Rogers Communications wants you to watch television on your broadband service, but not too much.  The Canadian cable company’s On Demand Online service was previewed Monday at a media event with plans for a public launch on November 30.

On Demand Online will showcase specific television shows as well as the entire lineup of certain channels.  The service has more than a dozen partner networks providing programming, among them TVOntario, Treehouse, Citytv, SuperChannel, and Sportsnet.

Premium programming will be available to Rogers subscribers who also receive those networks as part of their cable television package.  No cable TV package?  No access for you.  (Update: Rogers says it will offer the service to customers of any Rogers service.)  For now, company officials say the service will be available for no additional charge, but will be ad-supported.  Using On Demand Online will count against your usage cap/consumption billing allowance.  The service offers two speeds for viewing – a low resolution 480kbps feed and a higher resolution 1Mbps feed.  Rogers intends to increase the quality of the high resolution service to 2-2.5Mbps in the near future.

Rogers rations your online TV experience with usage allowances that make sure you don't spend too much time online watching shows you should be viewing on your Rogers cable TV service.

Rogers’ usage allowances, a part of their well-established Internet Overcharging scheme, will make it difficult for those already spending a lot of time online to enjoy the service.  Watching the current high speed, higher resolution feed could exceed 1GB of usage in just over two hours according to Digital Home.  That drops in half when Rogers upgrades the quality of the feed.

Customers who blow through their allowance face overlimit penalties and fees on their next bill.

Qualified subscribers will access the service through Rogers’ broadband web portal using established account names and passwords.  While the service will work “on-the-go,” Rogers says it will be keeping an eye out for password sharing and will also impose any viewing limitations required by content producers.  That could mean what is okay to watch in Ontario is not okay in Alberta, due to licensing issues.

Stop the Cap! reader Ibrahim in Toronto wonders how Rogers expects to get a lot of customers excited about a service that will help erode their monthly usage allowance.

“Isn’t is fascinating that Rogers wants to effectively charge you for every hour you watch online when you’ve already paid for the channel on your monthly cable bill?  What’s next, a meter on top of the television set demanding a quarter for every 15 minutes of viewing?” he asks.

Susan in North York wonders why she’ll have to pay for every ad.

“When I read about this service, I thought we were finally going to get something like Hulu here in Canada, but with usage-based billing, who is going to use up their allowance watching shows with ads all over them — ads I am now going to pay to watch,” she wonders.  “I guess it’s newsgroups for me — I can download my shows without ads and pay less.”

While the program content can be fast-forwarded or rewound, commercial advertisements on the service cannot be skipped or hurried through.  Initially, the service is expected to show just one ad per program, but Rogers intends to eventually run the same number of ads consumers would find if watching the program live on television.  With up to 12 minutes of advertising per hour, that also helps slowly eat away your monthly allowance.

What are the monthly usage allowances for Rogers Hi-Speed Internet service?

Ultra Lite – 2 GB
Lite – 25 GB
Express – 60 GB
Extreme  – 95 GB
Extreme Plus – 125 GB

Please note: The grandfathered Ultra Lite and Lite monthly usage allowance is 60 GB. Also, Rogers Portable Internet and dial-up services do not have usage allowances at this time.

Will I be charged if I go beyond my monthly usage allowance?

Yes. If you exceed your monthly usage allowance, you will be charged as follows:

Ultra Lite – $5.00/GB to a maximum of $25.00
Lite – $2.50/GB to a maximum of $25.00
Express – $2.00/GB to a maximum of $25.00
Extreme – $1.50/GB to a maximum of $25.00
Extreme Plus – $1.25/GB to a maximum of $25.00

Please note: the grandfathered Ultra Lite over-allowance fee is $5.00/GB with no maximum, and the grandfathered Lite over-allowance fee is $3.00/GB with no maximum.

Leveraging their investment in Clearwire, a WiMax provider, Time Warner Cable on Monday announced it will officially launch the Time Warner Cable 4G Mobile Network in Dallas on December 1st. The first product to launch is Road Runner Mobile, which will essentially resell access to Clearwire for as low as $44.99 per month for Time Warner Cable customers. North Texas customers using the service can expect speeds up to 6Mbps.

“With Time Warner Cable’s 4G Mobile Network, we now offer the fastest mobile data service available,” said Barry Rosenblum, executive vice president of the Texas Region for Time Warner Cable. “We’re extending our reach outside of the home and giving our customers the convenience of mobility and the speed of 4G. Road Runner Mobile lets customers take their favorite Internet service wherever they go. This is an important part of our strategy to give our customers any content, on any device, anytime, anywhere.”

The launch literally echoes that planned in the Triad region of North Carolina, right down to the nearly word for word identical introductory quotes.

Customers face equipment fees, contracts typically extending two years, and usage caps on lower tier service.  Actual speeds vary considerably.  Consumers using Clearwire’s WiMax service have experienced problems using the service indoors, particularly in homes equipped with energy efficient windows.  It seems window coatings can block or reduce reception in certain cases.

On December 9, Time Warner Cable will host an exclusive event in Dallas at the House of Blues in celebration of the launch of Road Runner Mobile. The “Life in the 4G Fast Lane” event will feature an appearance by “The Fastest Woman in the World,” Indy Race Car superstar Danica Patrick. Along with being able to sample the service, guests will enjoy musical performances by Eagles tribute band, 7 Bridges, and Dallas’ own The King Bucks. A limited number of tickets will be available to the public leading up to the event.

North Texas residents can register to win $4,000 in the Life in the 4G Fast Lane Sweepstakes. One grand prize of $4,000 plus an HP Mini 311 Notebook will be awarded on December 9. An additional ten (10) HP Mini 311 Notebooks will be given away to 10 first prize winners.

Residents of Austin and San Antonio are expected to get access to Road Runner Mobile in early 2010.

Time Warner Cable also announced it would utilize the services of Brightpoint, a fulfillment house, to support the launch of Road Runner Mobile nationwide including wireless data card, accessory and collateral fulfillment and returns, triage and repairs.

Customers ordering products for Road Runner Mobile are likely to receive them shipped directly from Brightpoint, which will also manage customer returns and repairs.  Brightpoint is also known for supporting rebate programs and supplying retail locations with products from a variety of wireless equipment manufacturers.

You won't have this logo to kick around any longer.

AOL (the forgettable part of Time Warner) is desperately trying to rebrand itself in an effort to stay… relevant.  The shortened namesake of America Online, which began life as QuantumLink in 1985, peaked with 30 million subscribers before merging with Time Warner in 2001.  It was all downhill from there.  The once-enormous Internet Service Provider has now become far lesser known as a content producer and distributor, although the company still has almost six million legacy dial-up account users paying between $9.99 and $25.90 a month for access.  They discontinued broadband service several years ago, which was a shame because it offered an Internet access alternative to whatever one’s phone or cable provider had on offer.

This week, with details finalized for December’s AOL severance from Time Warner, the “all-new” Aol. was previewed with a new image branding campaign.

Aol. It's capital "A" and lowercase "ol" with a period.

Yup… that’s it.  There’s now a period in there.  The old triangle, which never meant anything to me either, is gone for good.  Instead, a simple sans-serif logo with a period replaces it, designed to blend into one of hundreds of background images the service will introduce to its new look this December.

“Our new identity is uniquely dynamic. Our business is focused on creating world-class experiences for consumers and AOL is centered on creative and talented people – employees, partners, and advertisers. We have a clear strategy that we are passionate about and we plan on standing behind the AOL brand as we take the company into the next decade,” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AOL.

Unfortunately for all concerned, there are going to be a lot fewer employees doing the work to create that “world-class” experience.  More than 2,500 employees, one-third of the company’s workforce, will be offered buyouts to get out.

The Associated Press reports on AOL’s plans to shed 2500 workers.  (1 minute)

The company is showcasing the all-new pretty wrapping paper for its December relaunch.

“Historically brand identity has been monolithic and controlling, little more than stamping a company name on a product.  AOL is a 21st century media company, with an ambitious vision for the future and new focus on creativity and expression, this required the new brand identity to be open and generous, to invite conversation and collaboration, and to feel credible, but also aspirational. We’re delighted to have worked so closely with the AOL leadership team to create something bold and exciting that sets AOL apart,” said Karl Heiselman, CEO of Wolff Olins.

The question is, do most consumers actually associate AOL with a 21st century media company, or a distant memory of dial-up access days gone by?  Aspiring to be the next best thing when your company formerly was the ISP tens of millions of Americans said goodbye to when broadband service arrived is a challenge.  The Internet is filled with yesterday’s sensations whose glory days are long since passed.  Just ask Yahoo!, AltaVista, Ask Jeeves, Napster, or GeoCities.

[flv width=”640″ height=”405″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/aol_brand-H.264.flv[/flv]

A video reel showcasing some of AOL’s new branding.  (1 minute)

Luke Wilson's blizzard of postcards

Luke Wilson is back for three more AT&T ads hitting back Verizon Wireless for its 3G map ads, and Apple has come running to AT&T’s defense with two new ads of its own.

The theme?  AT&T’s GSM network lets subscribers talk and browse the web at the same time.  Verizon Wireless’ CDMA network does not.  For that matter, neither does Sprint, which also uses CDMA, but as a non-combatant gets a pass for this round.

Mobile phone networks in the United States primarily use GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile) or CDMA (Verizon Wireless, Sprint, MetroPCS, U.S. Cellular, Cricket) technology.  Because of the way the two standards developed, GSM can permit a customer to talk while also concurrently using mobile data services.  CDMA users must choose one or the other.

The new round of ads exploit that difference.  How important that distinction is depends on how you use your phone.  If you frequently use your AT&T phone to web browse while also speaking to someone on that phone, you would likely find Verizon Wireless’ limitation irritating.  If you don’t, you won’t care.

More importantly, it’s a moot point if you find yourself in one of AT&T’s older EDGE network areas, which predominate outside of major cities.  The EDGE standard doesn’t let you talk and browse at the same time either.

Broadband Reports notes “it seems like AT&T might just be better served by not talking anymore, and just focusing on getting tower sites and backhaul links upgraded. How many upgraded cell sites would Luke Wilson’s salary have paid for? How many backhaul links could have been upgraded with the money spent suing Verizon? Fixing the capacity and coverage issues that have been plaguing AT&T would do more than any ad campaign.”

Apple’s “me too” ads promote the same concurrent use of phone and data applications on the iPhone, but also ignore the pesky fact that those stuck in AT&T’s vast EDGE network will discover it’s a distinction without a difference.

Watch all five ads below.

… Continue Reading

Annoying usage caps, allowances, and consumption billing irritate broadband users in those places where Internet Overcharging is established.  But the demand by consumers for unlimited broadband is so strong, some ISPs are giving way, looking for competitive edges that can win them new customers and keep the ones they already have happy.

Orcon, a DSL provider serving New Zealand, has announced it is exempting visits to YouTube from its data allowance until the end of January 2010.

“YouTube is one of the hottest properties on the web – with an almost endless supply of content. It makes up a big chunk of our customer-base’s usage every month. With the school holidays looming and the festive season in full swing we’re expecting a big uptake from our customers,” said Orcon chief executive Scott Bartlett.  “Streaming and downloading can rapidly chew through gigabytes of data so these holidays mums and dads can rest assured their data cap won’t take a beating. It is also a great opportunity for families to make and share their own holiday home movies with friends and family around the world.”

Orcon presently exempts several domestic websites, including TV New Zealand, from its usage allowance.  YouTube is one of the first international sites Orcon has exempted.

Orcon services its customers over the telephone network using ADSL and, in selected areas, ADSL2+ which provides service theoretically up to 24Mbps.

For Orcon customers, any streaming video exemption is good news, considering the ISP’s tiny usage allowances.

Orcon charges prices that would shock Americans:

Orcon’s Purple Plan provides a variable download speed (often 8Mbps or less downstream) and 128kbps upstream service with a 1GB monthly usage allowance for $29US a month.  Each additional gigabyte costs $1.50.  Their Platinum Plan doesn’t provide additional speed, just a bigger usage allowance.  For 20GB of usage per month, prepare to spend $95 per month.  Domestic long distance and local calling is also included in the Platinum Plan.  Orcon’s new ADSL2+ network is even more pricey, but can deliver faster speeds (12-15Mbps seem to be real world ranges for downstream).  The usage allowance is slightly higher on the ADSL2+ network, but not by much.  The highest allowance available tops out at 25GB.

[flv width=”640″ height=”405″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Orcon Broadband Iggy Pop Ad 11-16-09.flv[/flv]

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p style=”text-align: center;”>Orcon Broadband ran an advertising campaign to find eight New Zealanders to help Iggy Pop re-record ‘The Passenger’ live via Orcon Broadband.  This is the result. (November 16, 2009 – 2 minutes)