3 ms·

I'm sorry, I completely respect your opinion, but frankly any company that can "use" "free" data from the air and resell it much cheaper than, say, the $150 cab

by mrcwinn 12y ago

I'm sorry, I completely respect your opinion, but frankly any company that can "use" "free" data from the air and resell it much cheaper than, say, the $150 cable bill, is going to be successful. That doesn't make it lawful, or even good for content creators. I know I hold a very unpopular opinion in this forum, but I think it's unwise to treat Aereo like some angel of free speech. The truth is, this is a for-profit company with investors hoping to make money. They make that money by shortcutting the existing distribution system and selling something very cheaply that they got for "free." Is it good for consumers? In the short-term, it seems to be. People love the service as far as I can tell and it's cheap. But in the long-term, I worry about a service that syphons money away from content producers (and distributors, to whom I'm less sympathetic) and puts it instead in their own pockets. I simply can't wrap my brain around how content can be produced, grabbed for free, and - importantly - re-sold for profit. I do not think this is a "public demonstration" of work. Finally, I think it's unfair, as some have, to claim that SCOTUS is a bunch of thieves in bed with Comcast on one hand, but heroic and commendable on another hand with regard to the warrant cell phone case. It may actually be — actually, now it is the case - that if you have an exception with the law, you will need to work to change it.

byuu 12y ago
> any company that can "use" "free" data from the air and resell it much cheaper than, say, the $150 cable bill, is going to be successful. OTA broadcasts are free for everyone. You do not have to pay $150 a month to receive them. Aereo did not offer HBO or AMC or other cable-only channels through their service. To me, the only real issue at play was whether it is legal for a person in OH to receive OTA broadcasts from NY. And there may be some merit there: some of the local stations might possibly be funded in part by local taxes.
Dylan16807 12y ago
Why are you putting free in quotes? OTA television is completely free to consume. Nobody is being undercut. Cable companies use most of that $150 to buy private content. Nobody is advocating for splicing into private wires and making copies. We're in this weird situation where local TV companies tricked their distributor into paying them, even though they previously shouldered the costs of distribution themselves. I see that as the biggest injustice here. >I simply can't wrap my brain around how content can be produced, grabbed for free, and - importantly - re-sold for profit. Imagine a taxi that brings you to a free concert. There is nothing wrong with making a profit off of providing convenient access to something. That's what every ISP in the world does. They're not selling the TV shows. They're connecting you with the antenna that sends out free TV.

by mrcwinn 12y ago

byuu 12y ago

> any company that can "use" "free" data from the air and resell it much cheaper than, say, the $150 cable bill, is going to be successful. OTA broadcasts are free for everyone. You do not have to pay $150 a month to receive them. Aereo did not offer HBO or AMC or other cable-only channels through their service. To me, the only real issue at play was whether it is legal for a person in OH to receive OTA broadcasts from NY. And there may be some merit there: some of the local stations might possibly be funded in part by local taxes.

Dylan16807 12y ago

Why are you putting free in quotes? OTA television is completely free to consume. Nobody is being undercut. Cable companies use most of that $150 to buy private content. Nobody is advocating for splicing into private wires and making copies. We're in this weird situation where local TV companies tricked their distributor into paying them, even though they previously shouldered the costs of distribution themselves. I see that as the biggest injustice here. >I simply can't wrap my brain around how content can be produced, grabbed for free, and - importantly - re-sold for profit. Imagine a taxi that brings you to a free concert. There is nothing wrong with making a profit off of providing convenient access to something. That's what every ISP in the world does. They're not selling the TV shows. They're connecting you with the antenna that sends out free TV.