Snail Mail Still Winning The Bandwidth War

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Snail Mail Still Winning The Bandwidth War

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Monday September 23, 2002 @08:18AM from the first-mover-advantage dept.

LR_none writes "Today's New York Times has this short piece suggesting snail mail is the leading broadband technology, at least for video movies on demand. The article states that the 8 to 9 gigs of data on a DVD would take two weeks to download at 56kb, making Netflix' three-day distribution by mail seem speedy. (Since they can send three or more movies at once, Netflix compares favorably with DSL download speeds, too.) The author estimates Netflix alone distributes 1,500 terabytes a day, which is impressive considering the Internet carries 2,000TB a day (by estimates cited in the article). The 'immediate gratification' aspect of Internet consumerism has given a huge boost to companies like FedEx and UPS, but it's surprising to think of the post office as being the leading infrastructure provider for digital entertainment, in terms of market share and efficiency, for the forseeable future. (Disclaimer: I don't work for Netflix or the post office.)"

14 of 257 comments (clear)

LAG! by Tyler+Eaves · 2002-09-23 08:20 · Score: 5, Funny

Lag's a bitch though.

Not millisecond.
Not second.
Not minute.
Not hour.

Lag measured in DAYS.

Hell, even carrier pidgeon is probably faster ;)

--
TODO: Something witty here...
1. Re:LAG! by susano_otter · 2002-09-23 08:46 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  I've yet to experience significant "packet loss" from Netflix, and I go through about 16 DVDs a month with their service. Since February, I've received 1 disk I couldn't read, and one disk that was broken (but I think I stepped on that one).
  
  Packet loss is negligible.
  
  --
  Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
Next they're going to tell me by keep_it_simple_stupi · 2002-09-23 08:22 · Score: 5, Funny

that I could send a couch via FedEx easier than I could over the internet? These people are just plain nuts.

Oh wait...
Really old quote by RocketJeff · 2002-09-23 08:22 · Score: 5, Funny

"Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes" - SysAdmin humor
1. Re:Really old quote by Soko · 2002-09-23 08:50 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Here's the low latency patch for that, by the way. Might bring down the ping times. ;-)
  
  Soko
  
  --
  "Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
Comment removed by account_deleted · 2002-09-23 08:23 · Score: 5, Insightful

Comment removed based on user account deletion
Netflix is great, but... by NineNine · 2002-09-23 08:25 · Score: 5, Informative

if you live on the East Coast, forget about it. Mail takes 5 business days, coming and going, making Netflix not all that cheap. If you get the basic service (3 movies at a time), if you watch the movies THE DAY you get them and send them back immediately, you still can't realistically get more than say, 6 movies a month. If Netflix opened a warehouse on the East Coast, shit, I'd get the best damn service they've got. If not for that huge mail lag for us on the East Coast, their service is fucking fantastic.
The USPS is a-okay by doc_traig · 2002-09-23 08:30 · Score: 5, Interesting

If I need it there Sometime Later This Week, I have no problem using the USPS for anything. They've never lost a piece of mail I was waiting for or sent out, and I have done a lot of business with patient buyers on eBay that were happy with the ship times and the handling with USPS. In fact, recently I have read about more issues with sending delicate equipment UPS/FedEx than with USPS Priority, for example.

Broadband just isn't a reality/necessity for enough people yet, and the size of applications and media in digital format is growing and is already too great for the Average Joe who has an affinity the Internet but doesn't know how to download 4 GB worth of video successfully (or patiently, for that matter).

- DDT

--
So long, michael. Don't let the door hit you...
They've opened three! by TheMatt · 2002-09-23 08:31 · Score: 5, Informative

To wit, from everyone's favorite echoing news site: link. They should have them in Boston, NY, and DC.

--
Fortran programmer...oh yeah. Array math for life!
Re:Disclaimer by phriedom · 2002-09-23 08:43 · Score: 5, Funny

You only think you don't work for the Illuminati. ;-)

--
Don't moderate flamebait as Troll. Know the difference or you will be Meta-moderated.
Just imagine how fast snail mail would be... by Quixadhal · 2002-09-23 08:49 · Score: 5, Funny

...if you didn't have to share bandwidth with all those spammers.
Re:Streaming? by Waffle+Iron · 2002-09-23 08:52 · Score: 5, Funny

You can't stream the mail.
Streaming snail mail doesn't work for DVDs, but you can get it to work for VHS.
The trick is to pull one end of the tape out of the cartridge, then glue it to a post card. Drop the postcard in the mail and leave the rest of the tape next to the mailbox.
Now, as the head end of the tape makes its way through the postal system, it automatically despools the rest of the tape which streams along behind it.
As soon as the head end of the tape arrives, the customer inserts it into in an empty cartridge and starts to play it . As the VCR plays, it sucks the remainder of the tape out of the postal system at the appropriate speed.
Re:Pretty good security too... by Space+Coyote · 2002-09-23 09:10 · Score: 5, Funny

Just think, there was a virus attack on the USPS network last fall, and it was front page news for months, even though it only infected a handful of network nodes.

Meanwhile Klez keeps popping up in my Inbox again and again..

--
___
Cogito cogito, ergo cogito sum.
Re:-1 redundant by EnderWiggnz · 2002-09-23 09:46 · Score: 5, Funny

never underestimate all your base in a beowulf cluster of hot grits down natalie portmans pants! ...

profit!

--
... hi bingo ...