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Zillion TV

post #1 of 22
3/8/09 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 
Interesting concept.

Quote:


Every movie, TV show, concert video, sports special and documentary ever made, in one place, on your HDTV, ready for you to rent, buy or watch for free in an ad-supported format.

It may sound like an insane idea, but that's exactly what Mitch Berman and ZillionTV are working on.

You can imagine the daunting task of acquiring all the content ever created, Berman, the co-founder and CEO said. That's what we're trying to do here. Not everything on day one, of course. But we are building what we believe is the largest TV system ever built.

How it works

Unveiled March 4, ZillionTV consists of a tiny remote and a thin Z' bar that goes on top of your HDTV, with Ethernet, USB and HDMI ports, and wireless built-in. The service expected to launch in mid-fourth quarter will deliver instant, on-demand streaming video with no hard drive. A one-time, yet-to-be-determined (but sub-$100) service activation fee is involved, but there's no subscription fee, as users either buy to own, rent, or watch a show with ads for free, depending on the licensing agreement for the content.

It's a personalized experience with the freedom of choice, the freedom to be empowered, Berman said.

ZillionTV is partnering with Internet-service providers, and content is currently streaming from data centers in Palo Alta, Calif., with more planned in Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington D.C., with smaller ones planned as the service grows. ZillionTV's national beta trial began in February and is scheduled to run through the summer.

Who's involved

Five of the six major studios Sony, Warner, Universal, Fox and Disney are equity holders in ZillionTV and are contributing much of the 15,000 pieces of content the service will have when it is made available to the public in the fourth quarter. ZillionTV already has signed more than 40 individual content agreements, and Visa is also a stakeholder and supplying advertising.

ZillionTV is on the cutting-edge of on-demand technology and is poised to deliver the promise of personalized television, unlocking value for viewers and studios alike, said Dan Cohen, EVP of pay television and interactive media for Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

ZillionTV also has brought people like Charles Cataldo from HBO and David Dozoretz from Lucasfilm to its executive team.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/ele...tem-ever-14853
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post #2 of 22
3/8/09 at 4:09pm
Is this bad news for Vudu? How do you compete with companies owned/funded by the studios?

Way too many of these types of services/products. We'll know who the winners are in about 5 years.

This competitive situation reminds me of DSL. I had DSL from a local ISP before Verizon (nee GTE) was allowed to be an ISP. Then, when Verizon entered the market, they began charging me much more just for the DSL connection to my old ISP than they were for their complete product (DSL + IP dialtone). Not surprisingly, my ISP got out of the retail business.
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post #3 of 22
3/8/09 at 4:25pm
Thread Starter 
It is going to be a turbulent year or two. Tons of services cropping up, and just about every studio wants to sell the content and be the gate-keepers... and the traditional gate-keepers desperately want to show why they should continue to get a piece of the pie.

We are probably going to see a ton of services pop-up, and mergers etc until we hopefully get to a small number of primary providers based on market (VOD, subscription, ad-based).
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post #4 of 22
3/19/09 at 2:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:


ZillionTV , a start-up Internet video-on-demand (VOD) service, revealed the members of its executive team as the company prepares to launch its subscription-free personalized video service later this year.


Heading up the executive management team is Mitchell Berman, ZillionTV CEO, who has previously worked on VOD systems with C-COR and OpenTV, and had previous worked for HBO and the E Entertainment network.


The ZillionTV team is comprised of individuals with diverse experiences who have come together to deliver the first truly personalized television service, said Berman said. Heralded from Visa, HBO, OpenTV, eBay, Turner, Disney and Akamai, these talented members of ZillionTV's management have formed a strategic collaboration that is best suited to delivering the future of television entertainment.


David Dozoretz, founder of Persistence of Vision Digital Entertainment, was named chief creative officer, and Charles Cataldo, formerly HBO's broadcast and studio operations VP, was named digital entertainment group senior VP.


Mike Catalano, formerly of Thomson's set-top box unit and OpenTV, was named chief technology officer, and Andrew Robinson, formerly of Akami Technologies and DSL service provider Telocity, was named operations senior VP.


Patrick Gauthier, formerly with Visa, was named product marketing and strategy senior VP; Bonnie Stone, formerly of Turner TV advertising sales, was named advertising senior VP; and Liz Seidner Davidoff, formerly of C-COR, OpenTV, and Disney Channel, was named global marketing senior VP.


Erik K Bardman, formerly with eBay, GE Consumer Finance and GE Capital, was named chief financial officer.


ZillionTV will launch this year a VOD service aimed at addressing the needs of consumers, studios, advertisers and Internet service providers. Consumer electronics retailers will not, at this time, be a part of the equation, as the company has elected to distribute products through ISP partners.


In addition to entertainment, sports, news and special interest content, the ZillionTV service will also allow consumers to choose their personal advertising preferences and is supposed to be offering an a television commerce feature through partner Visa.

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6645096.html
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post #5 of 22
3/19/09 at 10:12pm
what is the quality of the video - audio?
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post #6 of 22
10/20/09 at 6:24pm
So, I just recieved an invite from Zillion TV to jump onto the beta...

it's 100 bucks to sign up... Anyone been using it?

I know they just laid people off, so they're probably starting to suck as many people in as they can, to pay the bills...

I have no idea if i should plop the 100 bucks down or not. i'm hoping im not the only guy here who has an invite, or who is on board with it. unfortunately, google keeps pulling up a slew of old results...

any advice on whether to tell them to screw off or to take the leap will be greatly appreciated
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post #7 of 22
10/20/09 at 8:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mecasull View Post

So, I just recieved an invite from Zillion TV to jump onto the beta...

it's 100 bucks to sign up... Anyone been using it?

I know they just laid people off, so they're probably starting to suck as many people in as they can, to pay the bills...

I have no idea if i should plop the 100 bucks down or not. i'm hoping im not the only guy here who has an invite, or who is on board with it. unfortunately, google keeps pulling up a slew of old results...

any advice on whether to tell them to screw off or to take the leap will be greatly appreciated

i received one today as well. i'm planning on signing up next month sometime . you have until december 31st to join beta. i'll give it a go. if it work out as planned it is pretty much hulu on steroids
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post #8 of 22
10/20/09 at 9:10pm
yeah im hoping it is what they claim, but the lack of substantial information out there makes me a bit wary.
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post #9 of 22
10/20/09 at 9:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mecasull View Post

yeah im hoping it is what they claim, but the lack of substantial information out there makes me a bit wary.

ya same here. im planning on upgrading my internet next month anyways. and getting a roku for family, but want the zilliontv if its as they claim. im sure we will read stuff within the next month from other beta testers as well. i think it needs somwhere around 2.2 or 2.7 mb connection i forgot. i'm upping to a 30 anyways. i dropped cable tv and cable phone. i just use ooma at home for voip and have a cell paid for by any film productions I work for. I don't really watch sports too much so its of no value for me to have cable when everything i watch for the most part is on demand or will be. and for other things I always have netflix dvds in the mail. so netflix instantly+zillion+hulu+ youtube(for somethings) + 4 out at a time dvd plan = no real need for cable. everyone in the house would be happy enough.
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post #10 of 22
10/21/09 at 9:13am
Picture quality is as good as HD from your cable co. Content library is ok. I wouldn't pay $100 to be in beta though.

It was announced that Mitch Berman is out as CEO.
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post #11 of 22
10/21/09 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lakers42 View Post

Picture quality is as good as HD from your cable co. Content library is ok. I wouldn't pay $100 to be in beta though.

It was announced that Mitch Berman is out as CEO.

ya but hes still with the company, just as exec chairman
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post #12 of 22
10/21/09 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lakers42 View Post

Picture quality is as good as HD from your cable co. Content library is ok. I wouldn't pay $100 to be in beta though.

It was announced that Mitch Berman is out as CEO.

well i'm under the impression that the 100 bucks keeps you golden...

at anyrate, whats the content library like... all the big shows??


email:"

Quote:
Congratulations. You have been selected to participate in an invitation-only pilot offering that is being extended to a limited number of qualified viewers. This offering will not be promoted to the general public and will be available for only a limited period of time.

You are eligible to become one of the first television viewers to register for the ZillionTV(TM) service for a 1-Time payment of only $99 (plus tax). The ZillionTV Device and motion-sensing remote are FREE, including FREE shipping. There is NO monthly subscription fee. The ZillionTV(TM) Service is all about putting you in control. Choose the movies and TV shows you want to watch, when you want to watch them; choose the ad categories you want and view for FREE, or watch no ads at all and pay a nominal 'pay-as-you-go' fee. It's your very own personal television experience.

ZillionTV has created an ever-expanding library that will continue to grow every day. Gain access to a compelling combination of new and classic TV shows, Hollywood movies, classic movies, sports, documentaries, music and so much more. More new titles are being added daily. ZillionTV(TM) Service includes:

-A breakthrough television entertainment platform that gives TV lovers instant access to their favorite television shows and movies - all on-demand and directly from their television via their existing broadband provider

-Advance notice of programming updates to the ZillionTV(TM) Service

-Advance notice of special offers from leading global advertisers and brands

-Participation in ZillionTV viewer forums that insure ongoing feedback and dialogue regarding service improvements that are important to you

-Access to an exciting new Loyalty Rewards program (planned for 2010)

Every day we are working hard to add even more value for our viewers. We will continue to update you on all the new developments as they become available. So get started and register today. Hurry, offer expires December 31, 2009.

If you no longer wish to receive ZillionTV offers, please contact support@zilliontv.tv and include 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in the subject line.

REGISTER TODAY:

Signing up is easy:

From your home Internet connection, go to this location [snip]

That's it!

Once you've successfully registered, we will ship the ZillionTV(TM) Device directly to your home including everything you need to get started and start watching.

As a member of the ZillionTV(TM) Service, we hope you will enjoy all aspects of the ZillionTV(TM) Service experience. If for any reason you are not happy with the ZillionTV(TM) Service, simply notify us in writing within 30 days of service activation and return our equipment to receive the $99 refund through your credit card.

Thank you in advance for your interest in signing up for the ZillionTV(TM) Service. We look forward to fulfilling our promise to provide the best entertainment service on television in the world.

The ZillionTV Team

guess i cant go wrong with the refund... im leaning towards taking the plunge..
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post #13 of 22
10/22/09 at 2:38am
ZillionTV Cuts Staff, Hires New CEO

Quote:


ZillionTV, the TV on-demand content service with five studio partners, has cut 30% of its staff, and founder Mitch Berman has hired a CEO to take his place, he said Oct. 21.

Berman said he hired Jack Lawrence, formerly with Moviebeam, to allow him to spend more time with his family.

When I'm not there, Zillion TV suffers, he said. I'm not a fundraising type of guy. Jack is someone who allows me to work externally, to bring my vision to life.

Berman will retain the title executive chairman.

I believe this move will allow ZillionTV to achieve its manifest destiny, he added.

Berman downplayed the reduction in staff and him relinquishing the CEO role by asking, Why would a guy like Jack Lawrence join a company that isn't going to make it?

Lawrence has more than 25 years of operations and finance experience in both public and private telecommunications and entertainment companies, Berman said.

Berman said the reduction of staff from around 60 to around 40 was because the employees had nothing to do now.

Most of them were engineering based, and we've got that all in place, Berman said of ZillionTV's work with its Z bar, which fits on top of a connected HDTV, and gives users access to instant, on-demand streaming video without the need for a hard drive. Users can get content on a buy-to-own, rent or free, ad-supported basis.

The goal of ZillionTV, Berman said, is to bring consumers the largest TV system ever built, with instant access to every TV program and some movie content from all the partners the studio can sign.

ZillionTV announced in September that it is trying to partner with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deliver the service, but is also looking at direct-to-consumer strategies by embedding the service on consumer electronics devices.

That can't be done overnight, Berman said of the embedded initiative. It'll take until late next year.
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post #14 of 22
10/22/09 at 9:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mecasull View Post

well i'm under the impression that the 100 bucks keeps you golden...

at anyrate, whats the content library like... all the big shows??


email:"



guess i cant go wrong with the refund... im leaning towards taking the plunge..

Not the current big shows, mostly syndicated shows. Most of the movies are on par with the Starz movies on Netflix. However, unlike Netflix, they will also have new movies like the ones available on other VOD services. Mitch knows what he's doing and knows the right people when it comes to acquiring quality content that viewers want, so you have no worries about that. They just need to find hardware partners to embed their solution into because their own box isn't the way to go.
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post #15 of 22
10/24/09 at 5:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mecasull View Post

well i'm under the impression that the 100 bucks keeps you golden...

at anyrate, whats the content library like... all the big shows??


email:"



guess i cant go wrong with the refund... im leaning towards taking the plunge..

please give us a tv show movie list when you get the zilliontv box. im going to get it prob after thanks giving. i just have some stuff im working on in the house, and plan on upgrading my internet.
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post #16 of 22
12/16/09 at 10:04am
Quote:
ZillionTV Adds MLB; the ZillionTV Service will have archived games of the week, classic games, and FastCast video recaps, all offered as ad-supported programs.

http://newteevee.com/2009/12/16/vid-...roject-canvas/
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post #17 of 22
1/17/10 at 7:07pm
I received the ZillionTV invitation about a month ago. I decided to sign up. I didn't receive the shipping notification they said I would get, instead the the box just showed up via UPS yesterday.

I unplugged my Popcorn Hour and plugged its network cable and HDMI cable into the ZillionTV box. It quickly configured itself and ask me to enter my Userid and PIN. The remote is basically a wireless mouse. The USB receiver for the remote nor the box need line of sight to the remote. You navigate by pointing and clicking and using the scroll wheel. Menus are fast and easy to navigate. The lists of content is displayed as DVD covers or TV show logos. These are slower to load than the menus but bearable. They have a link to the content they had in December still on their website. There seems to be more content added since then.

I watched the preview for the new Star Trek it looked OK but it's not HD. The TV says 1080p but ZillionTV box appears to be upscaling. box The old TV SD content did not look that great but cable box SD does not look very good on my Kuro. Programs started quickly and did not seem to stutter. Every time you move the remote, an on screen control panel pops up to let you pause/fwd/rwd etc by pointing and clicking. Basic and easy to use.

The problem for me is there is very little content that is free. Almost everything I would want to watch is PPV. Movies are $3.99 and TV shows seem to be $1.99 per episode. There are a few current straight to DVD type movies and then marginal titles from the past few decades then a number of "classics" from 30's and 40's. The free TV offerings are things like the Jeffersons, Bewitched, Starsky and Hutch, Dilbert and so on. Things like The Office, Heros Warehouse 13 are all $1.99. They probably don't have any advertisers yet for the more current content. I'm not sure how interested I am in keeping the box at this point. The initial performance seems OK but it's not going to replace my cable box. The cable box on demand is higher quality. The can't have it play any thing but ZillionTV content. Maybe a fixed price option like the Netflix Instant Queue would make it more appealing until they get more advertising.
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post #18 of 22
1/19/10 at 8:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwill39 View Post

I received the ZillionTV invitation about a month ago. I decided to sign up. I didn't receive the shipping notification they said I would get, instead the the box just showed up via UPS yesterday.

I unplugged my Popcorn Hour and plugged its network cable and HDMI cable into the ZillionTV box. It quickly configured itself and ask me to enter my Userid and PIN. The remote is basically a wireless mouse. The USB receiver for the remote nor the box need line of sight to the remote. You navigate by pointing and clicking and using the scroll wheel. Menus are fast and easy to navigate. The lists of content is displayed as DVD covers or TV show logos. These are slower to load than the menus but bearable. They have a link to the content they had in December still on their website. There seems to be more content added since then.

I watched the preview for the new Star Trek it looked OK but it's not HD. The TV says 1080p but ZillionTV box appears to be upscaling. box The old TV SD content did not look that great but cable box SD does not look very good on my Kuro. Programs started quickly and did not seem to stutter. Every time you move the remote, an on screen control panel pops up to let you pause/fwd/rwd etc by pointing and clicking. Basic and easy to use.

The problem for me is there is very little content that is free. Almost everything I would want to watch is PPV. Movies are $3.99 and TV shows seem to be $1.99 per episode. There are a few current straight to DVD type movies and then marginal titles from the past few decades then a number of "classics" from 30's and 40's. The free TV offerings are things like the Jeffersons, Bewitched, Starsky and Hutch, Dilbert and so on. Things like The Office, Heros Warehouse 13 are all $1.99. They probably don't have any advertisers yet for the more current content. I'm not sure how interested I am in keeping the box at this point. The initial performance seems OK but it's not going to replace my cable box. The cable box on demand is higher quality. The can't have it play any thing but ZillionTV content. Maybe a fixed price option like the Netflix Instant Queue would make it more appealing until they get more advertising.


can have it only show you free content if you choose to and have no interest in pay content??
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post #19 of 22
1/20/10 at 8:35pm
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Originally Posted by hdnola View Post

can have it only show you free content if you choose to and have no interest in pay content??

You can set the filter to "Free". Currently what is left with the filter disappointing.
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post #20 of 22
1/21/10 at 10:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwill39 View Post

You can set the filter to "Free". Currently what is left with the filter disappointing.

could you by chance post a list of free shows and any movies? cant find any info online anywhere. i guess it will takea while to get more content since zillion hasn't launched officially yet.
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post #21 of 22
1/21/10 at 8:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hdnola View Post

could you by chance post a list of free shows and any movies? cant find any info online anywhere. i guess it will takea while to get more content since zillion hasn't launched officially yet.

They have a new catalog link on their homepage "ZillionTV Catalog".
It does not break out the free selections. Most anything there that is newer or still popular is not currently free.
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post #22 of 22
1/22/10 at 3:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hdnola View Post

could you by chance post a list of free shows and any movies? cant find any info online anywhere. i guess it will takea while to get more content since zillion hasn't launched officially yet.


Had my wife make 2 lists. They have added some more free things in the last week.

Free TV Programs 1/22/10

Action
African Americans
American Dreamers
Babel II
Barney Miller
Battle Dome
Bewitched
Bikini Destinations
Bonanza
Casper the Ghost
Charlies Angels
Comedy Gumbo
Cruising the World
Crusade In Europe
Crusade in Pacific
Dangerous Assignment
Dick Tracy
Dilbert
Eye on Extreme
Fantasy Island
Forever Knight
Full Disclosure
Galaxy Racers
Gazoon
Gunds of the Civil War
I Dream of Jeannie
I'm an Animal
Izumo
Jury Duty
Kardio Knockout
Koi Koi Seven
Little Europeans
MLB Classic Games
MLB Fast Cast
Married with Children
Martial Arts TV
Men & Show
Mile Stones in Science (6 differnt shows)
Mini Warriors
My Two Dads
National Combat History Archive
News Pop Comedy
News Radio
Peanuts Specials
Porky Pig
Puppets Who Kill
Road to the Altar
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles
S.W.A.T.
Showbizzle
T.J. Hooker
Sherlock Holmes
The African Food Adventure
The Andy Griffith Show
Hillbillies
The Black Dawn
The Dana Carvey Show
The Edible Roadshow
Jace Hall Show
The Roadents
The Tick
The Tournament
The Ultimate Emergency Dance Lessons
This Food That Wine
ViodiTV
World War II
WaterLife
Wedding Breakfast
Wedding TV Short Clips
Welcome to Amish America
Why
Women First & Foremost
World Exclusive
Zorro's Fighting Legion

Free Movies: Action & Adventure 1/22/10
From most recent back to 1971. Choices in the other movie categories are similar.

Thunder Over Reno
Dark Heart
Frank
Distortion
Shira: The vampire Samurai
The Rain Makers
Muscle
This Thing of Ours
Sants and Soldiers
Harry Knucles and the Pearl Necklace
Operation: Pussycat
Power Play
Pootie Tang
1st Testament: CIA Vengeance
Bug Off
The Elite
Bring Him Home
The Creator's Game
A Dog's Tale
The Saint
Star Trek VII: Generations
Naked Gun 2 & 1/2
Delta Force 2: The Colombian connection
Captain America
Flashback
Black Cobra II
Bad Taste
Black Cobra
Bloody Wednesday
Angel of H.E.A.T.
Death Duel of Kung Fu
Duelists
The legend of Bruce Lee
Shaolin Temple
Black Fist
The Legend of the Sea Wolf
The Black Godfather
Return of the Street Fighter
Ginger
CC & Company
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