[TheForge] Abana Tape rentals getting OT-ish

[theforge@mailman.qth.net]

The problem is that it takes a lot of bandwidth that can be more 
profitably be used for something else.  Or the funds that would develop 
it could at the least.  The numbers guys will find the solution that 
maximizes returns and that leads to only high demand videos being 
spooled up.   You are not going to find  video on demand serving up 
stuff  you can't already find at your local video store given the 
current schemes.  Except of course for porn.  It is amazing how many 
markets/technologies  have been built on porn.   The VCR industry in its 
consumer infancy was a $1500-$3000 player, and movies that had to be 
bought for $100-$200 or more, all to avoid a $5 movie ticket.  Porn was 
the variable in the equation that made it all work til prices could 
drop.  This was played out in the cable industry as well.   I used to 
kid with clients  early on in the internet boom that 50% of the 
bandwidth was porn, 25% was AOLers asking where to find the porn and the 
rest was real use.   All those early internet signons sold 
(particularily prior to mosaic/web) wasn't just so people could send 
email to grandma.

Charles


Demon Buddha wrote:

>> For video rentals, the real solution seems to be true view on demand, 
>> but as I have worked with that off and on professionally for several 
>> years, I don't think there is going to be a true solution anytime soon.
>
>
>     There is really no technical reason it cannot work.  It's all a 
> matter
>     of marketing.  The excuse of "people won't buy it" is pure bulllshit.
>     A righteously designed propa... erm, I mean *marketing* campaign 
> could
>     have every American eating their own feces, that I assure you of.  If
>     they can do that, they can get people to love on-demand.
>
>     It would require some capital investment, to be sure, but that would
>     be either made up for in time by sales, or used to some serious
>     advantage as a tax loss.  Actually, I bet it would happen both ways.
>     Never underestimate the power of clever accounting practices, and
>     don't worry about Enron.  That was likely a planned event.
>     Note that the company is still in operation and neither of the two
>     top men have seen any charges to date.  That's a mite fishy.  But I
>     digress, as usual.