RecordTV.com: Looking to Work with the Industry.

When RecordTV.com was launched in March of 2000, no one had any idea there would be such a huge controversy. RecordTV.com is essentially a virtual VCR. The user visits the website, logs in and selects a TV show to be recorded. The user returns to the website anytime after the show has aired, logs in, hits play, clicks on the name of the show and voila, the show is viewed in Windows Media Player. There is no need for extra hardware, TVs or tuner cards.

When the press first started writing about RecordTV.com, the reaction was generally, 'Gee whiz, what a neat idea.' As the cases of Napster and iCraveTV gained attention, that tone changed and journalists began wondering how the media "powers that be" would react to RecordTV.

The company believed that it was just an extension of already existing -- and legal -- technology, like the TiVo and Replay personal video recorders. Plus, even with all that publicity, not one media company contacted RecordTV.com to express concern -- no email, no phone calls, no letters.

However, there is also the "real world" practicality of the situation. No one benefits from a long, drawn-out legal battle (except maybe the lawyers!). Ideally, the issue will be resolved via a modified framework that is acceptable to both the TV industry and RecordTV.com. This is what the company has asked for in its counter-suit for declaratory relief.

Topics under discussion include a broadcast-only solution that prevents geography shifting" by using credit cards to verify addresses and another method that sends files directly to the users' PCs. There are many other ideas and as long as they are not so restrictive as to make a business model impossible, RecordTV.com is open to suggestions.

Another approach is to work out a partnership/revenue-sharing model with the TV industry. RecordTV.com would definitely be open to the prospect of partnering with rather than fighting these companies. Everyone could get something out of the deal. Advertisers would have more eyeballs (after all, ads pay for the shows) and they could retrieve valuable data about who's viewing and when. Ads could also be more specifically targeted. Content providers would get a piece of RecordTV.com's profits and they could charge mote for their content depending on the number of people watching. Even cable providers would benefit, since anyone who uses the RecordTV.com service would have to be a cable subscriber. Also, cablers could offer RecordTV.com as a free service to subscribers who don't own a VCR.

On the other hand, if the TV industry doesn't work out a reasonable solution soon, it will likely end up in the same boat as the record industry did a year ago. If that industry had created a simple, reasonably priced framework for downloading music, Napster and its knockoffs probably wouldn't exist today. Instead, it's already too late. Even if the record industry does manage to suppress Napster and other similar services, there are many more waiting to take their places and consumers may have grown accustomed to free music.

One year from now, TV will be on the Internet one way or another. The industry will either hold some power over it and profit from it or else thousands of little "RecordTVs" will proliferate. If TV is available online, there will be no incentive for all these uncontrolled sources. RecordTV.com is willing to cooperate with rather then fight the industry if a viable middle-ground can be established.

Millions of RecordTV.com website visitors and thousands of emails have confirmed that there is a market for this service. There's no reason to "wait for the quality to improve." That will happen, but consumers really care more about the availability and quality of the content. Why make them wait years for this service when it can happen right now? Lawyers and industry politics are getting in the way of an opportunity that could benefit all involved, from consumers to content creators to everyone in between.