Netflix Magic Box

Future TV Rule #1 eventually there will be a magic box hooked up to your tv that can: 1. retrieve any videos (any type) you have on your network 2. access on-demand streaming content (or download and play quickly) 3. download and store videos for later use (video podcasts)

there are a lot of products heading in this direction (they all stink). eventually, i'll tell you why they all stink. i'll start with the new netflix box.

well, it doesn't retrieve networked videos or manage podcasts, but that's not what it is made for, so it gets a pass there. The netflix box seems good on the cost front. $100 one time purchase for the box. A 8.99 monthly subscription to netflix will get you all the streaming movies you can watch, (plus 2 DVDs at a time). but wait...

first, there is moaning by some about a limited selection, but this is bullshit because netflix will eventually get there (everything available).

the real problem is quality. if you look at the details, many movies are streamed at full screen, not letter box, and the quality is determined by your connection. it looks like you'll be getting near DVD quality, but not quite. and no surround sound. this is it's major flaw. one that won't be corrected soon.

Newsflash... the connection speeds in the US suck, and they are not improving. The telcos and cable companies claim they can't deliver high speeds to everyone at the current cost. I'm no expert, so maybe they're right, but how can you trust them to deliver the best speeds at the best cost? They'll only deliver when they figure out how to make everyone pay through the nose.

anyhow... i've become a snob and think movies in full screen (not letterbox) are unwatchable. Even if video is letterboxed, the quality can be poor, and poor quality is becoming more and more a pet peeve of mine. I don't mind shitty music quality (mp3), because i have lousy ears and can't really tell the difference. But i notice shitty video quality and it is annoying. Especially when cable and satellite companies are forcing shitty video down our throats. more on that later.

for the record, i'm fine with DVD quality - i don't need HD-blu-ray quality - but i think overly compressed video stinks.

the user interface looks like it will be nice. that's a plus.

some other pluses... not just movies, but remember, TV show DVDs are available through netflix. also, i heard some hopeful chatter that the netflix access will eventually work it's way into other hardware so netflix won't have to sell it's own boxes (similar to how many radios are "XM ready"). so that's a step closer to the magic box.

so netflix... i'd have to try it to see how annoying the shitty quality is. if anyone tries it, let me know what you think.

Half Double Cheeseburger

here we go.

i was at mcdonalds buying hotcakes.

i noticed that double cheeseburger = 1.29! regular cheeseburger now on dollar menu.

gas prices up. food prices up. i've been saying this for weeks... how long will these dollar value menus last?

The New Electric Car

Gas is expensive.

On this week's episode of TWiT (this week in tech), jason calacanis talked briefly about driving his new electric car, the Tesla. I agree with him in that if "we" put our minds to it, we could have everyone driving electric cars sooner rather than later. I started telling people that the gasoline engine was dead when gas hit 3.00. I noticed once it hit 3.50, the media has started pushing alternative cars as well. I've become a jackass and have been telling people they'll never buy a gas powered car again.

here's the calacanis clip...



I wonder if his numbers are right 250 miles on 4 bucks of electricity? i thought electric cars would be a lot more expensive. this makes the transition even an easier decision. I thought plug-in electric cars might lose out to some other stupid thing like hydrogen or biodiesel or something due to cost. but maybe electric cars are cheap. remember, the maintenance costs are a lot less than gas engines.

In several years, look for stories questioning whether the power grids can handle the increased demand from cars. power companies should start planning ahead, but they probably won't.

Also look for some whining about how the coal factories providing the electricity powering the cars will still cause pollution, but these stories will die quick. maybe because of solar panels that also seem to be an improving technology - as jason mentions.

twit is a great podcast. calacanis is interesting to follow and his mahalo.com search site is interesting. check them out.

Generic foods - Pop tarts, hersheys, etc.

buying generic food is a cost saving measure.

most of the time generic brands, or store brands, are cheaper and just as good as name brands. but sometimes the name brands cannot be replaced. i've had this conversion before, and it seems there was a long list. i'm going to start with 2. feel free to add comments.

pop tarts - generic ones are always crumbly
hershey's syrup - taste