Mobile video and TV has been tried before and failed. This week Apple announced their video iPod, and more importantly, a deal with Disney/ABC. So will the vPod prevail? The iPod certainly changed the way that people consume music, and by extension, is changing the way music is produced and distributed. Will the vPod do the same? The jury is out. One argument for the sucess is that Apple is very good at creating a seamless and simple user experience. The iTunes Music Store is close to perfect, and the integration of software and hardware is dead simple.

Video is a different beast though...but so far the details in getting the content and using the device are on target. I'm still not convinced about consuming video on the go though. Music/audio can be done with only one sense...hearing. Video requires your eyes, and that limits what other activities you can do while interacting with the media.

Another issue is screen size. Portable devices will be small for the time being (until we have next-next generation displays, HUD or projection). Content is being created for a much bigger device (and getting bigger). So while the creative types assume 60" wide screen, the same content is being shoved onto 320x240 displays. To really harness the device, content creators will need to figure out not only how to convert, but more importantly, how to create to and for the small display.

As a friend said yesterday, if you're into this kind of stuff (ie digital content, the network, etc), there is not better time in history to be alive. We are at multiple tipping points, and the future is being created right in front of our eyes. And ears. As for the vPod, if the ABC/Disney deal is the watershed event that signals the beginning of an attitude change by the studios and networks, then we'll look back at this and say, "I remember when..." If otoh this deal is a one-off and it shows that people aren't interested in paying $1.99 for a tv show, or aren't interested in watching a small screen, then it will fade into Newton-land.

I'm betting on the former.