"There is a lot more competition out there for our entertainment dollars that there used to be. Think of all the computer/console based activities which have sprung up in the last 2 decades, to name just one example."
Heck, just a month ago I subscribed to HBO + a DVR. Given how unpleasant movie experiences have been the last couple of years, I don't mind waiting 6 months or so to see a semi-interesting movie. If they want my regular attendance at the local cinema, they need better movies, more comfy seats, and lower prices all around.
Imagine if the *AA used good practices instead of lawyers...
Re:I will name my children...
on
Google Ant
·
· Score: 2, Funny
"I am going to name my child "Google" or "Googlina"!"
When I was a kid, my name was "What'd you break?!" My nickname was "Dammit!"
"including Epic's Mark Rein, who resurrects his 'no used game sales' argument, saying 'To have them resell the games, with developers having no participation, that's just wrong. That's just fleecing us.'"
Uh huh. I can play this game, too: "By preventing the sale of used games and forcing customers to only be able to buy new games, Epic is fleecing everybody."
I'm growing concerned that a business with the expressed purpose of entertaining people is fussing over entitlements they think they have. It's bad enough that the RIAA and MPAA do it. "Those people with boom boxes are costing us money because other people who haven't paid for the music can ear it."
I guess I'm just not in this statistic. P2P abrubptly stopped in my house when I subscribed to Rhapsody. Where's the study that shows P2P represents a market demand that the RIAA could be making money off of?
"Software patents are still not our friends, but seeing "the little guy" beat up on Microsoft is certainly better than, say, Microsoft holding this pattent and beating up on a little guy."
Um, no it's not. You're forgetting that Microsoft holds a lot of patents. This sort of victory arms Microsoft to be an even bigger bunch of bastards.
"BUT, just to play devil advocate... So I was going to go see SW3 and shell out my hard earned cash to Lucas like everone else. But, I stumbled on a fast FTP with a high quality screener to downloaded. As a result, Lucas lost a couple bucks."
I have a question: Are you going to buy the DVD? If so, then next I'd ask if you would have bought the DVD without seeing the movie. If no, then isn't it fair to say that you saved yourself from being screwed?
I know I'm going to get ripped apart for suggesting this, but I saw the movie and I hated it. Maybe George didn't get money from you, but he got money from me and I wasn't satisfied. A lot of people didn't like that movie. At least in your case, Lucas got a bonus shot at you buying the DVD. In my case, I paid the money and was gipped. "Open your mouth and close your eyes!"
If you ask me, the biggest threat 'piracy' has to the movie studios is that they have to make higher quality content.
"The main question here is 3rd party support. Of course, Nintendo makes awesome 1st party games. They always have. But how many 3rd parties will commit themselves to a console where the primary method of controlling the game just doesn't translate to other consoles?"
I think this question actually needs one more little detail: How much will the Rev cost? The GameCube was/is a/an interesting little machine. It has an impressive list of decent games. The GC also started at $200. Now it's only $100. If Nintendo maintains the low cost scenario, then do the 3rd party titles matter as much?
The point I'm getting at is that Microsoft and Sony are trying to be the market leaders. As a result, they're creating really expensive do-all machines. At least with the current generation, it's a lot easier to own a PS2 and a GameCube than it is to own a PS2 and XBOX. Nintendo isn't the market leader by a wide margin, but they're profitable and accessible. One could buy a GameCube and only end up buying 5 games for it, yet they're stil satisfied.
I cannot ignore that 3rd party support is very important to a lot of people. But if Nintendo holds to their strategy, then they stand a good chance of having a really good system on their hands.
"Or, boycott, and get enough people to boycott with you and see how the industry reacts, they can lower prices or go out of business depending."
This will not work because the movie and music industries have an "open your mouth and close your eyes" business model. They will not refund money. As a result, it's difficult for the customers to boycott without going overboard and it's difficult for these industries to know that they're actually being boycotted.
"It's a pretty simple system, act within it, don't steal and say that you're boldy "driving a spear through the eye of the industry"
That's an interesting theory. I don't think it works so well in practice. I mean, who here really thinks that iTunes would be around today if not for Napster?
"Because of this I'm sure they will sell more PSP's... Don't they know that...?"
Sony isn't making money on the units. They're making money on the games and UMDs. (I still can't believe it, but I read somewhere fairly credible that they make more on UMDs than games...) Sony doesn't want you buying it to do this homebrew stuff, they want you to buy it and continue handing them money for stuff that's profitable. Even though I'm a Nintendo fan boy, I could see them doing the same thing. (I'm reasonably sure they have...)
Big business sucks, but at the end of the day, they only spend the money on gear like this so they can make money from it.
"I'm a programmer. In my case, communications often lead to my writing new code (to fix a bug or to add features). So, shouldn't my e-mail program and my compiler be integrated?"
*Sigh* Only an engineer would ask this question. It's amazing evolution hasn't wiped us out.
" In the end, I believe their target market is too small; most folks will be happy purchasing a Dell that's 25% larger but less than 50% of the price"
I'm not as optimistic. There's a rather strong niche they could chase after. Those executives with a little too much spending power who are sick of lugging their laptop around the country. You have to understand that it's not just physical size, form factor makes a big difference in the use of these machines. It is very difficult, for example, to use a laptop on a plane. This seems like it'd be easier. (Although I should reserve judgement until I've used one...)
Anyway, there is a potentially lucrative market here. Unfortunately, these guys are doing a terrible job of marketing. I seriously doubt most IT dudes know about this device, let alone the executives who 'need' them.
"For quite a bit less you can get a real laptop like the Dell Latitude X1. This one is also very small and light but has a real keyboard."
If you're looking at the OQO, it's not because today's laptops are sufficient. You can actually hold that thing in your hands instead of balancing it precariously on your lap.
I'm not an OQO fanboy or anything, but the main reason I have a TabletPC right now is that I can't stand using a laptop unfolded on my lap. With a TabletPC, you can actually use it while standing up and walking around. (This is great if you're taking inventory, for example...) This thing is not only more portable than a TPC, but it's obviously more typist friendly.
Lots of you may be shaking your head due to sticker shock or whatever, but this thing would be a god send to a lot of business professionals that need mobility. Heck, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the company I last worked for bought two of these.
Perhaps they're only expecting a big *poof* followed by the emergence of a largely intact asteroid instead of a Death Star'esque explosion. The name sounds fine to me.
"It hasn't. The causes and circumstances of BSOD's have changed somewhat, but they still exist, in stupid, unexplainable places, too."
With Windows 95 and 98 BSODs were nearly a daily occurance. Since 2000 and subsequently XP, BSODs became virtually non-existent. Yes, shit still happens. BFD. I've seen Linux based computers run unreliably. Despite that, any joke I made about it would be considered FUD.
I stand behind my comment. Slashdot happily spreads FUD, too. Either lots of people (including some of the Slashdot Editors) don't mind being hypocrites or they're in denial. Frankly, I don't care which way it goes, but damn guys, be consistent. Either FUD is is automatically bad in any context or it's okay to fight fire with fire. Pick one.
Re:Transport not the media is the current problem
on
YahooTV
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
" Quite frankly, until ultra high bandwidth connections are ubiquitous amongst users and providers can support the load, this service cannot take off."
We're already seeing video feeds from a variety of sites. As the years go by, this only gets better. Admittedly, though, life would be a lot easier if they'd toss the need to stream and go with downloadable formats.
" The next issue is the user experience. Who wants to watch television on a little monitor for one person when going into the living room means a larger TV with room for everyone?"
Anybody with a girlfriend who can't stand sci-fi. I'm serious. The more shows that end up on the net that you can get 'on-demand', the less need there will be to cram the family into the living room to argue about what to watch. Houses with a computer for each occupant aren't so hard to come by these days.
"Until the issues I've listed are taken care of, shows like this will remain the territory of a small percentage of users."
I will agree with the point that conditions are not ideal for taking over millions of homes. On the other hand, considering just how popular BitTorrent is with downloading of TV shows, I'd say the market's ripe for an entry. That's where this sort of thing needs to start. Every year, it becomes more and more popular. More shows come along. More people watch the shows. The idea spreads. And so on.
Think about how the internet became popularized and hopefully you'll get an idea of where I'm coming from.
"How will the process go to determine if a mp3 file has a license?"
Wouldn't they just look it up on the internet database that lists the album info etc? (Sorry, I forget the acronymn.)
In any event, even if it is easily thrwartable, the plus side to this is that they would end up with ammo to use against the RIAA. Maybe I'm just too optimistic or ignorant, but I have difficulty imagining the RIAA being able to shut them down if they're actively working to block content they can verify. It potentially takes the legal burden off of LimeWire and puts it on the individual users who would have to intentionally circumvent the process.
In the mean time, the users could probably use.RAR or something to archive the MP3 files. If I'm right about that, then there wouldn't be much more the user would have to do to get the files. It wouldn't necessarily mean a death blow to LimeWire. Of course, I don't know enough about the topic to feel totally secure in what I'm saying.
Slashdot Mirror
"There is a lot more competition out there for our entertainment dollars that there used to be. Think of all the computer/console based activities which have sprung up in the last 2 decades, to name just one example."
Heck, just a month ago I subscribed to HBO + a DVR. Given how unpleasant movie experiences have been the last couple of years, I don't mind waiting 6 months or so to see a semi-interesting movie. If they want my regular attendance at the local cinema, they need better movies, more comfy seats, and lower prices all around.
Imagine if the *AA used good practices instead of lawyers...
"I am going to name my child "Google" or "Googlina"!"
When I was a kid, my name was "What'd you break?!" My nickname was "Dammit!"
"a beowulf clust... oh, sorry... Just had to do it!"
Why? Did the writing cast of SNL hire you to make sure that joke is never funny again?
"including Epic's Mark Rein, who resurrects his 'no used game sales' argument, saying 'To have them resell the games, with developers having no participation, that's just wrong. That's just fleecing us.'"
Uh huh. I can play this game, too: "By preventing the sale of used games and forcing customers to only be able to buy new games, Epic is fleecing everybody."
I'm growing concerned that a business with the expressed purpose of entertaining people is fussing over entitlements they think they have. It's bad enough that the RIAA and MPAA do it. "Those people with boom boxes are costing us money because other people who haven't paid for the music can ear it."
I guess I'm just not in this statistic. P2P abrubptly stopped in my house when I subscribed to Rhapsody. Where's the study that shows P2P represents a market demand that the RIAA could be making money off of?
"Software patents are still not our friends, but seeing "the little guy" beat up on Microsoft is certainly better than, say, Microsoft holding this pattent and beating up on a little guy."
Um, no it's not. You're forgetting that Microsoft holds a lot of patents. This sort of victory arms Microsoft to be an even bigger bunch of bastards.
Choose your battles carefully.
"Duct tape."
Oh come on, it's not like he's going to Mars.
"BUT, just to play devil advocate... So I was going to go see SW3 and shell out my hard earned cash to Lucas like everone else. But, I stumbled on a fast FTP with a high quality screener to downloaded. As a result, Lucas lost a couple bucks."
I have a question: Are you going to buy the DVD? If so, then next I'd ask if you would have bought the DVD without seeing the movie. If no, then isn't it fair to say that you saved yourself from being screwed?
I know I'm going to get ripped apart for suggesting this, but I saw the movie and I hated it. Maybe George didn't get money from you, but he got money from me and I wasn't satisfied. A lot of people didn't like that movie. At least in your case, Lucas got a bonus shot at you buying the DVD. In my case, I paid the money and was gipped. "Open your mouth and close your eyes!"
If you ask me, the biggest threat 'piracy' has to the movie studios is that they have to make higher quality content.
"I believe the submitter was being sarcastic as $380 million is a lot of money to make in spite of the losses suffered from piracy."
I wonder how much the 'losses from piracy' would compare to the losses they'd have from giving refunds to those who found that the movie sucked.
Mod parent up!!!
(So we can all point and laugh!)
"The main question here is 3rd party support. Of course, Nintendo makes awesome 1st party games. They always have. But how many 3rd parties will commit themselves to a console where the primary method of controlling the game just doesn't translate to other consoles?"
I think this question actually needs one more little detail: How much will the Rev cost? The GameCube was/is a/an interesting little machine. It has an impressive list of decent games. The GC also started at $200. Now it's only $100. If Nintendo maintains the low cost scenario, then do the 3rd party titles matter as much?
The point I'm getting at is that Microsoft and Sony are trying to be the market leaders. As a result, they're creating really expensive do-all machines. At least with the current generation, it's a lot easier to own a PS2 and a GameCube than it is to own a PS2 and XBOX. Nintendo isn't the market leader by a wide margin, but they're profitable and accessible. One could buy a GameCube and only end up buying 5 games for it, yet they're stil satisfied.
I cannot ignore that 3rd party support is very important to a lot of people. But if Nintendo holds to their strategy, then they stand a good chance of having a really good system on their hands.
"Or, boycott, and get enough people to boycott with you and see how the industry reacts, they can lower prices or go out of business depending."
This will not work because the movie and music industries have an "open your mouth and close your eyes" business model. They will not refund money. As a result, it's difficult for the customers to boycott without going overboard and it's difficult for these industries to know that they're actually being boycotted.
"It's a pretty simple system, act within it, don't steal and say that you're boldy "driving a spear through the eye of the industry"
That's an interesting theory. I don't think it works so well in practice. I mean, who here really thinks that iTunes would be around today if not for Napster?
"Because of this I'm sure they will sell more PSP's... Don't they know that...?"
Sony isn't making money on the units. They're making money on the games and UMDs. (I still can't believe it, but I read somewhere fairly credible that they make more on UMDs than games...) Sony doesn't want you buying it to do this homebrew stuff, they want you to buy it and continue handing them money for stuff that's profitable. Even though I'm a Nintendo fan boy, I could see them doing the same thing. (I'm reasonably sure they have...)
Big business sucks, but at the end of the day, they only spend the money on gear like this so they can make money from it.
"I'm a programmer. In my case, communications often lead to my writing new code (to fix a bug or to add features). So, shouldn't my e-mail program and my compiler be integrated?"
*Sigh* Only an engineer would ask this question. It's amazing evolution hasn't wiped us out.
"Why is an integrated calendar and communications product a "good thing"."
Um... because communications often lead to appointments.
"Why not include a file manager and image editor while we're at it?"
See previous point.
" In the end, I believe their target market is too small; most folks will be happy purchasing a Dell that's 25% larger but less than 50% of the price"
I'm not as optimistic. There's a rather strong niche they could chase after. Those executives with a little too much spending power who are sick of lugging their laptop around the country. You have to understand that it's not just physical size, form factor makes a big difference in the use of these machines. It is very difficult, for example, to use a laptop on a plane. This seems like it'd be easier. (Although I should reserve judgement until I've used one...)
Anyway, there is a potentially lucrative market here. Unfortunately, these guys are doing a terrible job of marketing. I seriously doubt most IT dudes know about this device, let alone the executives who 'need' them.
"For quite a bit less you can get a real laptop like the Dell Latitude X1. This one is also very small and light but has a real keyboard."
If you're looking at the OQO, it's not because today's laptops are sufficient. You can actually hold that thing in your hands instead of balancing it precariously on your lap.
I'm not an OQO fanboy or anything, but the main reason I have a TabletPC right now is that I can't stand using a laptop unfolded on my lap. With a TabletPC, you can actually use it while standing up and walking around. (This is great if you're taking inventory, for example...) This thing is not only more portable than a TPC, but it's obviously more typist friendly.
Lots of you may be shaking your head due to sticker shock or whatever, but this thing would be a god send to a lot of business professionals that need mobility. Heck, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the company I last worked for bought two of these.
Perhaps they're only expecting a big *poof* followed by the emergence of a largely intact asteroid instead of a Death Star'esque explosion. The name sounds fine to me.
"..Wouldn't the cost of such a test be well into millions of dollars?"
It costs less than an "Oh shit!" down the road.
Priorities first: Lance Bass.
"With that sort of cost, it would suck to cross the event Verizon and be pulled into a Cingular-ity."
Didn't I see that on an episode of Star Tac?
"It hasn't. The causes and circumstances of BSOD's have changed somewhat, but they still exist, in stupid, unexplainable places, too."
With Windows 95 and 98 BSODs were nearly a daily occurance. Since 2000 and subsequently XP, BSODs became virtually non-existent. Yes, shit still happens. BFD. I've seen Linux based computers run unreliably. Despite that, any joke I made about it would be considered FUD.
I stand behind my comment. Slashdot happily spreads FUD, too. Either lots of people (including some of the Slashdot Editors) don't mind being hypocrites or they're in denial. Frankly, I don't care which way it goes, but damn guys, be consistent. Either FUD is is automatically bad in any context or it's okay to fight fire with fire. Pick one.
" Quite frankly, until ultra high bandwidth connections are ubiquitous amongst users and providers can support the load, this service cannot take off."
We're already seeing video feeds from a variety of sites. As the years go by, this only gets better. Admittedly, though, life would be a lot easier if they'd toss the need to stream and go with downloadable formats.
" The next issue is the user experience. Who wants to watch television on a little monitor for one person when going into the living room means a larger TV with room for everyone?"
Anybody with a girlfriend who can't stand sci-fi. I'm serious. The more shows that end up on the net that you can get 'on-demand', the less need there will be to cram the family into the living room to argue about what to watch. Houses with a computer for each occupant aren't so hard to come by these days.
"Until the issues I've listed are taken care of, shows like this will remain the territory of a small percentage of users."
I will agree with the point that conditions are not ideal for taking over millions of homes. On the other hand, considering just how popular BitTorrent is with downloading of TV shows, I'd say the market's ripe for an entry. That's where this sort of thing needs to start. Every year, it becomes more and more popular. More shows come along. More people watch the shows. The idea spreads. And so on.
Think about how the internet became popularized and hopefully you'll get an idea of where I'm coming from.
"How will the process go to determine if a mp3 file has a license?"
.RAR or something to archive the MP3 files. If I'm right about that, then there wouldn't be much more the user would have to do to get the files. It wouldn't necessarily mean a death blow to LimeWire. Of course, I don't know enough about the topic to feel totally secure in what I'm saying.
Wouldn't they just look it up on the internet database that lists the album info etc? (Sorry, I forget the acronymn.)
In any event, even if it is easily thrwartable, the plus side to this is that they would end up with ammo to use against the RIAA. Maybe I'm just too optimistic or ignorant, but I have difficulty imagining the RIAA being able to shut them down if they're actively working to block content they can verify. It potentially takes the legal burden off of LimeWire and puts it on the individual users who would have to intentionally circumvent the process.
In the mean time, the users could probably use
"Microsoft spreads Fear Uncertainty and Doubt, what a shocker!"
This from the same site that routinely mods up BSOD jokes as if Windows hasn't changed at all in the last 5 years.