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To: Barney Dunn who wrote (2366)	8/1/1999 10:47:00 PM
From: mact	Respond to of 4337

barney, initially i agree with u...but that is a superficial view IMO...all the cable and network mediums are investing heavily into Wink, Replay and Tivo for a reason...and this is not so people can order movies on demand...what u eluded to at the end of ur post is the key IMO...its about selling things to people...u say to urself, "i watch tv all the time but dont want to buy everything i see"...the difference is about data mining...imagine watching only the shows and commercials that u are interested in(this will happen very soon)...thats what the future is about...customized entertainment and commerce...these set-tops will allow them to analyze what ur watching, when ur watching it and what websites ur hanging out in...u will be quite abit more apt to buy something if the url that was posted on the screen of the show/commercial u are watching dealt with ur interests only...ultimately, our most valuable asset(unless ur filthy rich...lol)might be our thought processes and habits...hence our purchasing habits...companies will eventually pay us to watch us if u know what i mean...this is somewhat analogous to the free pc's they are already giving away...lastly, why did doubleclick pay a billion dollars for an unknown called abacus...for the data!....jmho. mact

To: Barney Dunn who wrote (2366)	8/1/1999 11:05:00 PM
From: NY Stew	Respond to of 4337

Pure Diva .... is a software program that does basically what TiVo and RePlay with the time shifted recording from your PC linked via IEEE-1394 to your TV. Furthermore, the DishPlayer (WebTV & Echostar) also perform most of these functions. I will get back to TiVo and RePlay and the possible patent violations with time shifting for recording onto a hard drive and the VRC-like features of pause, rewind, etc. three i don't think email is a killer app for interactive TV - matter of fact i am not sold on interactive TV at all. no one has shown me a compelling app for it. I agree in general but believe that the IPG is the exception. This user interface will be the multimedia and multiplatformed gateway IMO. Much (not all, don't flame) of TV Guides interest in SRCM and IATV was to try to engineer around Gemstar's 145 issued and over 290 pending patents. Some believe that Gemstar cannot be engineered around to the degree needed for a competitive product. Some believe this is the reason GMST and TV Guide are closer to the rumored settlement. Microsofts global licensing agreement (17 years left) was an early indicator for myself. AOL's recent exclusive and long term agreement with Gemstar opened my other eye. Both of these companies have enough patent attorneys and engineers to form a small nation and sufficient muscle to get around any IP weaknesses so I believe that after doing the DD they partnered with good reason and with very favorable monetary terms. i DO think interactive TV will consist of Video on Demand and Multiple camera views in Sports and maybe home shopping (or gambling). Any other form of interactivity will be the domain of computers and the internet. It seems reasonable to believe that consumers will demand varying degrees of interactivity from their livingrooms. One size will not fit all. A simple IPG will suffice for many as now being marketed by Thomson (GE, RCA & Proscan) and Sony under exclusive licenses with Gemstar. Sony and Thomson together own over 50% of the US TV market. Additional 'Guide Plus+' guides will be launched this year by Zenith, Philips(Magnavox), JVC and Sharp. Panasonic and Toshiba are expected begin deployment in early 2000. There will also be a demand from those consumers desiring greater interactivity from the so called internet TV's such as MS's WebTV and the upcoming AOL TV. This functionality will be based from either an STB or built into the TV unit itself. TV's with WebTV inside are due late this year and from AOL in 2000. I said all that to say that the only way to seamlessly converge, navigate and record the old and new media arts is from the IPG. All in my opinion of course. Concerning TiVo and RePlay: United States Patent 5,701,383 Russo , et al. December 23, 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Video time-shifting apparatus Abstract A video time-shifting system characterized in having a continuous recording track accessed by separate, asychronous read and write facilities enables playback of a video program to commence from any point in the program while continuing to be recorded in real time, thus providing VCR-like program control features such as PAUSE/RESUME, REWIND, and FAST FORWARD. A memory is used to store information relating to various points in the program so that even upon receipt of multiple PAUSE commands, the system automatically keeps track of correct program re-entry. In the preferred embodiment, the storage means takes the form of a continuous recording track in a magnetic disk drive. To prevent discontinuities associated with the recording and reproducing of material representative of the video program, the system preferably incorporates a plurality of write heads, each associated with a different recording track, and the system automatically switches from one write head to another so as to effectively link the different recording tracks into a single, continuous recording track. Although program information may be stored in analog form, digital storage is used in the preferred embodiment along with data compression to increase recording capacity. The system preferably further includes a video display generator to output for viewing on the display device visual indicia relating to the program and, additionally, symbols relating to one or more points in the program and/or the time-shifted version thereof. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inventors: Russo; James (Ann Arbor, MI); Levine; Michael R. (Boca Raton, FL) Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Pasadena, CA) Appl. No.: 388345 Filed: February 14, 1995 Regards Stew

To: Barney Dunn who wrote (2366)	8/2/1999 11:41:00 AM
From: art slott	Respond to of 4337

>>i DO think interactive TV will consist of Video on Demand and Multiple camera views in Sports and maybe home shopping (or gambling). << Though iatv's multiple camera views will be available for more than sports(i.e. concerts, possibly adult channels,) from an investors viewpoint their ability to send targeted advetising and advertising that allows you to choose what you want to see is what makes future growth potential exponential. The data base (profiling) will be extremely valuable to marketers and of course the sales generated from impulse buying (i.e.Ricky Martins' shirt).