Zoo Digital Share Discussion Threads

[artey] 16/11/2006 16:27

another Des product coming up for release

[artey] 16/11/2006 16:24

Havent seen a Des combined board game before this one, has anyone else?

[verulamium] 16/11/2006 14:44

He's bland, mediocre, dull, trite and just plain bloody annoying. But apart from that, I haven't got a problem with him at all ;-)

[cashmagnet] 16/11/2006 14:41

LOL I think he is amazing, i cant see why people have a problem with him

[verulamium] 16/11/2006 14:34

I should think he'll have heard it by now Cash. Hopefully he'll take it very personally and never release another sodding record.

[cashmagnet] 16/11/2006 14:31

thanks verul, i have email james blut so he can hear it for him self

[macca28] 16/11/2006 14:11

last years dvd game did not use dvd extra

[verulamium] 16/11/2006 14:08

A song for you Cashmagnet, after hearing your choice of music on Myspace.

click on "I may just have to...."

Enjoy!

[aphzombie] 16/11/2006 13:56

I'll try, but difficult to nail down for sure. It is doubtful that it would have DVDExtra logo on th back because by the looks of things it's not purporting to be a fully interactive dvd, like a game for example, as it is in effect a linear product with this quirky interactive feature bolted on. So at best it would be a normal dvd which has only utilized Speedmenus for this one particular feature. Not sure if ZOOtech's Speedmenus can be utilized on it's own without being authored within the full DVDExtra Studio environment (starting to get too technical for me from this point).

All I know is that an outfit called "Evolutions" has authored the disc, so if it is Speedmenus then they would be a DVDExtra 3rd party licensee. The only clue from the following release is that the feautre was achieved "using some intricate DVD authoring methods". No doubt about it though, it is a very very 'Speedmenu's-like' feature:



Evolutions has completed the graphics, authoring work and disc design for the highly-anticipated release of QI Series 1 on DVD.

Owing to a now world famous petition, the first series (A Quite Interesting talkbackTHAMES production) was released by 2 Entertain on DVD on November 6th and includes the original unbroadcast pilot, out takes and a clever interactive feature.

Evolution's DVD department spent 3 months on the project working alongside the programme makers, talkbackTHAMES and QI Limited. The evocative menu, designed by Evolution's graphic designer Cat Middle, features animations of objects that start with the letter 'A', as do all the questions in series 1.

To match the style of the programme the DVD breaks the mould and allows viewers to stop the DVD whilst in play mode and find facts about the subject being questioned. This concept was achieved by the Evolutions team, and in particular author Tony Balogun, using some intricate DVD authoring methods.

[macca28] 16/11/2006 12:25

aph: see if you can nail it to zootech,

[aphzombie] 16/11/2006 11:57

Looks like DVDExtra "Speedmenus" funtion is at last finding its way onto consumer products:



Evolution shows smarts for QI DVD
Thursday 16 Nov 2006 - 10:23

Post house Evolutions has completed work on the DVD for the first series of the BBC3 comedy panel show QI. The DVD includes all of the episodes of the show, the unbroadcast pilot, outtakes, and a set of interactive features.

The show sees comedians providing humorous answers to impossibly difficult questions, and being award points based on being interesting rather than correct. It features Stephen Fry as the host, and a rotating roster of panelists including Hugh Laurie, Rob Brydon and Jeremy Clarkson alongside regular Alan Davies.

The menu design was created by graphic designer Cat Middle, and features animations of objects that start with the letter A, which is the theme of the first series. In keeping with the intellectual focus of the show, ITS INTERACTIVE FEATURES ALLOW VIEWERS TO PAUSE THE SHOW AND LEARN FACTS ABOUT THE SUBJECT BEFORE RETURNING TO THE PROGRAMME.
---

For anyone not aware of DVDExtra Speedmenus function here is a description of it from SPADA's website:

Speedmenus
Speedmenus is a technological development of DVD-EXTRA that enables an Interactive DVD to work in a similar way to interactive TV. Accessed at any time using an on screen menu navigation system, the viewer leaves the main feature to enjoy additional material (like quizzes, biographies, images, the making of, lyrics, historical data, etc) and then returns to exactly the same point at which they left. Once additional features are viewed there is no need to go back to the beginning of the DVD and navigate to the point at which you left the main feature with menus or scene selection. This could become the standard for DVD navigation, enhances the rich media experience and opens up many different applications for Interactive DVD.

[diamante] 16/11/2006 11:13

Spread now 5% at the quoted 37/39, the dealing spread is probably down to 2 or 3%. Unless they get some turnover, I'd expect the spread to widen - stupid really, as that just further deters people from buying or selling.

Makes a change from a month or so ago when the quoted spread was often 50%.

Interesting that a year ago, these were 20 times the current price, about £8 in new money. It's also interesting that the directors and instituions recently bought at a price 20% higher than the current price.

Aph, I agree. Everything is in place for this to takeof price wise. It is at least a possibility (and a high probability if the licence income grows as expected). (Of course it may not grow as expected, and may not takeoff, but that doesn't alter the fact that the possibility for a 5 or 6 times price hike is there at the moment - most companies don't even have that possibility).

It's now a matter of risk/reward. Risk has downside protection due to the cash raised and contracts already in place, generating continuous income for no effort on zoo's part, while the possible, ie within a reasonable realm of possibility, rewards are very high if income performs as expected. That's my reading anyway. It needs an outer to get things moving though, and that is going to be a trading statement or contract news or suchlike which will bring in the less risk averse.

[macca28] 15/11/2006 20:01

its just that i have not seen zootech on the back of any others

or perhaps scivener did not want it

[macca28] 15/11/2006 19:59

"which game are you referring to as possibly using speedmenus?"
ministry of sound

[aphzombie] 15/11/2006 17:25

diamante,

the £6m forecast revenues for current year comrise ziv and zootech. As i said earlier, strip out ziv from calculations (costs for which are said to neutralise revenues at approx £3m apiece) leaving £3M zootech revenues giving the forecast £300-700k profit. the cost base for ZOOtech is about £2.7-£2.8 million which is what gives rise to the lower £300k forecast profit figure.

as for next year who knows, revenues could go ballistic with large scale take-up from just a couple more studios for Menu regionalisation, TAS, or both. Or then again revenues may just rise steadily with 3rd-party PostProduction facilities licensing ZOOtech's tools as part of their services to those Studios. depends on whether the studios can be persuaded to bring ZOOtech's software in-house or not. But with ZOOtech's cost base fixed (or at least allowing for small expansion) at say £3 million or so in the next year or two, as you say the licensing model allows for huge gearing in profits even if revenues only increase by another couple of £million next year that's £2million-plus profit. And that's not even taking into account any of the further new products/tools they are presently working on in conjunction with the Studios & other customers.

[cashmagnet] 15/11/2006 16:15

dim you really are a lower life form

[aphzombie] 15/11/2006 16:09

nothing in that article that conflicts Macca. It was written prior to disposal of ZIV.

which game are you referring to as possibly using speedmenus?

btw there is a new slew of products just out out on play.com scheduled for release in february. All from Dreamworks films and described as "Interactive Pack". From the details it looks like their USP is the bonus DVDGame attached to each film, presumably all are versions of the DVDExtra games which have been produced for Dreamworks to date, and presumably with some new ones aswell such as Shark Tale. Perhaps they are scheduled to coincide with Shrek 3 release, for which bEqual have already stated they will be creating a "series of dvd games". Does that come out Feb/Mar next year anyone know?

Shrek 2 Interactive Pack
Pre-order
Due for release on 05/02/2007

Shark Tale Interactive Pack
Pre-order
Due for release on 05/02/2007

Madagascar Interactive Pack
Pre-order
Due for release on 05/02/2007

Over The Hedge Interactive Pack
Pre-order
Due for release on 05/02/2007

Shrek Interactive Pack
Pre-order
Due for release on 05/02/2007

[diamante] 15/11/2006 16:02

Mac, I don't know why Cashless is getting bored with all this serious talk - the more links which are posted about ziv, the more hilarious the situation becomes!

Anyway, the bottom line is the directors know all the details of everything which has gone on, and they decided to buy more shares at 49p in the fundraising. So zoo is now zootech, and zootech is growing revenues at a very high rate - as you would expect from their now focussed business model. The revenue growth for zootech was £450,000 to £1.9m and forecast to be around £6m this year. The nature of a licence model is that costs are pretty much fixed and don't vary much with income. So if costs are £5.5m, the forecast £6m revewnue gives 1/2m profit, but a revenue next year of (eg) £10m gives more or less £4.5m profit - a very high gearing of profits to sales.

As Aph says, certainly investable now as a high growth /low fixed cost base company.

[macca28] 15/11/2006 15:36

there is also a game with a zootech logo on the back
are they using the speed menu?

[macca28] 15/11/2006 15:26

the raising of £4 mil conflicts with this now ziv has gone,
read it and tell me what you think,

[cashmagnet] 15/11/2006 14:47

yes thanks for adding them, i set up one but nothing came of it but i chat to a lot of them and they are interested. the glammour models are nice to chat to but i have removed a lot of them as mates because it makes me look pervey ha ha

[rob008] 15/11/2006 14:39

When people say thanks for the add what do they mean? They mean thanks for adding to friends list?

So you been on any dates with women from there?

[cashmagnet] 15/11/2006 14:36

they are all of the same person and thats meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
yep all women mates why have men ;-)

[aphzombie] 15/11/2006 14:17

Agreed Diamante the RNS was shockingly 'wooly', which is why I spoke to the company direct and got all the details which were omitted. The actual mechanics of the 'sale' are such that ZIV was not actually sold as an 'entity' to Scrivener: ZIV was actually in effect closed down, and it was the 'assets' (in effect some of the licences to various IP) which were sold, for the deferred payment of £200,000. Further 'mechanics' of the closure involved Scrivener leaving ZOO and opening up a new business called Zoo Interactive Entertainment. hence I guess this is why the RNS doesn't state "ZIV sold to Scrivener", rather more "ZIV closed, Scrivener leaves and forms new company ZIE, licences to some of ZIV IP sold to Scrivener and his new company".

I do not have a clue as to what licences were sold, suffice to say that if ZOO have indeed retained some licenses, they won't be using them to produce any more consumer publishing products in the near future.

With regard to your last point, there are a number of issues which forced the sale (closure) of ZIV. It was obviously not the immediate cash consideration, as that was paltry and deferred anyway. The main reason was to take out any more risk in publishing, and to be able to use ALL income and funds raised to focus on ZOOtech's software development. Obviously by not wanting to invest in any more publishing IP licences that would have considerably hindered ZIV's progress, so therefore it was in ZIV's best interests to let it go to someone who will invest in the business and make it grow. That in turn will come back to considerably help ZOOtech to make sure that DVDExtra is used to continue to poineer the iDVD games genre with cutting edge products, and let's face it it's really only the top-end products that count (in terms of DVDExtra royalties revenues), as the dross that sells in low-1000's numbers just doesn't really matter. The other chief issue in ridding the ZOOtech business of any publishing activities was to ensure that ZOO can now be viewed as a pure technology play. When the numbers start to pan out, then investors can then start to run the sliderule with p/e fundamentals etc. and start to value the company on the high technology ratios which is where the ZOOtech software business belongs. Basically therefore it was to make the company more attractive to new investors, and judging by some of the recent posts here in the past few weeks it is exactly this decision that has indeed made ZOO investable again.