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Comment by steve-rambo-fan

1 year ago

Video was a mistake. Even high quality YouTube tech channels (like GamersNexus) work far better in a text format where you can compare benchmark results without running the video in mpv, taking dozens of screenshots, and then painstakingly comparing them. And that channel has a charismatic anchor, unlike many.

At least they have a website with the same material.

Have a look at rtings and try to come up with an idea how to make this work in a video format:

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wi...

https://www.rtings.com/mouse/reviews/logitech/g305-lightspee...

without losing 90% of information and getting shitty jokes instead.

19 comments

steve-rambo-fan

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keiferski  1 year ago

It doesn't really matter if it "was a mistake," because it's what the market is asking for. Cars were probably a mistake ecologically, vs. horses, but it's what we've got.

  • ndiddy  1 year ago

    Horses caused a huge pollution problem in urban areas. By the 1890s, New York City had over 100,000 horses, which produced over 2.5 million pounds of manure per day. The streets were covered with manure and dead horse carcuses. Cars were seen as the far cleaner alternative.

  • emn13  1 year ago

    Was the market asking for tech review videos, or was the market asking for a platform that helps select, curate, and present content?

    If this trend were merely about format, then websites that just host videos would be a viable model - they're not really. I think this is more about the power of platforms than of the format.

    I'm sure the format _also_ helps, given how donation-dependent small-scale publishers are which works best if publishers are humanized, but I'd guess the more impactful matter is the way platforms can keep consumers onboard and help them discover new publishers than the format.

    • keiferski  1 year ago

      My experience is that for 95% of people under the age of 30, their media consumption is almost entirely video. That's simply the way it is, fortunately or unfortunately. And these tech review YouTube channels seems to do quite well for themselves, dramatically better than the equivalent text-only sites.

      10 replies →

  • steve-rambo-fan  1 year ago

    Sure, but the least we can do is support the few sane places that still remain, like rtings. Lest they follow the way of AnandTech and we're forced to scroll through hours of video to get the same information contained in a ten-minute text article, with interactive charts and comparison tools.

    • keiferski  1 year ago

      I agree, but unfortunately that support doesn't seem to be widespread enough to sustain these kinds of things.

      At this point, I think efforts would be better placed in making a method that enables videos to be viewed in a way akin to text. AI transcription tools are getting there, so I think it might just be a matter of time.