Cordkillers Ep. 42 – Gore Porn

Cordkillers / October 28th, 2014

Amazon’s crazy cheap Firestick, Netflix made Coach Taylor do something bad, Roku wants some money.

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CordKillers: Ep. 42 – Gore Porn
Recorded: October 27, 2014
Guest: Scott Johnson

Intro Video 

Primary Target

Signal Intelligence

  • Netflix has two more TV shows for 2015: ‘Bloodline’ and ‘F is for Family’
  • Two new Netflix originals
    – Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, who were the creators of Damages.
    – Coach Taylor says “We’re not bad people, but we did a bad thing.”
    – 13-episode original, with the plot focusing around “a family of adult siblings whose secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home.”
    – March 2015
  • F is for Family
    – Animated by Bill Burr, EP with Vince Vaughn set in the 1970s
    – Voices from Laura Dern and Justin Long
    – Burr will premiere his new stand-up special I’m Sorry You Feel That Way on Netflix December 5th, 2015

Gear Up

  • U.S. TV startup Roku to confidentially file for IPO: WSJ
  • Roku Seeking Secretive IPO: Report
  • Roku planning to file for an IPO in the US – selected bankers
    – Companies with less than $1 billion annual gross revenues can keep confidential
    – Last month, the company announced the Roku Powered program, an initiative aimed at helping Roku strike up direct partnerships with pay-TV providers. (BBC, Dish etc)
    – The Information reported Roku pulled in $190 million in revenue in 2013.
    – Says it is near profitability
    -Could Roku be the box to unify two worlds?

Front Lines

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

What do you mean by “all the spectrum” if you look at the swath of spectrum actually being used for OTA (uhf and vhf) there is very little actually being used when compared to other technologies like Lte, wimax and wifi.

I am looking at it from a wireless engineer / networking side as such that trying to reuse what is there for another purpose.

There is more spectrum that is licensed and used for the private sector than any other form. Direct TV, dish, xm radio, airline cell carriers just to name a few own more spectrum combined than those that are used for public OTA TV services.

So in a way yes I’m saying that for quality of service and sheer reach of consumption OTA is as good as it gets. Now sure we can transition to mpeg4 OTA and get better use of it but to say that we could replace the spectrum in favor of an on demand solution for everyone just could not happen with the limited bandwidth that uhf and vhf have combined.

Thanks for the reply,
Josh

 

 

 

If we end up paying a-la-carte for our programming, then our money will be going directly to the channels we care about instead of being divided across the hundreds of channels that we don’t care about. I wonder if that will make better programming or less commercials. Thoughts?

David 

 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box

 

 

Cordkillers Ep. 41 – You would steal a policeman’s helmet

Cordkillers / October 21st, 2014

HBO will do some kind of Internet service next year. People say Yay! CBS will do one now. People say boo. Google unveils Nexus player. People sort of notice!

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CordKillers: Ep. 41 – You would steal a policeman’s helmet
Recorded: October 20, 2014
Guest: Kristi Kates

Intro Video 

Primary Target

Signal Intelligence

Gear Up

Front Lines

  • Aereo Asks FCC to Change Definition of Video Distributor
  • – Aereo Chief Executive Officer Chet Kanojia met with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and other officials on Oct. 8 to advocate for online programming to be added to the definition of an MPVD.
    – This would be a big victory for any company attempting to create an online multichannel TV service
    9 Remeber Discovery refused to let Sky Angel carry its channel online. It could not flat out refuse in this scenario)
    – if a programmer has a stake in a distribution service, then it is required to sell its programming to MPVDs.
  • Good News, TV Guys: ComScore Found Your Missing TV Watchers
  • – Comscore survey says the younger a viewer is the less likely they watch on a TV
    – Millennials say they spend a third of their TV-watching time watching TV on computers, tablets and phones
    – 24 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds say they’re not subscribing to pay TV. — 13 percent say they’ve cut the cord, 11 percent never had a cord.
  • Amazon’s Instant Video app now shows your homemade movies
  • –Upgraded Amazon Instant Video apps for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and certain TVs from LG and Samsung can show photos and videos stored in Amazon Cloud Drive for users in Germany the US and UK.

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

Tom and Brian,

Quick note: Quit watching The Walking Dead mid-season 2. Tried last season, quit. Brother tells me to watch current season’s premier. Holy crap! I think I’m in.

Fred in Pooler, GA 

 

Do you have an explanation for why movies take so long to be available to rent? It is so frustrating to see DVDs to buy but not to rent. I want to rent Catching Fire, which was released in 2013 and it is only available to buy. Grrrrrr!

Pam

 

Hi,
Thanks for your show, we cut the cord about 3 years ago and finding new shows has probably been the hardest part to get used to! Your show has helped me in this regard quite a few times. I wanted to pass along a show I stumbled upon in Netflix that I am in love with! It’s called An Idiot Abroad, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it because know one in my immediate circle seems to love it as much as I do, I want to see if I’m weird, if Brian likes it then I’m legit!

Take care,

Melanie

 

You guys have to give Manhattan (on WGN America, Hulu, iTunes) a try. Wife and I love this show. Fascinating drama about the time period and the science with the A bomb. Purchased the season on iTunes and look forward to it every Monday. Just got renewed for a second season.

Jon

 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box

Cordkillers Ep. 40 – I love you for the conditions we are in

Cordkillers / October 13th, 2014

Nielsen is inaccurate but HOW inaccurate? Also whether Amazon should join Ultraviolet. 

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CordKillers: Ep. 40 – I love you for the conditions we are in
Recorded: October 13, 2014
Guest: Derrick Chen

Intro Video 

Primary Target

Signal Intelligence

Gear Up

Front Lines

Under Surveillance

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

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box

Cordkillers Ep. 38 – Tony Stark in a Cubicle

Cordkillers / September 30th, 2014

Should the FCC allow Internet cable services? Did Amazon have its House of Cards moment? Is Roku sleazy?

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CordKillers: Ep. 38 – Tony Stark in a Cubicle
Recorded: September 29, 2014
Guest: Roberto Villegas

Intro Video 

Primary Target

  • FCC Proposes Defining ‘Linear’ OVDs as MVPDs
  • -Multichannel news has ‘multiple sources’ who say FCC
    – Preparing NPRM define an online video provider that delivers a linear stream of programming as an –MVPD, similar to a cable or satellite operator.
    – Would have access to programming through access rules but also negotiate retrans fees.
    – The FCC tentatively concluded that an MVPD has to have control of both the content and the transmission path .
    – That killed Sky Angel which suspended service when Discovery pulled out
    – New rules would remove requirement for transmission path
    – NCTA argues transmission path necessary. Argues this would be “regulation of the Internet”

Signal Intelligence

Gear Up

  • As Roku grows, it’s moving towards pay-to-play for successful channels 
  • – Roku has 1800 channels. Open to anybody through an API and a few rules
    – Now calling popular channels and asking for revenue deals.
    – Sources told GigaOm’s Janko Roetgerrs they were pretty aggressive
    – Roku Stephen Shannon (Gm SVP content and services) says as revenue increases Roku has more sophisticated offerings which share revenue but increase promotion
    – Roku considers themselves an “Internet Services Company”
    – Margins on $50 boxes are not large

Front Lines

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

Hey guys,

I’ve loved your show since the FR days.

So you have been talking about spoilers recently, and I have a question for Tom. You mentioned on It’s Spoilerin Time that Brian’s spoilers for the season finale of The Leftovers did not affect your enjoyment of the episode. Then later you discussed Mum, one of the most pivotal episodes of The Shield (amazing show!), and I’m curious if you would have enjoyed that as much if you knew what was going to happen. It sounds like you experienced the gut-punch from this episode that Brian felt when he watched The Leftovers finale. Of course enjoying an episode and having that “Holy s–t!” feeling don’t have to be the same, but I think there are certain scenes that have such an impact, it’s better not to know what’s coming. [And there’s another scene that you will eventually experience with The Shield that will make this one seem tame.]

Oh, and fun fact for Brian: the writer, or at least co-writer of Mum was Kurt Sutter, the creator of Sons of Anarchy (another great show).

Thanks guys. You rock.

 Daryl

 

 Hey guys, it’s your boss. Though it is my first time contacting you, I have been a listener since the days of a show that I think was called “RameFrate”

Literally days away from breaking down and signing up for the service, I decided, on a whim, to connect a coax cable to an empty outlet behind my TV to see if any channels were able to be received. When I did a channel-scan, however, I was shocked to find that I am receiving almost 80 channels for free. Granted most of these are music, shopping, and crappy old movie channels, but I am getting all of the broadcast stations based in Memphis, Sundance, AMC, SEC network, NFL network, and Fox Sports 2, most in HD. When I researched this, I found that many cable providers send a few unscrambled QAM channels out over any active line. Apparently, as long as I continue receiving internet service, these channels are both legal and free. The only drawbacks that I have found are a lack of a channel guide and channels sometimes moving around. All that I really wanted was the local broadcast stations in order to watch local sports programming, so this has saved me from signing up for TV service. I hope that this will be helpful to some of your listeners in the same way that it was to me. Thanks for a great show!

 

Jared

 

 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box