The Revolutioners

Why Isn’t An Online Streaming Solution Possible In India Yet

If you follow tech news you might have heard of Netflix and it’s recent success after adopting the streaming model. Their website says “For only $7.99 a month, you get unlimited movies & TV episodes instantly over the Internet to your TV or computer. There are no commercials, and you can pause, rewind, fast forward or re-watch as often as you like. It’s really that easy!”

Isn’t this great, for just Rs.400 a month, Netflix gives Video on demand on a lot of devices (PC,macs, mobile devices, gaming consoles etc.) with recommendations, resuming playback of movies/T.V shows where you left them off and a lot more. So if you’re watching a movie late in the night and you get too sleepy, you can shut off your movie and resume it the next day on your way to work on your phone.  We end up paying more for Tata sky which doesn’t even provide video on demand or multiple device viewing.

This model has helped Netflix become a major success in the US and Canada with Apple choosing to bundle a Netflix app on their Apple TV as well. This gets us wondering, why isn’t there a service similar to Netflix in India?

Although there have been a few companies which have tried to imitate the earlier Netflix model, i.e DVD rentals none of them have become hugely popular nor have they offered attractive policies like no late fees, no due dates etc. There was a post on gigaOM way back in 2006 pegging seventymm as India’s Netflix, obviously the service hasn’t caught on.
The posts points out a major hurdle for video rental services like these, piracy. With every railway station selling CDs of the latest movies on as soon as their release dates for as cheap as Rs.50 ($1), it becomes a bit difficult for the survival of this model, also with increasing penetration of the not-so-fast broadband in India, you see people downloading 700mb DVD rips from piratebay even if it takes them 24 hours.

So Indian players haven’t even succeeded in coming on par with the Netflix of the earlier years, let alone the current streaming based Netflix. The rental service not catching up is because these players haven’t been able to come up with an effective strategy, but the non existent streaming based service is majorly because of the pathetic internet service in India.

The Netflix page specifies minimum connection requirements for it to work fine “Watching instantly works with all different levels of broadband, however, we recommend a minimum speed of 500kpbs (0.5MB).” In average Indian homes unfortunately this sort of connectivity is absent. Speeds like these if offered by ISPs cost a lot. So right now if an Indian Netflix would startup it would remain restricted to the offices of Indian people where stuff like this isn’t permitted. Also the mobile market isn’t ready yet for on the move media viewing, the 3G tariffs are expensive, carriers aren’t ready yet to carry huge amounts of data on their network and a huge part of Indians still don’t have smart phones.

This coupled with the fact that many Indians don’t want to pay for something digital. For example: They won’t hesitate much to buy pirated CDs and DVDs but they have a problem buying a $.99 game from the AppStore. Fortunately this mindset is changing with the increasing penetration of Internet banking, online shopping etc. A lot of channels like NDTV, CNN, IBN, etc and events like the IPL are providing live streams online. So one can just hope for a Netflix like service to come up in India in the next five years. If they have enough partnerships for providing content then DTH services are doomed!

It was reported that Netflix’s competitor Google has also  launched a pay-per-view online service, in order to gain more traffic to their new service.

Source: I feel that we desperately need faster broadband connection for sure. It will solve a lot of problems. I feel piracy can somehow be reduced by providing faster broadband in homes and mobile phones. I would definitely want to subscribe for a 24×7 movie available for 400 Rs/per month. And save money on my broadband and electricity bill.

India China comparison – An eye opener

Those who haven’t watched this video, I suggest you go and watch it first and it will give you a perspective of what I am going to talk about in this post. Below is a really nice comparison of India and China. Where we stand in terms of population, income, industry and many other.

China started their family planning policy in 1970, India in 1952

In 2001 our birth rate was nearly 3 times more than China. 27 births per 1000 as against 8.8 for China! India is adding 18 million people per year, against 9 million per year in China. Total addition to population is a function of total births minus total deaths.

India’s per capita earning is US$440 per year against US$990 per year in China

As per the World Bank, the poverty line definition is US$1 per person per day or US$365/person/year, for underdeveloped countries like India, China etc. As per the official data from both governments, China has 3% population below the poverty line, compared to India’s 26 to 29%! Only better governance can help.

China attracts 87 million tourists per year (this is expected to reach 90 million in 2002) against 2.5 million per year to India.

The international Tourism Industry is [7 times the size of I.T. or software] about, US$3700 billion per year. India, in spite of its old history and 21 cultures and languages, seems to have ‘missed the bus’, in Tourism. Tourism is a very big employment generator. It is estimated that every one tourist generates 2 to 4 jobs. Tourism promotes International trade and understanding.
How will we provide additional 10 million jobs per year?

The Public Sector and State/Central Government, which is already overstaffed, has a total of 18.7 million employees, therefore offers very little scope for new employment. We have to look outside the government for new employment. The unorganized sector and the SME’s (SSI is not SME) offer the maximum scope for employment, like in all other countries of the world, including China. SME’s account for nearly 75% of employment and 80% of trainees!

The Government can only facilitate jobs; they cannot provide jobs for the 300 million partly or fully unemployed in India!

At 10 million jobs per year it will take us 30 years to remove unemployment, at 5 million jobs for year it will take us 60 years! The present Indian ‘mind set’ will require rethinking and reorganization of the existing perceptions about Public Sector enterprises, and the actual role they are supposed to play! Only efficient organizations can deliver results and growth. Only better governance and efficient administration can deliver results!

In Foreign Direct investment, FDI, China + Hong Kong received US$106 billion last year [US$70billion from NRC's] vs US$3.6 billion [US$0.2b from NRI's] for India! Only better Governance can attract FDI and Tourists. In exports, China is nearly +700% of India

Taking the exports of Hong Kong + Macau into account, China’s exports would be +1000% of India! China’s GDP is 50% in manufacturing or $ 650 billion per year. India’s GDP is 25% in manufacturing or $110 billion per year. China’s manufacturing base is nearly 6 times of India’s.

[Click here to read more comparison]

Does Wikipedia really need money?

I guess I am not the only one who feels the same way. I was just going through the Wikipedia Financial today on their page. What I saw there made me look into this matter in much greater detail. Wikimedia spent almost $3500, 000 in recruiting and wages in the financial year 2009-2010. And it grew to almost $6000, 000 in the financial year 2010-2011. I was just wondering isn’t that too much for 50 employees of Wikimedia. I am now confused as in what is actually a non-profit organization. I mean apart from running your websites do you also need money to run the show? Posting a conversation excerpt that I found in a forum.

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Indian Government Ranks 3rd in terms of retrieving data from Google

Recently read a news about US government asking Google to provide lots and lots of data related which is related to the services Google provides. I am sure they must be utilizing this data for get to the corrupts. And then automatically me being a typical Indian wanted to check our country’s  rank in that list. To my surprise we rank 3rd in that list after US and Brazil. Wow.. It feels great to be in a such a list. Well that’s one side of the story I was thinking. But after reading the data requests that Google received I started thinking about what would our government departments have actually asked for. Checkout for analysis after the break.

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Smoking Ban Act, India – Must Read

Let’s see the scene of tobacco and smoking in India first. OK, some facts and figures about Smoking and Tobacco in India.

• In India, tobacco use causes nearly 40 percent of all health problems and 50 percent of all cancers, according to Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss.
• In India The tobacco contributes to 56.4% and 44.9% of cancers in men and women, respectively.
• India ranks 2nd in smoking cigarette in top 10 countries.
• Nearly 17 percent of students in India, aged 15 and under, use some form of tobacco, mainly cigarettes, according to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization.
• India has the largest number of oral cancer cases in the world which is due to tobacco.
• In India, an estimated 120 million people smoke. But the problem is that smoking in India is on rising side unlike Western countries.
• Cigarettes compromise just 19 percent of tobacco consumption in India however Bidis account for 53 percent, according to the Bidi Smoking and Public Health report by the Union Ministry of Health and Family.
• Around 1 billion Bidis are sold in India every year. Bidis contain more tar, nicotine and other toxic substances but less tobacco than traditional cigarettes.
• Tobacco smoking accounts for 82% of Chronic obstructive lung disease in India.

It’s been around 1 year now that Indian Government imposed ban on smoking in public places including government and private offices. You might not know but this act was in existence for 2 years before our government thought of implementing it seriously. Seriously, imagine. We create acts, put them in files, make a pile out of it, put them in a room somewhere and then don’t look at them for 3-4 years. Then suddenly you wake up and try to enforce everything. And I’ll tell you some facts about this so called smoking ban in public places today. Well, I think I don’t really have to tell you anything as most of you already know it to some extent.

Alright let’s first discuss what the ban exactly is. As per the government, no one is allowed to smoke in public places including public transportation and public offices etc. As per the rules, smoking is banned in shopping malls, cinema halls, public/private work place, hotels, banquet halls, discotheques, canteen, coffee house, pubs, bars, airport lounge, railway stations. Public places cover all government, private and public sector offices as well. I work with an MNC and believe me there people adhere to the regulation. People go out of the offices for smoke. Earlier employees could smoke in the office premises but ever since the smoking ban everyone is prohibited to smoke inside the office premises. Also, any employer found to be letting its employees smoke inside the office premises are supposed to be penalized. Moreover I think people working with big MNCs in India are mature enough to understand what it means for our country. We tell clients coming from abroad that there are restrictions on smoking inside the premises, so we don’t want them to see us smoking in there.

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How about your own Personal Premium Call Rate Number to stop Mobile Spam ?

Every now and then my mind keeps flooding with some insane ideas. But after some time when I think about it, it all starts making some sense. I was on my way to office 2-3 days ago and I get a call from someone trying to sell me some Life Insurance. This guy has been calling me for i don’t know may be for the last 4-5 days continuously. I know like me you are also frustrated with all those telemarketers calling you day and night and selling stuff in which you are not even remotely interested. But I have an idea to deal with this situation. I don’t know the feasibility to implement it. May or may not be possible.

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It says “Common” Wealth – Then why not loot it ?

Interested, isn’t it ? Can you believe the Organizing Committee hired cross trainers at Rs 8.8 lakh a piece, chairs at Rs 8,378 each and 100 litre refrigerators at Rs 42,202 each. That’s bloody 200% the actual price of the item. And they are hiring these items at 200% the cost of the item. Even umbrellas were hired for Rs 6,308 per piece.  Whether it be Congress or any other party in the ruling, the story will be the same, as this CWG is a source to mint money for all the corrupt bureaucrats and associates. Somehow I feel, India never deserve to host this kind of International Game event , not for another 50 years .

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Lets for once assume there is nothing bad or wrong in this World

Well lets just once assume in this world. I mean let the person kill someone if he wants to. Let a person rob someone if he wishes to. Let anyone become a suicide bomber or a terrorist if he/she wants to do it under someone’s influence. What a world would that be. It would be horrific, right. No, It would not be horrible, It would be great because the way I look at it is that if we use the technology to an extent where all these bad activities would not even be remotely possible. I would want to live in a world like that.
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Visit to MTNL Sanchaar Haat – A Must Read

Its been more than 3 weeks now that I visited MTNL Sanchaar Haat after a very long time. Usually I don’t go there as I pay my bills online. The reason I had to go there was that I moved house and wanted to request to move my Broadband connection to my new house. I was there twice and I would like to share some thoughts and experience with you all.

My first visit was quite short and simple. I took a form from the information counter and submitted it to the department who takes care of all the broadband movements. I was told that I would get my phone installed at my new house in 3-4 days. I remember it was Monday when I requested for the movement. Nothing happened for the next 5 days and I kept following up with them over the phone. The reason I was given for not being able to install the landline phone was that they did not have the wire. Even after 2-3 follow ups I got the same response over the phone.
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I see a Policeman on motorbike without a Helmet, I stop him and hand him over a ticket

How cool will that be ? I mean I was just wondering for quite some time now that how nice it would be if we could really take control of our law enforcement. Imagine while roaming on the road you see someone breaking the law and you take out your camera, take a picture while he is breaking the traffic rules. Catch hold of him. Show him the picture and hand over the ticket to him. I mean imagine the force we would have on roads and people will think twice before doing anything wrong.

People may use the power for wrong doing but I think we can start with some intelligent and responsible people like Bus Conductor, Shopkeepers who are sitting on a road watching it all the time. A Pan wallah on the Traffic Signal.

I am thinking of creating another website where I urge people to submit such pictures where people are captured while breaking the law. And our law enforcement team has to just identify the person and fine him/her.

Think about it. Bye !

Let me know your thoughts by posting your comments.