Edited by author 03-11-2003 12:59 AM
Full disclosure: I've been to MystroTV, I've signed an NDA, I've seen the demo, I work in a related industry.

Take a deep breath. There is nothing evil about network PVR. It does not restrict fair use of video. It does not "prevent" consumers from storing and sharing copies--- it simply does not offer that as part of the service. Does a VCR "prevent" skipping commercials because it has no "skip +30 seconds" function? Are we going to have to "fight" any technology which offers some benefits but not every one on our wish list?

Yes, implementing PVR at the head end does give the operator (and thus the content owner) more control. But there are good technical and even non-IP business reasons to do so as well. You don't have to program a network PVR system: everything from the past N days is just _there_. That's a lot closer to the "ethereal jukebox" than anything else we have post-Napster. And I'd imagine that can be pretty compelling for the average joe or jane.

The business reasons have to do with cost per stream and per home. Set-Top Boxes cost a lot of money. Going out and upgrading them to provide a new service is slow. But network PVR lets you deploy the PVR service--- and upgrade it to offer more features--- without doing a damn thing except a software upgrade. I think putting hard drives in everybody's STB is the truly non-scalable solution.

I find it hard to swallow the argument that they shouldn't develop a head-end service because they won't (and can't) offer the full set of features you think it should have. I think it's only positive to get this sort of service out there. It gets customers used to it--- and maybe wondering why their use is restricted. It allow operators and content owners to get their feet wet, and see that it doesn't destroy their business. Fears about efforts to make personal PVRs illegal shouldn't automatically imply hostility to network PVR. Heck, did you ever think that maybe some cable operators would like to offer more but face the same legal hurdles and aren't as able or willing to take the risk?