Every month I find myself trying to keep it under the 250GB Comcast bandwidth cap and I end up having to throttle my own bandwidth consumption.  If I go over, I run the risk of having my service cancelled.  It happens.

I don’t use P2P services – with the exception of the occasional download of a legal torrent from someone who has posted their work online to share with others.  Those make up less than a couple GB per month though.

I use the Internet to upload photos and videos to SmugMug, Flickr, Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube and so on.  I also consume almost all of my video entertainment from the Internet via Netflix streaming, YouTube or Vimeo. I backup my personal files to a cloud service.  And I think all of this is pretty normal and legal Internet usage.

And it’s only going to get more normal.

Comcast says that “around 99%” of it’s customers use “significantly less than 250GB of bandwidth per month” – and they’ve been saying it for years.

That’s an interesting statistic and lets them puff their chest out.  However, I have a hard time trusting anything Comcast says from years of being lied to by their customer service reps.  Just how loose are they being with the word “around”?

The speed is fine.  In fact, it’s great.  The service is reliable most of the time where I live.  I could upgrade my Internet service to something faster; however, I don’t need something faster. I need more data in and out every month – and that’s not an option.

I would choose another service provider if that was an option; however, it’s not.  The only other provider is a DSL provider (Frontier), which I’ve tried and the speed is abysmal and it has an even lower cap.  Just about every provider has instituted a bandwidth cap, so Comcast isn’t alone here.

I’m now back to the point I was in the 90s with my Internet service provider applying a choke-hold to how much Internet I can have.  Then it was minutes (AOL, I’m looking at you), and now it is data consumption.  Sure, we can be on the Internet 24/7; however, we just can’t consume too much of it or the gatekeeper will cut us off.

I’ve gotten pretty good at throttling my own consumption; however, I do sometimes slip up and go over the limit.  While Comcast hasn’t kicked me off for any of these incidents yet, I’m worried that some month I’ll miss the mark by too much and get a nastigram telling me that Comcast no longer wants me as a customer.  I shouldn’t have to worry about that in 2012 – but I will.

That being the case, I suppose my New Year’s resolution should be to use less Internet in 2012.

Thanks Comcast.  Happy New Year to you too.

via chartsbin.com

Pando Networks (see press release) recently published data on world wide internet speeds, by country and by city.  The data was collected between January and June of 2011, via 27 million downloads from 20 million computers in 224 countries.   I’m pretty sure you’ll be surprised by the countries listed in the top five, and check out how the superpowers like the U.S. and China fared.

Check out the informative infographic (was that redundant?) after the break, including access to an interactive version of the map as well.

Visit here for the Interactive Version of the Map via Chartsbin.com 

 -via Mashable

In an official blog post today, Michael Spiegelman, Director of Product Management at Netflix said they were fixing some of the scrolling jitters in the horizontal scrolling functionality and that they’ll be bringing back sortable lists.

That’s one step in the right direction; however, I miss the old version of the website that worked like, you know, a website.  This set-top box design has no place in my browser.

While I’m at it, can we get the ability to create and manage our own lists back? That was a lame move taking those away Netflix.

After some failed attempts at the social web with Wave and Buzz, Google has unwrapped its new social agenda: Google+.  It’s still in soft launch flavor right now as an invitation-only product; however, Google spilled all the details in a blog post for the product’s launch.

Check out the above video and link for details, or head straight on over to Google+ to sign up for your invite.

Don’t know what Net Neutrality is and why it matters?  Watch the below video.

A deeper explanation from Studio Daily Blog. Get even more info and get involved at Freepress.net.

First, you have to understand that I’m not one to hand out compliments to Comcast on a regular basis.

In fact, a few years ago, I left Comcast due to its terrible customer service – not the quality of its services – just the idiots on the phone.  After living with sluggish DSL for a couple of years and a satellite that would lose its signal every time a squirrel farted in the neighborhood (daily fails during the 2010 Tour de France was the nail in the coffin for DISH), I begrudgingly switched back to Comcast.

Since my switch a few months ago, it has been a relatively pain-free experience.  Although, I have had to occasionally call in for a modem refresh when power cycling the cable modem on my end didn’t restore the signal.  Aside from the occasional hold time, this process hasn’t been all that bad either.

Then, tonight, my modem dropped its signal.  Power cycling didn’t work.  So, I knew I had to call Comcast to see if there was an outage and, if not, have the customer service tech do it on their end.

So, I called.

I pressed the requisite buttons to get past the Spanish menu, confirm my account number and select “problem with Internet.”  Then I figured I could be on hold for awhile.

Nope.

The next menu said something to the effect of:

If you would us to refresh your modem connection, press 1 now.

I pressed 1 and almost instantly the modem rebooted and my Internet connection was restored.

As much crap as I’ve shoveled toward Comcast over the years, I figured that I should give credit where credit is due.

The only thing that would make this process easier is if Comcast would give me direct line to call for a modem refresh without having to go a few menus deep.  That would land Comcast a spot in my “favorites” on my phone.

Kudos to you Comcast for making something easy.

For real.

[T]he Federal Trade Commission is mulling a simple mechanism that would allow users to opt out of behavioral tracking across the Web . . . .

FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said the system would be similar to the Do-Not-Call registry that enables consumers to shield their phone numbers from telemarketers.

. . . .

“It’s really in the hands of the private sector,” Leibowitz said. “If they want to do a better job of … giving clear choices and have clearer notice, then I think it’s in their hands to avoid legislation. I think if they don’t, and if we don’t see more progress, I think you’re going to see probably in the next Congress a fair amount of interest in moving legislation forward to have more prescriptive rules.”

-eCommerce-Guide.com

Um. It’s kinda already built in to everyone’s web browser.

Tools > Options > Privacy.  Then uncheck the “Allow cookies” box.  Do-Not-Track registry implemented on an individual user scale in a matter of seconds.

Doing this will “allow users to opt out of behavioral tracking across the Web.”

Sure, there will be a lot of sites that don’t work quite right.  But they kinda need to have some of your info if you to interact with their site.  Sending the advertising industry back to the stone age isn’t the answer here.

How about spending your efforts on educating consumers how to use their computers?

[via eCommerce Guide]

RipCode’s new TransAct Transcoder V6 can intercept content requests from an iPad and use its transcoding appliance to re-encode Flash content into a video format accepted by the iPad.  It works with video files from QVGA to 1080p.

I don’t understand how this stuff works, but it really would be nice to avoid all the Flash errors on the iPad.  So, get on it content owners and make the Internet more iPad friendly.

More details about RipCode in the press release below.

RipCode Press Release

RICHARDSON, Texas, April 12 /PRNewswire/ — RipCode, Inc., the leader in transactional transcoding, announced today its newest product, the TransAct Transcoder V6 can intercept Adobe Flash-based file or live video requests and convert them to a container, video codec, and audio codec accepted by Apple Inc.’s new iPad – all transparently to the end user device and without the need for any pre-transcoding or device-based client.

The iPad is poised to further accelerate and expand the mobile video device market just as the iPhone has over the last several years. However, one of its noted shortcomings has been Apple’s lack of support for Flash video playback, given the dominant position of Flash in professionally generated entertainment, sports and news content. HTML5 has been purported to address this dilemma by introducing Apple device applications that are simply ‘thin clients’ communicating back to a web site hosting and subsequently delivering Flash files without a device-based player, but HTML5 is not yet widely adopted. RipCode’s Transactional Transcoding platform enables an alternate and immediate solution to this issue, opening up video content to users without requiring the content hoster to move to HTML5 or pre-transcode entire video libraries from Flash to an iPad-accepted container format. By transcoding the content ‘in the cloud’, it is essentially analogous to a network-based Flash to MP4 or MPEG-TS video adaption layer.

“Transcoding is an integral part of any volume-based video preparation and delivery infrastructure. With new codecs, devices, resolutions, delivery protocols, rights management controls, and monetization needs constantly evolving the video delivery landscape, this space will continue to churn for many years,” stated Brendon Mills, CEO of RipCode. “The ‘Flash on iPad’ dilemma is really just the latest in a long line of speed bumps on the road towards ‘any-content, any-time, any-place, any-device’ that we all desire. Fortunately, our technology removes this barrier in a way that is attractive to content hosters, a key device manufacturer, a key video player provider, and the end user alike.”

RipCode’s V6 transcoding appliance is equipped with industry-leading transcoding flexibility (file-to-file, file-to-stream, stream-to-stream, stream-to-file, and RipCode’s On-Demand Transcoding), codec and container flexibility, concurrency, video processing functions, and resolutions ranging from QVGA to 1080i/p. Further, the V6 supports a rich suite of integrated video delivery options including QuickTime, MP4 Progressive Download, Apple’s MPEG-TS Adaptive Progressive Download for file-based and live content, Microsoft Smooth Streaming, and RTSP. It is easily integrated – as hardware or software – into any content hosting/delivery operation given its Linux/Intel processing core. Working in conjunction with RipCode’s Commander and Detector, content requests from an iPad is automatically detected, which launches an intelligent content transcoding workflow that re-encodes a Flash file to one of the aforementioned iPad-accepted formats, and then delivers either via MP4 Progressive Download or Apple’s MPEG-TS Adaptive Progressive Download.

RipCode will be demonstrating this capability for both live and video on demand applications at NAB 2010 this week in Las Vegas. Please access http://www.ripcode.com/nab/ to arrange an appointment to visit our suite at the Hilton, adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

About RipCode

RipCode is the market leader in transactional video transcoding; the fundamental technology enabling content owners, video delivery service providers, and network service providers to achieve ‘any content, anywhere, anytime, any device’.

Built to address the needs of today’s new media market, the RipCode TransAct Platform integrates live and on-demand transcoding with key video delivery elements including device detection, workflow management, dynamic ad insertion, network-aware resource management and open interoperability with third-party applications and systems. RipCode’s TransAct solution portfolio elevates transcoding to a real-time transaction that enables scalable cross-marketing of content across the three-screen domain for the greatest flexibility in expanding video delivery and increasing revenue opportunities.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, RipCode is privately held and backed by leading venture capital firms including Granite Ventures, Covera Ventures, Vesbridge Partners, El Dorado Ventures, and ATA Ventures. For more information, visit www.RipCode.com.

If you caught the Super Bowl last night, then you saw Vizio’s wild commercial featuring Beyonce their 240Hz Internet Apps LCD HDTVs.  Amazon has them up for pre-order at reasonable prices.  Check them out here.

Boxee Box, unveiled at CES 2010, is a “box” of sorts that will allow end users to connect to their social networks and stream video right from their recliner in on a huge HD screen.  Easily connect to the internet with Boxee Box and watch what you want to when you want to, whether it be TV show, movies and videos or checking in with friends on Facebook and Twitter.

From this screen shot navigation looks simple and intuitive.

Boxee Box is simple in design and has an HDMI output for easily connecting to your HD TV.  Use the optical audio or RCA outputs to connect to your home theater reciever.  The other ports are Ethernet, 2 USB Ports and an SD Cart Slot.  Boxee Box also supports WiFi (802.11n).

The RF remote has a full function QWERTY keyboard.

Press Release

LAS VEGAS, CES Booth 36232, South Hall, LVCC, Jan. 5, 2010 – D-Link

made lots of geeks and early adopters happy today by introducing the

revolutionary Boxee Box by D-Link, winner of the CES Best of

Innovations award in the Home Entertainment category.

The Boxee Box by D-Link reinterprets what TV should be. The Boxee Box

delivers movies, TV shows, music, and photos from a user’s computer,

home network, and the Internet to their HDTV with no PC needed.

Additionally, Boxee’s core social features make it easy for friends to

discover new content from each other through social networks like

Facebook, Twitter, and more.

Internet Entertainment

Boxee is a popular PC, Mac, and Linux software program that lets users

watch hundreds of thousands of popular TV shows and movies. Instead of

sifting through millions of confusing Web sites, when users search on

Boxee, TV shows and movies are delivered to them with the click of a

remote control. Nearly a million Internet users around the world have

already downloaded Boxee to enjoy their online entertainment.

The Boxee Box by D-Link takes the same popular software and offers it

up as a great device — the perfect companion to a high definition TV.

The Boxee Box by D-Link provides access to more than just traditional

TV content. It includes a huge library that spans the Internet, such

as university courses, panel discussions, academic lectures,

presentations, web-only videos and more from TED, Stanford, FORA.tv,

Kid Mango, Next New Networks and others. Boxee also makes it easy for

users to add their own favorite entertainment sources with simple RSS

or XML feeds available for most online video.

In addition to video content, Boxee users can access great music from

sites like Pandora, last.fm, shoutcast, and We are Hunted as well as

stunning photos from sites like flickr, Picasa and Facebook.

Personal Entertainment

For entertainment lovers who have built their own collections of

digital media stored on their computer hard drive or home network,

Boxee automatically identifies their content and downloads relevant

cover art, synopses, reviews, subtitles, lyrics and more. This

feature turns boring files and folders into beautiful media libraries

that make it simple and appealing to navigate a collection of favorite

movies, TV shows, and playlists with a simple remote. Furthermore, the

Boxee Box by D-Link has extensive format support (see below) which

ensures that when users hit the play button, they get instant

gratification, with no need to download codecs or drivers. Also, with

built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi support, it can transfer files without delay

and from longer distances within a user’s home.

Social Features

The Boxee Box by D-Link keeps people connected with social features to

help users discover new content from friends, experts, and

tastemakers.

The first step to discovery is sharing, and Boxee makes this easy by

letting people recommend any playing content to friends. Additionally

Boxee automatically uses recommendations from a user’s Twitter and

Facebook friends so they can find new content and instantly enjoy it

on the big screen. Since anyone can build on top of Boxee’s open App

platform, users can craft their own truly custom experience by

creating or downloading plug-ins, add-ons, games, and more.

“We are pleased to partner with Boxee and to be the first with such a

ground-breaking device,” said Nick Tidd, vice president of sales of

D-Link Pan America and vice president of marketing for D-Link North

America. “This powerful device with its unique form factor truly

leverages Boxee’s service and is the best way for consumers to quickly

access the growing volume of Internet content, organize it and stream

it to their TVs and home entertainment centers.”

“D-Link’s successful track record in bringing to market, award-winning

digital home networking products, and its global marketing,

distribution and channel sales capabilities made them a great fit for

our first hardware vendor.” stated Andrew Kippen, vice president of

marketing for Boxee, “The Boxee Box by D-Link gives consumers what

they want – an easy way to watch Internet or personal entertainment in

their living rooms with a simple set-top box that costs under $200 and

has no monthly fees.”

The Boxee Box by D-Link is scheduled to ship in the first half of 2010

through the company’s vast network of retail and e-tail outlets, and

at D-Link’s online store, www.dlinkshop.com.

Supported Codecs & Formats

Boxee can be used to play/view practically all common multimedia

formats, including:

VIDEO:

Adobe Flash 10.1

H.264 (MKV, MOV)

VC-1

WMV

MPEG-1

MPEG-2

MPEG-4

AVI

Xvid

Divx

PCM/LPCM

VOB

AUDIO:

MP3

WMA

WAV

AIFF

FLAC

AAC

DTS

Dolby Digital

Ogg Vorbis

PHOTO:

JPEG

TIFF

BMP

PNG

About D-Link

D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for small, medium and

large enterprise business networking. The company is an award-winning

designer, developer and manufacturer of networking, broadband, digital

electronics, voice, data and video communications solutions for the

digital home, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), Small to Medium

Business (SMB), and Workgroup to Enterprise environments. With

millions of networking and connectivity products manufactured and

shipped, D-Link is a dominant market participant and price/performance

leader in the networking and communications market. D-Link Systems,

Inc. headquarters are located at 17595 Mt. Herrmann Street, Fountain

Valley, CA, 92708. Phone (800) 326-1688 or (714) 885-6000; FAX (866)

743-4905; Internet www.dlink.com.

About Boxee

Boxee is the first “social” media center, whose free, downloadable

software and enabled devices are changing the way consumers experience

home entertainment. On a computer or on a dedicated device connected

to an HDTV, boxee gives users a simple way to bring all their

entertainment into one place including personal movies, TV shows,

music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like

Netflix, MLB.TV, Pandora, Last.fm, and flickr. Users can also share

information about what they’re watching so friends can enjoy it too

through legal sources online. Nearly a million people use Boxee to get

their entertainment. Learn how you can join them at www.boxee.tv.

D-Link, Boxee Box by D-Link and the D-Link logo are trademarks or

registered trademarks of D-Link Corporation or its subsidiaries. All

other third party marks mentioned herein may be trademarks of their

respective owners. Copyright © 2009. D-Link. All Rights Reserved.