The aforementioned revenue idea

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DeusExMachina
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The aforementioned revenue idea

Post by DeusExMachina »

So, I was racking my brains this morning for some reason, thinking about what could be done to generate additional revenue, or additional uses that the existing kJams code could be put to, to broaden the market from just hobbyists (Lite) and professionals (Pro/2). Bigger market = greater revenue.
VDJ, for instance, is really just a DJ package, but grafted on karaoke features, to grab some of that market.
Same with the other DJ programs.
So I was thinking, what uses are close enough to kJams' main functionality, that might have a market, but that would not require extensive work, essentially coding a new app.
I thought of and rejected a number of things, such as media players (kJams doesn't even handle this itself FTMP) DJ software (getting feature parity with VDJ/Serato/Traktor would be a long haul) etc..
After a few hours, and thoughts about what kJams really does at its core, I thought of a market that is interesting, and largely untapped, and potentially lucrative, that uses kJams' main strengths with only minimal added on. I don't even know what to call it. Let's use "patron media control", or "multiuser video jukebox".
So, picture this: people sitting at a bar, conversing, discussing the news of the day, their lives, etc., and watching the various TVs the business has mounted above the bar and around the establishment. Someone, however, wants to watch something else, so normally they would have to ask the bartender to "change the channel". Also, obviously, this restricts the available content to broadcast TV.
What I am envisioning, instead, is a dynamic playlist playback system (like kJams) where a user can submit content requests (like kJams/server) that gets queued, and cued, to play (like kJams) and then plays in sequential order on a video output device (like kJams). A central unit controlled by a admin can reorder the list, reject submissions, add playback items, etc. (like kJams).
It would work like this:
Stations around the bar (like kJams clients/jukeboxes) would consist of maybe a Mac mini, or an el cheapo PC, running this kJams Lite+. It would be connected to one of the TVs above the bar or around the venue. A customer could then search a content library (video clips, movies, TV shows, trailers, etc. on a central content server) and add them to the "rotation" for that display. Permissions could be set to prevent customers from deleting others' submissions or reordering the list. To do this, one would need admin privileges, e.g., the bartender.
In addition, online video sites, such as YouTube, etc., would also be searchable and playable. (In fact, I predict this might be the main content requested.) URLs could also be submitted directly. (this online streaming would be the main addition to current kJams Lite functionality.

The bar would then purchase a license pack, say a $500 five seat or $700 ten seat (or a $1200 unlimited seat) license, allowing them to run the software on all their machines, each connected to its own display. alternately, each table might also have its own display built right in.
Audio could be dealt with as desired by the individual establishment.

An additional feature might also be the ability of a central admin (bartender) to control all the individual machines (though this can also just be done with screen sharing and remote management).

Anyway, the idea was to broaden kJams into a market it is not currently serving, that is, in fact, not served at all, and then market at this much larger market segment, thus potentially increasing revenue significantly.

Just a thought

dave
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Re: The aforementioned revenue idea

Post by dave »

An interesting idea, for sure. For a "new market" idea to be viable for me, however, it would have to take literally zero development time from me, and at the most just a web page describing the use-case, and then purchasing new adwords for getting search results in front of the right audience. I have absolutely no time at all to develop anything. Any sliver of free time i have (which is just about none, currently) I must devote to converting to 64bit and replacing the media engine (both of these extreme waste-of-my-time tasks are apple's fault)

DeusExMachina
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Re: The aforementioned revenue idea

Post by DeusExMachina »

Well, a few things:
First, rock on with the 64!
Second, I would propose this as something to do AFTER the 64-bit move, sort of as a pot-sweetener, like, motivation or justification for the work on the 64-bit move, i.e., potential additional revenue, giving working on it a bit more incentivization, maybe(?)
Third, that said, I don't see that many more things as being necessary to "add", just an ability to play streaming content, like Youtube, and queue it in the rotation. That's why I thought of it. 99% of the things needed are already in kJams.
BTW, adding the ability to play streamed video would be useful for kJams in its original role, too, and has been on the feature request list from others, so that's kind of a two-for.
I just see something in the sort columns like "File:URL".
(Hmm… wonder if I could hack an add on to mock that up with per track scripting. Like in Producer where you use a black scratch track to work on ShowScreens, a blank audibly silent track, with a launch script that opens a URL an plays the enclosed video at full screen on the appropriate monitor….)
And then an admin mode, so that rotations can be locked down on the user end (simply removing the ability to reorder the rotation; that's why I am proposing kJams Lite be the platform) but admin-ed from a central device, possibly via remote management.
That's it really, at least as a start.
But again, after the kJams work, as a "plus".

(Unless I was able to prove a definite financial windfall, which of course I can't) :)
Last edited by DeusExMachina on Fri Apr 06, 2018 1:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

DeusExMachina
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Re: The aforementioned revenue idea

Post by DeusExMachina »

Oooh, idea!
I think is easy given how kJams works.

Just add a URL metadata field (that would of course get stored in a given track's XML sidecar file, and the capability for kJams to task another app (set in defaults) to open that URL.
Done.

I know adding another field is easy enough. And I suspect giving kJams the ability to open another app is trivial. I could certainly do it with a launch file, but just being built in is nicer (plus has added benefits).

As long as kJams can "play" a track that consists of only an XML file, that makes everything work (I think this already works, right?).

Doing that, a "track" could just use a metadata value like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=XXXX&vq=hd720
or
http://www.youtube.com/v/XXXX?hd=1&autoplay=1

By setting the appropriate browser to one not currently being used for anything else, and set up to run on the appropriate display, the rest just sort of takes care of itself, or can be scripted (like closing the window after playback ends).
With a little scripting, one could even make that generic, programmatically inserting the appropriate values.

This would instantly allow kJams to "play" YouTube videos.

Addendum:
Just checked. kJams doesn't know how to open a Safari webloc file. It refuses to even add it as a launch file.

Addendum 2:
After sitting all night, kJams will magically allow weblog files to be added as launch files.
Weird.
Last edited by DeusExMachina on Wed May 02, 2018 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

dave
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Re: The aforementioned revenue idea

Post by dave »

:shock:

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