Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: MikeM54321 who wrote (9958)	12/27/2000 11:43:22 PM
From: EJhonsa	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12823

Eric- I thought it was for dial-up only. Just like Microsoft TV. If you can find a url showing it's a CM connection, I would appreciate it. Currently, it's only a dial-up service, I'm sure due in no small part to Time Warner's exclusivity agreement with Road Runner. However, a cable version is set to be introduced in the future, as stated here: microtimes.com AOL is also working to create another, faster version of AOLTV that will work with Time Warner cable lines. I agree with you completely regarding the potential for interactive TV services directly tied to a given program/ad, and sent over MPEG-4 streams. It's one of the reasons why I'm optimistic on ACTV's potential going forward. When I questioned whether advertisers might object to i-TV services in the same manner that they might object to web browsing services, I was referring to "walled garden" offerings such as e-mail, online banking, etc., the kinds of things that a number of operators are planning to implement via Liberate's platform. You'll have to trust me when I say that I don't doubt the capability of "entrenched interests" to hold back the deployment of new services and technologies. The persistence of long-haul carriers in mantaining their legacy SONET architectures is just one such example I can think of off the top of my head. However, if, in this case, this age-old barrier is breached, it definitely won't be the first time. Consider the rollout of DSL services as an example. Some of the major RBOCs and ILECs, such as SBC and US West, have recently gotten especially aggressive in rolling it out. They've done so in spite of the fact that the newfound revenue streams attainable from the sale of DSL services to residential users also run the significant risk of potentially cannibalizing lucrative T1 sales to small and mid-sized businesses. Likewise, should AOL Time Warner, and perhaps a couple of other trailblazers, see a good deal of demand (and thus media attention as well..look at the results of all the attention that NTT DoCoMo's gotten for i-mode to see how this can have industry-wide effects) for web browsing services via set-top boxes, the rules of the game could be turned upside-down...especially considering how MSOs, like all bureaucratic monopolies, have a time-honored tradition of playing follow-the-leader, and how shareholders and analysts could start getting critical of those operators who end up chosing to hold out on the deployment of these services for the reasons that you've cited. Eric