[opendtv] Re: News: Ditch Your TV

  • From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2008 22:59:01 -0800

However, the highest-interest programming genre on tv is live sports.
Period.

"Several" networks have proven that you can't do HD sports in the same ATSC
transport stream when there are any other virtual channels.  They may not
say publicly that they have proven that, but they did.

A sports broadcast with fast motion (not poker) will use around 8 gigabytes
per hour, more or less.  And, Comcast does network management, so you can't
always get a good, steady stream of high-interest high-motion content.

30 hours of sports a month.  

Oh, I see, you are speaking of non-live.  Of course, all one needs to do is
to take a bit longer with live encodes, but of course AVC isn't likely to
appear in ATSC (or clear SCTE) transport streams anytime soon.

I will concede that this can replace a Tivo with a bit of elbow grease.
NTSC Tivo.

John Willkie

-----Mensaje original-----
De: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] En
nombre de Tom Barry
Enviado el: Monday, December 08, 2008 5:56 PM
Para: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Asunto: [opendtv] Re: News: Ditch Your TV

My Cox cable just upped my basic cable broadband rate to 9 mbps and 
offered 15 mbps for a bit more, forget how much.

Meanwhile the typical hour HD show is re-encoded to 720p AVC taking a 
total of about 1/3 of a DVD, say about 1.25 GB.  I know Comcast 
currently has a total download limit of 250 GB per month.  I'm not sure 
what the Cox limit is.

- Tom

John Willkie wrote:
> What tripe.  What cable company offers 18 mb/second connection?  Notice
that
> the article says in the second graf "forget upgrading" to a .. "new jumbo
> HDTV."
> 
> Even if they did, one minute at 18 mb/sec would "only" require
1,080,000,000
> bits, and one hour 64,800,000,000, yes, 64 gigabits per hour.  Note that
> some cable systems charge a premium if you exceed a much lower quota IN A
> MONTH.
> 
> On the other hand, if you want to watch crapovision-quality content on
that
> HDTV set, rock on.
> 
> John Willkie, who can "only" get 1.8 mb/second at his home.
> 
> 
> 
> -----Mensaje original-----
> De: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] En
> nombre de Craig Birkmaier
> Enviado el: Monday, December 08, 2008 9:59 AM
> Para: OpenDTV Mail List
> Asunto: [opendtv] News: Ditch Your TV
> 
>
http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/08/ditch-your-tv-tech-personal-cx_mji_1208ditc
> htv.html?partner=alerts
> 
> Digital Media
> Ditch Your TV
> 
> Mary Jane Irwin, 12.08.08, 12:00 PM EST
> 
> The Internet is offering (almost) all the programming you need, at 
> little or no cost.
> 
> Usually, we all look forward to the holidays as a time of cheer, 
> relaxation and endless James Bond marathons on TV.
> 
> But this year, with global economies in shambles and daily reports of 
> massive layoffs, your all-you-can-watch $50 monthly cable TV service 
> is looking excessive. And forget upgrading to a fancier digital video 
> recorder or a new jumbo HDTV.
> 
> Fortunately, there are now myriad ways for you to get your weekly 
> dose of House without cable or even a TV. Just use your laptop to 
> access online video repositories like Hulu.com, where you can watch 
> most Fox and NBC programs for free 12 hours after they air.
> 
> You can also go directly to TV network sites. On ABC.com, you can 
> find shows like Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives streamed 
> free--often in high definition. CBS is offering its shows with social 
> chat features, and most other programs can be picked up a la carte 
> from Amazon.com or iTunes. Finally, you can also use your Xbox 360 or 
> PlayStation 3 to stream content.
> 
> All this means that your computer or game console is a far cheaper 
> way to watch TV and movies than a cable subscription, and you'll have 
> the added bonus of watching any time you like. Really, the only thing 
> you're going to miss is HBO or Showtime, but you can rent the last 
> season of Entourage or The Tudors from Netflix or buy them on iTunes.
> 
> It's inevitable that the Internet will rival, if not surpass, 
> television. According to Nielsen, Internet viewers watched on average 
> 27 hours of streamed video feeds per month during the third quarter. 
> And online viewing of video content at television network sites 
> soared 155% from August to September, due to season premieres, 
> coverage of political news and the financial crisis, Nielsen said.
> 
> The biggest roadblock is live programming. TV networks aren't ready 
> to cannibalize their premium TV ad spots, which is why most shows air 
> online a day after they've been taped. But the networks are starting 
> to make concessions: The NFL is streaming Sunday Night Football live 
> and CNN offers live streaming reports.
> 
> Gartner analyst Mike McGuire says it will all come down to broadband 
> penetration. "For digital natives--young adults and the 
> tech-savvy--the Internet is becoming a viable alternative, if not a 
> preferred alternative" to TV, he says.
> 
> McGuire expects that, come January, with everyone so concerned about 
> household budgets, consumers will take a hard look at their cable 
> bills. Many, he says, may decide it's more cost-effective to run the 
> "biggest, fattest [Internet] connection into my house instead of pay 
> for premium cable." Sure, you're paying for the privilege to watch 
> those premium shows, but through iTunes, "you're paying only for 
> programming you want to acquire or download."
> 
> For most people, this makes sense, McGuire says. It's about 
> personalized programming--TV Guide is no longer the task master of 
> the living room, and you don't have to watch Heroes at its broadcast 
> time on Monday nights. If you want to watch it Wednesday, just view 
> it at NBC.com.
> 
> The downside: The video quality of streaming services is often 
> inferior to cable TV, McGuire says.
> 
> So, the biggest barrier to free or pay-as-you-watch TV is no longer 
> about quality or quantity. The question is now, "How do I view this 
> content on my fancy plasma TV?"
>  
>  
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