By Steve Crofts

If, like me, you have worked in the digital media industry for more than 6 years, you'll no doubt remember the time before the internet really took off, when the majority of work was CD-ROM based. During this time many clients I dealt with had the same question: 'Why can�t I have full screen video and good sound, you know, like television?'

At that time these requirements were near impossible to achieve, but now with the onslaught of the DVD revolution, it is possible. The only minor hiccup is that most of the clients now seem to have forgotten those silver discs and want everything to be web-based.

Although the internet is great, and I personally make a living out of it, I still believe that it is not the final solution to every digital media requirement and that it's up to us in the industry to facilitate the education of our clients about the possibility of other delivery mediums, including DVD.

DVD, it's expensive isn�t it? The one question that's guaranteed to arise when discussing the medium! Well, it's not as cheap as 'knocking' up a website for 'Joe Bloggs', but the prices for the equipment and duplication have steadily fallen over the last year. A system to encode a DVD can be had for well under �2,500 and the choice is there for either Mac- or PC-based systems. What is particularly interesting is the new generation of DVD burners that are dual format and can be bought for as little as �200.

But what goes on the DVD? Getting video shot and audio created is expensive unless you're an old media dog like me and you remember the times when we had to record our own audio/visual content! Personally, I rather enjoyed this - it was an especially creative time. But then again, there are many companies that provide these skills, so if you don�t already have relationships with them, get out there and say hi.

The use of DVD technology may not be suitable for every client but the application of this medium could benefit a wide range of client requirements. For example, conferences, training and product demos, to mention a few.

So what about interactivity? It could be argued that the DVD medium is not very interactive. You can jump to different scenes of course, and there is the option of adding computer-based content for when a disc is used on a PC, but to me is a challenge to push the technology to its limits. And to be frank, a lot of CD-ROMs that are developed these days are really little more than souped-up PowerPoint presentations or websites on a disk. So let's push the boundaries.

The technology is there, it's getting cheaper by the day, and what we as an industry need to do is to educate ourselves about this potential new revenue stream, and teach our clients about this medium and the benefits that it could hold for them.

Profile

Steve Crofts graduated from Staffordshire University in 1995 with a degree in Electronic Media. After he exhibited at the New Designers show of that year he went to work in London. 5 years and a successful career covering most aspects of New Media design and production later he decided to move out of town and headed for Nottingham where he met up with an old university friend Ian Lawrence, and during one night of liquid discussion they decided to take on the digital world and formed Glowmedia Limited.

Glowmedia's (http://www.glowmedia.co.uk) expertise is in developing personalised New Media solutions. Our wealth of experience includes design and animation, marketing, e-commerce and specialist programming. All with the aim of lighting up your presence on the web. It's an approach that clients ranging from multinationals to small start-ups, in the private and public sectors, can testify to. And you'd be surprised how simple and cost-effective a tailored strategy can be when you're working with a team who know how to combine incisive design with ease of functionality.