[opendtv] Re: Broadcasters, Cable Spar over Retrans

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:37:26 -0500

Craig Birkmaier wrote:

> This is almost gibberish...
>
> Apple used open standards to build iTunes.

What rubbish. Any time you create something that others are not using already, 
with the goal of remaining separate, you are deliberately trying to isolate 
yourself. So this gives the content owner the possibility of singling your 
service out, demanding more compensation, or even blocking access. Yes, even if 
your closed system works well. This is really, really obvious stuff, Craig, and 
has been demonstrated to be true. No need to go on debating the obvious.

> Yes, the congloms could go direct...
>
> But will they?

They already are. They already have blocked their content from certain third 
party services. And remember too, your use of music content as your only 
debating point doesn't work. Making good movies, or even TV shows, with the 
special effects and the on-location that people have come to expect these days, 
requires a lot more capital expenditure than burning your own CDs or providing 
downloadable files on the Internet.

And we have already discussed, once your musician gains any popularity, 
assuming he does, he too latches onto a conglom.

> Other than imposing some limits on downloads, what role do ISPs
> play today other than hosting e-mail servers?
>
> ISPs are not going to control what goes through their pipes. They
> may charge based on usage rates.

Nonsense, Craig. You are making categorical statements with no basis. ISPs can 
easily control what content goes through their pipes. And they already do, or 
the content owners make them do so. Certain streaming programs are only 
available in certain parts of the world, for instance. Or some programs are 
blocked during certain events, like Word Cup soccer, in different parts of the 
world.

In a country like this one, where the ISP broadband providers in many cases are 
also the MVPDs, it takes some real leap of faith to think that ISPs won't do 
something they are very familiar with, once TV programming moves en masse to a 
different protocol.

Bert

 
 
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