Nielsen is inaccurate but HOW inaccurate? Also whether Amazon should join Ultraviolet.
CordKillers: Ep. 40 – I love you for the conditions we are in
Recorded: October 13, 2014
Guest: Derrick Chen
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Last Friday, Nielsen announced (quietly) that it has been overestimating live-plus-same-day deliveries since at least March.
- -Data since the beginning of the broadcast season will be reissued; the first batch of C3 ratings, which Nielsen said are error-free, came out over the weekend.
“This data represents between 0.1 percent and 0.25 percent of all viewing minutes that we credit nationally,” a spokesperson said. “In the vast majority of cases, the impact is small; in a handful of cases, the impact is more significant.”
Signal Intelligence
- Amazon in Talks to Join UltraViolet Digital Video Locker
- -WSJ sources say Amazon held talks about a partnership with Ultraviolet.
– Currently works with Vudu, Target Ticket, Flixster and CinemaNow.
Gear Up
Front Lines
- Using gaps between radio bands, the UK is testing ‘whitespace’ broadcasting.
- -Ofcom has teamed up with ZSL London Zoo for a two month trial to live stream footage of animals to YouTube. Asian Otters, Meerkats or Giant Galapagos Tortoises.
- Apparently Jim Henson company is working on a sequel to Labyrinth. This reminds me of a babe.
- Ubuntu machines now support Netflix streaming in Chrome 37. This is extra good for DIYers using Ubuntu to build their own Home Theater PCs
- Amy Poehler’s channel “Smart Girls at the Party” is joining Geek and Sundry and Nerdist.
- -Smart Girls at the Party was created in 2008 by Poehler and her friends Meredith Walker and Amy Miles. With more than 550,000 Facebook fans and more than 5 million views on its YouTube channel
- Netflix’s interconnection agreements are working.
- -Verizon FiOS actually topped all other major ISPs in Netflix performance in September with an average stream rate of 3.17Mbps, Google Fiber is still No. 1 among all ISPs regardless of size with a 3.54Mbps average in September. AT&T U-verse also improved after receiving interconnection payments from Netflix.
- YouTube is opening a production ‘Space’ for video creators in New York next month.
- Netflix users need Platinum plan to stream 4K. $12 vs. $9/mo.
- – That plan also allows 4 simultaneous streams
– 4K TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio, and requires a minimum of 25 Mbps download speed.
– All of Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, a nature documentary, and The Smurfs 2
– The Blacklist will come in 4K.
– Customers who have watched 4K on current plan will be grandfathered in
Under Surveillance
- The TV movie “Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion” will make its prime-time network debut on ABC on October 26 at 7pm.
- -Fans will be treated to a special cameo from Darth Vader himself, voiced by James Earl Jones. Dave Filoni told StarWars.com. “We’ve added a scene which gives audiences insight into the Inquisitor and includes a cameo by Darth Vader.
- Sony Pictures Television is currently producing a PlayStation Plus-exclusive original series, called Powers,
- -Based on a comic of the same name, and it follows detectives who keep an eye on people with superpowers.
– “What if the world was full of superheroes who aren’t actually heroic at all? What if all that power was just one more excuse for mischief, mayhem, murder, and endorsement deals?” - Brian: Fargo, Transparent
- Tom: Twin Peaks (Ep. 1) Transparent (Ep. 3) Edge of Tomorrow
- Derrick: Arrow, Gotham
On our Radar
- Young Ones
- -YOUNG ONES is set in a near future when water has become the most precious and dwindling resource on the planet, one that dictates everything from the macro of political policy to the detailed micro of interpersonal family and romantic relationships
Dispatches from the Front
Just listened and wanted to point out that in the conversation about Kevin Smith Brian called Tusk a bomb /flop /don’t remember. However since he’s obviously a Smith podcast listener he probably knows but didn’t think about it, but Kevin has really moved away from the traditional money making methods in favor of more musician styled.
I don’t know for sure about the financing of the movie, but if it’s anything like the Super Groovy Cartoon Movie it’s probably mostly self financed. I know he’s planning on touring it to theaters with live performances, so ticket sales will hopefully make up the “traditional rocket sales” loss.
For example Super Groovy cost $69,000 to make, and was never really released to theaters. But with the tour it was paid for in the first few shows, and while I don’t know exactly what it brought in from what he’s said in podcasts I believe it’s something on the order of five million. Think of the pure profit from that with none of the marketing overhead.
It’s work, yes, but almost his own version of crowd funding… Think of it as interactive Patreon. Possibly something like that could be a vehicle for other well known creators to pay for projects they want to do but can’t get a green light.
-Derek in Chattanooga
PS. Brian is completely right, Myst was the streaming pile that Seventh Guest stepped over on its way to level ‘Awesome’
Hey Brian and Tom,
I’m the science teacher in Taylor whose email yall read on the last episode about Netflix offering channels that streamed the same content to everyone at the same time. I was working my Saturday part time job with Austin Moonwalks (Brian: hit me up if you want a deal for one of the girl’s birthdays!) when I heard it and about flipped out. Thanks guys, it was awesome to hear yall talk about it. I don’t expect you to revisit it on the show, but just to clarify: I think I overstated how much I cared about the “communal” experience of watching what everyone else was watching. I didn’t mean for that to be the main focus. That was more of a side-effect. For me, its more about the giving-up of control that I need. For example:
My favorite TV show growing up was Star Trek The Next Generation. I watched it at 9pm every night on FOX 42. (Do you remember before it was KEYE, Brian?). I didn’t get to decide what episode I watched. I watched whatever came on: good or bad, whether I liked it or not. Because THAT was the one that was on, and there was nothing I could do about it. Now, I have every episode of the series at my disposal, but I can’t pick one out to watch. It’s impossible! I even devised a randomizing system to pick one out for me, but even that didn’t quite work because I could still stop and change it if there was a part I didn’t like.
It’s not just TV shows. Do you guys remember before DVRs, just going through the channels and happening on a movie that you liked? Maybe you even had it on DVD or VHS, but hadn’t watched it in years. You could have pulled it out anytime and watched it, but you hadn’t and probably wouldn’t for years to come. But there was something about it being ON TV that made you stop changing channels and watch the whole thing.
That’s the feeling I’m talking about. Watching and ENJOYING something by chance, because that’s what was on, and there was nothing you could do about it.
If Netflix had a Sci-Fi “channel”, it could play movies, TV shows, or even documentaries (all of which came from what Netflix already has), and you could just put it on and watch what was there (knowing that other people were watching it too). Maybe I’d come across a TV show I never would have watched or a good movie I hadn’t seen in a long time and never would have picked-out even if it were suggested. If I don’t like what’s one the Sci-Fi station, I can click on the comedy station and see what’s there.
I guess some might call this “vegging out,” but that’s exactly what I need to do sometimes.
Anyway, sorry to write so much. Just wanted to make sure you understood what I meant, whether you agree or not.
-Andy (better known by 11 year olds as Mr. Morris)
Hey Brian and Tom,
I was listening to this week’s show and I had an idea. When you discuss the number of “bosses” you have and how to support the show on Patreon, I think you should call the segment “The TPS Report” (Total Patreon Supporters). You could do it with or without a fancy bumper since Tom usually leads in with a factoid from the relevant year but what will he do when you pass 2014 bosses after all? 🙂 Maybe a running gag about new cover sheets would be in order? Just a thought and I am also one of your bosses!
Thanks,
Tony Sheler
Albany, OR
Brian said a few times in the last episode that the chromecast is ‘open’. I’ve looked into developing for the chromecast and I want to say it definitely is not. If you want to make your app chromecastable you need to have your application approved and your application signing key signed by google. And there’s no way around this. It’s not like Android where you can check the ‘unknown sources’ box and do whatever you want. It is totally controlled.
This may be why the firefox stick could be better. If it’s truly open you may see things available there that you will never see on chromecast. Particularly I’m thinking porn and piracy apps like popcorn time, or even legally grey apps like grooveshark (an app which google has just banned from chromecast see http://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/09/09/grooveshark-longer-supports-chromecast-following-riaa-claim-infringes-artists-copyright ). That freedom and real openness might be just enough to give the firefox dongle an edge.
Clint Armstrong
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