Microsoft's Strategy has shifted, so what!

on ZDNET: Microsoft: Our strategy with Silverlight has shifted

Who gives a rat's ass.   The only reason I use Silverlight is because Netflix requires it.

I really don't have much patients for Artificial Complexity.
Streaming really isn't that hard, I had full screen full motion working great in 1996.
Meanwhile Microsoft with one press release killed any interest Investor had in us because they would say, "how can you compete against Microsoft".   Well I watch the next 5 years go by, Microsoft never delivered and my technology had reached HDTV levels by 2001.

Still no one could get it out to the public till Macromedia Flash did it in stealth mode in 2002, and it's not streaming, it's a progressive download.
By keeping is secret they were able to get people to install the Video player while no one even knew it could play video.



Even then it took YouTube in 2005 to get the public's attention and get final general acknowledged that the Internet is indeed ready for Video.

Here we are 14 years after 1996 when I was demoing it at my little company in Los Angeles, Digital Video Technology and Internet Broadcast Systems and it's only this year I am finally seeing thing progress to where I was in 2001, 9 years go. And that's streaming HDTV which is now the rage.

I just feel like Microsoft has been nothing but an obstruction. Not enabling the technology yet blocking others with working technology from forward progress because everyone is "waiting" for Microsoft's grand solution.

Well we saw it. Yawn. Oh yea DRM.

I was grabbing 1080p HD movies from the internet using Bit Torrent back in 2001 and it took 9 years for the Industry to offer it legitimately.

Then I see broadcasters trying to pull shows off Hulu and try to put up pay-walls.

Meanwhile I get shows on Bit Torrent, many even a week earlier then the US Broadcast, posted most likely by UK viewers.
Even same day I get show 2 hours before they are broadcast in California because they air in New York 3 hour earlier.

I get a 1 hour show in about 10 to 20 minutes using bit torrent.

The worst part is bit torrent isn't even all that good of a protocol.

The World has changed. I am sorry telco's and cable companies, but those that own wires are just pipes in the future.

Telco's saw the first wave with Voip and it's variations like skype, google talk etc, where they can't own your Phone any more.

Soon Cell Carriers will get hit with it too. It's inevitable just wireless pipes.

I can already root my droid cell and make it in to a Wifi access point. Then using a wireless Ethernet bridge from Linksys in to a Cisco encrypted VPN box and Cisco IP phone, presto awesome phone service in to my employers voip network. It's works just as well as the old Ma Bell phone service, maybe better even.

Oh and it's super secure! Why can't my cell sound that clear in the first place! Only problem is it's a mess of wires and boxes.

Cisco, now there is one of the few companies that actually knows what there doing. At least for making boxes anyhow. Cisco could also be so much more.

There is no reason a Cable company couldn't offer Full Cable service to anyone anywhere on the planet using vanilla Internet. And their wires are just become nothing more than an Internet Bandwidth service.

I have already seen people to high speed channel surfing and live video over the net. Heck I implemented something like it if for a CCTV DVR I architected for VCT Vision.

I can listen to many radio stations from anywhere in the world, yet my local TV channel is limited to just the local area. Why!

Why can't I watch streaming shows from HBO?

These companies are so locked up in legal contracts that it's inviting, no begging, for someone like Apple and Google to come in and take over there Industry.

I am just waiting for a real player to come in produce high quality shows for Internet consumption. And I don't mean posting on youtube.

Meanwhile I have watched so many Set Top Box companies build cool boxes with all sorts of neat tricks, and bite the dust. I have participated in 3 first hand, and must have met so many other people also did the same. Must be almost 100 by now.

Most recently was the founder of Prismiq Inc. You should hear his horror story. Millions wasted on an beautiful front end and back end solutions only to find out the industry has no intention of pulling it's head out of it's ass.

Worst yet I could have told him the outcome from my experiences in 1994 through 1997 trying to pitch the big players.

In 1996 CNN did a news story where they showed my product "Livecam" and then trade markets and send me a cease and desist letter.

I had friends that did an amazing video over IP trial back in 1993, something like 50000 households video on demand. USA Video. You should hear the horror stories.

It's like listening to war veterans about how we where just cannon fodder.

Seem about once a month I have someone contact me wanting to do a set top box play or video over cell phone play. One little piece of advice, Don't do it!