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ExtremeTech Reviews Akimbo Internet-Movie Box
prostoalex writes "ExtremeTech published a review of Akimbo DVR, a $229 box that coupled with $10 monthly subscription fee and a broadband connection would provide access to a variety of Internet-only shows. ExtremeTech review is positive, although it does mention that downloads take long time, the content is not what one would call rich, and quality of the video differs, since the Windows Media files are coming from a variety of providers. Inside Akimbo one can find a 733 MHz Celeron, 64 MB of SDRAM, 80 GB hard drive and Windows CE. Even though the reviewers keep calling the Akimbo product a DVR, it's not perfectly clear whether a basic DVR function (recording TV content on schedule) is supported."
My largest question regarding this would be the quality of the video. I've seen way too many downloaded clips with offset audio or super grainy video. Why would I want to pay money, be it a nominal fee, to wait hours to get crappy video. And the fact that it may or may not be a DVR. As a DVR, it may well be worth the purchase, when you figure in the extra content.
rm -rf
Hot Damn it carries Naked News! Who cares about the other features!
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
The blurb says they cant decide if it does act as a pvr.
Also, the content available isn't exactly what most people would consider amazing.
For example, one of the "channels" you can PURCHASE is:
FILMCLIX
Independent feature films, extreme sports, award-winning documentaries, foreign films and music documentaries. Five titles with two new titles added every month.
Rental: $1.49 - $2.49 / 7 days
I'm not knocking the idea per-say, and I would happily shell out for a net based service if I could choose the current popular shows via BT.
liqbase
For one reason, I bought Windows Media Center 2005 at OEM with the remote to qualify for Hardware OEM builder. This definitely kicks anything out there (for $160 total). I hooked up Windows Media Center 2005 to my LCD tv and I get HDTV like video streaming from my network. Very nice.
Akimbo on the other hand is a porn machine. There's tons of porno on that system for further money but is it worth it? Nope. That and I have a dusty Xbox in my livingroom just waiting for Xbox Media Center Extender to transfer all my music and videos plus giving me access to all of my online services for not much money. Akimbo, sure there's some targeted shows but nothing you can't watch with Windows Media Center, and in a couple of days Xbox Media Center entender kit.
Add a Linksys NAS device for $79 and a Lacie terabyte USB 2.0 block with an old pc and you have a multimedia center for under 1.2 ghees.
So the thing is basicly an XBOX running a different version of windows? I mean the stats are pretty much the same :)
So how long until someone upgrades one of these boxes to run MythTV? Of course without a TV tuner it might not be worth it.
Even Microsoft is pushing Media Center Edition (MCE), with a strategy to push media to "extenders" like Xboxes and TV-boxes. What's the purpose of CE other than being able to use skimpy hardware? Would you want skimpy hardware encoding your movies?
Yet when I go to the Akimbo website, they say the titles have to be bought.
I wonder whether that article used a prerelease press pic instead of something real, or whether the deal really hadn't been worked out yet when the writer reviewed the box. Regardless, it's making me wary of the rest of their content claims.
I'm not convinced a long-term niche really exists for this box, either, but that's another matter.
It didn't fly five years ago when this sort of thing was relatively unique, I sure don't see it flying now.
This has the fingerprints of Warstler all over it. Morgan, are you out there?
"Ahh, good times..."
First you pay for the box, then you pay $10/month just to allow the box to work, then you pay for whatever you want to watch. It might be cheaper than digital cable with VOD, but with such a big upfront cost, many people will never take the chance.
Who is the target audience for this? Early adopter techies? Who already have a broadband connection, bittorrent and a decent PC? Why would they want or need another piece of kit (and a *subscription* piece at that!) to get porn from the internet?
This thing isn't a DVR, but costs the same as a Tivo or ReplayTV. Same price, less functionality! I predict this device will go the way of DivX - the rental DVD idea, not the codec.
-EvilMagnus
You think it's kewl that you spend $900 on PC hardware, $130 on WinXP Pro (OEM) and $160 on Windows Media Center????
And now you want to throw more money at it to 'extend' the features?
Take off the blinders and wakeup! You sound like a 15 year old virgin who just made out with the old lunch lady, saying "WOW! That's the best sex I ever had!"
I know it must be exciting to uncover a 'new' technology, but it is old news and has been done more ways than Paris Hilton.
If you are going to share a single experience, don't pass it off as 'the best thing out there'. At least look at what has been on the shelves for the past couple of years (and the current stuff too) for comparison.
First off, more has been accomplished on way less money a couple of years ago (and is better now). Microsoft has NEVER been the leader of any technology and is NOT starting now.
Look at the TiVo for one. (a Linux pc in micro form factor). You don't want to spend the money? Fine. Build a FreeVo box.
If you want to use your PC as a media center, than you can use one of the Knoppix distributions.
(and I think I can go out on a wing here, since I more than just 'dabble' in technology).
For me, it made sense to convert some of my unused Xboxes into Gentoo Linux media servers. It didn't cost me anything (well, I bought a couple of mod chips for testing, but those can be pulled out thanks to flashing the TSOP) since I have spare hardware sitting unused.
I can play videos (of almost ANY codec), rip DVD's, view photo albums, web browse, catch weather (and all from just the Xbox without a PC).
I actually have been discussing creating a similar venture for movie pulling for a couple of months now, simply because the Xbox and miniITX pcs are dirt cheap and the audience is there.
you can do the same without the hardware...
Bit Torrent + RSS: some dudes blog on his setup
*Shrug*
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
TechTV, prior to any merger talk with G4, reviewed this and I believe it was a "Don't Buy it" or something product on Fresh Gear.
The TechTV experts loved the premise, but the implementation sucks. Plus it's a lousy DVR compared to Cable TV DVR's, let alone TiVo. Lastly, even if those issues were taken care of, the amount of programming stinks. You should only get it when it has plenty of programming to justify the cost.
Right now it's content reminds me of the free stuff you could get on the Internet in 2000. Boooring (besides the porn selections)...
Here is a very informative article about this industry:6 5-2004Oct27.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21
Last week I talked with the CTO Tom Hammer about a business partnership. This company will be bankrupt in 24 months.
Their decision to go with Windows CE was based on cost. The WinCE license is only $3 per box. IMHO their choice of WinCE shows a lack of imagination and a lack of vision. They probably did it because they wanted the partnership with Microsoft. But they also intend to generate a lot of their own content. With this the case they could go with the new DivX VOD codec and be completely independent from MS.
Microsoft is not have the best reputation in Hollywood. They have had a LOT of resistance from the content providers because Hollywood is scared Bill Gates will come down to Hollywood and own them.
The CTO said if they were inclined to change the platform they would move to a dedicated Mpeg4 decoder and bypass the expensive CPU. When I aksed about the ability to change the encoding algorythm in the future his response was that in the consumer industry people only keep these devices for 3 years (my last cable box was older than 3 years - STB is not a consumer product). The guy sounded like he knew NOTHING about the embedded TV box market and the technology out there already.
According to Hammer right now they are only paying around $180 for the hardware. So in their business model they are trying to make money off the hardware AND the service.
IMHO for this kind of business model to really take off they need to loan out the boxes like the cable companies do.
Even more importantly, they have to figure out some way to get the broadband providers (cable companies or the ADSL companies) to bundle their product with their distribution. Since they are competing with the cable companies the prospect of partnering with them is dim, so they are left with one sector to partner with, ADSL companies. If their box provided some other value to the consumer (like games, router, hub, PVR) maybe some ADSL customers would opt in and rent it, but with their content right now there is little compelling reason to get this box. Even more compelling reason to get rid of it if the user doesn't like the service. It's not an integral part of their home network like it would be if it had a router built into the device.
After talking with the Hammer my only thoughts were "How arrogant this guy is!" If you look at the rest of the team on their website you will see that they are really not that top notch. The VC's that invested in this company are going to get burned big time!