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First!

NBC sure is slummin' it these days.

the devil is in the details.
without price, bundle, or drm specifics, it's another
boon to stupid investors who drive stocks up based
on vaporware.

MDN word 'using'
"I'm using my mac, which works in real life"

Dec 11, 07 - 10:14 am Comment from: Randian

"Our viewers now have another innovative way to enjoy NBCU’s first-rate broadcast and cable content . . ."

He's kidding, right?! NBC's current lineup is dead last among the big three, and may even be fighting for fourth with the WB (or whatever it's called these days).

There's 'way too much crack being smoked in the NBC boardroom!

To what degree is the Microsoft relationship having an effect in this space?

It would seem time to have the anti-trust attorneys get warmed up in the bullpen.

Crashing empires make a lot of noise when they come down and the people who had the power never care for losing it.

Jobs has stones the size of Texas.

Dec 11, 07 - 10:21 am Comment from: Shinobi

When they fail at this, I hope Apple does not let them back into the barn!

I think iTunes and iPods have way to much momentum at this point for this to make a significant difference to Apple/iTunes store.

I really think NBC is shooting themselves in the foot, but have not realized it yet.

I hope Apple drops a new bomb on them at the MacWorld expo!

Dec 11, 07 - 10:21 am Comment from: silverhawk

Little Dougie and the rest of NBCU gang act like foolish little children who don't get their way. The trouble is a boycott won't work because they have no product worth wanting!

Dec 11, 07 - 10:25 am Comment from: Winston

And you need to buy the TakeTV flash drive and have a TV with a USB port on it. Something tells me there's an easier way to "take TV" programming. Cough-bittorrent-cough.

I think Apple (Jobs) made a mistake on this one. All Apple had to do was accept different pricing and they could have avoid the fallout. Apple already had a lock on the market, and as everyone knows, the profit is in selling iPods not content. Not everything Jobs does is brilliant. This decision might go down in history with the puck-shaped mouse.

Dec 11, 07 - 10:29 am Comment from: Predrag

NBC/Universal is doing what it promised to do after storming out of that iTunes deal in a fit. They said they will explore various other avenues of digital delivery and they are doing it. That Hula thing, then their own site, now this. The longer they take to "explore", the longer it will be until they realise who is the king of digital distribution. For once, it is much better for the consumers to have one monopoly that knows what it's doing and does it for the benefit of the consumer (for now). The digital download market is too fragile and too small at the moment. It is not ready for NBC's experiments and explorations. Jobs is absolutely right: the only way to teach consumers to download their media is to make it extreeeeeemely attractive and easy. Only iTunes offers that today. Four years from today, perhaps the market will be mature and ready for competition and variety. Today, though, we NEED to have one single monopoly (the AT&T;of content downloads) where we'll get into the habit of purchasing our media.

NBC/Universal will miss this boat by doing their experiments. Others will squeeze them further into irrelevance.

Once again Apple will come out on top. In January, Apple TV will receive a massive update and that will once again raise the bar for the NBC's of the world.

Does anyone notice that innovation is always missing in these partnerships? They consistently skate to the puck rather than where the next pass (Apple) is going to be.

Who ever heard of someone running out to by a Sandisk player to watch an NBC show? This is just another example of a room full of "yes" men in each company's boardroom getting high on the fumes they're burning as they continue to run on empty.

Dec 11, 07 - 10:40 am Comment from: Jay-Z

I have a TiVo and use TiVo Decode Manager to get the files off my TiVo and then into iTunes (and then onto my iPhone). It strips the video file of DRM. I remove the commercials from episodes I plan to keep. The rest I just watch (scrubbing through commercials) and then delete.

When are content providers going to learn that they are competing with DRM-free options? The only way to compete with DRM-free options is to offer something better (easier to access, higher quality, extra content, etc.). Until they embrace this line of thinking, they're all doomed to failure.

Why is it that pretty much all video on the internet seems to basically ignore the on-demand benefits of the net and make it inconvenient with restrictions and complications?

Companies have the opportunity to make money by doing less yet they all seem to be ballsing it up. The broadcast networks could be used as a way to turn people on to new content, content they stumble across then they can promote it's continued viewing via net-based means. Instead they seem to think that the way to stem falling broadcast ratings is to make other avenues more complicated. What they don't seem to realise is that people aren't going back to TV, they're just not bothering at all.

Dec 11, 07 - 10:56 am Comment from: macdaddy

To all of those people saying NBC has nothing to worth watching.

Have you ever heard of "The Office"?

Can you tell me what the number one selling TV show was in the itunes store before NBC pulled it's content?

That's right, it was the office. Guess there is some demand for NBC content after all.

Dec 11, 07 - 11:01 am Comment from: DRM sucks

OMG!!! NBC left iTunes!! I need to buy an 80GB Zune!!! Oh, wait, I mean, a SansaTV!!!

"..new consumer content acquisition models, including flexible pricing and packaging."

Blah blah blah blah give me more money.

"NBC Universal will provide Fanfare BETA users with a variety of attractive ways to purchase and view TV shows, including offering discounts for multiple episode purchases and entire seasons, as well as incentives to purchase a bundle of different TV shows at one time."

Ok, so, that is correct. It is more attractive to buy the entire season at $3 per episode rather than $5 for an individual episode.
Thanks NBCU! That is so fucking creative!

Well, we should not complain about the higher prices. They are necessary for SansaTV to provide an employee at your house to make sure copyright is not violated. Did I mention the taser?

Well, it looks like the theory of content providers that THEY are driving the sales of portable media players will finally be tested. Of course, it will likely not be a fair test between this service and iTunes. NBCU and Sansa will set themselves back by having unrealistic prices and excessive DRM.

Hopefully this will only take 12 months or so to die so NBC will head back to iTunes. Losing NBC is, not matter how you parse it, not a positive for the iTunes Store. It is not a huge blow nor really much of a negative overall. However, from the perspective of trying to grow the sale of TV shows, it is a setback in the growth of the model. I think NBCU's stand will be futile and, in the long term, validate the iTunes pricing model.

Talk about being locked in with no choice. Doesn''t this smell somewhat like collusion?

Dec 11, 07 - 11:05 am Comment from: JadisOne

For the life of me, I just don't understand why they couldn't keep their content on iTunes AND do all the other stuff they wanted to do. Doesn't make sense. Obviously some sort of hidden agenda that points right back to Microsoft. It's probably similar to Microsoft paying those studios to support HD-DVD only as opposed to BluRay.

Dec 11, 07 - 11:07 am Comment from: ElderNorm

Hey, I tried the Hula Bula, what ever thingie at work and it actually worked.

I ignored the commercials and watched a show that I liked. Neat.

Would I buy it from them? ------ Are you on DRUGS???

Now, free is ok. Free is always OK. But I would go with a DVD or iTunes but never thru third parties. That would be just weird.

Dec 11, 07 - 11:08 am Comment from: JadisOne

Oh, and of note, NBC is giving money back to advertisers because of failing ratings.

Story here:

http://real-us.news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071211/tv_nm/nbc_dc

Pathetic.

And they accounted the higher ratings to having shows on iTunes. Now look at the correlation.

Dec 11, 07 - 11:10 am Comment from: AAPL

please nbc

I am dying of laughter

Dec 11, 07 - 11:13 am Comment from: JadisOne

One more nugget, Apple's iTunes accounts for 99% of TV download market.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/11/apple-tv-digital-disruption-at-work-itunes-takes-91-of-video-download-market/#more-1328

NBC's arrogance will kill them. I'm sure GE will sell them off if they continue to lose money like this.

Dec 11, 07 - 11:17 am Comment from: Gandalf

Coming later today from MDN: AAPL Closes at Record All Time High. Take that NBC.

Really though NBC has gotten so much more entertaining recently, this anti-Apple spat is better fun than their shows.

I don't get this, they keep quoting this line but I don't see it.

"Our viewers now have another innovative way to enjoy NBCU’s first-rate broadcast and cable content whenever and wherever they choose with Fanfare and Sansa TakeTV,”

They mean wherever you want as long as it is on your TV or PC (IE Not on the go with iPod or other portable) and as long as you are in the U.S..

How does Sansa TakeTV video player compare to Apple TV?

Sansa TakeTV video player 8GB 149.00 SD
Apple TV 40GB $299.00 HD

Apple will sell more video playback devices this month in America (NBCU's market) than SanDisk will in... 2 years? Ever?

Apple's advantage is that people love their ipods for music, so NBCU hardly matters. And the latest video capable ipods (new nano, touch) are its strongest sellers. No evidence that NBCU matters there.

btw if SanDisk really implements any kind of effective "filtering technology" that'll sell a lot of ipods.

Dec 11, 07 - 11:41 am Comment from: _realist_

"while ghettoizing Mac users"

- Um, false. Even Apple advertises the fact that Windows runs on a Mac.

Dec 11, 07 - 11:45 am Comment from: Shinobi

@Teflon

I think Jobs called it right on this one. NBC needs to quit being so greedy and trying to force pricing models that will hurt the legitimate downloads market.

Since Apple has the customers who pay for content and iTunes is #1 for TV downloads market, I think Apple has more bargaining chips than NBC.

It hurts NBC much more than Apple.

Let's see if I've boiled down NBC's recipe for success;

I need to buy a special Sansa thing.
I already have an iPod, but NBC is betting that I'll spend money on a device I know nothing about.

I need to have a TV with a USB port.
- Hundreds and hundreds more of my dollars for an experiment.

NBC promises me "flexible" pricing. That's a pretty way of saying "higher" pricing.

NBC says I might be able to buy cheaper, "bundled" episodes. I guess that will apply to the shows that aren't selling well enough, and need the perception of a discount. But wait, isn't that like bundling music in an album and actually trying to force the consumer to buy more tracks than they want, at a higher overall price? Now, how successful did that practice work in the digital download age again?

And I just need a reliable and secure Windows system for this whole house of cards to work.

Well, sign me up then, I mean, what could possibly go wrong?!

Oh, and one more selling point; Anything I buy at NBC's higher, "flexible" pricing, will be DRMed up the wazoo.
Yep, that clinches it. Sounds too good to be true!

Dec 11, 07 - 12:40 pm Comment from: Anonymous©

I thought you could watch NBC tv for free at their mobile website. nbcmobile.com?

Okay, gonna try it on my iPhone.

Hmmm...doesn't work.

Dec 11, 07 - 12:43 pm Comment from: Anonymous©

Tried nbc.com as well, and you need WMV's plugin. Oh well.

NBC is trying really h a r d.

now go away - who the heck cares

Dec 11, 07 - 12:45 pm Comment from: LordRobin

This just makes me shake my head. I can't believe that anyone would still try to sell a service that is Windows-only, and requires you to buy new equipment. How many Windows-only services have to fail before these idiots get it through their fat, corporate skulls that you can't just ignore Mac users. Sure, there are fewer of us, but we're the early adopters. You need us to hype the product to all our clueless, Windows-using friends!

Amazon understands this! That's why their MP3 service was Mac and iTunes-compatible from day one!!

------RM

Star the Bit Torrents up!

Oh, release the zealots too!

Steve

Dec 11, 07 - 12:53 pm Comment from: Kit-N

Hey MDN, you're right! I had disposable income at one time.

...it was disposed of...

It's not that it's Windows only that will kill this, but W H I C H version of Windows. Will it work with XP? Will it work with Vista? and btw, who the fsck cares?

Steve Jobs was recently quoted as saying "Universal, I fart in your general direction, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time"

Dongles, DRM and Doofuses, oh my!

This info from NBC is so convoluted, cryptic and so lacking in real-world details, it boggles the mind. How does this whole thing work again?

When you can't communicate clearly, it usually means you can't think clearly.

Dec 11, 07 - 01:42 pm Comment from: G4Dualie

@JadisOne

Microsoft's fingerprints are all over this. MS and NBC were joined at the hip (MSNBC) until recently, but in those early years MS lavished NBC with computers and software and technical expertise. Who could resist!?

The journey from then to now was expensive and yielded very little, not unlike the development of Vista.

Even though MS is officially out of the picture, the people from MS who infiltrated NBC are still whispering into the ears of NBC executives and here we are, more than ten years later and NBC is still searching for solutions!

Dec 11, 07 - 02:13 pm Comment from: ken1w

SanDisk's web-based service? Never heard of it. NBC's getting a bit desperate.

Remember, Apple makes its profit from selling hardware. Apple wants to make digital content as convenient and inexpensive as possible, so that it can sell more hardware. NBC makes its profit from selling content. NBC wants consumers to pay as much as possible, and/or add inconveniences like forced commercials and limited-time web-only access with ads. As a consumer of digital content, which way do you think is better...?

Dec 11, 07 - 02:17 pm Comment from: Mr. Peabody

As PC Magazine used to say everytime Apple would come out with a new Mac - "Yawn"...

I used to download each episode of heros last year from iTunes. Paying per show was much more enjoyable than being stuck watching advertising, the shows felt more coherent. This year, because NBC has their heads up Universal's greedy ass, I'm forced to watch the shows when they are aired, it totally sucks. Every 9 minutes they break for 5 minutes of commercials. I just can't get into the story flow, they've totally ruined the experience. I also tried going to NBC.com to watch an epsisode, the first thing they feed you when you hit the play button is a commercial. This is an innovative solution for viewers?

They'll have to answer to the stockholders sooner or later for their supidity. The sooner they collapse, the better.

Dec 11, 07 - 03:07 pm Comment from: Ampar

"Microsoft's fingerprints are all over this."

I'd have to say lick marks and sweat stains. NBC got a squirt they couldn't refuse?

Dec 11, 07 - 06:45 pm Comment from: BiZarRo BaLlmEr

So are they getting the $4.99 they wanted?