XStreamHD Video

**Don Landis** · 01-09-2010 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by jacmyoung

That being said though, the interview could have been easily edited to make it look professional. Or the guy should have done a dry run to make sure all demoed features were working properly. This is a pre-recorded interview/demonstration.

Easily post produced and well rehearsed? Maybe, but that is not what Scott desires. He wants just the facts and fast for your information. He doesn't intend to win awards or blow big production costs. He shot the thing with an iphone, for crissakes! There was no dry run, no rehearsals, and no clues given to the guy what Scott was going to ask.
If you want slick big productions, go to CNBC. Even TWIT had a large production crew with producers, directors and grips, live switch editor, graphics editor, and researcher. Must have counted a dozen staff to support his interviews. Scott only had EVA his wife, Dfergie on camera and HokieEngineer doing stills. I'm not staff and I was their volunteer for backup but was not needed. We sat around waiting for 10 minutes, and then the guy shows up and the interview began in less than a minute. Welcome to CES reporting, jacmyoung. Hope you understand now.

**jacmyoung** · 01-09-2010 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by Don Landis

Easily post produced and well rehearsed? Maybe, but that is not what Scott desires. He wants just the facts and fast for your information. He doesn't intend to win awards or blow big production costs. He shot the thing with an iphone, for crissakes! There was no dry run, no rehearsals, and no clues given to the guy what Scott was going to ask.
If you want slick big productions, go to CNBC. Even TWIT had a large production crew with producers, directors and grips, live switch editor, graphics editor, and researcher. Must have counted a dozen staff to support his interviews. Scott only had EVA his wife, Dfergie on camera and HokieEngineer doing stills. I'm not staff and I was their volunteer for backup but was not needed. We sat around waiting for 10 minutes, and then the guy shows up and the interview began in less than a minute. Welcome to CES reporting, jacmyoung. Hope you understand now.

I don't have any problem with Scott's style, I do not desire slick big productions from him, just quick news. But I am also a potential consumer, if that guy wants to sell me something, he'd better spend a little more time get familiar with Scott's interview style and don't make a fool of himself by not able to operate his remote. Make sure everything is working properly before Scott hits the booth. In that sense Scott should have warned him any miststep would not be edited.

It only reinforces my skeptism why this thing has not taken off after three years, maybe it has to do with their lack of planning skills? Attention to detail is paramount especially when you are trying to sell a premium service.

**Don Landis** · 01-09-2010 11:36 PM

OK- I do appreciate your perspective better too. Scott and I come from two separate backgrounds. His is news and mine is advertising. You are correct, as an advertisement, I would have worked to only show the best that will sell. Scott's angle is: hey, this is how it is folks. Then you decide if it is ready for prime time. I once did a whole show for a cleint and at the end of the day, I told the producer the guy wasn't ready, he agreed and we aborted the show, postponing for a later time, but that was because the guy was paying us to make him an ad. Press releases, sort of what Scott was doing is different, and you need to realize that.
So, no, it would not be proper for Scott to advise the guy he was going to make him look good as I would do in ( paid) advertising. I hope you understand the difference here. I now see your misunderstanding of what this was all about. Sorry the xstream HD was not up to your expectations, but you saw it as it happened and you can draw your own conclusions. If it had been an ad, you would have drawn the conclusion I would have intended you to.

**stonecold** · 01-09-2010 11:40 PM

Yeah but at the same time the guy is talking ot a core base of potential customer ones who already have dish and do fta ( most of us ) and interest in this kind of tech.

while it made xstream look amatureish and that not scotts fault just xstreams poor planing.

**dfergie** · 01-09-2010 11:49 PM

One problem at the start of the taping was no Satellite signal, a truck was parked in front of their dish and George grabbed the wrong remote as his people had been showing the boxes before we got there, you obviously do not want 1 remote operating several receivers and they all look alike, before the taping I was in the dts demo booth next door to the XStream booth and was keeping an eye on it for the rest of the team...

**dfergie** · 01-09-2010 11:50 PM

Btw with the lack of Satellite signal you can still watch programs from your box and server...

**Scott Greczkowski** · 01-09-2010 11:57 PM

There wasn't an issue with the remote there was an issue with the satellite signal.

It seems as though someone who works at the convention center parked a fork lift in front of the dish outside.

So when George was hitting buttons on the remote it wasn't working like it should since there was no signal.

After we filmed I asked George if he wanted to do it again but he was ok with it.

And there you have it.

**stonecold** · 01-10-2010 12:00 AM

I would like to see a just the server option as that all I want give me the servier i just use dlna clients.

Xstream + the mystery non tivo mutlriroom rvu dlna dtv reciver. = never haing to worry about tv again.

**jacmyoung** · 01-10-2010 02:25 AM

Originally Posted by Don Landis

OK- I do appreciate your perspective better too. Scott and I come from two separate backgrounds. His is news and mine is advertising. You are correct, as an advertisement, I would have worked to only show the best that will sell. Scott's angle is: hey, this is how it is folks. Then you decide if it is ready for prime time. I once did a whole show for a cleint and at the end of the day, I told the producer the guy wasn't ready, he agreed and we aborted the show, postponing for a later time, but that was because the guy was paying us to make him an ad. Press releases, sort of what Scott was doing is different, and you need to realize that.
So, no, it would not be proper for Scott to advise the guy he was going to make him look good as I would do in ( paid) advertising. I hope you understand the difference here. I now see your misunderstanding of what this was all about. Sorry the xstream HD was not up to your expectations, but you saw it as it happened and you can draw your own conclusions. If it had been an ad, you would have drawn the conclusion I would have intended you to.

I have always appreciated your expertise and this one is no exception. I wasn't disappointed about the whole ExtremeHD concept and execution, only have the same doubt about its viability as many others do.

What I do not agree is this is not an advertisement. This interview was billed as an "exclusive" which raised viewers' expectation for one important reason, to advertise. The questions were clearly selected to highlight the main points of this service, and the answers were clearly prepared to explain the main features. This is not a live surprise interview. The issue with the remote unnecessarily undermined its claim to be the highest quality products the company is trying to sell, regardless the reasons behind it.

I like to consider such service, only that I think it will be better incorporated into a service such as Dishnetwork, especially when you consider all the infrastructure is ready for such arrangement.

Standing alone it will be very difficult to survive, even if not true, as long as such perception exists, few people will want to take the risk, even if people, as I am, are very interested with such service. You should know first hand what I am talking about

**stonecold** · 01-10-2010 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Scott Greczkowski

There wasn't an issue with the remote there was an issue with the satellite signal.

It seems as though someone who works at the convention center parked a fork lift in front of the dish outside.

So when George was hitting buttons on the remote it wasn't working like it should since there was no signal.

After we filmed I asked George if he wanted to do it again but he was ok with it.

And there you have it.

Scott, you realize that bit of insight hurts George more then helps.

So people can now thing that when a Officer of the company does an inter with a site that has a large potential core customer base that he can half ass it.