  LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 |  RE: Is Comcast prioritizing traffic or not?
»blog.comcast.com/2012/05/the-fac···ing.html
Posted by Tony Werner, Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, in Network and Operations
Specifically, we provision a separate, additional bandwidth flow into the home for the use of this service — above and beyond, and distinct from, the bandwidth a customer has for his or her regular Internet access service. Our Xfinity TV content is provided through the Xbox over that separate service flow, and therefore does not use a customer's provisioned Internet service capacity. We use Differentiated Services Code Point ("DSCP") markings to mark the Xfinity TV packets to identify these packets so our network knows that these packets must be transmitted over the separate service flow from the CMTS to the customer's cable modem.
There's also been some chatter that we might be prioritizing our Xfinity TV content on the Xbox. It's really important to us that we make crystal clear that, in contrast to some other providers, we are not prioritizing our transmission of Xfinity TV content to the Xbox (as some have speculated). While DSCP markings can be used to assign traffic different priority levels, that is not their only application — and that is not what they are being used for here. | |
| LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 | RE:TV Network Execs Say Skipping Commercials Is Illegal
A couple options come to mind.
Free OTA TV dies completely because the people making TV content refuse to sell anything to OTA networks. So they charge cable & telco companies providing TV shows much more to carry the shows to make up what they have lost in ad revenue. In that case cable bills will rise.
Start embedding ads within the actual content thru product placements(Ford cars; Coke instead of Pepsi; McDonald restaurant where robbery takes place; etc; etc.). Actually have actors use the product names within the dialog of a show. Some of that already happens now, but it is usually low key and not immediately obvious. But if commercials become programatically skippable, expect much more obvious product reference within the actual show.
And, of course, efforts will be redoubled to prevent DVR's from even recording anything at all. Or more use of NoCopy flags and forcing cable companies to provide network DVRs that will prevent fast forwarding or skipping at all. The deals will between cable companies and the content providers and will shut out those delivery companies that won't play ball. | |
|  | dylking
join:2001-07-31
Saint Paul, MN | Re: RE:TV Network Execs Say Skipping Commercials Is Illegal What I'm having trouble figuring out is what law would be broken? It'd have to be a federal law, since the states can't regulate the airwaves like the feds.
It MIGHT be against ToU or EULA for using my TiVo, but that wouldn't be illegal, per se... would it? | |
| | KearnstdElf WizardPremium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ | they would have to switch cables boxes to be HDMI out only to make commercial skipping illegal. Otherwise people will start to dust off that old VCR in the basement. no content flag on that. Or people will move to open source DVR software on an HTPC.
And the more accurate method. more people will look to piracy.
when content owners make life worse for the customer, there is always piracy to save the day and make content usable again. And the owners of IP seem to miss this factor and push things in the direction that makes piracy more popular rather than less popular.(example is the all the crap you cannot skip on a DVD/Blu-Ray, while the pirate is 15 minutes into the film already)
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports | |
| |  BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | from the article
Isn't it just like NBC to think that a tool that the public actually finds useful is an "attack" on their ecosystem? At some point, in the way, way distant future, perhaps we'll live in an age where companies like NBC Universal recognize that, when things are more efficient and easier for consumers, it is a good thing, rather than something to freak out about and declare evil?
Devil's advocate here. If you are skipping commercials how does that make you a "consumer"? Calling yourself a consumer doesn't make you one. If you are not watching commercials and therefore not buying product you are not consuming anything and thus are not a "consumer".
In Fanstayland if all TV was free and was also commercial free I guess people would love that. Of course I wish these "consumers" would explain how all these shows would get made with zero revenue coming in. | |
| | | KearnstdElf WizardPremium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ | Re: RE:TV Network Execs Say Skipping Commercials Is Illegal Thing is people only skip the ads so much now because there is so many of them. going on Netflix I can see a 1hr show can be as short as 40min these days. That is just silly, 20min of ads?
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports | |
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|  KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Most likely they will find a way to charge end users for this privilege.
Either the boxen will count the number you skip and you will be billed for it OR more likely DVR fees will be hiked up significantly to cover your "ability" to skip commercials. If you don't pay for DVR then they'll deny you access to guide information or the like.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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| | It's important to remember that the viewer is not the consumer in the TV ecosystem, it's the advertisers. The viewers are the "product" that networks sell to the advertisers. | |
| | | So what do they want? Do they want to clamp our heads in place turned to the screen and force our eyes open (Like in "A Clockwork Orange")?
Corporations ARE NOT people and SHOULD NOT have the privileges that people do! | |
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