espaeth
Digital Plumber
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
 ·voip.ms
·Vitelity VOIP
·Callcentric
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·ViaTalk
 ·Comcast
 ·Embarq
| Since it was a slow day for the NHL trade deadline...
Might as well talk about more companies jumping on the bandwagon of a business that will bring back all the aspects we loved about the dot-com boom. Take something incredibly powerful and promising (IP video), try and sell it as something it can never be (ie, a replacement for broadcast video), and work off a business model where the only way to get ahead is if you can somehow score rockstar advertising contracts or get acquired by someone who thinks your product is worth something.
Mark Cuban made out like a bandit when Yahoo acquired broadcast.com -- the stage is set for someone to do it again. Which company will make the brilliant financial move this time? |
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funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Washington, DC
·Verizon Online DSL
·Skype
1 edit | So is this why Hulu got kicked off of the Boxee?
So last week Hulu was kicked off Boxee at the request of the entertainment industry and this week an industry-friendly device shows up on the vaporware counter? Coincidence?
The history of this is sickening. ZillionTV was going to give out the box for free, until someone pointed out to them that they could sell it. It has no HDD, so no tolerance for delay or drop -- it's cheap-assed non-robust design requires ISPs to degrade or slow other traffic!
Why do this? For the behaviorally-targeted ads, of course. Why does this thing seem so nasty? Who is behind this terrible idea? Who would take good technology and apply it to such a despicable purpose? Sierra Ventures, who gave $4 million in first-round funding only last month. And who is Sierra Ventures? They're the wonderful folk that brought us NebuAd!
And my stomach churns... ... and an ad for Zantac just appeared on my TV. DAMN IT!
and to answer my own question...
said by funchords  :So last week Hulu was kicked off Boxee at the request of the entertainment industry and this week an industry-friendly device shows up on the vaporware counter? Coincidence? Probably.
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon -- KJ7RL
... Do something! ... |
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Stumbles
join:2002-12-17
Port Saint Lucie, FL | The wookie steps forward....
and now, we are starting to see the real reason for throttling. |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| reply to funchords
Re: So is this why Hulu got kicked off of the Boxee?
ZillionTV was going to give out the box for free, until someone pointed out to them that they could sell it. I enjoyed that bit:This service's affiliation to ISPs is so strong, you won't be able to purchase a box anywhere but through your ISP, for a one-time activation fee of $50. Berman said Zillion toyed with offering the boxes for free, but focus groups revealed that consumers would react suspiciously to a free hardware model. Yeah uh, thanks, focus groups. |
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RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11 | reply to Stumbles
Re: The wookie steps forward....
This wookie looks more like a broom wearing a cheap wookie suit.
--
Toolmaster of La Grange. |
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roberth
@pacbell.net | right web address
I thought it was Zilliontv.tv, not zilliontv.com. |
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ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16
Stratford, CT | reply to espaeth
Re: Since it was a slow day for the NHL trade deadline...
This technology can not, and will not succeed. I feel sorry for the fools who invest in this. |
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RR Conductor
RailRoadDude
Premium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA | So that's where the Cingular guy went lol
He just changed his shape and his color, but I'd recognize him in a second  |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| Will technology catch up with bandwidth?
What happens when technology finally provides enough bandwidth and provides it so cheaply that streaming video is no more of a burden than, say, streaming audio is today?
P2P and HTTP/FTP downloads will always use as much bandwidth as the client can pull but in 10 years when 100Mbps connections become entry level and ISPS are offering 500Mbps connections, a 30 minute MP4 HD sitcom will only take three minutes to download. Combine this with terabyte flash drives and won't IPDVR/IPVOD eliminate classic cable video, broadcast video and DVD and BlueRay discs? |
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neowulf
join:2000-10-20
Port Orange, FL | reply to Karl Bode
Re: So is this why Hulu got kicked off of the Boxee?
I react suspiciously of focus groups that would turn down free hardware... |
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funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Washington, DC
·Verizon Online DSL
·Skype
| reply to rradina
Re: Will technology catch up with bandwidth?
The demand will increase and, if we can put network vendors back to work on speed rather than "features" (DPI), the network will improve with it.
By then we'll be transporting ourselves (or perhaps 3D holograms of ourselves) across the Internet.
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon -- KJ7RL
... Do something! ... |
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George Divers
@telus.net
| Zillions is worth Zip, Nil, nada, ZERO!!!
Zillions has no interesting content, no 1080p video, no exclusive content, and I doubt they can provide a free box. 14 million USD in funding, they will be ended by larger companies such as Hulu, Apple, Netflix, Comcast, Direct TV, etc... With 100 + employee's Zillions is DOA from the start. Not enough content to interest me. No proprietary technology. Do this venture right or go home. How will they survive.
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hayabusa3303
Over 200 mph
Premium
join:2005-06-29
clubs: | reply to RR Conductor
Re: So that's where the Cingular guy went lol
other soon to be (screwed up)att rebrand after they sue them for using some of him in there logo. |
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RRMAN
Premium
join:2007-04-02
Cleveland, OH
| Bored with all articles here as of late
Personally I have been long bored of the articles posted here that are so biased and think this site is the best of the best and know it all. Be nice to see some more un-biased articles instead of bashing companies that support our failing economy. But that won't happen so I will shut up now. |
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MindBender
join:2001-06-26
House Springs, MO
| The rest of the story...
Would be.. give us a free 30 day trial.. and more can
be told.
If there is a 50-50 chance that something can go wrong,
then 9 times out of ten streaming tv will. (go wrong)
Netflix!!!! Plese add a ZOOM! Feature! For us blind people. |
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james p
@telus.net
| Zillion tv is DOA
VC still haven't learned. Consumers doesn't want to be tracked like a guinea pig on every viewing habits to view some videos i can already get for free? This is a privacy nightmare. Thanks but no thanks!
Add Zillion tv the the set-top box dead pool. |
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Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| reply to Karl Bode
Re: So is this why Hulu got kicked off of the Boxee?
Too bad. This could have been the next CueCat. For those who don't remember, back in the Internet Boom, this company gave out USB barcode readers called CueCats. The idea was that ads would have barcodes on them. You'd scan the barcode and your browser would pop open to a website with more information. Don't ask why you couldn't just type out a URL. This was the Internet boom. All logic was out the window.
Anyway, people found out that you could "hack" the barcode readers to read any barcode and run any program you wanted. So you could easily repurpose your free CueCat to serve another purpose if you so wanted. A community sprang up to do just that and CueCat (the company) threatened legal action claiming that they still owned the barcode readers. Unfortunately, for them, they didn't realize that if you give something to someone for free with no contract stating otherwise, you lose ownership of the product. (Doubly so if you mailed the product to people unrequested, as they often did.)
Getting back to ZillionTV, if this box was given out for free, I'm sure it wouldn't be long until some enterprising hacker (in the good sense of the word) figured out how to make the box do something else beneficial to the end user. Perhaps play content from another computer in your house. Still, if someone manages to do this, $50 might not be a bad price to pay for a household video player. It's about the only reason I'd keep an eye on ZillionTV.  |
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kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY
 ·T-Mobile US
| reply to funchords
said by funchords :So last week Hulu was kicked off Boxee at the request of the entertainment industry and this week an industry-friendly device shows up on the vaporware counter? Coincidence? The history of this is sickening. ZillionTV was going to give out the box for free, until someone pointed out to them that they could sell it. It has no HDD, so no tolerance for delay or drop -- it's cheap-assed non-robust design requires ISPs to degrade or slow other traffic! Why do this? For the behaviorally-targeted ads, of course. Why does this thing seem so nasty? Who is behind this terrible idea? Who would take good technology and apply it to such a despicable purpose? Sierra Ventures, who gave $4 million in first-round funding only last month. And who is Sierra Ventures? They're the wonderful folk that brought us NebuAd! And my stomach churns... ... and an ad for Zantac just appeared on my TV. DAMN IT! and to answer my own question... said by funchords :So last week Hulu was kicked off Boxee at the request of the entertainment industry and this week an industry-friendly device shows up on the vaporware counter? Coincidence? Probably. Of course it isn't - it's just our illegal Hollywood RIAA/MPA-mob now tightens the grip while upping the ante in the Congress and White House...
--
[BQUOTE=[user=bicker]]Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them.
[/BQUOTE] |
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DrModem
Premium
join:2006-10-19
USA | reply to RRMAN
Re: Bored with all articles here as of late
There are plenty of "unbiased" media.
CNN, etc.
:P |
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kyler13
Is your fiber grounded?
join:2006-12-12
Arnold, MD
| reply to james p
Re: Zillion tv is DOA
Truly anonymous viewing habits can really only be supported by OTA broadcast, or maybe buying DVDs with cash. That cable/satellite box sitting in your family room has just as much capability to report back what you watch, how much you watch, and when you watch it. |
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