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New Distribution Models: Participatory Culture Launches DTV

Published on October 21, 2005

You've made an independent film and now you want to reach audiences. The internet has revolutionized our ability to share ideas, and distribution possibilities are now unprecedented in scope as a range of innovative new media channels and self-distribution tools are paving uncharted territory. This is the first of a series of articles profiling these pioneering models -- get ready to learn about Participatory Culture Foundation's DTV.

In the past five years, participatory electronic media has completely altered the way we comsume media. From hypertexting and blogging to instant messages and RSS feeds, our daily media intake demands us to lean forward and engage. Most of us still lean back and relax when watching films. However, when we leave the theatre or turn off our DVD players, we are more likely to visit a film's website, write a review on our blog, chat with other fans from around the world or buy the DVD. Participatory Culture takes this interactive spirit to the next level. I had the pleasure of interviewing Participatory Culture's David Moore to pick this tech-savvy mind about the future of "internet TV."

Participatory Culture Foundation's DTV is an open-source program that allows users to broadcast and download video clips to your computer.

The Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF) is a nonprofit organization founded in January 2005 by the people behind Downhill Battle. The foundation's mission is to support independent media by building open-source, open-standard software and websites that offer a unique TV system to millions around the world. DTV is a video platform that enables anyone with internet access to curate personal TV channels and get full-screen, independent videos for free.

The idea for DTV was born in late 2004 when David and his colleagues observed a rush toward internet television ventures, dominated by commercial entities. To support independent media, PCF made it their mission to offer free, open-source, user-friendly software open to anyone who is online.

The publishing software behind DTV is called Broadcast Machine and it enables producers to upload ther media and users to download and watch feature length, high-quality videos on their desktops. Contrasted with traditional web streaming, this process is faster, cheaper and more dynamic.

Broadcasting and Downloading

Here's how it works: The content producer downloads Broadcast Machine onto his or her website and submits a channel idea to the DTV team. The producer waits for the channel to be approved, chooses what kind of copyright to affix to individual videos, publishes the videos, and then the channel goes live. The media can then be searched, downloaded and viewed by anyone who has DTV. There are currently 150 channels and DTV is yet to decline a submission.

David emphasizes that PCF strongly encourages documentary filmmakers to use DTV to carry and share their films. Even though the ultimate goal is to provide free content, there will be a pay-per-view model built into future versions of DTV. Currently anyone can subscribe to any channel but David anticipates a password protection option for future versions so that filmmakers can share rough cuts of their films without allowing universal access. Currently, producers cannot track how many people have subscribed to their particular channel but David promises that this technology will be woven into future versions of DTV.

MediaRights is one of the first featured channels on DTV. Users can download shorts from the Media That Matters Film Festival.

Users can access the DTV channels in two ways: The first is via a typical RSS feed, similar to the ones that are available for most blogs. The user programs their DTV player to regularly check all the channels that he or she has subscribed to for new content. When the channel features new media, DTV adds the videos to the download queue and notifies the user when they are ready to be watched. This RSS-style model is ideal for accessing content that is regularly updated: news, episodic shows, music videos, video blogs, etc.

The other way users can use DTV to access content is more like a library: DTV presents a browsable archive of the content on a channel and the user can choose individual videos to download. DTV's publishing software automatically makes a customizable library display for every channel.

Browsing Content

When a user first downloads DTV to their computer, there are five default channels (one of which is MediaRights). Users can check out the default channels and also browse the complete channel guide by most popular, recently added or by content categories.

David best sums up the DTV interface as "iTunes for video and TiVo for the internet." PCF strives to create a welcoming and intuitive application that promotes engagement. Alongside the video there are links to sites that offer opportunities to take action and learn more. As David explains, "DTV is a richer experience for the viewer."

The content of internet television is completely derived from the producers and can be anything from a personal home video to a documentary on international human rights. There are no stylistic conventions or constraints; DTV has only two content stipulations: no offensive or copyrighted material and traditional Terms of Use must be adhered to.

Audience and Reach

DTV is currently only available in a Beta version for Macs, but it already boasts over 25,000 users. Via DTV, independent producers can bypass mainstream distributors and reach an audience of potential millions for free. With a hint of awe in his voice, David asserts,"This is global -- your audience is virtually unlimited, which is a revolutionary concept."

As democratizing the airwaves continues to be a vital battle waged by media reformers, DTV offers an entirely counter model for distribution. The number of active bloggers in the U.S. alone rivals audiences of mainstream network TV so it seems likely that the "screenager" generation will tune into DTV for interesting and engaging media.

Earlier this year, Alternet predicted that DTV will make the "10 Things that Changed the World" list in the next decade. I asked David what he envisions for the future of this technology: "I hope that DTV carries an enormous, vast channel guide with tons of video selections. I want the technology to be hassle-free, cross-platform, available on any computer and be able to take any file you throw at it. I want the content to be as rich and diverse as blogs are. There should be a great potential to see something that you have never been able to see before. Ideally DTV will become a piece of mass media software, just like iTunes, only free."

Once a video is downloaded, the user can store it in their collection and watch it full-screen or in the DTV player.

DTV's target audience is essentially any internet user and PCF's vision and idea is spreading, rapidly. As David explained, he communicates with high-profile, trusted bloggers like Andy Baio of Waxy.org and they have generated a lot of online buzz. Since its birth and growth has been so transparent, people feel invited to test something new, share their thoughts and ideas, recommend changes and offer advice in coding. When the concept is innovative, people are inclined to participate.

And DTV encourages user participation. While viewers cannot currently submit comments on particular videos on DTV (this feature is in the works), they can share their thoughts on the PCF blog, and they can recommend a channel to friends directly in DTV. David points out that Broadcast Machine also allows users to upload their own videos to an "open" channel. So if MediaRights for example wanted to solicit video feedback, users could upload their own video responses and they would be included in the channel. Currently, telemusicvision (one of DTV's other default channels, featuring music videos) is willing to review independent music videos submitted by anyone (with some caveats of course).

When I asked about DTV's potential for teachers David is excited. As the son of two educators, David explained the ease at which professors can use Broadcast Machine to share video lectures, aggregate media they want to show in class, or even broadcast media that is being made by students. David reminds me that "This is global -- someone in the West Indies can watch a classroom video from Pakistan."

The Future

DTV is still in its infancy and its team of nine full-time staff members is growing with job opportunities available. What can we anticipate from DTV? A faster Beta 4 version is scheduled to launch in the coming weeks with a brand new interface. MediaRights, Current TV, Pancake Mountain, TeleMusicVision, SEIU, are among the first organizations to embrace DTV. Future collaborators include WITNESS and Digital Bicycle.

While DTV's content is expanding and user numbers increase, there are still many challenges ahead. There are plenty of tweaks to be made and features to be rolled out. Filmmakers will need to get feedback from users and see new opportunties emerge as a result of distribution via DTV. While DTV is a response to commericial efforts to corner the market on internet TV, users will have to be convinced that DTV is where they should go for content. Only time will tell, but In the meantime, thousands of activists, video bloggers, independent producers, educators and tech enthusiasts are participating in creating a global, free, open-source internet TV.

What about Apple?
Op-epilogue by Shira Golding

As I was editing Wendy's article, news came to me via RSS feed of Mac's release of iTunes 6, which includes, finally, video. If David Moore refers to PCF's DTV as "iTunes for video" then what will happen to DTV when iTunes, unshockingly, integrates video into their popular music player? Does DTV need to be iTunes for video, if iTunes is iTunes is for video?

You can publish your own video Podcast through Apple's iTunes.

As I watched a stream of Apple's "Special Event" in which Steve Jobs announced the big news, I was excited. When he got to the part about content, i.e. what videos will be made available, reality started to set in. He explained in melodramatic Jobsian fashion, "What's the #1 hit show on television? Desperate Housewives. And what's the #2 hit television show? Lost. And what network are they on? They're both on ABC. And who owns ABC? Disney." Jobs went on to explain how Apple's longstanding partnership with Disney enabled them to strike a sweet deal: "I know these guys...I've had the great fortune to be working with them for quite some time," which was followed by smug audience laughter/applause.

I've never witnessed the power of media ownership so transparently expressed by those in control. "Hey Bob!" "Hey Steve!" "Want to make some money?" "Hell yeah!" High five.

And then what did I find myself doing? Going to Free Press's handy "Who Owns the Media?" chart to see what else Disney owns. I was hoping for something good. I haven't been able to watch The Daily Show since my girlfriend and I decided to un-TV our lives last year. Alas, Comedy Central is not part of Disney's empire. But hey, maybe some ESPN2 golf coverage will be Disney's next offering via iTunes. Oh goody!

What I really want to know is how can we get in on this? How can independent filmmakers infiltrate iTunes and offer alternative perspectives? I was excited to learn that video Podcasts are now available through the iTunes music store, and that anyone can submit one, enabling users to subscribe to their video feed. An article in indieWIRE, showcases the filmmakers behind Four Eyed Monsters who are struggling to get a distributor for their indie film and publishing a video feed of their trials and tribulations, which is available both through iTunes and MySpace.com (which was recently purchased by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation). And according to the "How To Publish a Podcast on the iTunes Music Store" tutorial offered by Apple, it seems like anyone can publish their podcast without fear of censorship.

A still from a video Podcast about the efforts to distribute the indie film Four Eyed Monsters is available through iTunes and MySpace.com.

So looking back at DTV, what can we anticipate? Will they be crushed by iTunes in the same way that most music downloading services have? I believe the answer is "no." DTV is open source and democratic in a way that iTunes will never be. DTV incorporates Creative Commons licensing into their Broadcast Machine, encouraging users to remix and comment on the videos they are downloading. The folks behind DTV are committed to free speech and diversity, while Apple is becoming another face in the media giant lineup. Apple is yet to consolidate, and let's hope that's where they stay, but who knows what will be announced at the next "Special Event"?

Ultimately, your choice to publish your media via DTV vs. iTunes is about politics. Media radicals will cling to DTV while entrepreneurs will go the iTunes route. But truly savvy producers will use both of these tools and many other platforms to distribute their films. They will support DTV and stand by it from Beta to Beta, but they will also be a part of a movement to make sure that risk-taking social-issue media has a strong presence on iTunes. Maybe a music store podcast search for "News" will return The News Is What We Make It alongside "ABC News Daily Dish." That would be a good thing.