tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post114832109413903647..comments2024-03-25T08:08:23.132-07:00Comments on Who Has Time For This?: Bessemer's Fall 2006 Television LineupDavid Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13075075203254308405noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post-1152635851510966312006-07-11T09:37:00.000-07:002006-07-11T09:37:00.000-07:00David, Curious to see what churn is like for video...David, <BR/>Curious to see what churn is like for video apps like your GoTV investment versus other potentially sticker mobile apps like games, mapping apps (mapquest),etc.<BR/><BR/>Seems like after the first month many users, including myself, drop the service because of price and arm pain syndrome.About Ushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08562468991408801143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post-1150122885640798582006-06-12T07:34:00.000-07:002006-06-12T07:34:00.000-07:00Erik,There's no need to compare the experiences. S...Erik,<BR/><BR/>There's no need to compare the experiences. Sometimes you just don't have a choice because the 42" plasma ain't with you when you're commuting, at work, or standing in line. <BR/><BR/>Yes, phones need 3G (camera penetration of phones reached 150m in only 2 years), the video needs to be formatted to make sense on a small screen (GoTV Studio does that), and it would help if batteries last longer (this will happen too). <BR/><BR/>As for you personal subway observations... despite the growing use of mobile video around the world, I must concede the argument and accept the claim that YOU, Erik, will never consume media this way. (Who has time for this?)David Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13075075203254308405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post-1150108457353319632006-06-12T03:34:00.000-07:002006-06-12T03:34:00.000-07:00David,Of the three experiences, Tivo (on a nice bi...David,<BR/><BR/>Of the three experiences, Tivo (on a nice big screen), portable DVD (on a fair size screen) and GoTV (on a necessarily tiny screen), which is the least compelling from an audio/video impact standpoint?<BR/><BR/>In a world where all video is on demand, why would I choose to watch programming I actually care about seeing with a vastly inferior consumer experience? If I had a choice between watching the Deadwood premeire last night on my phone at 9PM on the train, or my 42 inch plasma at 10:13PM on my couch, why would I watch it on my phone?<BR/><BR/>The one place I think mobile video could actually gain traction in the US is live events. If we're talking about the World Series or a terrorist attack, the "now" factor of that coverage might be more important than the quality of the presentation. <BR/><BR/>Now if to the inferior consumer experience you add the issues of:<BR/><BR/>-Being on the carrier deck and sharing revenues at least 2-3 ways on a media product which already has shrinking margins<BR/><BR/>-Phone batteries that are not designed to be running the color LCD for an extra hour or two a day<BR/><BR/>-The very slow adoption of data plans in North America<BR/><BR/>-The audio issues. The need for headphones in most situations (the picture of 5 people sitting on a couch each watching their phone on the GoTV front page would lead to cacophony).<BR/><BR/>There will be a very tough road to hoe.<BR/><BR/>It's not like nobody has tried mobile video before. There was the aforementioned Sony Watchman (which had very little consumer adoption). Do you ever see anybody ever actually <B>watching</B> their video iPod (other than the "cool look, I can watch video on my iPod" example case). I'm on the NY subways every week, the NY subways are probably the densest concentration of portable entertainment device usage in the US. I see lots of iPod <B>listeners</B>, I see lots of people <B>playing games</B> on PSP's, I see no one watching their iPod or using their PSP for watching video.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post-1150092589329340452006-06-11T23:09:00.000-07:002006-06-11T23:09:00.000-07:00Erik, So what? I don't watch my old Sony Watchman ...Erik, <BR/><BR/>So what? I don't watch my old Sony Watchman either, but neither do I watch live TV anymore. I much prefer on-demand video and so I watch Tivo, and similarly when I'm mobile I watch my DVD player, my Creative Zen Vision player, and now my phone with GoTV. <BR/><BR/>DavidDavid Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13075075203254308405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post-1150071211350365482006-06-11T17:13:00.000-07:002006-06-11T17:13:00.000-07:00When 3G takes off the killer app will be cheaper v...When 3G takes off the killer app will be cheaper voice minutes. <BR/><BR/>As for the comparison with Asia...<BR/><BR/>What percentage of asians commute on public transit compared to by private car? What percentage of Americans commute on public transit compared to by private car?<BR/><BR/>When/where do asians watch mobile TV?<BR/><BR/>I wish you luck with the investment. I have an old Sony Watchman, you want it? ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post-1150070535708730502006-06-11T17:02:00.000-07:002006-06-11T17:02:00.000-07:00Erik,I agree that CTIA projections are aggressive,...Erik,<BR/><BR/>I agree that CTIA projections are aggressive, but they're not off by more than a year. 3G will be a standard feature by then.<BR/><BR/>As for arm pain, that experiment has already been successfully conducted, with no harmful side effects, on several million users in Asia, and over a million users in the U.S. Mobile video ain't going away.<BR/><BR/>DavidDavid Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13075075203254308405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post-1150068840554641512006-06-11T16:34:00.000-07:002006-06-11T16:34:00.000-07:00CTIA projects that 22% of handsets in the US will ...<I>CTIA projects that 22% of handsets in the US will be 3G and video-capable.</I><BR/><BR/>It will be fascinating to see how we get to 45 million 3G handsets in 18 months.<BR/><BR/>Right now there are only 5 million 3G handsets in North America, and more troubling, there are only 2 million 3G data plans. Most people who buy a 3G handset buy it because it's a cool handset, not because of the data capabilities.<BR/><BR/>Mobile video will fail. Put your phone in your hand and hold it up and watch it for 5 minutes. Hold it close enough that the screen subtends a large enough angle that video would be larger than a postage stamp. After holding the phone in that position for 5 minutes ask yourself; Does my arm hurt?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14442178.post-1150046489824500712006-06-11T10:21:00.000-07:002006-06-11T10:21:00.000-07:00I believe there is a small typo in your most recen...I believe there is a small typo in your most recent post. Howard Hartenbaum is not from DFJ but from DR (which you linked correctly though). Although the latter firm is quite closely associated with DFJ (the general partner is Tim Draper's father) DR was also not one of the Skype investors (which, however, was DFJ).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com