It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and a moving picture worth even more. Now a company in the UK is enticing businesses to go beyond the confines of eye-catching text, colorful graphics and product photos with TV in a Card.
The brainchild of Russell Lawley-Gibbs and Robert Green, a standard TV in a Card folder has A4 (297 x 210 mm / 11.7 x 8.3 inches) dimensions and opening the cover reveals a 4.3-inch, 320 x 240 resolution, 16:9 aspect LCD display powered by a custom board with built-in storage for about 30 minutes of video footage. There's an included speaker and headphone jack, and the Li-ion battery lasts about 1.5 hours before needing to be charged via the included USB port.
If required, battery capacity can be increased to up to 7.5 hours and onboard storage boosted up to 2GB – which is said to be enough for 4.5 hours of video. Customers can opt to have the video auto-start when the card is opened or manual control buttons can be positioned under the display (or elsewhere, if desired). Available controls include a power on/off switch, volume control, program/episode selection, play/pause, and fast forward/rewind.
It's also possible to load several MPEG, MOV or AVI format videos into one TV in a Card folder, which can be set to automatically play one after the other in order or be individually selected by the user.
TV in a Card – which currently has offices in the UK and Dubai but is hoping to shortly open in Perth, Australia – says that customers can take care of folder layout design matters themselves and supply their own video or work with the company's own designers, who can undertake all aspects of design and manufacture, including video production via the company's in-house studio. The product is flexible and configurable, with options like design-specific packaging and card sizes from A5 (210 x 148 mm / 8.3 x 5.8 inches) upwards available on request.
Business customer pricing will depend on requirements and quantity, with pre-fitted components available to larger agencies wishing to undertake the printing and design themselves. Video content can be managed via USB connection to a PC or Mac.
"For the retail/consumer market, the cards will soon be available online via our dedicated website," Green told Gizmag. "Cost will be in the region of GBP55 (US$90). This will include us adding their video which can be uploaded via our website. Customers will also be able to choose from a range of customizable full color designs for the front cover of the card, which will be added before sending out."
The product could also meet the needs of consumers wishing to send a special video keepsake to distant loved ones, musicians looking to give something extra to fans or training institutions wanting to engage students with more than just written instruction.
