When some readers of Entertainment Weekly open their magazines next month, they will discover characters from US television programmes speaking to them from a wafer-thin video screen built into the page.
The marketing experiment – which is being conducted by CBS, the US broadcaster, and Pepsi, the soft drinks maker – recalls the fantasy newspapers of the Harry Potter films and works much like a singing greetings card, with the video starting once a reader turns the appropriate page.
The cost of the full-motion video ad was not disclosed, but it will be far more expensive than traditional print ads, according to executives familiar with the technology, developed by a US company called Americhip.
I bet if this catches on, people will just stop the video as soon as it starts playing.
Nothing will save the print new media, not even this.
It’s their LEGITIMACY that’s the problem, and they will never stop censoring and lying.
In other news, the UK may be going bankrupt on purpose.
And of course the USA already is, since it was announced in Dec 2006.
Wow! Yesterday we had a video player that almost fit on a magazine page, today we have a video player that does fit on a magazine page. Technology does move quick. Tomorrow we will have a video player that will be too thin for a magazine page.
I wonder if this Entertainment Weekly will look like BMW phone book POS in the post below.
“I bet if this catches on, people will just stop the video as soon as it starts playing.”
It will be the death of the magazines as well… Why pay extra for this junk? You can get it for free on the net.
Now, if you could hack the device and use it to read ebooks or PDFs then you’d have something…
And you KNOW, someone will hack the device.
I was overseas so did not see one but didn’t Esquire do this with their cover last Christmas?
#3 Josh,
“It will be the death of the magazines as well… Why pay extra for this junk? You can get it for free on the net.”
Gossip magazines always sell well. Besides, you can use your laptop while you’re getting your hair done at a salon.
Strange Days:
Video in print media, and M$ Web Office running on Google OS…
A Waste of Resources and Time… but atleats we are not fighting over health care in this thread!!! Mags can be recycled… but what about the vid players?… seems they should be recycled… I am not so much a Tree Hugger, but I do see this as a huge waste of Resources… sort of Like F1.. and their travelling band of excesses…
This is an amazing step for technology..hopefully it will give journalism a boost once again!!!!!