how many people shelled out for "lifetime" subscriptions for scheduling data and product updates from TiVo and expected them to really last for a decade or more?
For the people who purchased the "lifetime" subscriptions early enough, it has more than paid for itself by now. It's the people who are buying the lifetime subscriptions this week that need to hope that they get more than 2 years out of their boxes.
I am sure we have not heard the last of this. It would not surprise me that the mayor would use the city mailing list for personal political gain, and once Ryan has the list in hand, I'm sure he will not be hesitant about making public his findings.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg: US Congressmen are currently purchasing email lists, cross-referencing them with geographic databases, and then sending spam^h^h^h^h informative newsletters to their constituents. The newsletters contain the appropriate "if you would like to opt-out..." text, which is funny, as the recipients never opted in in the first place.
Isn't it nice that our taxpayer dollars are being spent so our politicians can send us spam^h^h^h^h email? Even worse: now the gov't has your email address (insert Big Brother theme music here).
When Apple introduced the iPod, the company was aware that people might use it to rip off music from the Net or friends' machines. Each new iPod, in fact, is emblazoned with a sticker that warns, "Don't Steal Music."
But it is unlikely that Apple imagined people would walk into computer stores, plug their iPod into display computers and use it to copy software off the hard drives.
This is exactly the scenario recently witnessed by Kevin Webb at a Dallas CompUSA store.
In other words, move along - there's nothing more to see here.
Webgangsta - Sorry for being off topic, but please shoot me an email - I'm interested in one of your earlier comments about writing Wheel of Fortune in PowerPoint.
Give me an email address and we'll discuss off-list.
You're almost right -- it's the lockout of XBox Live to PS2 users that would be the better analogy to the iTunes/iPod/ITMS situation.
But as others have said, just because you can't play Madden06 on your PS2 against somebody around the world on their XBox via XBox Live doesn't mean that MSFT has a monopoly on online gaming environments.
My opinion? It's the marketplace that has created this so-called monopoly. If the product wasn't good and easy to use, people wouldn't buy into it and they'd find the next best thing. Before MSOffice tood over the lead, WordPerfect used to be *the* word processor back in the day. And before that, it was WordStar. Each one had considerable marketshare until it was upended by something newer/better/easier/etc from a competitor. Apple and it's i-product line is no different... just waiting for someone else to step to the plate.
In my experience over the past couple of years, there are few PC 'optimizations' as effective as uninstalling Symantec antivirus, firewall, spamfilter and associated applications..
I almost agree with you. The standalone antivirus package has never given me a problem, but the bloated and unstable Norton Internet Security software has proven to me to be an issue. In my experience, uninstalling that thing usually does the trick in shoring up somebody's computer - even with re-installing just the antivirus program part of the package. I've seen it too many times for it to be an isolated mis-installation.
Yes, this is old news -- Pete Townsend (as mentioned earlier by someone) issued a statement about being careful with the volume levels recently.
But check out this article that references a piece from 1992 - the footnote is for Raia, J., "Exercising While Wearing Walkman-Type Stereo Headphones Can Cause Hearing Loss," Los Angeles Times (Health & Fitness Suppl.), Nov. 11, 1992, pp. 5-6.
Want to touch the stove? Make sure it's not hot. Want to walk through Central Park at night? Bring a friend. Volume on your iPod too loud? Turn it down. There's something to be said for using common sense.
Just like cars are built to exceed safe driving speeds (as well as travel at safe controllable speeds), Apple already built the iPod to play at low, safe hearing levels. It's up to the consumer to decide how to use it for themselves.
According to your link, Pixar has only grossed $3.2bn since 1995
Look at the whole picture: because Pixar were splitting profits with Disney 50% after Disney took their distribution fees, Disney got to keep the other $3.2b.
Yes, I'm making the assumption that Pixar's money is equal to 50% of whatever was split with Disney, which is probably not accurate at all, but has some basis in fact even if it ends up being a lower percentage. The fact is that some of what Pixar grossed was matched on the Disney bottom line. Can anybody run numbers to see what Disney's numbers would look like if all of Pixar's releases were 100% under the Disney umbrella to date?
7-odd billion dollars. Let's suppose that Pixar employees work for peanuts and every movie is a hit and they net $200mil with each one.
Even if you go with $200m, you're still forgetting a few things:
(a) you're talking about US box office numbers, not international [see the box office breakdown here]. International BO numbers will bring that figure way up.
(b) DVD sales, licensed merchandise (plush, books, lunchboxes, tshirts, etc), and theme park attractions will all contribute to the bottom line on top of the BO numbers.
(c) Pixar was sitting on $1b in cash themselves, so the stock swap actually netted Disney a little bit of cash, making the quoted $7.4b number a bit of a misnomer.
I read most of the comments for this article posted so far, and everyone seemed to be miss the important part of the story, because it's not all about Jobs:
John Lasseter is now Disney's Chief Creative Officer, working with the animators at Disney and Pixar as well as leading the Imagineers in designing and revamping attractions for the theme parks. Also, the current President of Pixar, Ed Catmull, is now the head of all Disney Animation.
All the news reports I've seen have said that Iger and Jobs main concern was keeping Pixar as intact and independent as possible. Lasseter is under contract until 2011, and is well respected in the animation field for his passion for storytelling and perfection. When asked about whether traditional 2D animation would be restored, John didn't rule it out.
With Ed and John running all animation at Disney, and Jobs sitting on the board to help them from the top, where's the possible downside?
Re:Where are the competing offers?
on
Disney Buys Pixar
·
· Score: 1
Why? To get back ownership of their first films released under the Disney umbrella. That's also why the other studios were hesitant to enter into a Pixar deal, as they then would be competing with the Disney history and marketing machine with regards to those earlier releases.
Jobs gets the job done. The current leadership doesn't
I think I see the point you're trying to make, and I don't agree with you. *Current* Disney management DOES understand what needs to happen. Iger has been very good in his first year at the helm. Biggest example has to be that he was able to rebuild the relationship with Pixar/Jobs that Eisner ruined. Let's hope that Iger/Jobs has figured out a way to put John Lassiter in charge of all of Disney Animation (traditional and computer) as hinted in the LATimes article a few days ago. That would make animation fans happy, revitalize the Disney name as a quality leader in the industry for family entertainment, and put a smile on Roy's face for the first time in 5 years or so.
The other example would be the remaking of Disneyland for the 50th. Old park management excelled at screwing things up (maintenance, no rides, DCA, etc). New park management figured out how to clean the park up and make it sparkle, along with realizing that adding new rides is important for gaining visitors. Result? DL had it's busiest Christmas season yet, surpassing all expectations. Word on the street is that the same attention to detail that restored DL is heading out to do the same thing at WDW.
So while I agree with your sentiment based on the old regime, I disagree with you if you're referencing things that have happened in the last 12-18 months.
So, if Disney buys Pixar and Lassiter etc. walk out and start their own company Disney ends up with nothing more than a brand which they'll screw up as badly as they have their own.
Iger and Jobs aren't idiots. As mentioned in this morning's LATimes, it appears that they've already looked into Lassiter's role as head of animation. Disney has good animators and staff currently, but they need a visionary and leader like Lassiter to bring it all together. If he's given free reign (and with Jobs on the Board of Directors, he may very well get what he needs), we may see a new golden age of Disney animation.
Pixar succeeds because they have the freedom to do things differently
The LATimes article released this morning is the only one to mention that John Lassiter - major Pixar honcho, creative driving force, etc -- would head up the entire Disney animation division as part of the deal.
My guess is that Disney knows that Lassiter is the heart and soul of Pixar (as does Jobs), and they want to ensure that Pixar remains as devoted to creating quality work as possible along with reinvigorating the Disney animation arm as well with a new regime that Eisner so sadly dismantled over the years. As long as Pixar remains independent with Lassiter majorly involved in the merger-end-result, then all will be good in the end.
How do you think Tivo Suggest works?
a) TiVo Suggestions can be turned off
b) Suggestions are handled locally on the unit after the daily data download, not up on the TiVo server.
Yes, TiVo gathers info on what was watched, but that's expected and viewers notified.
With the way memory is going up in size and down in price, everything will be automatically recorded you will be able to just delete the shows you don't like instead of spending time finding/recording the ones you do. Either that or TV will soon become fully 'on demand' and Tivo will become just another alternative for individual viewing preferences.
It's already been done.
From mid-year 2005: PROMISE TV:
"Promise.tv takes advantage of digital television technology to automatically record a full seven day's broadcasting across all selected TV channels. This wholesale recording means it is no longer necessary to choose programmes to watch in advance. All programmes transmitted over the last seven days are stored for viewing at any time."
I still prefer TiVo Suggestions of things TiVo thinks I'd enjoy over having a machine record *everything* on the off-chance that I may want to see something.
The killer for me is HD. I have an HDTV, and the XBox 360 games look beautiful on it.
Did you have your original XBox connected to your HDTV and play any of the available 720 or 1080 games on it? If so, then what is the 360 offering that's any different from what you already had available?
I don't understand today's hype over the 360 offering improved HD graphics when the old box offered what should be seemingly the same thing. Don't get me wrong -- I'm thrilled that the 360 and PS3 are focusing on HD, but as others have said, it's the GAMEPLAY that's the thing, not the display. Especially for those folks who have had HD already.
how about making the entire channel structure Pay Per View?
Open up all the channels to be viewable by anyone, and you only pay for the channels that you watch on a given day, perhaps for the amount of time that you watch them if you watch for more than 30 minutes total over the course of the day (allows for free channel flipping, to a certain point). Sure, folks with TiVos would get screwed on this for those times that TiVo isn't actively recording something and is just sitting there... although when TiVo is just sitting there, it's usually just sitting on a channel that has already been recorded, so maybe that's not an issue. (TiVo Suggestions automatically recording notwithstanding)
The point is why should someone pay for SPEEDCHANNEL (for example) if they never watch it? But if there's something that happens to be on that channel on a particular day, then let me watch it and pay a nominal fee (pro-rated monthly amount, comes to what - $0.25 a day?) for the time spent watching without having to buy that particular package for the month.
With this model, then you don't pay the cable company for the usage while you're not home, just like the water/gas/electric bills work. It turns the cable industry into a true utility instead of a continual money drain for resources you may or may not be utilizing 100% of the time during the course of the day.
I think the NBC bit is more about the fact that NBC invested money into TiVo in the beginning than it is about the ability to transfer programs from the TiVo to the iPod/PSP. (Does NBC still hold a bit of ownership? I don't believe so...)
Apple should just go ahead and buy TiVo and get it over with.
TiVo already negotiated the ability to transfer files to the Video iPod, so why not go the next step and put the iPod connector directly on the box itself?
...Microsoft had included the external power supply inside the 360 enclosure. College kids would be able to use the 360 to cook their morning eggs in the dorm.
Makes me wonder if the removal of the power supply from the unit was a "design" feature (as MSFT would lead us to believe), or part of a solution to what they perceived to be an excessive heat problem.
I fully anticipated that there would be problems with the initial release of 360s reported from various tech-knowledgable early buyers, but how widespread are these problems in reality?
For example, I have a day-of-release PS2 that's still going strong, and I never experienced any of the problems that were reported here and elsewhere with these units. In this case, I assume that my machine is the norm and not the exception, but if I based my opinion on the naysayers at the time it would appear that my PS2 would be in the minority of working units instead.
How many of these eBay consoles do you think are from legitimate flippers (people who purchased at a store and ran to load up their eBay account), and how many do you think are from Microsoft plants to make the 360 look even more scarce? And that could either be MSFT posting the listings themselves, or taking a little money out of their massive Richmond bank account and doing some crazy bidding to jack the prices up and make the news?
I'm surprised that there's this much of a frenzy online right now, instead of later in the days leading up to Xmas. My guess? 2/3 hype, 1/3 actual panic in the streets.
Tivo just decides what to record. It doesn't go out and find new shows and download them. It isn't part of the network decision-making process on what to put on the air.
TiVo's Suggestions are based on what the viewer has indicated they've liked in the past. In essence, TiVo *does* go out and find new shows that may be of interest to the viewer, and when possible, records them automatically.
If the TiVo like/dislike database was globally researched -- and it could be done anonymously -- to find out what TiVos around the world had selected as Suggestions for their owners, and then that information was shared with the Network Powers That Be, then that could certainly lead to more programming that would appeal to viewers. It doesn't even have to be stuff that people have watched, as there could be recording conflicts. TiVo already knows what the most rewound minute of TV was (Janet Jackson's boob), but digging into the data that they've created would really lead to some interesting results.
Combine that information with whatever Google's cooking up, and things could get interesting.
Slashdot Mirror
For the people who purchased the "lifetime" subscriptions early enough, it has more than paid for itself by now. It's the people who are buying the lifetime subscriptions this week that need to hope that they get more than 2 years out of their boxes.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg: US Congressmen are currently purchasing email lists, cross-referencing them with geographic databases, and then sending spam^h^h^h^h informative newsletters to their constituents. The newsletters contain the appropriate "if you would like to opt-out..." text, which is funny, as the recipients never opted in in the first place.
Isn't it nice that our taxpayer dollars are being spent so our politicians can send us spam^h^h^h^h email? Even worse: now the gov't has your email address (insert Big Brother theme music here).
Webgangsta - Sorry for being off topic, but please shoot me an email - I'm interested in one of your earlier comments about writing Wheel of Fortune in PowerPoint.
Give me an email address and we'll discuss off-list.
But as others have said, just because you can't play Madden06 on your PS2 against somebody around the world on their XBox via XBox Live doesn't mean that MSFT has a monopoly on online gaming environments.
My opinion? It's the marketplace that has created this so-called monopoly. If the product wasn't good and easy to use, people wouldn't buy into it and they'd find the next best thing. Before MSOffice tood over the lead, WordPerfect used to be *the* word processor back in the day. And before that, it was WordStar. Each one had considerable marketshare until it was upended by something newer/better/easier/etc from a competitor. Apple and it's i-product line is no different... just waiting for someone else to step to the plate.
I almost agree with you. The standalone antivirus package has never given me a problem, but the bloated and unstable Norton Internet Security software has proven to me to be an issue. In my experience, uninstalling that thing usually does the trick in shoring up somebody's computer - even with re-installing just the antivirus program part of the package. I've seen it too many times for it to be an isolated mis-installation.
But check out this article that references a piece from 1992 - the footnote is for Raia, J., "Exercising While Wearing Walkman-Type Stereo Headphones Can Cause Hearing Loss," Los Angeles Times (Health & Fitness Suppl.), Nov. 11, 1992, pp. 5-6.
Want to touch the stove? Make sure it's not hot. Want to walk through Central Park at night? Bring a friend. Volume on your iPod too loud? Turn it down. There's something to be said for using common sense.
Just like cars are built to exceed safe driving speeds (as well as travel at safe controllable speeds), Apple already built the iPod to play at low, safe hearing levels. It's up to the consumer to decide how to use it for themselves.
Look at the whole picture: because Pixar were splitting profits with Disney 50% after Disney took their distribution fees, Disney got to keep the other $3.2b.
Yes, I'm making the assumption that Pixar's money is equal to 50% of whatever was split with Disney, which is probably not accurate at all, but has some basis in fact even if it ends up being a lower percentage. The fact is that some of what Pixar grossed was matched on the Disney bottom line. Can anybody run numbers to see what Disney's numbers would look like if all of Pixar's releases were 100% under the Disney umbrella to date?
Even if you go with $200m, you're still forgetting a few things:
(a) you're talking about US box office numbers, not international [see the box office breakdown here]. International BO numbers will bring that figure way up.
(b) DVD sales, licensed merchandise (plush, books, lunchboxes, tshirts, etc), and theme park attractions will all contribute to the bottom line on top of the BO numbers.
(c) Pixar was sitting on $1b in cash themselves, so the stock swap actually netted Disney a little bit of cash, making the quoted $7.4b number a bit of a misnomer.
John Lasseter is now Disney's Chief Creative Officer, working with the animators at Disney and Pixar as well as leading the Imagineers in designing and revamping attractions for the theme parks. Also, the current President of Pixar, Ed Catmull, is now the head of all Disney Animation.
All the news reports I've seen have said that Iger and Jobs main concern was keeping Pixar as intact and independent as possible. Lasseter is under contract until 2011, and is well respected in the animation field for his passion for storytelling and perfection. When asked about whether traditional 2D animation would be restored, John didn't rule it out.
Read the LA Times article about John for more insight.
With Ed and John running all animation at Disney, and Jobs sitting on the board to help them from the top, where's the possible downside?
Why? To get back ownership of their first films released under the Disney umbrella. That's also why the other studios were hesitant to enter into a Pixar deal, as they then would be competing with the Disney history and marketing machine with regards to those earlier releases.
I think I see the point you're trying to make, and I don't agree with you. *Current* Disney management DOES understand what needs to happen. Iger has been very good in his first year at the helm. Biggest example has to be that he was able to rebuild the relationship with Pixar/Jobs that Eisner ruined. Let's hope that Iger/Jobs has figured out a way to put John Lassiter in charge of all of Disney Animation (traditional and computer) as hinted in the LATimes article a few days ago. That would make animation fans happy, revitalize the Disney name as a quality leader in the industry for family entertainment, and put a smile on Roy's face for the first time in 5 years or so.
The other example would be the remaking of Disneyland for the 50th. Old park management excelled at screwing things up (maintenance, no rides, DCA, etc). New park management figured out how to clean the park up and make it sparkle, along with realizing that adding new rides is important for gaining visitors. Result? DL had it's busiest Christmas season yet, surpassing all expectations. Word on the street is that the same attention to detail that restored DL is heading out to do the same thing at WDW.
So while I agree with your sentiment based on the old regime, I disagree with you if you're referencing things that have happened in the last 12-18 months.
Iger and Jobs aren't idiots. As mentioned in this morning's LATimes, it appears that they've already looked into Lassiter's role as head of animation. Disney has good animators and staff currently, but they need a visionary and leader like Lassiter to bring it all together. If he's given free reign (and with Jobs on the Board of Directors, he may very well get what he needs), we may see a new golden age of Disney animation.
The LATimes article released this morning is the only one to mention that John Lassiter - major Pixar honcho, creative driving force, etc -- would head up the entire Disney animation division as part of the deal.
My guess is that Disney knows that Lassiter is the heart and soul of Pixar (as does Jobs), and they want to ensure that Pixar remains as devoted to creating quality work as possible along with reinvigorating the Disney animation arm as well with a new regime that Eisner so sadly dismantled over the years. As long as Pixar remains independent with Lassiter majorly involved in the merger-end-result, then all will be good in the end.
How do you think Tivo Suggest works? a) TiVo Suggestions can be turned off b) Suggestions are handled locally on the unit after the daily data download, not up on the TiVo server. Yes, TiVo gathers info on what was watched, but that's expected and viewers notified.
Your description is of DisneyQuest, located at Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World.
It's already been done.
From mid-year 2005: PROMISE TV: "Promise.tv takes advantage of digital television technology to automatically record a full seven day's broadcasting across all selected TV channels. This wholesale recording means it is no longer necessary to choose programmes to watch in advance. All programmes transmitted over the last seven days are stored for viewing at any time."
I still prefer TiVo Suggestions of things TiVo thinks I'd enjoy over having a machine record *everything* on the off-chance that I may want to see something.
Did you have your original XBox connected to your HDTV and play any of the available 720 or 1080 games on it? If so, then what is the 360 offering that's any different from what you already had available?
I don't understand today's hype over the 360 offering improved HD graphics when the old box offered what should be seemingly the same thing. Don't get me wrong -- I'm thrilled that the 360 and PS3 are focusing on HD, but as others have said, it's the GAMEPLAY that's the thing, not the display. Especially for those folks who have had HD already.
Open up all the channels to be viewable by anyone, and you only pay for the channels that you watch on a given day, perhaps for the amount of time that you watch them if you watch for more than 30 minutes total over the course of the day (allows for free channel flipping, to a certain point). Sure, folks with TiVos would get screwed on this for those times that TiVo isn't actively recording something and is just sitting there... although when TiVo is just sitting there, it's usually just sitting on a channel that has already been recorded, so maybe that's not an issue. (TiVo Suggestions automatically recording notwithstanding)
The point is why should someone pay for SPEEDCHANNEL (for example) if they never watch it? But if there's something that happens to be on that channel on a particular day, then let me watch it and pay a nominal fee (pro-rated monthly amount, comes to what - $0.25 a day?) for the time spent watching without having to buy that particular package for the month.
With this model, then you don't pay the cable company for the usage while you're not home, just like the water/gas/electric bills work. It turns the cable industry into a true utility instead of a continual money drain for resources you may or may not be utilizing 100% of the time during the course of the day.
I think the NBC bit is more about the fact that NBC invested money into TiVo in the beginning than it is about the ability to transfer programs from the TiVo to the iPod/PSP. (Does NBC still hold a bit of ownership? I don't believe so...)
TiVo already negotiated the ability to transfer files to the Video iPod, so why not go the next step and put the iPod connector directly on the box itself?
Makes me wonder if the removal of the power supply from the unit was a "design" feature (as MSFT would lead us to believe), or part of a solution to what they perceived to be an excessive heat problem.
For example, I have a day-of-release PS2 that's still going strong, and I never experienced any of the problems that were reported here and elsewhere with these units. In this case, I assume that my machine is the norm and not the exception, but if I based my opinion on the naysayers at the time it would appear that my PS2 would be in the minority of working units instead.
How many of these eBay consoles do you think are from legitimate flippers (people who purchased at a store and ran to load up their eBay account), and how many do you think are from Microsoft plants to make the 360 look even more scarce? And that could either be MSFT posting the listings themselves, or taking a little money out of their massive Richmond bank account and doing some crazy bidding to jack the prices up and make the news?
I'm surprised that there's this much of a frenzy online right now, instead of later in the days leading up to Xmas. My guess? 2/3 hype, 1/3 actual panic in the streets.
TiVo's Suggestions are based on what the viewer has indicated they've liked in the past. In essence, TiVo *does* go out and find new shows that may be of interest to the viewer, and when possible, records them automatically.
If the TiVo like/dislike database was globally researched -- and it could be done anonymously -- to find out what TiVos around the world had selected as Suggestions for their owners, and then that information was shared with the Network Powers That Be, then that could certainly lead to more programming that would appeal to viewers. It doesn't even have to be stuff that people have watched, as there could be recording conflicts. TiVo already knows what the most rewound minute of TV was (Janet Jackson's boob), but digging into the data that they've created would really lead to some interesting results.
Combine that information with whatever Google's cooking up, and things could get interesting.