Path: csiph.com!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder3.hal-mli.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder1.hal-mli.net!news.misty.com!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system Subject: Re: OT: New Apple TV rumours Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 04:39:21 +0000 (UTC) Organization: MGT Consulting Lines: 37 Message-ID: References: <52fbc90f$0$61421$c3e8da3$f017e9df@news.astraweb.com> <120220141239031491%michelle@michelle.org> <120220141503520650%nospam@nospam.invalid> <120220141342068517%michelle@michelle.org> <52fbe681$0$17069$c3e8da3$40d4fd75@news.astraweb.com> Reply-To: gsm@mendelson.com NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.166.112.54.fix.netvision.net.il X-Trace: news.inside.misty.com 1392266361 21422 82.166.112.54 (13 Feb 2014 04:39:21 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@misty.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 04:39:21 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: slrn/pre1.0.0-11 (Linux) Xref: csiph.com comp.sys.mac.system:56477 JF Mezei wrote: > > Basically, it is a realisation that Apple's original plans to compete > against cable and traditional media as well as TV manufacturers was not > realistic without a HUGE investment to kill off the existing monopolies. > > But Apple TV will haveto offer something more compelling than the > software that is built-in TVs today. Not going to buy an Apple TV to > watch Netflix when the Netflix ap embdedd in my Sharp TV is likely better. I dispute that. I am in Israel as some of you know and we have our equivalent companies HOT (cable) and YES (DBS). There is a small UK type DVB-T service with 6 channels, 1 the local equivalent to the BBC, 2 commerical channels and some government ones. There is a TV tax to fund it. It was supposed to be expanded to a second DVB-T channel adding 12 more channels at a small monthly cost. So far no one has said anything. Last week, out of nowhere, Rami Levi, the owner of a chain of discount grocery stores and a virtual cellular network announced he was going into the entertainment business with a service similar to netflix, which for copyright reasons is not avialable here. It seems that he has made a deal with a company called Vonetize, which has been quitely making distribution contracts with programming providers and sells them to retail marketers, like Levi. While I am in no way implying that they have anything to do with Apple, I am sure there is lots of competition in that market, and there is someone who sells such a service in the US. Apple may be buying that service, or knowing what little I know about Steve Jobs, there was a clause in the contract that program providers signed to get their material in the iTunes store that allows Apple to sell it as a service. Of course, for all we know Apple has signed a contract to resell Netflix using their own brand and front end. Geoff. -- Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379