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Comments on news posted 2014-02-04 16:34:43: Last week I noted that live TV streaming company Aereo had run out of capacity in New York City, and they've now confirmed to me that they've run out of capacity in Atlanta as well. ..

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EliteData
EliteData
Premium Member
join:2003-07-06
Philippines

EliteData

Premium Member

Aereo

i see a significant investment in the future.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

1 recommendation

silbaco

Premium Member

A significant investment in a company that could be utterly crushed at any time the TV networks choose?

If they happen to win in court, all the TV networks have to do to kill them is offer their streams online and add more content to Hulu. The only thing proprietary about what Aereo is doing is the antenna technology, which the TV networks do not need. They could just as easily move all new (or simply all) content to cable as well. The OTA networks are virtually all part of media conglomerates that own multiple networks. Their options are truly endless no matter how the supreme court rules. Aereo on the other hand owns zero content and has no options.

PlusOne
@comcast.net

PlusOne

Anon

said by silbaco:

A significant investment in a company that could be utterly crushed at any time the TV networks choose?

If they happen to win in court, all the TV networks have to do to kill them is offer their streams online and add more content to Hulu. The only thing proprietary about what Aereo is doing is the antenna technology, which the TV networks do not need. They could just as easily move all new (or simply all) content to cable as well. The OTA networks are virtually all part of media conglomerates that own multiple networks. Their options are truly endless no matter how the supreme court rules. Aereo on the other hand owns zero content and has no options.

The Aereo kludge will die one way or another.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926 to silbaco

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to silbaco
Its been stated several times that Areo uses a mini antenna. Is this true or not, because if its using antennas for OTA signals, how the hell can they run out of capacity.
ptb42
join:2002-09-30
USA

1 edit

1 recommendation

ptb42

Member

said by ITALIAN926:

Its been stated several times that Areo uses a mini antenna. Is this true or not, because if its using antennas for OTA signals, how the hell can they run out of capacity.

To comply with the law, they must have a separate antenna for each user. And, they'll need an encoder for each antenna, to convert the received signal into H.264 digital video (or whatever format they are using).

Edit: Aereo actually has a separate antenna for each active user. So, if you aren't actively using the service (either viewing or recording), you aren't utilizing an antenna.

This would give Aereo the opportunity for some reuse, but I suspect that active users approach 100% of their subscribed users during prime-time.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH

trparky

Premium Member

Oh my God, that has got to get expensive really quick. I just don't know how this company stays in business.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat to ptb42

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to ptb42

To comply with the law, they must have a separate antenna for each user. And, they'll need an encoder for each antenna, to convert the received signal into H.264 digital video (or whatever format they are using).

What a crazy law. Regulation designed to stifle business.
ptb42
join:2002-09-30
USA

1 recommendation

ptb42 to PlusOne

Member

to PlusOne
said by PlusOne :

The Aereo kludge will die one way or another.

If I were Aereo, I think I would be more worried about Congress than the Supreme Court.

The Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA) is sunsetting on 2014-12-31, and will require an extension. Lobbyists will inevitably try to convince Congress to also amend the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992, to undercut Aereo.
ptb42

ptb42 to trparky

Member

to trparky
said by trparky:

Oh my God, that has got to get expensive really quick. I just don't know how this company stays in business.

Aereo says their hardware cost for transcoding is about $20/user (one-time). I don't know if that is just the chip, or the fractional cost of everything. Of course, there are still the DVR storage costs, network costs, and power costs.

AereoScale
@comcast.net

AereoScale to ITALIAN926

Anon

to ITALIAN926
said by ITALIAN926:

Its been stated several times that Areo uses a mini antenna. Is this true or not, because if its using antennas for OTA signals, how the hell can they run out of capacity.

Even mini-antennas(1 per customer) take up physical space. Say you have 2 million customers in NYC - how much space do you think that takes up? A lot - even if each mini-antenna is only the size of a dime as Aereo claims. And don't forget that each antenna has to be connected to the internet thru electronic circuits. And that takes up space. And power supplies take up space.



Now scale up that antenna board and think about how much room that takes up.
CXM_Splicer
Looking at the bigger picture
Premium Member
join:2011-08-11
NYC

CXM_Splicer to PlusOne

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to PlusOne
said by PlusOne :

The Aereo kludge will die one way or another.

Depending on how it is killed, there may be casualties. Slingbox and/or remote DVR could become illegal by changing the interpretation of the law to put Aereo out of business.

kapil
The Kapil
join:2000-04-26
Chicago, IL

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What a ridiculous position to hold. The broadcasters use public airwaves, which they got for free, and make a profit using that public property in exchange for providing a service that benefits us all. Aereo isn't 'retransmitting' anything. And even though they've come up with a clever workaround for the exceedingly stupid law, they shouldn't have had to.

Anyone who so desires should be allowed to receive programming which is free to receive over the public airwaves and watch that programming in any manner. Aereo isn't charging for the programming, nor injecting their own ads into the stream. They are simply charging users for the service they provide...which is to stream OTA programming. If I were to replicate the Aereo setup for my own use, i.e., setup a rooftop antenna, hook it up to a tuner/encoder and then streamed it for viewing over IP, would the broadcasters have a problem with that too? Idiots!

Cable and satellite TV companies sell advertising on local channels....and that's why they pay for the privilege of carrying and retransmitting local OTA programming.

Broadcasters will have to evolve or they will die. Aereo exists because there is a demand for their service.

Of course the real problem that media execs fail to acknowledge is that they've cut back on local programming, news and weather, taken an axe to scripted shows and filled their schedules with reality shit...which no one except the dolts amongst us want to watch....so their revenue is down because the quality of their product has gone down. Aereo has nothing to do with that.

Tech34567
@optonline.net

Tech34567

Anon

Signed up today

Just fyi. I successfully just signed up with them today in the NYC area (Stamford, CT)..

This will be PERFECT for watching news and things like that on the boat.
ptb42
join:2002-09-30
USA

ptb42

Member

said by Tech34567 :

This will be PERFECT for watching news and things like that on the boat.

This is where I believe the broadcasters are missing the boat. (yes, pun intended)

Aereo is actually expanding their audience for them, at no cost to the broadcasters. Viewers with no TV, or no reception at their viewing location (due to terrain, interference, etc.) can watch the broadcast on their phone, tablet, or laptop.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926 to AereoScale

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to AereoScale

Re: Aereo

No, I thought the "mini antenna" was located at the user end. This entire product is a bunch of crap. You know when it will be outlawed? When the MSO's replicate it to circumvent carriage fees.
ITALIAN926

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to Tech34567

Re: Signed up today

and how is your signal getting to the boat? Or are you talking about being docked? How far out can you catch a cell tower
ptb42
join:2002-09-30
USA

ptb42 to ITALIAN926

Member

to ITALIAN926

Re: Aereo

said by ITALIAN926:

No, I thought the "mini antenna" was located at the user end.

That's incorrect.

The image in the posting to which you replied is the actual Aereo hardware. Each of those metal "forks" is an antenna. For perspective, they are about the side of a dime.

On the user end, all you need is an iOS or Android device, or a desktop/laptop computer a reasonably recent version of a major browser.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband to silbaco

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to silbaco
networks won't move to cable only. they'll give up too many eye balls and all of that free spectrum they're given. Advertisers won't like the idea of losing eye balls.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

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to ptb42
Yes, I realized that after his picture post.

bbbc
join:2001-10-02
NorthAmerica

1 recommendation

bbbc

Member

Aereo will bail soon enough, one way or another

Aereo's goal seems to be quick expansion across America and I doubt that includes fixing capacity issues. The service works like shit and they've had plenty of time to work out the bugs. Want to watch the same channel past the current program, not happening. Aereo is a business venture designed to be dumped. If Aereo is successful in court, one of the big guys will gobble them up in a heartbeat.

Jim Kirk
Premium Member
join:2005-12-09
49985

Jim Kirk to PlusOne

Premium Member

to PlusOne

Re: Aereo

Hopefully you do first, TK.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA to CXM_Splicer

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to CXM_Splicer
The network DVR won't be made illegal, as Comcast and Cablevision will fight for it.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to CXM_Splicer

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to CXM_Splicer
said by CXM_Splicer:

said by PlusOne :

The Aereo kludge will die one way or another.

Depending on how it is killed, there may be casualties. Slingbox and/or remote DVR could become illegal by changing the interpretation of the law to put Aereo out of business.

the sports leagues would love it if sling were made illegal. Apparently MLB tried to fight them because they feared something as silly as someone having a family member set one up to bypass blackouts.

Keep in mind there are no laws at all that state the private citizen cannot use technology to bypass the blackout. As setting one up at a family member's home in another city is a deal between family members and not regulated by contracts.
tanzam75
join:2012-07-19

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said by amarryat:

What a crazy law. Regulation designed to stifle business.

It's not a law, it's a loophole in the law. When you use a loophole, we still say that you're "complying with the law."

The law states that you must pay the TV station in order to rebroadcast its signal. That's what the cable and satellite companies do.

Aereo does not want to pay the TV stations. Therefore, they have to avoid rebroadcasting the signal. In order to do this, they must set up dedicated equipment for each subscriber. In this way, they can claim to be no different in principle from the subscriber putting up an antenna on his own roof, buying his own DVR, and transmitting signals from his own DVR to his computer.

The Supreme Court will rule on this interpretation of the loophole within the next six months. Congress could also amend the law to eliminate this loophole, if it so chose.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926

Member

If the loophole gets closed, Aereo loses.

If it holds, MSO's duplicate this sillyness to avoid retransmit fees, and the networks go cable only. Aereo still loses.

lol
tanzam75
join:2012-07-19

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They don't have to give up the spectrum entirely.

They could simply spin-off their most valuable programming -- sports, live events, etc. -- into a cable channel. The news and public service programming would stay on the main channel, to satisfy their regulatory obligations.

Of course, this will depend on the market, the percentage of revenues from retransmission fees, and what the cableco chooses to do.
tanzam75

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Re: Signed up today

said by ptb42:

Aereo is actually expanding their audience for them, at no cost to the broadcasters. Viewers with no TV, or no reception at their viewing location (due to terrain, interference, etc.) can watch the broadcast on their phone, tablet, or laptop.

The same thing is true for cable systems that serve communities located on the wrong side of a mountain. The subscribers can't receive TV signals from rooftop antennas, so these cable systems are clearly expanding the TV stations' audience.

But the TV stations have generally opted to take a retransmission fee rather than must-carry. They feel that the cableco must carry them anyway in order to provide a viable service, so why not force them to pay some money?

And the same logic would apply to Aereo if the loophole goes away. Aereo would be worthless without being able to carry at least the four main TV stations. Thus, any one of them can force Aereo to pay them for the privilege of expanding their audience.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat to tanzam75

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Re: Aereo

It's still crazy. They actually use an antenna, and getting the service is like getting a virtual antenna since they only sell to areas where you could go get your own antenna anyway. Ridiculous.
TheGhost
Premium Member
join:2003-01-03
Lake Forest, IL

TheGhost to BiggA

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to BiggA
It is a fine line they are walking - they want to kill Aereo, but want THEIR win against the broadcasters to stand.
TheGhost

TheGhost to amarryat

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to amarryat
Many times, even though you are in the broadcast region, you still cannot get clear signals using your own antenna anyway. We have that problem with CBS for some reason in Chicago.
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