> The major difference is who owns and controls the equipment, and what other equipment they own and control.
OK, I rent my DVR from the cable company, surely you're as upset about that as you are about Aereo? Since the equipment is owned and controlled by a corporation that's not paying for the production of the television?
> By your reasoning the only difference between inviting my friends over to watch a DVD and a movie theater is that the latter involves a bigger screen and more "friends."
I don't see how this makes any sense or is relevant at all, sorry.
> OK, I rent my DVR from the cable company, surely you're as upset about that as you are about Aereo? Since the equipment is owned and controlled by a corporation that's not paying for the production of the television?
By that reasoning, a leased car is the same as a taxi.
> I don't see how this makes any sense or is relevant at all, sorry.
My point is that you're focusing on one dimension ("the length of the wire") and saying that two situations are analogous because they differ only in the quantity of that one dimension. But that's not the only way in which the two situations differ. Along other dimensions, there's a huge difference between a handyman installing an antenna in your house and Aereo streaming TV shows over the internet.
> Along other dimensions, there's a huge difference between a handyman installing an antenna in your house and Aereo streaming TV shows over the internet.
And yet you can't seem to articulate what the difference is, other than that DVDs are the same as taxis, or something.
A DVR, whether leased or purchased outright, as a piece of equipment totally under the control of an individual user, and present on the individual user's personal premises. Aereo does not provide "equipment rental." It provides a service using equipment that it owns and totally controls. In that sense, the difference between a rented DVR and Aereo's service is very similar to the difference between a leased car and a taxi cab.
Similarly, while you say that the "only difference" between Aereo's service and having your own antenna is the "length of the wire" that statement ignores all the other dimensions along which the two situations differ, and is reductionist in the same way as saying that the "only difference between a movie theater and watching a DVD with friends is the size of the screen and the number of friends. It's overly reductionist. The positioning in the market of the two experiences is totally different. The ownership structure and profit motive is totally different.
Your whole position depends on drawing these reductionist analogies and saying two situations are the same. Applying similar reasoning to other situations, however, shows that such reasoning leads to conclusions that defy common sense. Of course a leased car is not the same as a cab, and of course a movie night with friends is not the same as running a movie theater. But if you ignore ownership and control of the equipment and the market structure of the operation, as you are doing by analogizing Aereo to an "antenna with a long wire," then you can make such counterintuitive conclusions.
Does it help tonsay that Disney resisted the advent of home video because they would not be able to tell how many people were in the room watching the movie and thus would not be able to charge them?
So some people felt that a movie night with friends is exactly the same as running a cinema and wanted to charge everyone who was watching a screening.
> In that sense, the difference between a rented DVR and Aereo's service is very similar to the difference between a leased car and a taxi cab.
But the movie theater doesn't care if I take a taxi or drive my leased car. They don't even care if I steal a car and give rides to a bunch of my friends as long as we all buy a ticket.
The television companies don't want me to be able to take a taxi to their theater. I say it doesn't matter how I get there.
Have I muddled the analogies enough or should I keep going? Yes you are technically correct, there are other differences. What I'm saying is that none of the differences matter. Frankly the television companies should be embracing Aereo and anything else that makes it easier for them to pump their sugar commercials into our children's brains.
OK, I rent my DVR from the cable company, surely you're as upset about that as you are about Aereo? Since the equipment is owned and controlled by a corporation that's not paying for the production of the television?
> By your reasoning the only difference between inviting my friends over to watch a DVD and a movie theater is that the latter involves a bigger screen and more "friends."
I don't see how this makes any sense or is relevant at all, sorry.