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Microsoft and SBC Team Up on IPTV
rdurell writes "Microsoft is once again trying to get into the television market. This time they are teaming up with SBC Communications in a $400M deal to deliver television via IPTV through SBC's network. According to the article, Microsoft has spent $20B in its attempts to break into the market."
SBC AND MS? Jee, hold me back.
Two of my favorite companies teaming up to bring me reality ( which, as near as I can figure, is populated by models. I wish I lived in reality ) TV, complete with watching habit tracking software and security flubs.
And should I have I have any problems, I can call SBC's amazing tech support. Maybe I'll get Dan, or David, or Gloria, all of whom english is a second language. Overpaid phone jocky being the first.
Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
Why not throw lots of money trying to get into another market? It worked with the xbox. Maybe they'll have to get someone to make the best damn show ever exclusively for their... IPTV network..
Have a little look-see at the babies and other companies SBC has gobbled up in recent years. Ma Bell is back in a big way baby!
Lets hate on them for a while. I'll start: "Their hi-cap support totally sucks!!!!"
Just what we need: the blue show of death.
If they can get the backing for their technology by a by a company such as SBC, with such an infrastructure, I'm afraid it could grab hold of it. Think MS and IBM in the time of MS-DOS and OS/2. And IPTV looks like a promising market, if some company with mega-capital doesn't follow Microsoft, we could see a growing monopoly. Too bad I don't have billions to throw around, otherwise I'd invest heavily here.
I for one do not welcome our new TV overlords. Remember, CRTs are already equipped with electron guns.
Electrical Power -- they could have computers only run under Windows Mills Power
Fashion -- Paris Spring Collection of Bill Gates' sweaters
Fiction -- wait, they already to that...("innovative?")
Film Making -- all digital films, but an EULA flash at the beginning of the movie
Power Tools -- wait, this is a conflict of interest, and would actually be useful
Agriculture -- They've already got lots of fertilizer, especially of the bovine variety
Pharmacuticals -- Given their track record of anti-virus protection in cyberspace, expect this to be a real winner
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
It gives the "Blue Screen" special effect an entirely different meaning...
"Who says nothing is impossible? Some people do it every day!" - Alfred E. Neuman
"Honey! Turn the TV off! I'm trying to download the lastest Linux Distro!"
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If this is successful and is paid by the user by use and/or by channels used, I might be inclined to use this service.
Also given that it has a Linux client.
Oh wait...
Man, what a great acronym
IPFreely?
IPU?
IPUP WeAllP!
For a golden night, showered with passion, it's IPTV!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Well .... they kind of already have a killer show that is exclusively an Internet program. Though it is available on DVD. I know many, many people dislike all that is the Microsoft Borg, but I laughed so hard at Red vs. Blue that it kind of questions sanity.
While I know that Red vs. Blue isn't offically a truly sanctioned Microsoft product, do you think they didn't at least give a nod to the rabid lawyers to keep from destroying it in it's entirety? Also, since they are such big Halo (and by Proxy Microsoft) fans anyway, do you really think they'd give the rights to stream it as a TV program to anyone else?
Heck, I'm interested in this right now, as I'm currently an SBC DSL subscriber, if it gets me away from my evil and bastardized cable company. I may be clinically insane, but at one point last year I was talking to VC about starting my own cable company for just my subdivision and maybe the one next to it. That's how mad I was at them.
However, reality eventually set it ..... man do you know how expensive gear to decode then re-encode TV broadcast from air and sat is right now? Not to mention license fees for all the stations you want to offer on the network. I would have been, like, the UPN Cable Company because that was the only channel I think I could have even begged into throwing me a bone to be on the network.
So sad, so sad. TV started out free, paid for by advertising, with which I was very very fine. You want me to watch a soap commercial to laugh at Gilligan? Hey, fine, no problem. Now, I pay more for freaking TV than I do for internet access, telephone service, trash service, property taxes, housing and groceries combined!
This has officially degenerated into a rant. I apologize and will end it now. Thank you for your optical time.
"Genius may shine aloof and alone, like a star, but goodness is social, and it takes two men and God to make a Brother."
My first instinct is to scoff and laugh at this, but then again, I scoffed and laughed when I heard that Microsoft would be developing a gaming console.
Lets face it, Microsoft have a lot of cash lying about, and they're not stupid - if they want it badly enough, they'll get in on the market. Which isn't entirely a bad thing, competition is a good thing, as long as they behave.
Plus, with another TV provider, maybe there'll finally be something decent on to watch.
Does this have anything to do with that new Sewage To The House initiative?
There are times I'm glad I don't watch TV, and with the prospect of the future of TV being controlled by Microsoft's shitty DVR products now is one of them. That and who the fuck would pay $80+ a month to pointlessly chew up 5 hours of their life _every day_? I'm not suggestuing you do anything radical like go outside, but something even slightly interactive might be a good start.
Beep beep.
Maybe my head is swimming in too much IP--er, intellectual property--matters, but that's what I thought at first. "Intellectual Property Television."
Then it occurs to me, why not? With the Broadcast Flag in play the slogan could be "Welcome to the new ownership class. We 0wn you."
Would there be a EVLA (End Viewer License Agreement)? Would people that devise new, analog and/or digital delivery schemes be barred by algorithmic patents?.
I just don't get how digital cable as it is today isn't good enough. It does everything I need it to do, and the built-in DVR makes it even better. Why is anyone even pursuing TVIP? I suppose that I just don't understand.
Later,
-Slashdot Junky
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Landfill Mining Co.
Managing the (Un)natural Resources of Tomorrow
I think cable companies only care about selling content. Anything that allows them to do that more efficiently is going to be adopted by the entire market. Will they care that MS is marketing a PVR? Only if it becomes a selling point that compels consumers to switch from their cable co. to the other one
I think that Microsoft's goal is as it has been since they started with the x-box....It's not just 'a computer on every desk' now....it's 'a computer on everything that has a flat surface - running Windows xxxx of course'.
Remember kids - this is really just about building another licensing stream of revenue, by pushing a standard until they become the default provider, which means they can sell licenses for XPMCE (or whatever the cutdown blackbox version is) to every single TV component manufacturer (sony, LG, Panasonic, Teac, Sharp,
Windows - it's not just for iPaqs anymore!
Does someone want to tell them that TV's passe before they spend another 20 billion. Geez. They're thinking about getting out of the MSNBC deal while they do this, oh, right, it's two different divisions not talking... so much for Microsoft oOfice integration.
Anyone seen my jagged little pill?
I'm from Iowa, and here, IPTV = Iowa Public Television. I was very confused when I first read this headline! Microsoft is about the only thing that could make Iowa Public TV worse.
If it's not one thing it's your mother.
My "saga" (the name was given it by one of the more competent SBC employees I talked to) will be even more incomprehensible unless you know that SBC Illinois, SBC Wisconsin, and SBC Yahoo! DSL Internet are served by three separate toll freee numbers and three distinct bureaucracies. Here goes:
...innumerable questions... ."what operating system do you use" "I have a Macintosh running OS X" "do you plan to run more than one computer on this DSL connection?" "yes" "How many?" "uhhh...." etc. etc. "Your new phone number will be 555 - 1234. Thank you for choosing SBC Yahoo Nike Sear Roebuck Internet Service with a Cherry on Top. How did you like my service today, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being most satisfied?" "(sigh) 5, but I gave the last guy a 5 and he got it wrong. Can I just give you his 5?"
1) Move to Illinois from Wisconsin, both have lines owned by SBC. (Having had nightmares getting 3rd party DSL working I capitulated.) Call SBC number listed on phone bill to inform them of the move. "Oh, that's handled by a different region, here's the number, but be sure and call us back so we can have the forward set right on your old number"
2) Call second number, order DSL and POTS effective ASAP. Answer all sorts of stupid questions, of which the most irritating is "what operating system do you use?" "all of them" "no which one really?" "linux" "I have to put something" "linux" "sorry sir, which operating system, WIndows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, spam spam spam?" "Macintosh OS X" "OK" OK, so far everything according to spec at least, if a bit irritating. "Thank you for choosing SBC Yahoo General Mills Procter and Gamble Internet Service with Sugar on Top. How did you like my service today, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being most satisfied?" "5, thanks"
3) Oops, can't call Wisconsin back with the forwarding number, they didn't give me my new phone number. Better call back and get it. "Sorry sir, they did not complete your order. There is no order pending for service at that address" "Are you SURE?" "Yes sir" "I just placed it, maybe it hasn't gone through the system to your terminal yet?" "No sir, the order was not completed. We'll have to start over again" "(sigh)"
HINT: you can see where this is going, can't you?
4) A few days pass. My cel phone voicemail gets a confused call from the SBC install people. We have two install orders but you have only one line. Did you have an order pending to install the other line?
5) Verify existence of dial tone. Call SBC, assure them that I only want one line, and have dial tone, would like ot know the number on it. "It's 555-9090" "Are you sure that 555-9090 is installed and 555 - 1234 is pending?" "Yes sir" "Absolutely sure?" "Yes sir" "I suppose I have two DSL orders pending too, right?" "Yes sir, probably so" "So I should cancel the one for 555 -1234 because the one for 555-9090 is correct" "Yes sir" "I would hate to cancel the wrong one. Are you sure?" "Yes sir, your connection on 555 - 9090 is definitely now live. Thank you for choosing SBC Yahoo Nike Merrill Lynch Pearce Fenner & Smith Internet Service with Whipped Cream on It. How did you like my service today, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being most satisfied?" "(sigh) 5, but I gave the last lady a 5 and she got it wrong. Can I just give you her 5?"
6) Call the separate DSL number, tell them the story, and cancel DSL on 555 - 1234, leaving order pending on 555 - 9090. This was my mistake. As they say in the chess reports, "???". I have caller ID on my cel phone. I should have checked. Of course my number is 555 -1234, the one I cancelled. Also call Wisconsin and give them the bogus forwarding number.
7) Get email that inbound calls aren't reaching me. Try the caller ID thing. 555 - 1234.
The sickening feeling in my stomach that starts to appear does not forebode adequately, that in a few months I'd be getting threats from collection agencies. But I'm getting ahead of myself....
8) Call Wisconsin and unbogi
mt
Time Warner Cable is already offering Digital Phone (VOIP), Cable, Internet Acess, and rumored cell phone access supporting multi-media content. Thus, seeing that the telcos feeling the pressure of competition it is only natural to see two different network providers compete in the same arena of utility service and entertainment.
Give if 4 years. Soon you won't notice the difference between TWC, COX Cable, and the Telcos. They will all be wrapped up in the same industry with the exception of the technology they use behind the scenes.
Why yes, I do work for TWC.
Life is not for the lazy.