[opendtv] Re: TV Technology: Aereo Argued, Waiting Begins

  • From: Mark Schubin <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 12:01:07 -0400

Bert wrote:

"Wow, these Supreme Court justices are good."
I agree. They all seemed to get the "gimmick" nature of what Aereo is doing. 


Dan wrote:
"This is a hardware rental company, akin to any other hardware rental companies." 

I disagree.
My reason is based on those tiny things, which might be (as Aereo calls them) antennas or might be (as I believe) antenna ELEMENTS. IF they are, indeed, individual antennas, one for each subscriber, then Dan is correct; the subscriber is renting AN antenna. If, however, they are elements of a larger antenna array, then, to use the rental analogy, it would be like someone renting the Hertz Corporation rather than a single Hertz rental car.
Aereo does not start with a single tiny thing. They do not add an additional tiny thing for each additional subscriber. They cannot point to a particular tiny thing and say, "This is the one feeding subscriber 123,456." If they snip off one tiny thing, a particular subscriber does not suddenly lose television service.
In short, the tiny things are elements of an antenna array. Aereo starts with a full array and remains with a full array as subscribers are added. If the subscriber is renting something, then it's the whole array (and receivers and other equipment). But every other subscriber is renting the exact same hardware -- not the exact same TYPE of hardware, but the VERY same hardware. 

TTFN,
Mark



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