Google's ridiculously awesome 8 tuner Fiber TV box (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

Dave: It's a pilot program, if it takes off they intend to go national as quickly as they can handle. I have my biases of course but I concur with Jason Calacanis: This is as important or more so to Google than Android or Gmail, probably only second in importance to them to search. It is a combustible engine designed to drive search profits.

 

[DaveF]

How does this benefit their internet ad business? Are they going to put extra ads on top of my tv programming?

 

[Sam Posten]

the more you use the internet the more exposure you have to google services and partners.
It's simply like watching more TV.
Even if that's not universally true it's close enough that Google says "Just go with it".

 

[DaveF]

Where is the "use more Internet" with cable tv and 8-tuner dvr? It seems more a "watch more tv, use less Internet" business.
I'm guessing google wants to connect your tv watching to Internet use, for ever more targeted ads. And since they really an advertising company, I wonder if they'll go into tv advertising based on tracking your use. And they also destroy Nielson Ratings, with their data.
Maybe hey hope we'll not actuall use the 500 hrs of recorded tv, and instead watch YouTube with google ads, on this box?

 

[Sam Posten]

Bits is bits

 

[DavidJ]

At the very least, Cox could turn on the eSATA port on the back of the older, crappy Motorola boxes. But I refuse to pay a premium for "Whole Home DVR" service (which is on the buggy Cisco boxes) just to get a 500GB hard drive, especially since we only have one HDTV in the house.

No kidding. I'm paying for two crappy DVR boxes (not Motorola though) with pathetic amounts of storage. My parents recently got the whole house DVR system, but they've had to have Cox out twice in as many weeks because of problems with it.

 

[Everett S.]

Where is the "use more Internet" with cable tv and 8-tuner dvr? It seems more a "watch more tv, use less Internet" business.
I'm guessing google wants to connect your tv watching to Internet use, for ever more targeted ads. And since they really an advertising company, I wonder if they'll go into tv advertising based on tracking your use. And they also destroy Nielson Ratings, with their data.
Maybe hey hope we'll not actuall use the 500 hrs of recorded tv, and instead watch YouTube with google ads, on this box?

Ah, revenge!!! That will teach them to BLOCK "Google Tv"!!! Seems like the Networks will have to deal with Google Tv one way or another.

 

[Sam Posten]

Big dreams:
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-wants-to-bring-free-high-speed-internet-to-a-city-near-you-says-analyst-2012-9

 

[Sam Posten]

The most underestimated gambit in tech. Not just trying to outrace the bear but actively poking it to make it run faster. To benefit everyone.
http://business.time.com/2012/09/14/with-google-fiber-search-giant-issues-public-challenge-get-up-to-speed/

 

[Todd Erwin]

I have a new client who moved into a custom, million-dollar home within the last six months, and I was appalled at the lack of good broadband options in this new, exclusive neighborhood.

Verizon is the phone carrier, and the best they could offer was 3Mbps DSL. Fios is not available.

Cox is the cable provider, but they ran the cables on the wrong side of the street (duh!), so he is not able to subscribe to any of Cox's services anytime soon until the city and HOA grant permission to dig up the streets and re-run the cable lines.

So, Verizon DSL is his only broadband solution (outside of 4G LTE).

In fact, his only options for TV were satellite, and he wisely chose DirecTv. OTA is not an option here, either.

Originally Posted by Sam Posten /t/322605/googles-ridiculously-awesome-8-tuner-fiber-tv-box#post_3975270
The most underestimated gambit in tech. Not just trying to outrace the bear but actively poking it to make it run faster. To benefit everyone.
http://business.time.com/2012/09/14/with-google-fiber-search-giant-issues-public-challenge-get-up-to-speed/

 

[Sam Posten]

"Google could never start their own ISP" "google could never become a telecom company" O RLY? http://www.technologyreview.com/view/510341/googles-private-cell-phone-network/]

 

[Sam Posten]

Growing.
http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/02/google-fiber-chooses-nine-metro-areas-for-possible-expansion/

This is neat:
"A 5Mbps service is offered at no monthly charge, but requires payment of a one-time $300 construction fee. That construction is waived for customers who buy the gigabit service."

 

[mattCR]

There are a lot of people who took the free. Meanwhile, google let us know that core customers will start being upgraded to 10gb

 

[DaveF]

Nertz! Not coming to NoVA.Practically, I don't want gigabit right now. I can't get full benefit from my 15/5 Fios, when prime time YouTube and netflix run 50x slower, at 0.3 Mbps. And 2.4 Ghz wifi congestion keeps the iPads from seeing anything close to the Fios limit.

 

[Dan Driscoll]

Google and other open fiber service are making the telecoms very, very nervous.

Utah bill would stop regional networks

 

[Sam Posten]

Cue the Pace commercial: NEW YORK CITY?!?!!?
http://bgr.com/2014/04/15/google-fiber-new-york-city/

 

[Sam Posten]

The best part of Google Fiber is making other cable co's compete:
http://www.cnet.com/news/googles-fiber-effect-fuel-for-a-broadband-explosion/

"Google Fiber has been the biggest driver of the fiber-to-the home movement," said Blair Levin, executive director of the Gig.U project and head of the committee that wrote the 2010 National Broadband Plan for the Federal Communications Commission.

In 2008, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranked the US as No. 15 out of 30 countries when it came to broadband penetration and speeds. With the US in the midst of a massive recession back then, prospects for investment in new broadband infrastructure looked dismal. But Google Fiber seems to have lit a fire under the feet of the broadband industry.

"In 2009 when we were writing the National Broadband Plan it looked like the US was headed toward a significant under-investment in broadband infrastructure by 2020," Levin said. "Other countries were well ahead of us. But I have to say since Google's announcements, things are a whole lot better than what we had predicted five years ago."

 

[DaveF]

I'm sure folks have commented on this: how is Google doing in "net neutrality" and "Netflix" metrics? Gigabit is pointless if streaming video is hamstrung at 250 kbps.

This is worse than a build-it-and-they-will-come: Verizon and AT&T have built it. But when the come, they kick 'em out and there's no game. (possibly my best tortured movie reference metaphor yet )


I'm simultaneously hopeful and completely pessimistic about the impact of Google Fiber.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Just wake me up when it comes to Park Slope, LOL.

_Man_

 

[Sam Posten]

Improved for Austin rollout:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/3/7326933/google-brings-improved-fiber-hardware-to-austin