Cordkillers Ep. 32 – Cord Apathetics

Cordkillers / August 10th, 2014

Subscriber numbers are declining less quickly for cable TV, which has some people declaring cord-cutting is dead. Is it?

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CordKillers: Ep. 32 – Cord Apathetics
Recorded: August 10, 2014
Guests: Scott Johnson, Lamarr Wilson

Intro Video

Primary Target

  • What Happened to the Cord Cutters? 
  • MoffettNathanson compiled cpmany reports of online/cable
    – Pay TV lost 300,000 subs in Q2, about flat yoy
    – Slowing housing market may be primary cause of decline
    – “It appears that cord cutting slowed to an annualized rate of 400k homes, a meaningful deceleration and well below the peak (but still modest) rates of cord cutting seen in 2012.”
    – Revenue growing due to rate increases.

Signal Intelligence

  • Twitch cracks down on unlicensed music ahead of rumored $1 billion YouTube buyout
  • Important: Changes To Audio In VODS
  • – Scanning archived video for copyrighted music
    – Entire 30 minute chunks muted if such music is found. (Audible Magic)
    – Elizabeth Baker’s post: “This includes in-game and ambient music.” italicized
    – But on Subreddit Shear says: “We have absolutely no intention of flagging songs due to original in-game music. If that’s happening (and it appears it is), it’s a problem and we will investigate and try to fix it.“
    – Again Shear on SubReddit: “We have absolutely no intention of running any audio recognition against live video, period.” and “Even if we could run this on live this second, we absolutely would not.”
    – Twitch CEO Emmett Shear said on Reddit Twitch has no intention of flagging songs due to original in-game music and will try to fix the problem
    – Deploying an “appeal” button for VODs that have been flagged for copyrighted music
    – Archived videos go from 3 days or forever to 14 days (or 60 days for partners/Turbo subs)
    – Highlights can now be any length (not limited to 2 hours), saved indefinitely as well as exported to YouTube.

Gear Up

  • Microsoft to Launch Xbox One Digital TV Tuner in Europe
  • – Digital tuner in Europe only
    – Attaches to HDMI in on XBox One for passthrough
    – DVB-T, DVB-T2 and DVB-C television channels
    – UK for for ₤24.99, and France, Italy, Germany and Spain for €29.99, starting in late October.

Under surveillance

  • Babylon 5 reboot likely to become big-budget film
  • – J. Michael Straczynski will shortly begin work on Babylon 5 movie
    – New script will be targeted at a 2016 theatrical release
    – Will be a reboot of the series rather than a continuation.
    – Will try to work surviving cast in
    – Prepared to fund the movie through his own production company if necessary

Front Lines

2014 Summer Movie Draft 
draft.diamondclub.tv

  1. Amtrekker: $720,700,355
  2. TMS: $644,787,673
  3. DTNS: $611,379,215
  4. Night Attack: $518,924,868
  5. /Film: $511,335,483
  6. GodsMoneybags: $450,860,429

On Screen

Dispatches from the Front

 As a newer listener, can you explain the Summer Movie Draft? I’m coming in during the middle of this, so it just feels confusing and irrelevant to me. I’m not sure I get what box office numbers for movies in the theatre have to do with Cordkillers. Isn’t seeing movies in the theatre the antithesis of watching “whatever you want, whenever you want”, since you have only a couple locations per town (at best) and a very limited set of times when you can watch? I feel like I’ve missed something with this whole segment.

Tim

 

I just wanted to point out that while Apple TV does not allow folders for the apps/channels, you can hide and reposition the icons. To hide channels that you do not use or want to see, head into settings and click on Main Menu. There you can choose Show/Hide for each of the app/channels installed. To reorder the apps/channels, hold down the remote’s select button on a particular app until the icons jiggle (like on iPhone/iPad). Then you can mover the icon to a position that you prefer.

Love the show!
Ken

 

 

I am moving soon to Raleigh, NC to start a my first full time job. Since I will be living on my own for the first time at the age of 22, I opted to go for the all internet no cable tv approach to my expenses. So I was wondering what kind of antenna should I get for my apartment to watch stuff over the air? I did a little research and found the Mohu Leaf, it looks cool but I would like your guy’s opinions first.

Thanks,
Ed 

 

Long time listener and Patron, I was wondering if you could do a show or segment for those us with cable, yet still want to watch what we want, when we want , where we want on whatever device we want . . . at least in the limits that cable companies will allow us to.

I cut the cord last summer, but realized in the fall that being a sports fan that truly limited my options, especially for in market teams. So I’m back on the cord but still trying to live with the Cordkiller spirit. So could you have a show or have a guest on to talk about what options are available for people on the cord. Options like, Tivo, WMC, Plex, the hardware that is needed, the limitations of DRM, or even the various cable or satellite company solutions. I think that would be extremely helpful to those of us trying to this the right way.

Love the show!!

Cyril

 

Links 
patreon.com/cordkillers 
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box

Cordkillers Ep. 30 – Let’s Speculate Irresponsibly

Cordkillers / July 27th, 2014

What the Nerdist thinks of YouTube these days, the best trailers from ComicCon and Google may still have bought Twitch.

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CordKillers: Ep. 30 – Let’s Speculate Irresponsibly
Recorded: July 27, 2014
Guest: Kristi Kates

Intro Video 

Primary Target

Secondary Target

  • Nerdist Knocks YouTube’s Stickiness, Commenters at Comic-Con
  • – Google’s video site is not a place where people “hang out,” Hardwick said.
    – He also got an appreciative hoot from the crowd after dissing YouTube’s commenters as “toxic.”
    – “YouTube is a bunch of 13-year-olds who are like, ‘Look at me, I am unattended!’” he joked. “The second comment is always ‘FIRST,’ because they never make it.”
    – Rooster Teeth regularly puts videos on its website a few hours ahead of uploading them to YouTube, and sells paid subscriptions that provide access to exclusive content.

Signal Intelligence

  • Google reportedly finalizes deal for live stream service Twitch
  • -VentureBeat reported Google finalized a deal to buy Twitch for $1 billion
    – Neither Google or Twitch are talking
    – The average viewer watches 106 minutes of Twitch live streams per day. About 58% spend more than 20 hours a week watching videos on Twitch

Gear Up

  • Chromecast turns one: why this small streaming stick became such a big deal 
  • – Chromecast turned one July 24
    – Chromecast users have pressed a cast button 400 million times since the device was first released a year ago.
    – more than 6,000 developers have signed up to add casting to their mobile or web apps.
    – #1 selling electronics item on Amazon
    – COMING SOON: Screen mirroring, personalized home screen 

Under surveillance

Front Lines

2014 Summer Movie Draft
draft.diamondclub.tv/

  1. Amtrekker: $689,515,120
  2. TMS: $598,450,443
  3. DTNS: $595,014,272
  4. Night Attack: $443,836,166
  5. GodsMoneybags: $390,588,309
  6. /Film: $282,356,843

On Screen

Dispatches from the Front

Hi tom and Brian I am one of the reported 250,000 people in Australia who subscrbes to netflix, which as you know isn’t officially available here, so i have to use a VPN. I use unblockus.We never have any problems streaming at full quality even though we are yhe other side of the planet.
I hear that in the USA some people are having problems as their isp is slowing down their streams, i was wondering if they would still have the same problem if they used a vpn service, whats your thoughts? Plus it also gives you the advantage of chosing what Netflix region uou want.
Keep up the good work 

Alan

 

 

In a recent show you talked about why Nielsen only counts 18-49. Psychologists in the 1960 and 70’s measured Brand Loyalty and found that people over a certain ago become inflexible in the their brand choices. Basically the younger people are then the more effective the advertising. Brand Loyalty is why markets don’t advertise to people over 49, these studies have been shown to be flawed. Also the disposable income difference by age has flipped in the last 40 years with college loans and a stagnant job market reducing youth spending power. But given that markets are still focused on broadcast viewership that has been decimated in the last twenty years they can be the brightest group of company executives.

Mark

 

 

Aereo’s next work around… Rent me a 1 square inch apartment in the city. Cram an antenna and slingback like device (and whatever additional tech is needed) in how ever many feet tall apartment. Then they are technically just renting a prefurnished apartment. Totally legal.

David

 

 

Hey guys,
I know that we are between Game of Thrones seasons but I wanted to pass on my experience as someone who watched the shows without reading the books first. I love the show and have watched it from the beginning. I have to admit, though, that I would get confused sometimes about who all of the characters are and where the story was going. After the first season I tried to read the first book. At the time I found myself getting bored because I knew what was going to happen. Fast forward to the present and I decided to pick up the books again. After a few years the details of season 1 are a bit fuzzy. I was instantly hooked on the book. Not only that, but I suddenly realized the relations between the characters and why some of them acted the way they do in future seasons. Having knowledge of future events is really making the books enjoyable and I can see the foreshadowing and the mistakes the characters make that lead to their downfall. Of course reading the beginning of book one and seeing the Starks as one big happy family was kind of depressing. My goal is to have all of the books read before the next season starts so I can see what it’s like to be on the other side of the experiment. One book down, 4 to go…

Thanks for the great podcast,
Scott from Houston

 

 

Living in South Africa, cord killing is near impossible, as we only have over priced satellite and free terrestrial shit, that is not even HD yet. However I managed to get a Fire TV, and now proudly use Netflix, Hulu plus and Amazon Prime, HBO Go and WatchEspn (via a friends Verizon account). Filling in the blanks with sickbeard, couchpotato and Plex. All this costs me less than $80 a month, including internet. Not bad, compared to what you have to deal with in the USA.
Long live the Cord Killers.
Thanks

John Mac

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box

Cordkillers Ep. 28 – Aereo’s Hail Mary

Cordkillers / July 13th, 2014

How Aereo could still change everything and Netflix Emmys it up.

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CordKillers: Ep.  Aereo’s Hail Mary
Recorded: July 13, 2014
Guest: Anthony Carboni

Intro Video 

Primary Target

  • Aereo: Hey, we’re a cable company after all!
  • – US Supreme Court ruled Aereo has an “overhwelming likeness to the cable comanies”
    – Aereo wrote a letter to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan Aereo would like to be allowed to pay the compulsory license fee set up for cable companies in Section 111 of the Copyright Act of 1976. – – Broadcasters told the court they found this request “astonishing,”
    -The 1992 Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act provides the broadcasters the right to demand Retransmission consent which they can charge for.
    -Most likely they could just charge Aereo more than it could afford and be done with them. However the broadcasters don’t want a precedent set that a cable company operating over the Internet is the same as one operating over traditional cables. 

Signal Intelligence

Gear Up

Under surveillance

  • Netflix scores top Emmy nominations for ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Orange is The New Black’ 
  • – Netflix gathered 30 nomintaions for Emmys (compared to 12 last year)10 for House of Cards, 10 for OITNB
    – No nominations for Amazon or Hulu Originals
    -Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is up for outstanding short-format nonfiction program, –
    – Zach Galifianakis’ Between Two Ferns episode with President Obama has taken a nomination as well.
  • -Outstanding drama series for House of Cards
    -Outstanding comedy series for Orange is the New Black. House of
    -Kevin Spacey – outstanding lead actor in a drama series
    -Robin Wright – outstanding lead actress in a drama series as well. Ricky Gervais lead comedy actor category for Derek,
    -Taylor Schilling lead comedy actress category for Orange is the New Black.

Front Lines

2014 Summer Movie Draft
draft.diamondclub.tv

  1. Amtrekker: $576,340,707
  2. TMS: $547,539,188
  3. DTNS: $544,575,754
  4. Night Attack: $409,857,495
  5. GodsMoneybags: $328,852,309
  6. /Film: $200,938,015

On Screen

Dispatches from the Front

Hey Brian and Tom

I watched the first X-men movie tonight first time in years. I had a DVD copy of it years ago and from memory it looked perfectly fine. Tonight tho I watched it on Blu-ray for the first time and was kinda shocked at how the CGI visual effects just didn’t quite look right.Kinda low res and off colour.

A good practical special effect like the fight over the Death Star in Star Wars A New Hope tends to keep looking good forever. And the practical special effects on the new Blu-ray’s Star Trek The Next Gen look amazing. Do you think we will see movies with older CGI effects that looked fine on DVD start to look dated especially with the move to 4K coming down the pipe?

Nik

 

 

Hello Killers:

Listening to the last show I was confused with the comments about chromecast being too many steps to use.

Let’s say I want to watch Rifle Burs on YouTube. If my TV is on at all, I open the app on my phone. Search for the video, hit play and touch the cast button. The Chromecast automatically switches to the correct input for me.

I for one thought that was super convenient. I can have “cord” enabled dumb TV on, look for want I want to watch on the many different apps on my phone and when I find it, it will switch over. No dead air.

Love the show!
Not yet your boss.
Byron

 

 

Hey Guys,

I just started watching The Boss on Netflix and WOW! This is a really great show! I think it is even better than House of Cards. I was wondering if you have watched this show and what you thought.

It was originally done for Starz and according to the internet it was not picked up after the 2nd season….can’t imagine why. So is there a way to find out if someone else will pick it up like they did Community and others?

Thanks for your show…I rushed to support you on Patreon when you left TWIT tv.

Sandy 

 

Could Areo come to my house, install a digital antenna on my roof and legally carry on like business as usual?

Ken

 

All of the people on your show who have tried to ditch cable have gone about it the wrong way. They CALLED the company to cancel. That gives the cable company the advantage. I did it the right way. I had Charter. I unplugged all the cable companies hardware, packed it in a bag and took it all back to the custom service desk at their service center. They didn’t even try to dupe me into anything. All I did was keep internet, and I’m saving $100/month.

Alan

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box