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Technology Stocks : LAST MILE TECHNOLOGIES - Let's Discuss Them Here -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DukeCrow who wrote (7767)	7/26/2000 11:25:53 PM
From: lml	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 12823

Basically, which MPEG2 encoder do you think would give you the best quality/MB of space? The MPEG2 encoder used by the DBS broadcasters or the one in the TiVo or Replay box? I think it's an advantage you might as well take advantage of. Yes, I would prefer to rely upon the MPEG encoder in the DBS receiver. But again, if I record I am willing to sacrifice a small bit of quality in exchange for retention of my privacy as well as elimination of the potential problems presented by an all-in-one package. Obviously, abukhari, we have a difference of opinion on this particular issue, which I think would not be uncommon in the marketplace. If the quality differential was significant, I would find your argument more convincing, but as I don't, I find the other considerations I value to more influential upon my conclusions on this issue. I think one issue to address when it comes to digital content & the quality of it storage is the ability of the consumer to make fair use of the content with impugnity from much talked about copyright laws. I would think that if the digital quality stored on a DirecTiVo box to be so far superior to that of a separate PVR device requiring some analog translation that the manufacturer and MSO offering such package would incorporate certain additional features that would prevent the unnecessary duplication or portability of such data onto other physical mediums to protect the copyright inherent in the recorded content. TiVo would probably be an add-on charge to your existing subscription. If you want to cancel, you would just cancel the TiVo part of your subscription. To ensure no funny business is going on, you can unplug the receiver from the phone line. Yes, but the "discount" offered on your programming in exchange for viewing one's programming through TiVo would be forfeited. And I think if you tried to end-run the TiVo set-up model by unplugging your phone line in order to prevent the data from being uploaded to the company's DB server, I'm sure you would get some kind of feedback from your DBS provider. I just don't think the model will offer the flexibility to toggle TiVo feature off & on all the time. Either you use the TiVo to record programming & offer to TiVo your viewing habits, or you don't use TiVo at all. I don't think TiVo is going to let you have your cake & eat it, and that's what I don't like about its business model, & a significant reason not to purchase a DBS receiver that incorporates its technology. If you are unwilling to offer up your viewing habits, then the subscriber is throwing money out the window by paying extra for the DirecTiVo combination receiver/PVR. As I stated, we obviously differ on this particular issue. It'll be very interesting to see how this business model develops. As I alluded to, maybe here, if not, somewhere else, Replay appear to reviewing its business model. One issue they are addressing is modifying the 30-second skip button. I can only speculate that this feature does not sit well with the MSOs as they rely upon local advertising to supplement their subscription revenues and the carrier fees they charge the cable channels. Content delivery also boils down to advertising, and obviously Replay's current skip feature is problematic for them going forward. But what dual-tuners allow is for you to watch a live program while recording another live program. I do this now with a splitter.