Comments
afwriter
10/5/2017 11:09:49 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: A hero ain't nothing but a permutation ....
I think the boom in original content is actually making that harder too because not only are their so many more options, many which are for niche audiences, but we don't get time in between shows to discover anything new. It's just "here's ten more originals for you to binge."
Michelle
10/5/2017 11:09:30 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: A hero ain't nothing but a permutation ....
Agree 1000%! Have you used Hulu's Roku app yet? It's one of the worst around. Discovery is a clear focus but at all other costs. It's poorly done.
afwriter
10/5/2017 11:01:44 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: Copy and Paste
@Adi, probably true, but I think that Netflix is about to stumble. They are raising their prices, losing Disney, and putting a little too much into original programming in my opinion. Maybe now is the time for some of the other smaller providers to grab their piece of the pie.
dcawrey
10/5/2017 12:28:11 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: A hero ain't nothing but a permutation ....
Discovery is really important. I think it could use major improvements, and we're nowhere close. I'm still spending a lot of time trying to find things that are interesting to watch.
JohnBarnes
10/4/2017 9:46:45 PM
User Rank Platinum
A hero ain't nothing but a permutation ....
You can find the homepage for All 4 at http://www.channel4.com/.
I assume the "hero" of which Miller speaks is the 6 large panels in a 2x3 array at the top; then there's a large separated array of smaller panels extending well below the screen edge.
One of the big panels is an ad, and ad-supported TV being what it must be, that will probably always be true. So that leaves 5 more positions, and presumably 5 big items to promote can be slotted into 5 positions in 240 ways (math keyword, permutation). But if you're addressing different groups, there's no point in offering one group ABCDE and another ABCED -- they're too much alike, and the extra effort to customize that small difference is probably not worth it (especially since you also have to maintain a research base to determine exactly how many of each group have what preferences between the tiny rearrangements.
So you want to maximize the difference between permutations. One way to do that is to say "no leading pairs" (i.e. first two in the order) "that are reverses of each other" (i.e. if one sequence begins AB, there can't be another one that begins BA. For nine combinations, following that rule, you could use:
A B _ _ _
B C _ _ _
C D _ _ _
D E _ _ _
E A _ _ _
B D _ _ _
C E _ _ _
D A _ _ _
E B _ _ _
The remaining _ _ _ can be filled with triples, no two alike, and you can impose other conditions to keep them from being too similar. Interestingly, the possible number of unique pairs (i.e. no two pairs are reverses) is only 10, and if you had 10 you would be forced to use a much less diverse group of triples than you would with any number below it. So 9 is the maximum diversity for a hero with 5 slots. (Assuming heros are basicaly just rearrangements, rather than completely different from each other -- and that's probably true-ish, as popularity of shows falls off so rapidly once you get out of the top few).
JohnBarnes
10/4/2017 9:19:48 PM
User Rank Platinum
There's a math for taste-stretching, but it isn't easy
Taste-stretching is a really interesting problem in recommendation algorithms and I think we'll hearing much more about it. Some dimensions more stretchy than others (Westerners, for example, are much stretchier about what kind of bread a sandwich is made of than they are about what kinds of meat can be in it; pita, naan, or tortillas instead of hamburger buns are a small stretch, whereas guinea pig, opossum, or eel instead of beef, pork, or tuna are big stretches). Some dimensions are measured and ordered (weight, thickness, speed, etc), some are ordered but not measured (mild, medium, spicy, hot, WATER NOW!), and some are distinct but not ordered (colors), and that doesn't even touch all the other things like continua (length) versus binary (sleeves or not), and so forth. Somehow you have to locate something as complicated as programming in all those dimensions and then consider how much people like to move, and along which dimensions, in what combinations. The result is to say, "What's going to be the least resisted suggestion once we properly weight and combine tropical, Romantic, green, Tuesday, rigorous, iconic, and thin crust?"
JohnBarnes
10/4/2017 9:06:34 PM
User Rank Platinum
Why nine is a puzzling thing for Milton to talk that way about...
Modern AI and machine learning, especially for big data, relies on segmentation methods, and nearly all segmentation methods have some better-than-most-others numbers of segments. The short almost certainly true is answer is "because the algorithm told us to use it." The slightly longer answer might be "the compactness criterion of the segments went through minima at four, nine, twenty-eight, and forty-nine, and nine was the most precise one we could afford to administer."
I suppose it's conceivable that they really just pulled "nine" out of thin air and then tidied up everything via k-means, but that would be sort of a perverse solution unless there was something really odd that forced them to it.
Adi
10/4/2017 5:22:35 AM
User Rank Author
Re: Channel 4
clrmoney - certainly signs of progress. 16 million registered users is no mean feat in a country of 65 million. The brand helps -- its a major broadcaster in the UK. And also the fact that it is free. The world drama initiative (Walter Presents) is also a good one, as some of the shows are really good, they are just from various countries you don't see that much programming usually -- like Belgium, Argentina, Brazil.
Adi
10/4/2017 5:18:57 AM
User Rank Author
Re: Copy and Paste
afwriter -- Probably, but Netflix is way ahead of a lot of broadcasters in terms of personalization and UI development. That's one of the reasons I feel if you aren't Netflix or Amazon, the general interest entertainment category is going to be tough to break into. All 4 has the advanatge of being part of a major broadcast network, with hit shows, so it can stand out to some extent. But if you try this on your own, it's very difficult because the "Big Two" are so far ahead.
afwriter
10/2/2017 4:22:20 PM
User Rank Platinum
Be careful when moving people's cheese.
I think that what Channel Four is doing is not only smart but essential. That being said it needs to be done carefully. Hulu just had a big UI change and almost everyone I know including myself hates it.
|
|
Italy's 5G auction could exceed a government target of raising €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) after attracting interest from companies outside the mobile market.
The emerging-markets operator is focusing on the humdrum business of connectivity and keeping quiet about some of its ill-fated 'digitalization' efforts.
Three UK has picked Huawei over existing radio access network suppliers Nokia and Samsung to build its 5G network.
Vendor says that it's its biggest 5G deal to date.
Verizon skates where the puck is going by waiting for standards-based 5G devices to launch its mobile service in 2019.
Orange has been one of the leading proponents of SDN and NFV. In this Telco Transformation radio show, Orange's John Isch provides some perspective on his company's NFV/SDN journey.
10/16/2017
Huawei Network Transformation Seminar
The adoption of virtualization technology and cloud architectures by telecom network operators is now well underway but there is still a long way to go before the transition to an era of Network Functions Cloudification (NFC) is complete.
The Small Cell Forum's CEO Sue Monahan says that small cells will be crucial for indoor 5G coverage, but challenges around business models, siting ...
People, strategy, a strong technology roadmap and new business processes are the key underpinnings of Telstra's digital transformation, COO Robyn ...
Eric Bozich, vice president of products and marketing at CenturyLink, talks about the challenges and opportunities of integrating Level 3 into ...
Epsilon's Mark Daley, director of digital strategy and business development, talks about digital transformation from a wholesale service provider ...
Bill Walker, CenturyLink's director of network architecture, shares his insights on why training isn't enough for IT employees and traditional ...
All Videos
|
On-the-Air Thursdays Digital Audio
Special Huawei Video
Tweet This