Comments on: The reinvention of television: so now we know http://cultureby.com/2006/04/the_reinvention.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Thu, 17 May 2012 21:10:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John Galvin http://cultureby.com/2006/04/the_reinvention.html/comment-page-1#comment-4828 John Galvin Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:00:14 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=730#comment-4828 "Tivo for the internet," or the possibility thereof, already exists -- it's called Linux and the open source software movement. No matter what they do to make "zap-proof commercials", data is (er, are) data, data traveling over a network is data traveling over a network, and it can be captured and manipulated. ONLY software could make commercials unavoidable or un-fast-forward-able; and only with closed source software would such a thing be allowed to live. (And of course, closed-source software can always be hacked & modified.) Whatever investors or interested agents are buying the "they'll have to watch the ads" line has money-colored glasses on. As it is, right now, whenever I miss an episode of 24, I hop on my favorite bittorrent tracker as soon as I get home and grab the episode -- and am often watching it on a crisp, commercial-free, DVD-R the following evening. Granted, bittorrent requires technical know-how beyond most basic users' savvy, but as soon as the entire population of regular old TV viewers comprise a community who will desire a particular hack, that hack (getting commercials out of Disney's video stream) will appear. Heck, I bet a Firefox extension could do the trick. “Tivo for the internet,” or the possibility thereof, already exists — it’s called Linux and the open source software movement. No matter what they do to make “zap-proof commercials”, data is (er, are) data, data traveling over a network is data traveling over a network, and it can be captured and manipulated. ONLY software could make commercials unavoidable or un-fast-forward-able; and only with closed source software would such a thing be allowed to live. (And of course, closed-source software can always be hacked & modified.)

Whatever investors or interested agents are buying the “they’ll have to watch the ads” line has money-colored glasses on. As it is, right now, whenever I miss an episode of 24, I hop on my favorite bittorrent tracker as soon as I get home and grab the episode — and am often watching it on a crisp, commercial-free, DVD-R the following evening. Granted, bittorrent requires technical know-how beyond most basic users’ savvy, but as soon as the entire population of regular old TV viewers comprise a community who will desire a particular hack, that hack (getting commercials out of Disney’s video stream) will appear.

Heck, I bet a Firefox extension could do the trick.

]]> By: Belligerati http://cultureby.com/2006/04/the_reinvention.html/comment-page-1#comment-4829 Belligerati Tue, 11 Apr 2006 08:46:59 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=730#comment-4829 <strong>Winners and Losers</strong> Disney / ABC is planning to release their most popular shows online for free from their website. They will also be available for free from itunes. On both platforms the content will be ad supported but users will retain the... Winners and Losers

Disney / ABC is planning to release their most popular shows online for free from their website. They will also be available for free from itunes. On both platforms the content will be ad supported but users will retain the…

]]> By: Matt http://cultureby.com/2006/04/the_reinvention.html/comment-page-1#comment-4827 Matt Tue, 11 Apr 2006 04:13:48 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=730#comment-4827 Why buy a DVD when all content is always available? Of course not. But then, not all content will be available, and it won't _always_ be available. Under the proposed model, the studios will retain the ability to shut off access whenever they feel like it...which is the antithesis of "always available". TiVO's current model may eventually die, but then their current model is an adaptation to the suboptimal delivery methods of the present. I'd be quite surprised if the next software update didn't include some support for downloading content to store on the hard drive and view through the TiVO. Why buy a DVD when all content is always available? Of course not. But then, not all content will be available, and it won’t _always_ be available. Under the proposed model, the studios will retain the ability to shut off access whenever they feel like it…which is the antithesis of “always available”.

TiVO’s current model may eventually die, but then their current model is an adaptation to the suboptimal delivery methods of the present. I’d be quite surprised if the next software update didn’t include some support for downloading content to store on the hard drive and view through the TiVO.

]]> By: Grant http://cultureby.com/2006/04/the_reinvention.html/comment-page-1#comment-4826 Grant Mon, 10 Apr 2006 21:49:06 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=730#comment-4826 FXFLM, great point, and not a moment too soon. Thanks, Grant Mary, yeah, I can't imagine this won't happen. Thanks, Grant Jeff, great point, hadn't thought of that, so if Steve can get Disney content on ipod, it drives hardware sales. (purchase, ads, he doesn't care.) Thanks! Grant FXFLM, great point, and not a moment too soon. Thanks, Grant

Mary, yeah, I can’t imagine this won’t happen. Thanks, Grant

Jeff, great point, hadn’t thought of that, so if Steve can get Disney content on ipod, it drives hardware sales. (purchase, ads, he doesn’t care.) Thanks! Grant

]]> By: jeff http://cultureby.com/2006/04/the_reinvention.html/comment-page-1#comment-4825 jeff Mon, 10 Apr 2006 21:25:33 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=730#comment-4825 With Steve being the largest shareholder in the Disney and sitting on the board, aren't Apple and the Mouse kind of the same thing? Do you think Steve would let something that would hurt Apple go through? Nah. And they've always said they're not really making money from iTunes anyway. With Steve being the largest shareholder in the Disney and sitting on the board, aren’t Apple and the Mouse kind of the same thing? Do you think Steve would let something that would hurt Apple go through? Nah. And they’ve always said they’re not really making money from iTunes anyway.

]]> By: Mary Schmidt http://cultureby.com/2006/04/the_reinvention.html/comment-page-1#comment-4824 Mary Schmidt Mon, 10 Apr 2006 19:35:38 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=730#comment-4824 Hmmm. Well, it'll be a short revolution, methinks. I'd bet some techie has <em>already</em> written "Tivo for the Internet." And, I just can't see Disney, with its control freak culture, being able to do the "community thing." Hmmm. Well, it’ll be a short revolution, methinks. I’d bet some techie has already written “Tivo for the Internet.”

And, I just can’t see Disney, with its control freak culture, being able to do the “community thing.”

]]> By: FXKLM http://cultureby.com/2006/04/the_reinvention.html/comment-page-1#comment-4823 FXKLM Mon, 10 Apr 2006 17:37:42 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=730#comment-4823 Add the FCC to that list of losers. As broadcast television becomes irrelevant, the power of the FCC to control content is greatly diminished. Add the FCC to that list of losers. As broadcast television becomes irrelevant, the power of the FCC to control content is greatly diminished.

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