Monday, July 9, 2007

Live Earth - IPTV has a long way to go


I didn't watch Saturday's broadcast of Live Earth, instead opting to watch the performances that interest me later on MSN.
Unfortunately, the user experience on MSN has a long way to go and needs some major enhancements to be ready for Prime Time: The streams are are buffering too often, video stops once in a while and the soundd just disappears. But that's not the real issue:

My main problem is that MSN didn't understand how users would utilize the site. Instead of offering small pieces of each performance (preferably by song) MSN forces users to watch the whole performance. There's no fast forwarding, no function to go directly to the performance of your choosing. Everybody has a few minutes to watch a few songs but who has time to watch a complete concert until The Police finally starts playing?

Interactive users expect on-demand functionality, anything else is a huge disappointment. And that's what YouTube understands: You can find all performances in snack sizes. You want to see The Police 'Driven to tears'? YouTube has it. (see above) A missed opportunity for MSN. And another point in the brand bank for YouTube.

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