In Demand / Video on Demand

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/aboutus/headline.dsp?id=06_29_2005B this will maybe help a lil bit....

 

No, not with the current satellite technology. There is no "reasonable" backward communication path for VCR type functionality on satellite. Creating a dial-up session for backwards communication is unreasonable and slow.

This technology set is what cable MSO's have been counting on to lead them into the future. Cable knows it will cost satellite a lot of money to update their current technology to have bi-directional communication.


Now, will InDemand sell content to satellite for broadcast style delivery? Unknown but I bet they fight it all the way.

 

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VOD is going to Directv. I thought I read somewhere that the harddrive on the R15 will be 160gb or something like that and 100gb for the user and 60gb for VOD. Did i read this on this forum or dream it lol...

 

What does a harddrive have to do with VOD? A harddrive allows for PVR type functionality. VOD allows a user to browse content, start it when THEY want, pause, fast forward, rewind, stop, choose another piece of content. All content for VOD is maintained on a Headend server, not your STB or PVR device. With PVR, you have to wait until the content has been broadcast via a time based event.

 

Im just going by what I read

 

Understood. I work in the industry and have dealt with this type of technology for the last 5 years. Companies always try to undermine their competitors by using catchy phrases. For instance, On Demand was catchy but it was just pay per view model used on a time based event. There was nothing demand about it.

 

There is a thread somewhere here about Rupert setting aside a portion of the hd for VOD. It would work this way -- all possible VOD material is sent overnight (like Showcases and Yellow Star stuff), then it appears on a menu. You choose what you want, access card records it -- like PPV. So VOD IS possible with D*

 

You said it yourself. This is not Video On Demand. VOD is streaming video from a centralized server over a transport. I can choose a piece of content and then immediately fast forward through the entire content. If enabled, I could skip ahead to parts of the content. You do not have to wait for the content to be downloaded to your system to access it. See the difference. VOD enables the user to be in full control. The system you reference still requires a data dump. Once the content exists on your DVR, then you can do as you want with it. 60GB storage? Our servers currently carry TBs of storage.

Eventually, broadcast will slowly disappear and be replaced by the model of content being available for you to view when you want. The content libraries will become much larger than is currently available today. You will be able to watch what you want when you want it.

 

So how is my example not VOD? It's "Video" and you can access it "On Demand." right? Whether it comes from a central server or dumped on your hardrive -- what difference does it make? You still get the same content, and access it when you want it. From what I understand, the new system doesn't take any recording time from our recording area (like the current Showcases), but, no you can't "do as you want with it." It would, as I understand it, delete itself if not purchased by a certain date and be replaced with another offering. It's not that big a deal to do. And, sorry, but broadcast will not "slowly disappear." Not as long as Congress, the NAB and the big media companies are around. Broadcast may morph into something unlike its current model, but it will never disappear. Phone companies are a good example of this -- even with the explosion of wireless technology and broadband phone service, we still have land lines, right?

 

Two points:

1. FlWingNut is trying to say there will be terrabytes (and beyond) of shows, not a few gigabytes that D* puts on your hard drive. It will take a true 2-way communication for D* to compete with the cables for this service.

2. I think there is a second equally important part of that news release that you all are missing - the pricing structure. I believe there is some FCC reg that says anything broadcast using a satellite transmission as part of the delivery system must be offered to the satellite broadcasters as well as cable companies (i.e. a Comcast sporting event that is delivered via fiber does not have to be offered to D* or Echostar).

In this case, the cable companies need the subscribers to have certain equipment just like D* would. The cable requirement is that the customer have digital and HD. However, they changed their pricing model and said digital. So, that means they want to charge D* for all of their millions of customers since everyone meets that qualification instead of the few hundred thousand who have hd receivers.

This is a very significant issue for us as viewers because if this is allowed to stand, the cable companies could force us to pay more for some service we want to watch vs their own companies.

This is exactly what Microsoft did when pc mfgs first delivered Windows with their computers. (If you'll recall when pc's first came out, you had to buy the OS and applications and install them yourself). The pricing structure was written so that a pc mfg had to pay a royalty of $40 to MS even if the pc didn't have Windows on it. Mfg's liked Windows, because there were lots of applications and the customer could start using the machine right out of the box. Only IBM with it's superior OS2 was able to keep marketing a pc with your choice of OS. But even they lost in the end and MS ended up controlling the market - not because of a superior product (far from it), but because of pricing.

This extra fee the cable companies would get could stifle competition (and innovation) much the same that MS did is the OS marketplace.

 

I will agree that D* does have an ingenious method they seem to want to invoke that will allow them to create a mock-up version of VOD. I am curious though on how the backwards communication will work to get the preferred content uploaded to the DVR device. I was wrong when I stated 60GB because I saw something that actually said 80GB to begin with. I do understand that this will come from a larger library that will hold TB+ of content.

Like it or not, Demand Media will be the wave of the future and yes, Broadcast will be dieing out. Not completely though because of Sporting and other live event broadcasts. It is all about maximizing bandwidth and putting the user in control.

But, believe me when I say that I hope satellite gets true 2-way communication because that will open the door for a lot of opportunities. Our systems currently can only go where true 2-way communication exists. So we are in the cable MSO's and Telco space. Now, if satellite would just require DSL, then...

 

The new dtv dvrs are reported to have 40 to 60 gig of space reserved for vod.

Over time, a number of movies, specials, concerts and the like are downloaded to this reserved space.

Once each video has completed downloading to the reserved space, it appears in the "VOD Menu".

The video downloads occur in the background or when your not using your dvr and do not appear in the "VOD Menu" until they have completely downloaded and are ready to purchase.

They should be able to store from 30 to 40 videos in the reported 60gig of reserved space. You most likely won't get to choose what's delivered in the directv model. It'll be what they think will be the most popular. (not exactly "TV Your Way", is it?)

Granted, it's not "Terrabytes" of content, but allbeit limited, it is vod.

 

VOD doesn't necessarily mean unlimited choices.. as jmoak said, you'll be limited to what DirecTV pushes out. This is basically VOD with push technology. Your DVR becomes the VOD server..

 

But you are still waiting. So it's not "on demand". It's nice that they try and confuse the rubes though.

 

So if my cable company does not have the movie I want to see available today are they mistakenly calling their service "on demand" as well? Are they also guilty of confusing the rubes?

Maybe the perceived definition of "on demand" is where the fault is.

 

Curious about D* and the standard they use for content. Does D* use mpeg2 or are they using mpeg4 for SD and HD content?

Also, does anyone know what bit rate is being used for SD and HD?

Will this new DVR allow for HD "VOD"

 

You are talking about a VAST difference in storage capacity. TB+ vers. < 100GB.

Now throw HD into that mix at 19.2mbps and you have some huge files on mpeg2. Good luck with lots of content. There is a difference between the two technologies.

 

A "VAST" difference is an understatement! It's more like the difference between a cup of water and the atlantic ocean.

In today's directv vod model, there will be no where near "lots of content". Not by a long shot. Luck has nothing to do with it.

The storage capacity IS the difference.

Don't get me wrong here, guys. I'm not a big fan of "On Demand". It's just simply that cable has a much better offering in this model.

If your tastes are exactly the same as the guys that choose what content is on the cable servers, or pushed quietly to your dvr, it can truly be seen as "On Demand". .... as long as your tastes never vary from what's offered.

The cable offering has a better chance of actually being "On Demand" for more customers due to the sheer storage space they can take advantage of.

But for those who's tastes vary from the norm, they're "still waiting".

The sheer number of those "still waiting" is going to quite high for those trying to use the directv vod model. Cable will have their "still waiting" customers as well, but no where near as many.

One thing is true though, cable is light years closer than directv to actually being "On Demand".