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Reader Comments on Aardvark Daily 3 April 2002

Note: the comments below are the unabridged submissions of readers and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher.

 

From: Allister
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Paying for web entertainment

I think the reason people pay for a Sky subscription is
because it is a large and prominent company that has
invested heavily in infrastructure and is therefore not
likely to be a fly-by-night operation.

OTOH, witness the boom and bust of the dot.com bubble.  The
speed of the bust is in part due to the fact that their
only infrastructure was a server or two and a person or two
to run it.

It is easy to throw away a hosting account and cut your
losses, but when you have satellite services, programming
contracts, set top box management and installation, you're
going to try a little harder (and think a little harder) to
make things work rather than just toss it all in.

That said, it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get
a better product eh?  'Nuff said!




From: Jake
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Web as entertainment

Am I missing something, or is there not a fundamental
difference between the internet and pay TV? We all  already
pay an ISP for access to the internet, I believe this is
why most people get upset at the idea of then being charged
*again* for the privilege of accessing anything useful or
entertaining on the net. Surely the providers of such
content should look first to the ISPs and bandwidth
providers for a payout (as TV programme makers collect from
TV channels) rather than Joe Websurfer? If compelling
content entices more people to sign up for broadband access
or the like, then the ISPs, etc will be onto a winner.




From: James
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Confused

You seem to use the words web and net to describe the same
thing.

The web is not the Internet, it is part of the Internet.
Just as Email is.

The fact that people do not find the "net" entertaining is
because there are very few ways to entertain yourself by
using it.

However the "web" currently provides the ability to play
games (all be it crude ones), watch film and TV (crudely),
listen to webcasts, and read magazines and books.

The problem here is that the big player in entertainment is
visual, TV proved that when it knocked radio off the top of
the entertainment list. Until everyone has cheap, unmetered
broadband access entertainment does not stand a chance.

As for reading a book online, have you tried to take your PC
to bed at night and snuggle up with it, like you do a real book?

So what we need is very fast fat pipes to a wireless tablet
 that we can fold up and put in our purse or pocket.

We are waiting for technology to catch up with the vision.
It will.




From: Dominic
For : Right Of Reply (for publication)
Subj: Entertainment: heaps exist, but made for DSL

I disagree with you Bruce.

I find there is plenty of entertainment on the Net. I also
find that so many of the sites host content that can't be
enjoyed on dial-up. The content is made for broadband
connection - or it can't be adequately served without high
speeds.

Many of these sites are fee based. The arguments given by
some of them, I can't dispute. Also, bear in mind that
these sites are US based and little is free there - or so I
have experienced.

Anyone who has grown up with the Net will know that sites
come and go daily. That no one can ever know how many sites
exists and what they are. I bet there are 5,000 sites I
don't of that others do. And I may not, in all my lifetime,
ever discover these. In theory, there is no limit to how
many computer can be connected to it. In theory, there is
no limit to how much bandwidth can be built in. I stand to
be corrected on some of that but I have read books.

Witha combination of apps, sites, and clever configuring,
today I can make my own TV station. I have come across
sites that let me compile video clips and will stream these
to me. I can't use the sites I have found because they do
not cater for dial-up, which I am on.

I find most of the entertainment on the Net is based in
USA, Europe or Asia. These parts of the world, broadband is
increasingly commonplace and, in areas, reasonably priced.

If I had DSL, particularly at 512k, I think I'd stop
watching TV.

If I didn't mind parting with money - atop that of my usual
monthly fee - I get some entertainment.

I recall a statement from someone that was / is associated
with Telecom. They had involvement with international
bandwith pricing. If I remember correctly, they stated that
the high cost of international bandwidth is the main reason
there is no flat rate DSL for high connection speeds. Most
of the fun on the Internet here is that of foreign content.




From: Dave
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Entertainment on the web

Why should people turn to the internet for entertainment in
the form of movies or other passive media.

The screens are small, and without some kind of broadband
connection (bit of an expense here in NZ) the speed or
quality of the media you watch can be of considerabley
worse quality than you'd expect from more taditional
services like TV.

If you want to draw people to the internet for
entertainment, then make use of the extra features it
provides.

Online gaming, in particular the massively multiplayer
variety which can provide entertainment and *some kind* of
social interaction seems like a far more wothy use of the
nets resources for entertainment purposes.

Thousands of people around the world are paying for the
priveledge of using these services, and the market is
continuing to grow.




From: Camryn Brown
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Web for Entertainment

I use the web for entertainment every day.

COMEDY:
www.theonion.com
www.satirewire.com
www.somethingawful.com

NEWS: (I count this as entertainment... it's sure not work)
www.fuckedcompany.com (you may want to censor that)
www.aardvark.co.nz
www.cnn.com
www.plastic.com

I visit all of these sites every morning before I start
work.

However, I can see why most people don't... they don't have
an extremely fast and free connection (except at work,
which probably doesn't like them surfing for fun).
Furthermore, dial-up connections mean the phone doesn't
work. Also, most people don't have their PC next to a nice
comfy couch. Finally, TV requires less brain activity - and
that's what people look for to relax.



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