Comments on: Aereo doubles DVR storage to 80 hours for select subscribers

By: JP

JP — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 20:13:07 +0000

Great points….anyone have any thoughts on NimbleTV…which doesn’t bypass cable operators?

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 02:52:07 +0000

A cable company may have their system connected to X number of customers, and Aereo may have their system connected to Y number of customers. Y may be a smaller number of customers than X, but both operations are receiving broadcast signals and sending them out to the public. Both operations are violating the copyright laws but the cable companies pay the broadcasters compensation for what they’re doing, so the broadcasters leave them alone. Aereo does not pay the broadcasters, so the broadcasters are suing Aereo. I believe it’s as simple as that.

By: Martin Focazio

Martin Focazio — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:56:21 +0000

I absolutely love this hack – it’s an engineering kluge, but it’s legally brilliant.

By: Laughing_Boy48

Laughing_Boy48 — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:37:54 +0000

Is there any way the networks would be able to accurately check when those hardware limits are exceeded by the number of subscribers using the service at any one time?

By: ChickenLittle

ChickenLittle — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:43:59 +0000

I think the thing that is going to get them is the fact that the antennas are leased. They don’t have 10,000 antennas for 10,000 subscribers. They are gambling that they won’t ever have all 10,000 subscribers logged in wanting to watch live TV at any one time. And it’s not really the antennas that matter, it’s the tuners.

I would say if they had 10,000 subscribers with 10,000 tuners and 10,000 Slingboxes, then the service is completely legit. For right now, I would guess that they are safe on the hardware to subscriber ratio. The question is does this constitute rebroadcasting once they start having more subscribers.

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 02:40:28 +0000

“Aereo argues that its one antenna to one subscriber ratio means it is not broadcasting to the public and therefore not violating copyright law.”

Uh-uh, they have 10,000 antennas connected to 10,000 subscribers but they’re not broadcasting to the public. And New York City doesn’t have subways, either.