[opendtv] Re: Punching Above Its Weight, Upstart Netflix Pokes at HBO - NYTimes.com

  • From: Albert Manfredi <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2014 19:18:15 -0500

Craig Birkmaier wrote:

> Collusion?
>
> Wanting to compete with the MVPD oligopoly is now collusion?

Decide on a subject, and then stick to it. You claimed that Intel wanted to 
create a better UI. For that, you don't need to collude with anyone. Can you 
not see that? I didn't have to collude with anyone, nor did Dell, Microsoft, or 
Philips, to put together a system that can find TV sites on the Internet, live 
TV stations, record live programs, and even allow my PC to behave as a PVR 
(should I want to use that feature).

Had Intel stuck to what it knows best, it could have put together some 
attractive connected TV hardware/firmware/software package to sell to the CE 
vendors, perhaps. There is NO NEED to think that you have to create a web site 
to achieve this "better UI" goal. There are PLENTY of web sites already that 
carry TV content, and certainly more to come. The CE vendors should be making 
sure that their products can easily navigate to existing and any future such 
sites. Why is it they seem so inept at that simple task, and instead pretend 
the only way to address this "oh so intractable problem" is to create a walled 
content garden of their own?

> What you are ACTUALLY saying is: "Stay away from the exclusive content
> provided by the congloms,

Read what I wrote, Craig. It's really clear. The congloms are, and can continue 
to, use their own and other OTT sites. Quit with the circular arguments!

> And now you are saying that the MVPDs should just move their walled
> gardens to the Internet, where you STILL will not pay for their
> content.

Wow. Back to square one. Let me explain how the Internet works, Craig. The 
Internet is content-neutral, much like the telephone networks are content 
neutral. It's a two-way network, get it? So, multiple web sites can be set up 
on this Internet. They MAY be set up to need authentication, or not to. 
Authentication usually requires the user to set up an account, with a username 
and password. In order to complete setting up that account, the web site can 
opt to demand payment. That payment can be made by credit card, right from your 
PC.

Once you have set up such an account, you can go to that web site and log in, 
from anywhere on the Internet.

Now do you get it? The difference between this and the walled garden MVPDs 
being, you can use that web site from anywhere. So can anyone else. Which 
means, the MVPDs could be competing with other OTT sites, over the entire 
Internet, instead of being the exclusive source of all TV content (in 
particular, live streams) for subscribers connected to that infrastructure. Now 
do you get it?

Bert                                       
 
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