[mythtv-users] No more hulu for Boxee

[Steven Adeff]

On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 8:41 AM, jedi <jedi at mishnet.org> wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 09:14:49PM -0800, Allen Edwards wrote:
>> On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 8:45 PM, Kevin Kuphal <kkuphal at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 4:55 PM, David Brodbeck <gull at gull.us> wrote:
>> >
>> >> On Thu, February 19, 2009 12:42 pm, Eric Mesa wrote:
>> >> > Sorry if this is a repeat, I didn't see it in my previous scans through
>> >> > the
>> >> > mailing list, but, as my wife can testify, I can easily miss things.
>> >> >
>> >> > Hulu has asked Boxee to stop showing Hulu through their interface see:
>> >> > http://blog.boxee.tv/2009/02/18/the-hulu-situation/
>> >> > and
>> >> > http://blog.hulu.com/2009/2/18/doing-hard-things
>> >>
>> >> That's too bad.  It makes me unlikely to use both Boxee and Hulu, since
>> >> the main attraction for me was being able to watch Hulu content without
>> >> the awkwardness of trying to use a web browser on a television.
>> >>
>> >> I find it odd that content providers are fighting convergence.  I suppose
>> >> they want to protect their own narrow channels, but it doesn't seem like a
>> >> good idea if the goal is to reach more eyeballs.
>> >
>> >
>> > Even worse, it probably isn't Hulu themselves making the decision.
>> > Probably also why we don't have a Hulu branded STB
>> >
>> > Kevin
>> >
>>
>>
>> >From a business standpoint, Hulu is a good thing for the networks to do
>> because it is very good, has a huge amount of content, and therefore keeps
>> anyone else from doing it.  Ever wonder why Netflix offers free download of
>> movies?  Keeps anyone else from starting a business that could put them out
>> of business.  Very smart strategies.   Netflix offers enough content to keep
>> online competitors away and yet not enough to kill their own business.  That
>> said, Hulu's strategy is clearly not to compete with TV.
>
>    True, however the difference between interfacing with a real monitor
> and a TV at this point is a purely artifical distiction. It's just a quirk
> of the market and the evolution of PCs that the living room TV is somewhat
> of an alien place to put your home computer. I expect that to change in the
> near future as the capabilities of the two devices aren't that distinct
> anymore and more people discover this.
>
>    With good remote support (xine, mplayer) ANY desktop app is also a
> "media center" app.
>
> [deletia]
>
>    Hulu may have accidentally opened Pandora's box.

Hulu on a laptop connected to your living room TV, it's not that far
off of a possibility. Two of my housemates have Macbook's with remotes
(they watch MythTV in their bedroom, I just wish I could figure out
how to automount NFS shares in OSX...), and so they watch stuff on the
living room plasma from their laptops all the time. Boxee just allows
them to watch Hulu/etc and write emails/etc at the same time...

I think the thing we forget is that the people making these decisions
are not in touch with the reality of the current state of technology.
Which as we all know, is why the RIAA/MPAA are all on suicide missions
right now.

-- 
Steve
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/User:Steveadeff
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