It's been quite some time since we've seen Mark Cuban
ramble on about a subject that mattered to us, but his latest post concerning the viability (or lack thereof, we should say) of internet video certainly caught our eye. Essentially, Mr. Maverick himself asserts that due to the open (and therefore unstandardized) nature of the internet, it's impossible to ensure that programming is being delivered up to par. Additionally, few Americans (and even fewer Earthlings) have an internet connection in their home with enough bandwidth to really enjoy unadulterated HD content the way we're used to experiencing it via our HD STBs. Still, we can't help but respectfully disagree that the current instability of the internet (in terms of content engineering) as a content medium means that it's doomed. Of all people, Mr. Cuban should realize that the demand for VIP slots to watch the NCAA Tournament online has
grown significantly year after year, and there are more material outlets on the internet today than a single satellite / cable / fiber lineup could ever provide. Getting this plethora of content to high-def, however, remains the challenge, but
we aren't giving up on the
world wide web just yet -- far from it, actually.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Itchy @ Mar 31st 2008 1:22PM
With the changes ISPs are making to their pricing structures, I can only imagine what they'd charge for the bandwidth it would take to download/stream HD content.
cclaunch @ Mar 31st 2008 3:01PM
Cuban knows his stuff.
1. People don't have the bandwidth.
2. People don't want to watch TV on their computer.
Claiming March Madness online video requests as a reason internet TV has "grown significantly" is pretty faulty IMHO engadget. How many of those people were sitting at work watching the games on their computer because they had no other way to watch them?
James @ Mar 31st 2008 4:18PM
I think you are missing the most important reason.
3. Consumers do not value streaming like they value physical media such as DVDs. Because of this the rights holders wish to maximise profit and will not discount to satisfy the masses. Instead they will litigate and develop new formats to make streaming less viable (hello blu-ray).
Until rights holder can see a non-cannibalistic and as-profitable distribution network with streaming they'll stick with the gravy train of physical media.
Sam Hall @ Mar 31st 2008 11:35PM
When will people stop listening to this guy?
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-514014.html
Mar 15, 1999 12:00:00 AM
AUSTIN, Texas -- Just as MP3 was getting off the ground, the Internet music format is dead, or nearly so.
That, at least, was the pronouncement of Mark Cuban, president of online multimedia aggregation site Broadcast.com (NASDAQ:BCST), at the opening of the South by Southwest Interactive Festival here Sunday.
"MP3 will die. I'm sure of that," Cuban said. "It will be absorbed by RealNetworks (Nasdaq:RNWK) or Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT), and it'll become just a notation... No one has the economic incentive to keep it alive."
Responding to the challenge that MP3 already has a strong culture around it, Cuban quipped, "Disco also used to have a strong culture." ...
JB @ May 17th 2008 7:19AM
The Cuban not only is out of touch with reality, he seems to be one of those guys whose motto is "it can't be done". That is why we are behind in HD Internet video - needed for scientific, educational, and other communication applications - as we are behind on our road to independence from fossile fuels and the Middle East, and in hundreds of other technologies.