Posted on 04/22/2013 10:18:21 AM PDT by MichCapCon
The next wave of television viewing, ironically, may more closely resemble the days of yore when home antennas dotted landscapes both urban and rural. Except this next generation antenna is no larger than a thumb drive that plugs conveniently into a tablet, smartphone or desktop computer.
New technologies have always displaced older technologies much to the chagrin of the latter’s proprietors. Now comes Aereo with a mini-antenna that allows the reception of free, over-the-air broadcasts to anyone with an Internet connection and $8 a month for a subscription fee. For the time being, Aereo services are available only in New York, but the company website promises expansion into 22 new markets, including Detroit.
This development has upset multichannel video programming delivery companies (the cable and satellite companies that bring television signals into homes) and television networks — unlikely bedfellows as the two have locked horns innumerable times in the recent past over retransmission consent fees. Both industries sued to block Aereo, but the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined by a 2-1 vote on April 1 that Aereo violates no copyright or broadcast retransmission laws.
The case — WNET Thirteen v. Aereo Inc. — applies only to New York. Additional court challenges will more than likely occur in other states as Aereo expands into new markets.
While networks and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD) battled fiercely and threatened innumerable television viewers with blackouts, Aereo quietly developed and implemented technology capable of pulling down transmissions from the sky for rebroadcast to subscribers’ tablets, phones and computers. Note that the company only rebroadcasts free transmissions. No Home Box Office, no Showtime, no premium cable. Just the basic CBS, PBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, Univision and CW networks that are already broadcast for free to television viewers nationwide.
According to Judge Christopher Droney, Second Circuit Court of Appeals:
It is beyond dispute that the transmission of a broadcast TV program received by an individual’s rooftop antenna to the TV in his living room is private, because only that individual can receive the transmission from that antenna, ensuring that the potential audience of that transmission is only one person. Plaintiffs have presented no reason why the result should be any different when that rooftop antenna is rented from Aereo and its signals transmitted over the internet: it remains the case that only one person can receive that antenna’s transmissions. But that hasn’t prevented network executives from threatening to place their broadcasts behind a premium pay wall. On April 8, Fox’s Chase Carey joined the fray by declaring his network is among those considering switching to a pay-TV model.
Among the objections posed by the networks is the ability of Aereo subscribers to fast forward through commercials. This is much the same argument used against digital video recording and Dish's AutoHop technologies.
These challenges, however, seldom identify remote control mute buttons as a hindrance to commercial television viewing. If television networks desire that viewers sit through commercials, they might be better advised to alert advertising agencies to be more "must-see" creative in the campaigns they produce. Give viewers something to watch and talk about and perhaps they’ll watch the commercials as well as network programming.
In the meantime, innovative and creative technology is offering more choices for customers regardless how networks and MVPDs derive their income.
In a press statement, Chet Kanojia, Aereo CEO and founder, remarked that the Second Circuit Court of Appeals "again validates that Aereo's technology falls squarely within the law and that’s a great thing for consumers who want more choice and flexibility in how, when and where they can watch television."
Kanojia continued that the "ruling to uphold Judge Nathan's decision sends a powerful message that consumer access to free to air broadcast television is still meaningful in this country and that the promise and commitment made by the broadcasters to program in the public interest in exchange for the public’s spectrum, remains an important part of our American fabric."
Kanojia's point is valid. The American taxpayer owns the spectrum over which the networks broadcast their programming in the first place. Developing new and innovative technologies to capture broadcasts from public spectrum for delivery to mobile devices and computers is a boon to the U.S. consumer who chooses to either purchase the service or not.
Is this anything like this “Rabbit TV” USB thingy I saw at Wal Mart this week? On the blister pack, it promised “Over 5000 channels of TV for $10/year.
My point originally is that you can watch your local channels on your ipad or iphone with a one time purchase of a sling box and it has been available for years.
I don’t have the sling box hooked up now, but I am running a pogoplug, I can listen to my music, watch my video, look at my pictures or access my files from anywhere in the world. The Sling Box and Pogoplug are both “cloud” services that you provide to yourself, no third party to go out of business or restrict your service.
It's a poorly written article. I read a much better written one over a year ago.
Aereo opens an office across the street from the television station's broadcast antenna(s). Since they are so close to the broadcasting antenna(s), they can use very small antennas to pull the signal in. So it does use actual antennas to pull in radio frequency waves.
Each subscriber rents their own mini antenna in Aereo's office. A television's radio frequency signal is tuned in, digitized and streamed to the subscriber for that antenna, and no one else. It is not recorded by Aereo, though I suppose it potentially could be by the end user.
I am 15 miles from Milwaukee's OTA antenna farm on Capitol Drive. I cannot always reliably pull in every Milwaukee digital channel using the DIY Gray-Hoverman antenna I have on my roof. Subscribing to Aereo would solve that.
One small correction.
It would appear that Aereo does supply you with two tuners, and 40 hours of DVR storage space for the $12/month subscription.
The thing you plug into your computer is STILL not an antenna.
I’ve been here for more than a decade and have never seen a complaint about someone’s sig containing links. What are you basing your complaint on?
thanks y’all
Aereo is Barry Diller, Obama backer.
Use at your own risk, see also: Dish Network/Charlie Ergen
You don't have to plug anything into your computer. They are describing the size of the antenna by comparing it's size to something you are probably familiar with, a thumb drive. Read it again:
Except this next generation antenna is no larger than a thumb drive that plugs conveniently into a tablet, smartphone or desktop computer.
It'd be like me saying, this widget is no larger than a breadbox that sits on your kitchen counter. I wouldn't be saying the widget was a breadbox, nor that it had to sit on your kitchen counter; I'm only comparing the widget's size to something who's size you should be familiar with.
It’s a dongle. You have to plug it into your computer. It’s the license to receive the stream from your antenna on their site. If you don’t have the dongle installed, you can’t get your stream.
Do you have something like what is advertised at this link?
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/search.asp?keywords=over+the+air+tv+antenna
Thanks!
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