Michael Arrington is breaking up. With Netflix, and switching loyalties to Blockbuster, the video rental store which conjures up late fees and bad customer service in my mind.
Mike is making good arguments for switching to Blockbuster, but for me the future of video is not Netflix or Blockbuster. Instead it is Akimbo and services like Akimbo.
Ever since going pro with GigaOM, my life has become extremely hectic, forcing me to prioritize the health and future of the company over frivolous activities like watching television. I have given the cable TV premium package the heave-ho, and ever since the Yankees embarrassed themselves, I have not turned on the television.
Whenever I feel like watching some entertainment stuff, I often go to the iTunes store and download a couple of episodes of Monk or some show I actually care about.
But last week, Josh Goldman, CEO of San Mateo, Calif.-based Akimbo, convinced me that I should try the new RCA Akimbo Player. He said I would get great programs and movies and still wouldn’t need to watch TV in the traditional sense.
“You have now have five out of seven major studios supplying movies on this box,” he said. “There are 15,000 videos on it. It is not a cable replacement, it is like a DVD player or a DVD rental service. So you have to really see it.”
An hour later, one of his people dropped off a box. Now I actually had to play with it, though I was dreading the idea of setting it up, mucking around with network settings and what not. Typically such boxes take about three hours to get working properly. It was late at night, but I unpacked the box anyway. A handful of cables, a remote control, and that’s all.
One of the tricks I have learned with any network device is that you are better off using a wired Ethernet connection than trying to get wireless settings to work. I know it is not pretty! I turned off the modem, and the switch, plugged the wire into the back of RCA box, and connected the S-Video and audio cables to my LCD TV. And then switched everything back on, and turned on Akimbo.
It took me to the set-up screen, only to find that the network was configured, and there was a list of channels to chose from. I quickly went to the Movielink channel, and queued up four movies; went to BBC to download Fawlty Towers, and a bunch of Bollywood programs. The whole process took less than 30 minutes.
The downloads started pretty fast, and I could have started watching the movies right away if I wanted, but this being the first time, I decided to wait till next morning. I kept adding items to my queue, including new movies, and by the weekend there was nearly 24 hours worth of movies, television programs and Rocketbooms – stuff that I actually wanted to watch. This is television…. exploded.
Damn you Josh, you just distracted me from work!
My initial impressions of Akimbo are – from a usability stand point, it gets full marks, but its user interface is well… like Kate Moss without makeup. The picture is not as crisp I would have liked it to be, but you can barely tell the difference between a DVD and the download. The biggest issue is that of price: a monthly subscription and then per movie downloads can get awfully expensive pretty fat. Nevertheless, I am getting used to watching the television programs that are all good — so, Akimbo is staying with me for a while. No DVDs, no envelopes, no visits to the store, just click and add to the queue. What’s more, no PC necessary!
Om
I agree re being wired…and this is the sort of thing you find out only by playing with real test rigs.
i did forget to mention that the pricing on this kind of a service is always going to be an issue. they need to make the monthly service free and then let people pick their stuff, and get a piece of the action.
Om,
I have lots of comments, but the most important thing I have to say is: I think Bollywood movies generally suck. 🙂 Can you please defend your position on them? I dated an Indian woman for 6 years in college and fell in love with the food and just about every other aspect of Indian culture. Except the movies. Don’t get them. Like Cricket in England.
Om’s a Yanks fan? Impressive 😉
In fact, another revolution occurs, hundreds of P2P live video channels are broadcasting to global users with very good quality, much better and stable than video streaming by CDN structure.
If you tried the channels from http://www.TVKoo.com, you will realize the time of cheap global TV is coming. The small team are streaming 200 channels from China with 7 servers of 100M bandwidth each. Sometime,hundreds of thousands users from different countries were watching live TV on TVKoo test platform, “the cost of bandwidth on one channel is less than 25M, if 30,000 users were watching this channel similtaneously”, said the Jerry Xie, the COO of TVKoo.
How to reduce the cost of bandwidth to US$1 per year.user, I think it is ready.
So Mike, the thing with Bollywood movies is that you really should have the ability to suspend reality. then you get them. Escapism, as in the best sense. Food, cricket etc… all those are simple things. Bollywood movies = 3 hours lets forget everything.
You mentioned Monk. Realize that Monk is on USA Network, and that’s not carried by Akimbo, not from what I can tell anyway.
I’d be willing to get rid of my cable tier if I could get these types of things on Akimbo. But if I can’t get that type of content on Akimbo, then I might as well stick with cable for meeting my time-shifting needs. Seems like an either/or to me.
For anyone who wants to try Blockbuster Total Access
one month free trial (3 DVD out at a time plan)
go to http://www.blockbuster.com/bbfamily
use promo code: 1557ta
Happy Holidays
Blockbuster has given each Corporate employee a code to pass to friends/family for a free trial! PASS THIS ON even if you don’t sign up!
Blockbuster has recently debuted an integrated in-store/online service: Blockbuster Total Access (TM)
1) Sign up for Blockbuster Online
2) Choose movies for your Queue
3) Receive movies in the mail
4) Return via mail and receive next movies from your Queue
or
4) Return movies to your local store in exchange for free in-store rentals (any movie), and your next online Queue movies will be on the way as well!!
5) Try this for free for ONE MONTH via Blockbuster Friends and Family program (the general public only gets two weeks free)
GO TO:
http://www.blockbuster.com/bbfamily
Enter this code: 1516ta
Enjoy!!
Note: The program you will receive one month free is the “3 – Out” program (three movies from online out at a time + unlimited exchanges @ the store). This is regularly priced @ a low $17.99/month. If you don’t cancel the free trial within the trial period, this is the program you will be automatically renewed at. Believe me, it’s worth it!!
You can pass this benefit on to other friends or family. Just include the details above. Offer is valid for new subscribers only. If you have had the service before but the account is no longer active, just use a different email address and take advantage of this free trial for one month.
Offer Expires January 7, 2007
If you already have the service, I want to thank you for choosing Blockbuster Online! YOU ROCK!!
It’s good to know a Blockbuster Employee!
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO ASK!
I am looking into new markets give me a call (321) 751-6963
Please read this short synopsis: Millions are seeking romance on the Internet, looking in the wrong place for the right person. Now finding Mr. Right or Ms. Right can be as easy as turning off your computer and turning on your TV. Let’s Meet is a culmination bringing men & women together on TV in a public domain every six seconds showcased on a split picture with true identity and thoroughly screened backgrounds. Within milliseconds TV viewers find that special someone they are attracted to and then meet to search for the inner beauty and integrity of each other maybe finding their sole mate, thus Let’s Meet.
Copyright © 2006 LET’S MEET
Meeting that someone special just got easier and safer too. Are you tired of the nightclub (bar scene), blind dates and all the less than truthful people that you have met on the Internet dating sites? There is an over whelming desire in all of us to seek out another human being since we all have a very strong biological necessity to meet people. “Let’s Meet” (LM) is the most innovative way to meet the most amount people in the shortest of time with creditability. LM’s innovative design is to showcase people in the public domain (TV), so there is a secure and safer environment with thoroughly screened members. The LM unique approach to safer dating venue is now going to be more enjoyable with a new fresh feeling of a better atmosphere with the person you’re spending time with. This is the first time in the dating evolution that women will have more fun, feel more relaxed and will be able to enjoy their dates because LM has taken the fear factor out of dating men. LM is the first and only safety driven informative concept exemplifying a presentation like this anywhere in the world. LM’s strategy is to use the enormous TV platform reaching the masses to capture the tremendous viewing audience. That’s why Match .Com, Harmony .Com spend so much money on TV advertising. Since LM’s primary arena is on TV we impart a significant unparalleled winning edge. People visiting LM will come through word of mouth or just by default when they scan their remote between station breaks or commercials. We will target radio and TV advertising to the conscientious parents and single women of the world. All parents want their children to be safe regardless of age! Women won’t hesitate to join LM because of all the many safety factors that are built in.
LM members will have a professional beauty make-over and have professional portraits taken, men wearing a black tuxedo, for the play boy look, bare chest and just a black bow tie. The women will be wearing a white or off white wedding dress, head piece, and will beholding a rose or flower bouquet like a bride on her wedding day, or the play girl look, bare from the cleavage up (in good taste) wearing a white bow tie. All LM members’ portraits are shown on a split screen, men on one side, and women on the other side. We can showcase as many as one thousand members per hour. Each person will have a contact #, first name, month (sign), height, and s/n (smoker/none smoker). While you are watching the membership being showcased you will hear romantic instrumental music like the Theme from Love Story, A Summer Place, Moon River, Autumn Leaves, Misty, Moon Glow and Days of Wine and Roses. The host will explain the show’s concept during the intermission. It’s no nonsense, no game, and no entertainment approach to finding that special someone you are just physically attracted to or maybe an old friend that you haven’t seen for many years.
On the Internet imposters will be whom ever they want you to think they are using aliases and usernames to deceive their clients. LM’s guide lines for joining are far different than that of internet dating sites. We don’t just list people like a phone book directory or 900 personal ads and put client’s names on just any snapshots / pictures.
All members are told that we employ single female police officers and that we give free membership to all single law enforcement worldwide. We request all women to call the free out-tracking date log for their own safety. Every woman will be given a special digital cell phone to call her date log which will record the time she leaves her home.
Women are required to give the full itinerary of the date along with the contact # and name of the man she is meeting and the scheduled time she should be home. The special locater cell phones use a digital code transmitter with priority Cat Tracking Software that only the FBI and state police have.
The phone will send a digital radio signal and use GPS tracking to cell towers to locate the exact location of a woman when she hasn’t reported back from a date on time.
Let’s meet will acquire and utilize all available modern technology like the biometrics retina eye scan, hair, blood and oral mouth swab for DNA. LM will chart all beauty, birthmarks, scars and tattoos. Finger prints will be mapped and checked against the local police and all FBI files as well as out standing or past warrants arrests and DUI’s or even too many points on driving record. No one can join LM unless they have a spotless background record.
“CAN YOU PUT A PRICE ON ONE’S SAFETY”?
Women who choose the web for dating men are going to kiss many frogs and waste a lot of time. Unknowingly they are setting themselves up for a high risk situation of being a date rape victim or even worse getting themselves killed. With all the high risks and scars LET’S MEET is a real value and people will pay for a good value. Let’s Meet is a real use-value product compared to all the internet dating sites and other dating services that do nothing more than list people just like the cheap newspaper personal ads did. That’s our so called competition that people are paying for anyway. It is an impossible task for any of the dating .coms to beat us at our own game when they choose Cyber-space.
January they were signing over sixty thousand new people a day.
We also are showcasing the aspiring artist’s (want-a-b’s) WB. The WB will have a different dress code, contact #, first name, and the career they are seeking. All LM members will enjoy the benefits of the high profile exposure to all the talent agencies, casting directors and modeling agencies since we are going to simulcast TV on to the worldwide web. LM is focused on new innovative inroads in marketing LM members like no other agency.
WOULD YOU ALLOW YOUR DAUGHTER TO MEET STRANGE MEN FROM THE INTERNET
Please afford me the benefit of your serious consideration in my endeavor!
Respectfully,
Saul M. Detofsky, Chairman, CEO Registered – WGA WEST- # 1100090 / Copyrighted 2006
(321) 751-6963 sauld@earthlink.net / wb3jvv@gmail.com
letsmeetsinglesontvnow@gmail.com
letsmeetsinglesontv@gmail.com
letsmeetvshow@gmail.com
nowletsmeet@gmail.com
My agent is Mr. Fred R. Price of Fred R. Price Literary Agency
14044 Ventura Blvd. Suite # 201, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423,
(818) 763-6365
What’s a web surfer to do? I was going along, searching for some info on Dress flower girl online, and saw a link here. You can bet I’ll be bookmarking this site TODAY (Monday). Great post!