Mobile video has burst onto the scene with a passion seldom embraced by popular culture and usually only reserved for newly created icons of earth shattering importance.
With mobile video phones becoming more and more popular, both in the U.S. and in many other developed countries, mobile video is really starting to take off. The term ‘mobile video’ can refer to the typical film based video that most people associate with the term ‘video’. However, since any mobile video phone comes equipped with a computer processor, mobile videos can include game-based video or graphics, mobile music videos, as well as any other visual effects that use the video software in the phone.
If you are wondering what we mean by “popular”, just take a look at some of the stats. There are currently over 20 million Americans who regularly watch mobile video. On average, people will watch mobile video for three to four hours each and every month. And those figures are steadily climbing. Analysts say that these numbers will continue to climb as more and more video content becomes available as mobile content. Furthermore, with the price of smart phones dropping every year, an increasing proportion of the population is able to afford these mobile video systems.
The biggest trend-setter is the Apple iPhone. The iPhone mobile system provides a built in YouTube application that makes it extremely easy for anyone to get into the mobile video craze. The use of YouTube on mobile phones is also significant in terms of social networking, as people now are able to share YouTube videos via their phones just as they have traditionally done via their computers.
In addition, most mobile phone carriers now offer a download quota as a part of their monthly deals. This means that for many users, ‘mobile videos’ really means ‘free mobile videos’. However, users should be wary of their download quota, as expensive surcharge fees usually apply if you go over your limit. The way to circumvent this limit is to find some genuinely free mobile phone videos. You can download these from the Internet via your computer and then onto your phone, or directly onto your phone via a local wireless broadband network.
One of the issues that many computer users grapple with is the fact that different videos are in different digital formats, and this can cause data reading problems for video software. How is this relevant to all us mobile video fans? Well, unfortunately, this issue has reared its ugly head again, this time in the mobile video arena. Mobile video production is not governed by any standards, so it is likely that many mobile phone videos will not be compatible with your phone’s software. In some cases you will be able to download upgrades and add-ons to your software that allow additional data compression formats to be played. However, at this stage there is no one size fits all answer, so you will have to get used to the frustration of not being able to play a certain mobile video for some years to come.
Another problem that mobile phone users face is the fact mobile video downloads, and any mobile video clips in general, will drain your phone’s battery very quickly. Both downloading and playing video requires significant battery power in comparison with many other common mobile phone tasks. This can make it necessary for users to carry a battery charger with them to ensure that they can recharge their phone battery. It may be quite a few more years before this inconvenience is eliminated, as advances in battery technology are in no way keeping up with the rapid advances in mobile video and mobile downloading technology.
Despite these issues, mobile video is here to stay and, as discussed earlier, it is becoming more and more prevalent every single day. In the business world, this means that there is an enormous untapped market from which lots of money can be made. Apple have already proven that people are more than willing to part with extra cash for various mobile applications. For many entrepreneurs, this is strong evidence that the mobile video world is a goldmine just waiting for the right people with the right ideas to come in and take a piece of the pie. In the next year or two, we predict that you will see a prolific increase in the number of mobile apps that take advantage of mobile video phone technology. It will be fascinating to find out what will be the next YouTube.
While this article has focused on mobile phone video, there is another mobile video market that is not quite as large, but it is also growing in popularity. Of course, we are talking about car video. Many modern family vehicles now include in-built TV and DVD capabilities. This technology is particularly popular with parents who want to give their kids something to watch while they concentrate on driving or a discussion with their partner. Nothing can be more infuriating than incessant interruptions from young children while you are driving. Car TV and car DVD provide an easy, stress-free and anger-free way to keep your kids quiet, no matter how long or short the trip is.
Another great thing about car TV is the fact that it always comes included headrest monitors and headphone jacks. This means that you can watch what you want without disturbing others, or you can have others in the car watch what they want without disturbing you.
Generally, a car TV takes the form of an overhead flip down monitor. So, when the TV is not in use, you can hide the overhead flip down monitors for maximum space and visibility. Usually the car video player will be a part of the flip down monitor, meaning you won’t need to worry about bits and pieces hanging from the ceiling of your car all of the time.
Car TV and DVD allows you to watch anything that you would normally be able to watch on a TV. This includes television shows broadcast from the local television stations, as well as any DVDs you have purchased for home viewing. Many TV models also allow you to play video that is in non-standard formats, such as those that are normally viewed only on home computers or mobile video phones.
Whichever way you look at it, mobile video has hit the ground running, and it promises fun and exciting innovations for years to come.