with varying quality results due to a multitude of factors, even on a fast connection. What if there were a premium "broadcaster" or "'caster" service that was able to deliver quality near what the ISDN and professional AAC devices can give? Those devices are very expensive... and it seems like to me Skype, by using the computer and what's already there, is pretty close to what they can do.
That premium service could have a monthly rate or something... if it were good enough, there are a lot of radio stations and broadcasters paying a lot of money for an arcane ISDN line as well as brings the price down to where the podcaster could afford it (not too cheap, of course, it's valuable) to make remotes sound like they're in the next room.
I know I would pay a monthly set fee for it. Maybe even a Skype premium download that would have it wired in to feed out all the channels of the conversation. It's way better than the expense of an ISDN line and very expensive software or hardware.