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story category Wait, Why Exactly Am I Writing About Zillion TV?
Opinion: 15,000 video options and there's nothing on...
(old news - 06:45PM Wednesday Mar 04 2009)
tags: Video · competition · business · content · net-neutrality
A new company by the name of Zillion TV is making headlines today, after the company unveiled its upcoming new set-top broadband video service to select media outlets. Yeah, we were as bored writing that first sentence as you were reading it. It's not exactly clear why they're making headlines, aside from the fact the company is studio-backed and apparently taking a page out of the ESPN360 playbook. In other words, only making the service available from select ISPs. Judging from the CEO's comments to Wired, it's pretty clear Zillion's hoping that by partnering with ISPs, they can get some preferred treatment from their network throttling hardware:
Click for full size
"A couple of weeks ago, the Cox cable company put out an announcement regarding the matrix by which they're going to deal with those situations where their pipes are clogged," said Berman. "It was a priority matrix of what they're going to do, and who they're going to help first. The first ones they say they're going to help are streaming, which is what we do. The peer-to-peer guys, and the folks doing progressive [normal web] streaming, and the folks doing downloading are the last on the list -- they're not going to get any help at all."
The problem being that for one, carriers aren't going to want middlemen standing between themselves and their Internet video ad revenue, so they'll prefer doing this themselves -- probably badly. Assuming Zillion did get preferential treatment from ISPs, they'd risk annoying the network neutrality brigades under a new FCC boss who's pro network neutrality. Finally, there's already a flood of established broadband video options, and this service seemingly brings nothing new to the table, and isn't coming out until the end of the year anyway.

If the company is half as good at broadband video as they are at getting tech journalists and bloggers to blather on about a seemingly irrelevant and largely uninteresting product (like we just did), they might just have something.

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Forums » Wait, Why Exactly Am I Writing About Zillion TV?
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espaeth
Digital Plumber
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
·voip.ms
·Vitelity VOIP
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·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?
ITALIAN926

join:2003-08-16
Stratford, CT

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.

funchords
Hello
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join:2001-03-11
Washington, DC
·Verizon Online DSL
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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 See Profile :

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! ...

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Host:
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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.

neowulf

join:2000-10-20
Port Orange, FL

Re: So is this why Hulu got kicked off of the Boxee?

I react suspiciously of focus groups that would turn down free hardware...

Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA

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.

kamm

join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY
·T-Mobile US

said by funchords See Profile :

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 See Profile :

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]
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.
RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11

Re: The wookie steps forward....

This wookie looks more like a broom wearing a cheap wookie suit.
--
Toolmaster of La Grange.

roberth

@pacbell.net

right web address

I thought it was Zilliontv.tv, not zilliontv.com.
hottboiinnc
ME

join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

Re: right web address

it is..Karl has the wrong website address.

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

hayabusa3303
Over 200 mph
Premium
join:2005-06-29
clubs:

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.
rradina

join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
·Charter Pipeline

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?

funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Washington, DC
·Verizon Online DSL
·Skype

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! ...
rradina

join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

Re: Will technology catch up with bandwidth?

Given today's rate of improvement, it seems safe to assume these speeds will be likely in 10 years. We won't be transporting ourselves or 3D holograms by then.

funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Washington, DC

Re: Will technology catch up with bandwidth?

sad and true.

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.




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.

DrModem
Premium
join:2006-10-19
USA

Re: Bored with all articles here as of late

There are plenty of "unbiased" media.

CNN, etc.

:P
speedy99

join:2002-09-25
Saratoga, CA

Re: Bored with all articles here as of late

Don't forget FOX! :-P
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.

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.

kyler13
Is your fiber grounded?

join:2006-12-12
Arnold, MD

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.
Forums » Wait, Why Exactly Am I Writing About Zillion TV?


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