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AOL will launch TiVo-like Mystro service
Jason1729 writes "According to this article on Yahoo, AOL is launching its on version of a PVR service. The content will be stored at the cable provider and not in the local hardware. That seems to be a huge disadvantage because it will use a lot more cable bandwidth transfering the content for a single viewer. It sounds like they're doing it that way so they can restrict which shows you can use the service with (like lock out new episodes of network shows)."
Just like spam, they only have to hit 1% of they're target audience to call it a success.
And with the # of ma and pa's far outnumbering kiddies and in the know professionals who will avoid this like the plague, they're destined to be a beacon to any large distributor who doesn't want they're movie Tivo'd....err PVR'd.
Distributor: AOL, please don't PVR our show, it's under "special" programming
AOL: That will be 50 Million.
Distributor: That's hiway robbery! Forget it, I'm not paying.
AOL: Fine, we just "automatically" PVR'd it for all our customers and provided live feed for all our Internet Subscribers
Distributor: You Can't do that!
AOL: We can't? Who ya gonna call? SLASHDOT! HAHAHAHAHA!
Distributor: No, they don't have any real power except the occasional network bandwidth block. Here's your money.
AOL: Yeah! We get to show better than expected Earnings!
Bah.
Yo Grark
Canadian Bred (AOL FREE) with American Buttering.
Canadian Bred with American Buttering
as reported earlier
This sounds like Apple back in the day... "Well were bleeding money as it is, why not start another service." But at least Apple had the sense to try and create new markets (ie. the first PDA and one of the first Digicams) AOL/TW coming out with a PVR box? God there are so many holes in that idea that I don't know where to start.
In any case (heh 'Case' get it?) this is not the Holy Grail that will get AOL/TW out of the red, in fact this is more likely to put them in ReplayTV land (read: bankrupcy court).
---- The real Slashdot is still here. You just have to browse at -1 to read the comments.
Mystro?? It's a mysteron plot! Can't you see! Call Sprectrum and get Captain Scarlet on this one! He's indestructable!
That's not a soda... it's a caffeine delivery device!
...imagine the storage capacity! Seriously, how much can you figure it would take to store all the cable shows that run all the time?
Of course, there are plenty of repeats, but still -- digital access to all the content on
[cheese] And just imagine a Beowulf cluster of those [\cheese]
*rimshot*
-theGreater Nutcase.
Ha! Yes, what indeed! If only my cable company had a small box at my house on top of my TV. One that could, say, decode a video stream and put it on my tv set.
Even better, it could listen to a remote control, and send those commands back to them for processing.
That would be so cool, and it just might help this system work...
The only acceptable defense of scientific results is to say that they were the product of the Scientific Method.
"The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft agley..." - ROBERT BURNS
CmdrTaco on Tuesday March 11, @01:53AM
from the now-here's-where-it-get-interesting dept.
admiral2001 writes "Here is is a NYTimes story about AOL-Time-Warner's plans for a TiVo-killing 'Mystro TV' (nytimes annoying free registration required). They plan to begin rolling this out sometime in the next two years. Their major features are the simple pause, rewind, and fast forward that all PVRs have. However, they've taken the obvious stance to "let[s] networks set the parameters, dictating which shows users can reschedule, and it also creates ways for networks to insert commercials." The article even mentions how they could get an advantage in pushing their product because "viewers could try out Mystro TV by pushing a button on their remote"."