Sneak Prevue Laserdisc!

[Bolt96]

That's awesome! Hope we can see some video

[AriX]

I started posting some videos! I also posted all of the backgrounds from the 2002 disk on the forums, and they can all be downloaded together at http://prevueguide.com/SneakBackgrounds/all.zip
I'll be posting many more videos (and audio) over the next few days, since there's tons of stuff on these LaserDiscs. I will also post pictures of the discs and the player, and the full, uncut recording of the LaserDiscs for download somewhere. First, however, I need to re-record all of the video, since the stuff I have now is poorly compressed.

Enjoy! Feel free to ask questions and I'll try to answer them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC21AHQfqpM - Comcast Home Theater Promo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwqXZkqDFXo - 2002 Sneak Prevue Promo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTuRaWQCLEQ - 2002 Sneak Prevue TV Guide Channel Promo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtyVdIPd51A - 2002 Sneak Prevue TV Guide Channel Promo 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvh89uYEAm4 - 2002 Sneak Prevue Up Next Open
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v35fy8kKt1c - 2002 Sneak Prevue Up Next Close
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_qZsQ_7s3Y - 2002 Sneak Prevue Premiering Soon Open
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfzqrJDQDLQ - 2002 Sneak Prevue Premiering Soon Close
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCsuaxSsLLY - 2002 Sneak Prevue Ident (AT&T Broadband)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAMs4jY_B7I - 2002 Sneak Prevue Ident (Comcast iN Demand)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hlh11Uc8VA - 2002 Sneak Prevue Ident (Cox iN Demand)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5UauD6wHU - 2002 Sneak Prevue Ident (Generic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W6h017hYjk - 2002 Sneak Prevue Ident (Time Warner Cable iN Demand)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8hejeep-TA - 2002 Sneak Prevue Ident (Time Warner Home Theatre)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlPTnsuiSXg - 2002 Sneak Prevue Tonight Open
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQm13xZA6t8 - 2002 Sneak Prevue Tonight Close
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMf5ggicjXQ - 1994 Sneak Prevue Ident
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZk387YY-P0 - 1994 Sneak Prevue Ident 2

[tin]

Nice! I can see how the 2002 are very slick, but I prefer the 1994 ones Poor prevue.....

[SchalaAshtear]

So, the generic Sneak Prevue backgrounds/idents would be used on like the local/independent cable companies? That's my guess anyway (with the logo superimposed maybe)

[AriX]

Nice! I can see how the 2002 are very slick, but I prefer the 1994 ones Poor prevue.....

I have to agree on all points. Kinda sad to see the remnants of the end of the Prevue brand (although I think one or two cable companies in Canada still use Prevue-branded versions of the TV Guide IPG for some reason).

It's also pretty weird to see how this empire totally collapsed over 10 years - in 1999, an extremely innovative company, at the forefront of not only analog cable guides, but also interactive technology, online TV listings, and satellite services. A few years later... -nothing-. The TV channel is unuseful and unwatchable, and neither the interactive nor the online technologies will be able to make the jump to the internet TV era thanks to patent troll parent companies that don't care about innovation (and are stupid).

Also, in the past couple of years, on demand video has replaced pay-per-view, but most cable systems still use a barker channel for the on demand video. I bet if Gemstar hadn't been in charge (and ruined the company), Sneak Prevue (maybe under a different brand name) would continue to serve us today. Comcast uses some crap produced by their "E!" channel.

So, the generic Sneak Prevue backgrounds/idents would be used on like the local/independent cable companies? That's my guess anyway (with the logo superimposed maybe)

I would guess that that's how it worked, yeah. I kinda doubt that they superimposed the logo, because if they did that, they wouldn't really need to put backgrounds on the LaserDisc for each cable company. Maybe not though!

[joseph_sobora]

Yes, I would like to have the entire "Sneak Prevue" footage all from those years. That reminds me, I remember I found a picture of a Sneak Prevue Laserdisc that dates back to 1995 that was sold on ebay back in 2005. I posted that on my Prevue Guide Yahoo group ever since. I wish I had purchase that one, problem is that I don't own a Laserdisc Player and PayPal has been giving me hassles these days. Oh well! I hope if they do sell some more, along with the 1995-99 graphics.

[joseph_sobora]

I'm thinking a video like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9kaxqGmaa4 may be an example of the MPEG delivery system instead of the LaserDisc, simply because it doesn't have those pauses at the end of each audio/video clip.

That was the Pay-Per-View Previews and Information Channel, that was used in some areas that didn't carry "Sneak Prevue" as their source. I had that on my Cable Company called "Marcus Cable" and it was used in 1996. This was probably done by data tapes and MPEG as you mention, or something like that.

[tin]

It's also pretty weird to see how this empire totally collapsed over 10 years - in 1999, an extremely innovative company, at the forefront of not only analog cable guides, but also interactive technology, online TV listings, and satellite services. A few years later... -nothing-. The TV channel is unuseful and unwatchable, and neither the interactive nor the online technologies will be able to make the jump to the internet TV era thanks to patent troll parent companies that don't care about innovation (and are stupid).

It's difficult to know isn't it? I agree entirely that from a user POV they have ruined it. I think there is still definitely space for a non-interactive TV guide that chugs along quietly in the corner, because SO many people channel surf or don't know what to watch. So many people on youtube comment that they used to watch it for hours, so I am sure it could just sit there and play away, with the odd advert and the local inserts for local companies - as long as it wasn't intrusive. However the more recent TV guide channels aren't that quiet unobtrusive thing that PG was so I am sure it would get turned off.

However from what I can see over here in the UK, most of your IPGs are TV-guide channel branded, and look a lot like prevue guide (obviously with fancier graphics). Isn't that a success because it lives on? What's the thing with patent trolls? I know Rovi keep trying to sue virgin media over here and losing (http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2009/11/ ... -epg-case/) (http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-ro ... gin-media/) but what does their patent trolling in the US actually do that's bad for innovation from Rovi themselves - or is it just that they sit on the patents and aren't working on the next-big-thing?

Also, in the past couple of years, on demand video has replaced pay-per-view, but most cable systems still use a barker channel for the on demand video. I bet if Gemstar hadn't been in charge (and ruined the company), Sneak Prevue (maybe under a different brand name) would continue to serve us today. Comcast uses some crap produced by their "E!" channel.

I agree with this as well. I get the impression this will be more due to the cableco's wanting to differentiate their services - and being controlling/greedy (that's the impression I get from over here) they don't want to pay some external company to provide a barker channel that everyone else has as well - albeit with appropriate logos. I was going to say that capacity issues towards the end of analogue probably forced the issues as well, but actually our cablecos here never made any effort to ensure all capacity was filled with the highest quality stuff, so that's probably rubbish.

However I am even more confused now as to how it died. Looking at the youtube video of what we think is the MPEG delivery system, it's really slick and evidently a bit more graphically capable. (I would also guess that it was not running on an Amiga - unless they tried something with the A4000 or maybe bastardised A1200) I am sure they would have had to kill off the laserdisc version sooner or later as the cost must have been high, and the laserdisc players must have been getting old, but it could have lived on that newer format for a long time.

So, the generic Sneak Prevue backgrounds/idents would be used on like the local/independent cable companies? That's my guess anyway (with the logo superimposed maybe)

I would guess that that's how it worked, yeah. I kinda doubt that they superimposed the logo, because if they did that, they wouldn't really need to put backgrounds on the LaserDisc for each cable company. Maybe not though!

I noted on the "MPEG" version (I'm gonna call it that for now as we don't really know) they did superimpose the logos, as they appear and disappear at the exact time of the text changing. However on the Amiga version I doubt they ever did, hence the need for logos on the laserdisc.

[AriX]

I'm thinking a video like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9kaxqGmaa4 may be an example of the MPEG delivery system instead of the LaserDisc, simply because it doesn't have those pauses at the end of each audio/video clip.

That was the Pay-Per-View Previews and Information Channel, that was used in some areas that didn't carry "Sneak Prevue" as their source. I had that on my Cable Company called "Marcus Cable" and it was used in 1996. This was probably done by data tapes and MPEG as you mention, or something like that.

Huh, you're absolutely right! This video must have been seriously mis-labeled, it's not Sneak Prevue at all! I believe, based on the patent filings and promotional materials that I've seen, the MPEG version of the Sneak Prevue channel IS generated with Amiga, but also a separate machine that simply stores the MPEG videos and plays them back. The voiceovers and presentation style of Sneak Prevue did not change all that much between 1995 and 1999, and this video does not really fit in with the other versions of Sneak Prevue I've seen. Also, it doesn't say "Sneak Prevue" during the video at all (it simply generically promotes "pay-per-view") and it doesn't appear to be generated on an Amiga.

[AriX]

Yes, I would like to have the entire "Sneak Prevue" footage all from those years. That reminds me, I remember I found a picture of a Sneak Prevue Laserdisc that dates back to 1995 that was sold on ebay back in 2005. I posted that on my Prevue Guide Yahoo group ever since. I wish I had purchase that one, problem is that I don't own a Laserdisc Player and PayPal has been giving me hassles these days. Oh well! I hope if they do sell some more, along with the 1995-99 graphics.

Too bad! Let's hope more turn up...

It's difficult to know isn't it? I agree entirely that from a user POV they have ruined it. I think there is still definitely space for a non-interactive TV guide that chugs along quietly in the corner, because SO many people channel surf or don't know what to watch. So many people on youtube comment that they used to watch it for hours, so I am sure it could just sit there and play away, with the odd advert and the local inserts for local companies - as long as it wasn't intrusive. However the more recent TV guide channels aren't that quiet unobtrusive thing that PG was so I am sure it would get turned off.

I definitely think there's room for some better form of channel guidance than flipping through channels, or even flipping through 100+ channels in a guide. I like the idea of being able to watch a channel to find out what's going to be on tonight (that's not a rerun or some crap). Nothing like that exists anymore.

However from what I can see over here in the UK, most of your IPGs are TV-guide channel branded, and look a lot like prevue guide (obviously with fancier graphics). Isn't that a success because it lives on? What's the thing with patent trolls? I know Rovi keep trying to sue virgin media over here and losing (http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2009/11/ ... -epg-case/) (http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-ro ... gin-media/) but what does their patent trolling in the US actually do that's bad for innovation from Rovi themselves - or is it just that they sit on the patents and aren't working on the next-big-thing?

Well, it's certainly true that the legacy of Prevue lives on - in fact, I believe the majority of cable "ASTBs" (advanced set-top boxes) in this U.S. use the i-Guide that still bears a strong resemblance (and probably a lot of code) to the original Prevue Interactive. Plus, many other guide systems, as you say, work and look very similar. However, the innovation on Rovi's side seems to have been completely stifled. The main problem with them being a patent troll is that they're more invested in their patents than their products. A few years ago, they laid off all/most remaining IPG developers from the Tulsa office that originally developed the software, and outsourced the development to Comcast, who also does not seem to know how to improve it. And they sold off the TV Guide Network because it didn't relate to any patents that could be useful to them (maybe also because it sucked). The hardware deployment, software design, and transmission for the TV Guide Network still shares the Rovi office in Tulsa despite the ownership change.

This is partially unrelated, but Rovi also has a monopoly on U.S. TV listings, and most data about what's on TV here needs to come from them at some level, which is severely annoying.

I agree with this as well. I get the impression this will be more due to the cableco's wanting to differentiate their services - and being controlling/greedy (that's the impression I get from over here) they don't want to pay some external company to provide a barker channel that everyone else has as well - albeit with appropriate logos. I was going to say that capacity issues towards the end of analogue probably forced the issues as well, but actually our cablecos here never made any effort to ensure all capacity was filled with the highest quality stuff, so that's probably rubbish.

Perhaps that's the case. I may well be in the minority, but I really think that better, more straightforward barker channels and guidance channels could really help to make finding out what's on TV and On Demand much easier. A lot of people around me seem to have trouble doing that.

However I am even more confused now as to how it died. Looking at the youtube video of what we think is the MPEG delivery system, it's really slick and evidently a bit more graphically capable. (I would also guess that it was not running on an Amiga - unless they tried something with the A4000 or maybe bastardised A1200) I am sure they would have had to kill off the laserdisc version sooner or later as the cost must have been high, and the laserdisc players must have been getting old, but it could have lived on that newer format for a long time.

As Joseph pointed out, the video we were looking at was not in fact Sneak Prevue. They did have an MPEG version of their system somewhere, but it also ran on the Amiga.