JBOURNE

30Apr/120

Hulu authentication

It looks like the end for free streaming on hulu.

After reading the new york post this morning. Hulu might be ending the free streaming option.

====Copied from New york post====

Viewers who stream network TV shows may soon discover the free ride is not so free.

Hulu, which attracted 31 million unique users in March under a free-for-all model, is taking its first steps to change to a model where viewers will have to prove they are a pay-TV customer to watch their favorite shows, sources tell The Post.

In fact, the move by Hulu toward the new model — called authentication because viewers would have to log in with their cable or satellite TV account number — was behind the move last week by Providence Equity Partners to cash out of Hulu after five years, these sources said.

And it’s not just Hulu making it tougher for cable-cutters to stream shows and other content.

Fox, owned by News Corp., which also owns The Post, is expected to begin talks soon with Comcast on a TV Everywhere deal that will require authentication. Plus, Philadelphia-based Comcast is expected to switch to an authentication model for this summer’s Olympic Games (see story at right).

The move toward authentication is fueled by cable companies and networks looking to protect and profit from their content.

The effort comes as entertainment companies continue to face drastic shifts in home viewing habits. Overall spending on home entertainment edged up 2.5 percent to $4.45 billion in the first quarter as a surge in digital streaming — which rose more than fivefold to $549 million — offset a continuing collapse in video rentals, according to Digital Entertainment Group.

Hulu, owned by News Corp., Disney, Comcast and Providence, could see its March audience, as measured by ComScore, shrink after authentication. Hulu racked up some $420 million in ad revenue last year and is expected to do well in this year’s ad negotiations.

But the move toward authentication, which could take years to complete, will make cable companies happy because it could slow cord-cutting by making cable subscribing more attractive.

At the same time, networks are asking cable companies for retransmission money, a process that could be more appetizing for Comcast and its rivals if their subscriber base stopped shrinking.

To be sure, Hulu’s slow move toward authentication comes amid a jumble of cable and network game plans for streaming — which remain a strategic nightmare thanks to the complicated nature of the TV Everywhere initiative, which is aimed at keeping top shelf digital video exclusive to pay-TV subscribers.

Comcast’s own NBCUniversal, for example, has a patchwork approach to authentication.

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O well. There is always "The Pirate Bay & IsoHunt".

Tagged as: dmca, fox, Hulu, Hulu authentication, hulu free streaming, hulu plus, isohunt, nbc, news corp, the pirate bay, torrents No Comments

22Apr/120

Ways to deal with junk

Junkmail:Start writing "return to sender" and/or "person deceased" on all your mail you don't want. I started doing this when i got tons of mail saying is this david webb and would you like to be in our new movie.

After about 90days of doing this. I now only get about 1 or 2 pieces of junk mail daily. THAT'S IT

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Phone calls:Cut off your landline service and switch to cell only. Because cellphones have a great law protecting them from autodialer's. It's called 47CFR SECTION 64.1200 which prohibits autodialer's from calling you.

Also with cellphones you can block callers with one click w/o having to call the phone company. Also most cellphones support blocking private calls.

If you want to keep your landline then dial *77 on your landline & also change your number to unlisted.

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Fax Machines:Well this is a hard one but there is always a way.

Some fax machines support a feature called "Redirect Traffic" which means when you get a junk fax from a certain number it redirects it back to the sender and prints out whatever they just faxed you to their machine. Thus wasting their toner.

Or you can just block their number on the fax machine thus disconnecting them automatically when they try to fax you.

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Door advertisements:Look around the internet for what's called the "Area 51 Sign". It says something like by crossing into this yard you give up all your rights and the homeowner has a right to open fire on you for any reason. Also buy a "No soliciting" sign.

This works 80% of the time. But you always have those daring people willing to go above the call of duty to put crap on your door.

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Email:Use keyword blocking & domain blocking on your server, Also enable RBL's & block all emails not coming from ".com, .net, .org, .gov , .mil, .edu" This is the best way i think of blocking spam.

Also use a very good anti-spam tool such as cloudmark or mailwasher on your desktop and a tool such as SpamAssassin on your server.

Anyway have fun living your new clean junk free LIFE....

Tagged as: Email spam, Fax junk, Junkmail, No soliciting, Telemarketers No Comments

21Apr/120