Vudu is doomed without network neutrality
Vudu will be depending on telco DSLs and cable modems to deliver P2P video-on-demand (VoD) “instantly”. But telcos and cable companies routinely impair P2P packets. I understand that a relatively few users account for the biggest single category of Internet traffic-namely, P2P traffic. Arguably, ISPs really do need to siphon P2P through a narrow pipe to keep traffic flowing smoothly for the rest of the user base. I could easily see where this might be true. If BitTorrent worked faster, more people would use it and that might really slow down Web traffic for everybody else.
So I’m not saying that telcos and cable companies are completely evil. But considering that the duopoly seems to have the legal right to impair any packets they choose; and considering that both cable franchises and Baby Bells are trying to promote their own VoD services; it seems to me that the duopoly has the means, motive, and opportunity to legally kill off Vudu.
Of course, another possibility might be for Vudu to cut the broadband ISPs in on the deal. If they do, so much for the cost advantages of an independent Web service delivering VoD. Besides, cable and telco VoD services could use P2P themselves to cut down on server costs. In fact, Sky Anywhere (affiliated with the BSkyB satellite service) in the UK already does it, using the (much criticized) Kontiki P2P client. Ditto BBC’s trial run of its Internet Media Player. Likewise, Warner Bros. will supposedly distribute using BitTorrent. Maybe cable and telephone equipment makers just need to integrate P2P into their set top boxes, and stonewall any patents on the topic that Vudu might have.
The only missing link then would be Vudu’s idea of storing the first few minutes or so of many movies on the hard disk in your set top box. Maybe Vudu has a patent on that too? Even if they do, I’m not sure it’s that big a deal. Telco and cable servers could easily get around any such patent, using centralized servers to perform the equivalent task of buffering video before the P2P kicks in. Besides, I don’t see a huge advantage of using local storage of the opening scenes, as opposed to doing it on a server.
But if there is an advantage, maybe cable franchises and telcos could upload lots of opening scenes to your set top box’s hard disk, without worrying about whether Vudu patented that idea or not. Personally I consider the idea to be obvious. Before I ever heard of Vudu. I had a conversation with at least one other engineer about prestoring the first few minutes of many programs to reduce start-time latency of any kind of Internet video, and constantly refreshing the library of prestored opening scenes as studios release new videos.