How many of you chose Betamax over VHS? Sorry to hear it. I'm sure it felt like a good idea at the time, but ultimately the better technology did not prevail and VHS won the day, and our shelf space. Being an early adopter has its risks in the consumer environment and the same can be said in the hospitality guest room.

I was invited to speak at a hotel conference on the impact of 3D TV in the guest environment. Clearly this is exciting stuff and everybody wants to hear more about it, but how many of you actually don those 3D glasses at home? If you do, where do you find the content to watch?

Despite the hype, 3D content remains limited and traditional broadcasters are battling the lack of penetration as well as the total lack of broadcast standards. We are even seeing some of the major PayTV providers such as Canal Plus in France abandon its 3D trials until a day when the barriers to roll out are removed, and more importantly, when content is available. This is a pragmatic approach when one considers that HD is still not mainstream in Europe. So while we play with 3D and it is fun to think about, we suggest that as hoteliers you concentrate first on the basics which are still the migration to digital and HD. You don't want to be stuck with a shelf full of Beta in a VHS future.

Take a walk around a landfill sometime. Okay, admittedly, this is not your average Sunday afternoon stroll, but were it to be, I am pretty certain you would come across a few cast aside pieces of technology that used to function as in-room hotel technology.

Today you would find CRT TVs by the ton, but not so long ago they were all operating in hotels and hoteliers had no choice but to use them. You would also find other, more obscure, pieces of hardware you wouldn’t imagine placing in the living room of your worst enemy. You might even find one of my favorite bizarre technology choices for hotels, the in-room keyboard.

In hotels, you would find the in-room keyboard in all sorts of places: by the side of the TV, in the drawer of a desk covered in dust, sitting on the minibar with scratches earned during its tenure as an improvised bottle-opener. What you rarely ever see are signs of use. People just don't need it. If interactive TV is to satisfy guests, it should be easy enough to use with a simple remote control, just like at home.

How many of you have a keyboard at home to drive your TV experience? Probably none of you. The typical TV experience is one of relaxation -- you are a "viewer" more than a "user," and are so by choice. But what about the Internet on TV experience? To get the full value out of the Internet, you obviously benefit from the use of a keyboard. This is where the experience is getting confused. There is a place for a "viewer" and a place for a "user" and they should not be treated as the same experience. Being a "user" effectively rules out the TV as a device for the provision of Internet -- it is a device best suited for viewing. There are a whole host devices better suited for Internet use: the laptop, the tablet or even the smart phone. So why shoehorn everything together?

Ultimately, few of you access the Internet via the TV at home. Possibly, you access simple TV-centric applications, but not the Internet as we know on a keyboard powered device. So why would you want to change your approach when you get to a hotel? Guest satisfaction is gained by the intelligent implementation of technology, and generally if a device is used in a certain manner at home it will be used in the same manner at the hotel. Intelligent technology implementation means spending money wisely to avoid having your new investment soon end up in the landfill.

Starring: Danielle Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Ruppert Grint

When reviewing a movie, a number of things have to be taken into account—the performances of the actors, the quality of script, the cinematography and of course the director’s touch that brings the whole story together. In the case of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 however, things are a bit different, as different as muggles compared to wizards, half-blood or otherwise.

This review is unique not only because the movie is a continuation of the massively successful adaptation of the first half of its corresponding book (Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which is enjoying the largest viewing figures to date both at the cinema and on the Acentic iTV platform), but because we are witnessing, something through teary eyes, the end of the much-loved and incredibly successful Harry Potter series. And what an ending.

While some found that Part 1 lacked pace and energy, Part 2 more than picks up the pace. Throughout the movie, we join Harry, Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore’s Army as they fend off Lord Voldemort’s attempts to take hold of Hogwarts and the action is non-stop. The movie excels at huge set-pieces and battle scenes, and the effects are often gasp-inducing. However, Part 2 also strikes the perfect balance between large-scale theatrics, and delicate emotion; there are many stand-out scenes of tenderness, with Snape and Harry, between all three of the kids, etc.

What stands out most in Part 2 is Ralph Fienne’s performance as Voldemort. He brings an interested humanity to the part as he negotiates the scenario which I shall describe as the “Voldemort tragedy.” As he gets tantalisingly close to realising his dream of killing Harry Potter and taking full control of Hogwarts, in parallel so Harry continues to destroy the Horcruxes containing Voldemort’s very soul. Never before has someone been so close to death as their lifetime quest is so closely realised.

Fienne’s performance aside, fans of the series will revel in being reunited with characters from all previous movies – I challenge anyone not to shed a tear as a series of well handled flashbacks remind us of just how far our heroes have came in their time at Hogwarts. Fans of the books will also be relieved to witness flashbacks covering more historical events at Hogwarts which really bring home how special ‘the boy who lived’ is, and the great sacrifices one key character has made to ensure his continued safety.

As a second half to the Deathly Hallows, this movie works beautifully. As the finale to the series it is a complete success and in turn guarantees the Harry Potter series a legion of fans both for this and future generations. 100 points to Gryffindor!

I have recently overheard a few discussions about the death of video on demand (VoD).  The talks described how internet delivered VoD to “connected LCDs” would mean the end of system integrators, but also it would be the end of all the established cable operators and satellite based PayTV companies. I must admit, it all sounded a bit extreme, but it did make a compelling argument for the uninitiated to invest in a connected LCD. At a recent conference attended by many of the leading cable operators, the Over the top (OTT) content services were looked at and analyzed in depth. The implications could be huge with new players. It makes me think of the hungry Internet giants coming in and competing effectively with established players who have massive network investments in place. However, reality is different, especially in Europe’s highly fragmented content market. With studios keen to protect their content, premium HD content is available only through tried and tested controlled networks with hardware-based security systems. Add to that specific rights for content commercialized in hotels, it may be some time before viable OTT services can be legally delivered to the guest’s TV. Acentic is however, immigrating its platforms to leverage the cloud through controlled and secure connections giving hoteliers the benefits of the cloud while providing the Studios with peace of mind.

Starring: Danielle Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Ruppert Grint

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 begins deep inside the Ministry of Magic with a stark warning to all that “dark times are indeed upon us”. This sinister warning sets the perfect tone for the penultimate movie in the Harry Potter series. Having witnessed the death of their beloved ex-headmaster, Dumbledore, Harry, Ron and Hermione set off on a mission to find and destroy a series of ‘Horcruxes’ which contain the soul of their arch enemy, Lord Voldemort. In the darkest, most dramatic movie of the series so far we witness the team leave both their family homes and Hogwarts, grow up - and at times apart – on a quest which provides laughter, high drama as well as a few tears in a climax that will leave you begging for more. Standout performances include that of Emma Watson as Hermione whilst Daniel Radcliffe succeeds in carrying off the transformation from being the ‘boy wonder’ to the revengeful wizard with ease proving himself to more than just a pretty face. Matching the dramatic nature of the movie, the special effects deserve a special mention also. Night time London features heavily in a dramatic opening sequence which sees the team fly through underpasses,  tipping up cars and smashing the living daylights out of anything that gets in the way of their escape from the evil Death Eaters. As CGI characters go, Kreacher, and especially Dobby blend seamlessly with their co-stars to add that extra bit of magic and wonderment to a movie that really does transport you into the amazing world of the Harry and co. With the final movie in the series set to hit cinemas this summer, now is the perfect time to catch up with the most successful movie series of all time. Thoroughly recommended. Wands optional.

Television technology is forever changing. The last ten years have shown us more technological changes than when the TV went from black & white to color. Today, LCD suppliers and PayTV providers are seeking even more new ways to differentiate themselves and in the process they are taking a share of your hard-earned cash. Just when we thought that HD was the ultimate in TV technology and when hoteliers are finally making the shift to HD (in some cases straight from analogue), 3DTV is hitting the headlines. We’re sure you have all been down to your local electronics store and put on the cool (or not so cool) 3D shades to experience the adventure. Ultimately though, watching movies in 3D has been disappointing except when these movies have been created specifically for the 3D experience. Migrating standard two-dimension programs to 3D just isn’t bringing the consumer the expected experience. Content needs to have been planned and created with 3D in mind, which is much easier said than done. The objective is for the content to reach out to the viewers and create a virtual interaction. Of course the adult industry is again first in line in taking advantage of the latest technology, and will probably be also the first in line to make a profit from it with millions being invested by major studios to generate 3D movies. The shift to mainstream content may take a little longer because studios and broadcasters are grappling with the business case and user experience. It’s not just the battery guzzling 3D shades that need to be addressed. One can also add the 30% more bandwidth that satellite bandwidth providers claim is used by 3D.  Also in consideration is the fact that as long as 3D users are the minority, broadcasters will have to broadcast both a 3D version as well as a 2D version. Ultimately end to end standards are essential to develop 3D going forward because, as recently pointed out in a Spacenews article, bad handling of the broadcast leads to poor picture quality in an HD world and in a 3D world it leads to a splitting headache.

We’ve recently partnered with Filmbank in a promotion to brand hotel key cards, TV banners, trailers, turndown cards, and meal-deal promotions with artwork from new movies that are available on digital TV within the hotel.  One example is our work with UK Marriott, where we distributed 10,000 key cards in February branded with artwork from the film, Sherlock Holmes.  We chose to measure this promotion closely to show hoteliers the benefits and increase revenue that PayTV can bring to their hotels.
The results from the promotion were huge! Guests with the Sherlock Holmes (or Angels & Demons) card were much more likely to spend more on PayTV in-room movies than those guests without the branded key card. Many guests liked the key cards so much they saved them as a collector item, which might entice them to book other hotel rooms to extend their collection of key cards branded with different movies on them. The key card promotion assisted in increased sales with 93% higher revenue in the hotels carrying the promotion. Not only did the films that were promoted have increased sales in the hotel room, but there was an increased awareness among guests for the concept of film offerings as a whole. 
Acentic is very proud to have been a part of this promotion with Filmbank and looks forward to participating in further promotions of this kind. Acentic works with Filmbank often, as it is responsible for providing the widest range of movies to hotels in 10-12 weeks after the cinema release.
I see many opportunities for Acentic and Filmbank to work together to reach better revenue generating PayTV plans for hotels, allowing hoteliers to make the most of Hollywood and reach hotel guests’ high expectations.

Acentic prides itself on bringing the latest blockbusters to guests as rapidly as possible after their cinematographic release. Usually the studios release content to the hotel industry just after it’s been released in cinemas and to the airline industry, and of course, many months before the DVD release or consumer PayTV service offerings. For frequent long distance travelers its often frustrating to only find movies in hotels that they watched for “free” (everything has a price somewhere) on  the plane. Whilst the experience is obviously not the same- the bed or armchair is much more comfortable than the average airline seat and a LCD screen brings a much better viewing experience- many travelers have been content with watching the latest in-flight movie and found the hotel offering lackluster.

This is however evolving, yesterday (or is it today- I guess it depends on which time zone I base myself on) I found myself on a 12 hour flight during which I ate, drank and after the laptop battery failed (not before I hasten to add) I turned to the excellent in-flight entertainment system. I selected a very recent fast-paced action movie (the kind that I would never watch at home because of differing movie tastes with my wife), and sat back and enjoyed it. Stunning scenery and breath-taking action shots were all slightly let down by watching it on a 14 inch screen and my neighbor snoring. I left the plane with a slight backache and having noted the title as a future blue ray acquisition and checked into my hotel. To my surprise this major movie promotion was the very same title as the one I saw on my flight- and in addition it was available in HD on the 37 inch LCD. So not only are we at Acentic immediately getting the latest movies into hotels through our always on satellite upload, we are also now delivering on our Panorama HD platform the latest HD movies with stunning picture quality. I now know what I will be watching this evening in HD to ward off jetlag. And by the way I would never have got around to watching that blue ray at home…

Twitter is being used to predict the future box office takings of films courtesy of researchers at Hewlett Packard. They have studied 3 million tweets about 25 different movies, including Avatar. (is there no privacy??) Apparently the rate at which messages are produced can be used to forecast box office visits before opening. The faster people tweet about a film, the more likely they are to go and see it. They say its “tapping into collective intelligence” and word of mouth builds audience. Their analysis predicted that the zombie film “The Crazies” would take $16.8 in its first weekend and it actually took $16.06m. The forecast for “Dear John” was $30.7 and it took $30.5.

These guys have developed algorithms to analyse tweets in the run-up to a film launch measuring the rate at which they were produced….”Get a life” springs to mind.

Avatar which actually took $232.2m on opening weekend, will showing in Hotels using Acentic systems.

We have just come out of the noughties, so what is this decade called? The teenies? The booming teens…. (let’s be positive) the twenty tens?

Whatever. There is much to look forward to: We have the football World Cup, always good for anyone’s business, the Winter Olympics, the Ryder Cup, Andy Murray is going to win his first major and Scotland will win the six nations. You don’t get much more positive than that to me.

There are some great films to look forward too as well. Wall Street 2 (as mentioned in a previous blog), Up in the Air with George Clooney, Robin Hood with Russell Crowe (yawn!), the final books of Harry Potter and Gulliver’s Travels with Billy Connolly….yeehaaa.

It’s at this time of year that I, and I suppose many other managers in my position, need to galvanize our teams and launch them into the new year with confidence, optimism and a sense of fun. My first award of the year and “Cool Friend of Acentic” goes to Emily Somers. Emily works for the Glove division of Medline and created, choreographed and directed the attached film, which was created to promote awareness for breast cancer in a hospital in Portland, Oregon. When the site gets a million hits, Medline will give a large contribution to the hospital and free mammograms to the community.

To persuade everyday people do extraordinary things is inspiring. I invite you to do the Pink Glove Dance and be inspired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw