[mythtv-users] All clear QAMs gone in Portland, OR

[Gary Buhrmaster]

On Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 8:06 PM, Michael T. Dean
<mtdean at thirdcontact.com> wrote:
.....
> *** It's also what Google was attempting to do with their Google TV.  And
> the licensing/contracts--or lack thereof--with big media is what prevented
> the per-show a la carte and made Google TV next to useless because Google
> based the design concept around this "select any show and get it, without
> any subscriptions" approach that they were prevented from delivering.

I have said this in another forum, but I will repeat it here.

Depending on which rumor you want to believe, Amazon, Apple, Google,
Hulu Intel, Netflix, and Sony (I have probably missed a few) have all
approached the various content providers to try to cut various deals for
an "over the top" service. The issue, usually, is that until you can get
almost everyone on board, you do not have a compelling offering, and
there are a number of content providers that see their lucrative contracts
(for example, ESPN at Disney at a guaranteed $5/month/(every)subscriber)
potentially disrupted. And Time Warner (as both a content provider and
as a MSO) apparently has some interesting restrictions in their contracts
with some content providers to prevent "over the top" competition. A
method (that might work) is to create a virtual "multichannel video
programming distributor" (MVPD), essentially making one of these
companies a cable provider, which means that the content providers have
to negotiate with them as just another distributor (although the "good faith"
part may be up to your own interpretation). Everyone is talking to everyone.
It is an interesting time. Something will no doubt happen.

Gary