Fan Network 2015

[Fred Windish]

Like you, I have some hope that things will be straightened out eventually, but the biggest source for that hope comes from Bob's message to flammaster, which Bob had no way of knowing would be posted to DCP. From that email, it's clear that DCI was about to send out what they thought would be a definitive message. Then a complication arose, and they sent nothing. A classic case of letting the perfect defeat the good, I'd say, and probably a pattern that's been going on for six months. Saying "I don't know" is better than saying nothing.

Good chance the DCI staff is caught up in more bureaucratic red-tape than it anticipated. Setting all this up likely involves people on several different levels. None of them seeing the same sense of urgency DCI and its fans see. I'm hopeful DCI can piecemeal its way back to a full colection of archived content, and maybe some sort of 24-36 hour re-broadcast approval for now.

Till then, I'm hanging in with this. When you grow as old and lazy as I am, in-home drum corps becomes more appealing by the year. It's my future, even at this year's limitations. But, I do believe this can be cleaned-up by 2016, if not mid-season 2015.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Fred Windish

[flammaster]

I still never got a direct answer which was exactly why I posted Bob's letter. It sure looked like a form letter to me. He said it was written for me. Sorry Bob. You still didn't answer my question though. But thank you for the in depth response even though that wasn't what I was asking.

[caliswift]

Advice for some people testing their connections, Speedtest.net may not be the most reliable. There are several algorithms and approaches to testing speed, latency, etc. SpeedTest has now allowed their services to be purchased by ISPs. Essentially, there has been suggestions that they display better results for an ISP that purchases their service (here's a Comcast test service "powered by Ookla, here's another one, another one, AT&T's test, Time Warner test). I would suggest using multiple test sites including of SpeedTest then take an average. Here are some sites you can use:

www.speedtest.net

testmy.net

speedof.me

www.bandwidthplace.com

As far as a DCI Live! subscription, I think I'll wait until after the first one and see how everyone liked the quality. I don't like the idea of being tied to a specific day/time to watch the show but if that's what I have to do to see them so be it. The cost increase isn't significant enough to stop me. I really would like to have access to historical shows but, again, we don't have that information yet.

[MikeN]

The bottom line in all of this is that the harder you make it for the average user to consume your content, the more likely they are to resort to other means to consume it. That's what led to the rise of Napster from 1999-2002, and that's what's going to push more folks to use BitTorrent and similar peer-to-peer file sharing.

Exactly. Heck, you could find a ton of VHS stuff on IRC even back in the day. When the Fan Network added APD's in 2004, the bootleg market dried up and virtually disappeared within a year. Search Bittorrent now for drum corps and you won't find audio newer than about 2008. (Except for that one guy who kept doing FLAC recordings, then DCI even started doing that this year.)

If DCI installs higher and higher walls around their content, people are going to resort to their own methods. That's just the way fans work.

Mike

[Runner235]

The main positive I'm seeing form this is so far is that if I make the video full screen, the quality actually still stays very good. That was a pleasant surprise.

On the old network, when I'd increase the video size, I got just got what seemed like the original video size stretched and the quality quickly degraded.

I'm on the fence about subscribing. The lack of replay is a killer combined with the lack of APD during the season. I tend to just queue these up all day while I'm working from home over the stereo and listen.

As for the DVR capabilities, google can answer those pretty quickly (especially if your on a mac or linux). I'd imagine that the mods might shut down that even in the 'off-topic' land pretty quickly.

[Lincoln]

I don't live near any live shows. I haven't seen a live show since 2000.... The last corps I saw live was 2000 Cadets.

I'm still going to sign up. I try to watch as many shows as I can, but in the past few years I can't stay awake to finish some of the West Coast shows.

I really hope the connection cooperates this year but there are so many variables involved who knows what can happen.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Lincoln

[Eleran]

Sorry Bob. You still didn't answer my question though.

all I wanted was a simple answer. DVR or not.

Or he could have said: We don't know yet. Or Maybe...

• Implementation of what we've all come to know as "The DVR Feature," which is an obvious area of concern for just about everyone wishing to subscribe to DCI Live!, is the next challenge we're working practically around the clock to address. Like so many of the factors we've encountered of late, the intersection of technology and the law is perhaps more than a bit hazy. We hope to have this sorted out very soon as we know it will be a huge factor in determining whether or not to subscribe, based on geographic considerations and the viewing habits of drum corps fans.

Do you even read, bruh?

Edited June 12, 2015 by Eleran

[N.E. Brigand]

Uh... that's new. I've always had access, and have never asked. I'm not sure I've even visited the off-topic forums since DCP moved to the current platform.

I thought DCP got rid of the Off Topic forums when the platform was changed in late 2010. On the old platform, there was a specific thread in the Member Services forum where posters requested access to the forums. I never did, but I found the guidelines quoted in an old post, and the relevant section reads as follows:

"DCP's Off-Topic forums provide, for those DCP members who specifically request access, an opportunity to discuss subjects that are outside the normal scope of the DCP forums. We believe there is value in providing the community with a place to venture into and express their thoughts on those issues, outside of the ‘normal’ constraints of the general community structure."

My emphasis added. Presumably you had been grandfathered in when those rules were put in place.

Edited June 12, 2015 by N.E. Brigand

[Granny Smith]

Just coming off of detached retina surgery so it took me quite a bit longer to read this thread, but I did read all of it and I sympathize with many of you.

Having subscribed to the Fan Network on the world wide interweb for so many years, I too am disappointed with the news of its demise. It was routine practice for me to have a couple folks into my room to watch shows from previous years. For example, some nights we would have a "Regiment Night" where we would go way back and watch only Phantom Regiment shows. We would drink a little gin and even throw toilet paper at the screen.

Also, the Video On Demand is important to me because my bedtime is much earlier because of my age and it's just too hard to stay awake.

This might be the first year I don't pay for a video service from DCI.

Sigh.

[N.E. Brigand]

I, like many here, know that "Bob" is Bob Jacobs, the director of Surf and (if I'm not mistaken) the marketing director of DCI. (I can pretty-much guarantee that he knows whatever he says anywhere will eventually make it to DCP.) I don't know exactly where his responsibilities end in that position, but I'm certain that the guy at the top is finally responsible for everything his staff does, and doesn't, do.

In this case, crap really does roll up hill. Start there.

Thanks. I didn't know who "Bob" was, but I wasn't blaming him in particular for the communication problems, I did write in an earlier post that I felt sorry for him, and I also wrote to DCI yesterday thanking him for sharing that information with flammaster. As for whether Mr. Jacobs knew that something he wrote in an email would be posted to DCP, I guess that would depend on whether he knew who flam was. I'm sure there are FN subscribers who are not DCP participants but have reached out to DCI recently with their concerns. I suppose it's possible that he recognized flam's real name, knew he was likely to rant here about the response, and strategically chose him to be the instrument of dissemination!