From owner-freebsd-multimedia Thu May 15 02:15:21 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) id CAA09457 for multimedia-outgoing; Thu, 15 May 1997 02:15:21 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mpress.com (mpress.com [208.138.29.130]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id CAA09449 for ; Thu, 15 May 1997 02:15:18 -0700 (PDT) Received: (qmail 14617 invoked by uid 100); 15 May 1997 09:15:12 -0000 Message-ID: <19970515021512.02494@mpress.com> Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 02:15:12 -0700 From: Brian Litzinger To: Alan Batie Cc: Luigi Rizzo , richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, multimedia@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Teletext and intercast References: <199705142047.WAA27038@labinfo.iet.unipi.it> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mutt 0.69 In-Reply-To: ; from Alan Batie on Wed, May 14, 1997 at 03:06:30PM -0700 Sender: owner-multimedia@FreeBSD.ORG X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk On May 14, Alan Batie wrote: > > I have a hard time believing that there > > are technical or legal impedements to the deployment of something > > like intercast outside the US. > > Again, I'll disclaim any real knowledge of matters, but I've heard that > the VBI market is getting crowded. While teletext has the advantage of > being grandfathered, it wouldn't surprise me if new applications for it > had to go through hoops to get space allocated, not to mention typical > bureaucratic stuff (aren't a lot of the overseas tv stations government > run?). You also have to worry about what other people are doing with > it already (I've heard of at least one instance where they discovered > that the hard way). I'm the ex-CTO of International Teletext Corporation which later became Advanced Wiresless Inc, which later ceased operating because no one was interested in VBI encoded data. The major problem we had with the deployment of VBI services is shown in the following example: 1. Buy 3 line VBI right of way on HSN (home shopping network). 2. Broadcast stock data, internet stuff, email, etc via the 3 VBIs 3. Get 60K or so customers. 4. Have many people reporting troubles. 5. Find out that joe six-pack cable operator is stripping the VBI off HSN cuz he can. you explain to him the problem, and he says when are you going to send him a check for your use of his VBI. -- Brian Litzinger brian@mediacity.com