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Is it really just a fun project? Or is Netflix trying to use this as the nose of the camel to get into the house automation business? I've always thought house
by hugh4 11y ago
Is it really just a fun project? Or is Netflix trying to use this as the nose of the camel to get into the house automation business?
I've always thought house automation was cool, but a lot of trouble and likely to wind up a waste of my time and effort once I stop using it in three years because whatever standard I was using became obsolete. But if Netflix can start automating my house one bit at a time and slowly sneak up on me...
- blazespin 11y agoI honestly can't attribute any profiteering here. This is pure geek fun. Reminds me of the days of the Netflix Prize. http://www.netflixprize.com/ http://www.netflixprize.com/
- jacalata 11y agoThat's a weird couple of sentences, given that the Netflix prize was entirely trying to improve their core business?
- blazespin 11y agoYeah, maybe. I don't think they ever used it though. I think it was just the hacker / experimenter part of Reed that wanted to do it.
- joezydeco 11y agoA little viral-ness doesn't hurt either. If it makes a dozen or so blogs today and reinforces the idea that Netflix is a service you cuddle down with in your den, that's not such a bad thing.
- angdis 11y agoI am sure it was a blast, but it was NOT done "for fun" to amuse the engineering staff. Nor is it an effort at "home automation". This is part of a marketing campaign not unlike the office depot "easy" button, except they've designed an actual button that sort-of works. The point is to get people excited about the idea of a Netflix marathon and create some buzz among geeky subscribers. It doesn't matter how many people actually create or use "the button".
- blazespin 11y agoWell, I'm sure that was an excuse, but seriously. Do you honestly think the kind of geeks that'd do this are really that important to a company like Netflix these days? Maybe at the beginning... If I had to attribute anything, it's more of a recruiting move. They want clever hacker geeks working for them. Maybe they are moving into home automation and this will be an interview question? I dunno how effective that is, though. I think someone just said, yeah, screw it, let's do it!
- SwellJoe 11y agoIt's so far from a scalable product, I would guess it's not even a good test for market fit. Only a small subset of hackers/makers will tackle this. And, there's nothing to even buy from Netflix here...it's all stuff from other vendors. I'm not saying it isn't on their radar, but this particular project is clearly for fun.
- bcx 11y agoIt could be fun, plus a recruiting technique, since it creates awareness around Netflix's culture, and I am sure they hire a lot of engineers.
- madeofpalk 11y agoStep 3 is 'Select the Microcontroller'. I don't understand how they plan for this to be a pure profit driving activity.
- smtddr 11y agoWell, here's something that definitely has no market value: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gadgets/8-bit-binge-hack-puts-netflix-original-nintendo-n321081 http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/gadgets/8-bit-binge-hack-puts-ne... ;)
- josteink 11y ago> Is it really just a fun project? Or is Netflix trying to use this as the nose of the camel to get into the house automation business? I doubt they would piggyback on others' home automation systems and standards if that were their goal.