National Film Board of Canada iPhone app
p2pnet news view Advertising | P2P:- Has ever a commercial product, not overly special, when you get right down to it, been accorded the same kind of hysterical (and free) mainstream media adulation as the iPhone?
The iPod, maybe.
One is a digital music player and the other, a cellphone with bells and whistles.
And that’s it.
But companies and individuals are falling over themselves, spending their own (or someone else’s) money to build applications to make it even more commercially attractive.
Why? So they can be linked to the frenzied adulation it engenders, hopefully raising their own profiles in the process.
And Apple is laughing all the way to the bank.
The latest concern to fall under the iSpell, not to mention the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field, is The National Film Board (NFB) of Canada.
An agency of the government of Canada, it’s spent taxpayers’ money to develop an iTunes application which allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to access its free video library.
But that isn’t, perhaps, very surprising considering its recent Microsoft debacle.
It had an amazing idea which wasn’t dissimilar to this current venture.
Let everyone see NFB films online!
Sadly, however, some visitors found, We have detected that you do not have all the requirements to access the TVOS interface which requires the Microsoft Silverlight plug-in. Click the button below to install it, then refresh this page,.”
Taxpayers funded that too, as well the cost of developing something new.
These days anyone can watch NFB flicks, many of which are outstanding, without Microsoft’s help.
Now, “This new application makes the NFB one of the leaders in the field of digital accessibility,” boasts the NFB.
Great.
But can anyone with any cellphone use it?
Or is this feature again locked exclusively into another hard-core commercial enterprise?
The NFB doesn’t say.
Stay tuned.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
NFB films online – NFB admits MS Silverlight not `ideal`, January 26, 2009
October, 2009
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October 23rd, 2009 at 7:44 pm
At under $20,000, this iPhone app was quite a deal for the NFB. And they have stated that they are investigating other mobile phone versions. Not to mention the catalogue is available online for all to view on their website.
It would have been ideal if they were already well advanced on those fronts, but this iPhone app remains a huge achievement.
Maybe you should try writing more balanced articles that reflect multiple perspectives.
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Sorry, Jon, if that was $20K for an app to allow anyone with a video-capable celphone to access NFB flicks, I’d agree.
However, we’re in accord on one thing: it’s a(nother) huge achievement — for Apple.
Cheers!
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Balanced article? Articles with iPod in them never have a balanced perspective. It is hard to understand why someone will complain about one article which gives a unique perspective about everything iPod. Honestly, this article is refreshing.
October 24th, 2009 at 10:55 am
they have stated that they are investigating other mobile phone versions
Its a fekkin disgrace. They should have done it all together instead of favoring one company.
Unfekkinbeievable. Way to go NFB!
October 24th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I’d just like to clarify. I think that the 20k spent here is completely justifiable. The app is stunning and, I think, a success. From an operational point of view, the NFB can now show something to Heritage Canada and say that they want to replicate this on other platforms. They are much more likely to be granted that money now that they’ve drawn international acclaim over their iPhone app. Frankly, I think upwards of $100,000 would be completely justifiable to get this on all major platforms. This iPhone app is just the beginning of a long process to get their stuff out there.
Not to mention that their website offers the same content to be viewed on all internet devices right now.
If you want someone to blame, then blame ALL the smartphone device makers for making their OS’s incompatible with one another.
The NFB has spent a reasonable sum of money for a great product. I sincerely do hope they persevere and make it available for all. But I remain steadfast in my opinion that they have acted reasonably and responsibly with their money. If they had tried to do too much at once, they would have failed to accomplish anything. I think you fail to underestimate the scale, budget, and motivation of the NFB and their funding sources.
October 24th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
@ Jon Stang:
‘… I remain steadfast in my opinion that they have acted reasonably and responsibly with their money.’
You’re certainly entitled to your opinion: I’m with the poster above you.
If the NFB had been able to announce, ‘NFB films can now be viewed on all video-capable phones, everywere,” that would have been an accomplishment.
And it wasn’t their money. It was ours.
Cheers!