Ernest Miller pursues research and writing on cyberlaw, intellectual property, and First Amendment issues. Mr. Miller attended the U.S. Naval Academy before attending Yale Law School, where he was president and co-founder of the Law and Technology Society, and founded the technology law and policy news site LawMeme. He is a fellow of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School.
Ernest Miller's blog postings can also be found @ Copyfight LawMeme
Feel free to contact me about articles, websites and etc. you think I may find of interest. I'm also available for consulting work and speaking engagements. Email: ernest.miller 8T gmail.com
MediaWeek reports on a study by ESPN that found 57% of a special test trial returned their DVRs and a third didn't skip commercials (Study: DVR Popularity Overblown). The sample size was very small (only 157 households), but such results are not encouraging for a rapid adoption of broadcatch/podcasting. If people can't get TiVo to work, how are they going to handle more sophisticated devices? via Lost Remote
The article says that people who returned their DVRs often did so due to cost and installation difficulties. Neither of those is a fundamental problem with the technology.
I'm not claiming that there is a fundamental problem with the technology, but the fact that so many had difficulty is surprising. DVRs are relatively cheap, especially when packaged as part of a cable or satellite subscription and installation isn't much more difficult than a cable box or VCR. Still, many people weren't happy with them, apparently. This still seems disappointing to me regarding the adoption of even newer technologies. What happens when people have to connect their box to the internet and television?
Ernest Miller pursues research and writing on cyberlaw, intellectual property, and First Amendment issues. Mr. Miller attended the U.S. Naval Academy before attending Yale Law School, where he was president and co-founder of the Law and Technology Society, and founded the technology law and policy news site LawMeme. He is a fellow of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School.
Ernest Miller's blog postings can also be found @
1. Ed Felten on May 24, 2005 07:53 AM writes...
The article says that people who returned their DVRs often did so due to cost and installation difficulties. Neither of those is a fundamental problem with the technology.
Permalink to Comment2. Ernest Miller on May 24, 2005 08:26 AM writes...
I'm not claiming that there is a fundamental problem with the technology, but the fact that so many had difficulty is surprising. DVRs are relatively cheap, especially when packaged as part of a cable or satellite subscription and installation isn't much more difficult than a cable box or VCR. Still, many people weren't happy with them, apparently. This still seems disappointing to me regarding the adoption of even newer technologies. What happens when people have to connect their box to the internet and television?
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