Now that Time Warner Cable is testing a bill-by-the-byte approach for Internet access, it’d be nice to have a simple way to measure individual Internet use. We’re taught to track the upload and download speeds provided by ISPs, but exact measurements there are hardly necessary. If my downloads are moving more slowly than usual, I know without testing that I’m not reaching my promised 6-Mbps mark.

On the other hand, I don’t want to guesstimate how much I’ve downloaded in a month if I’m going to be billed a dollar every gigabyte I exceed my limit by, particularly because I’m not the only one in my household using the Internet connection.

Time Warner is apparently planning to put a “gas gauge” on its website so subscribers can tell how much of their download and upload allotments they’ve used up. (Something akin to TWC’s DVR storage gauge shown right?) But why are ISPs waiting until after they’ve instituted metered billing? Why not give users an easy way to measure now so we can get smart about how we use our bandwidth? Such a move might even help the ISPs by reducing strain on their networks from users willing to be a little more conscious of their Internet habits.

There are options available for measuring Internet usage today, like Hagel Technologies’ DU Meter software. But in my opinion, tools like this should be freely available from every ISP. Particularly if more operators plan to follow Time Warner’s lead in the future.

I’ve heard a lot on “advanced advertising” in my day job recently, so when the opportunity came up to talk with Revision3 CEO Jim Louderback (formerly of PC Magazine) about their deal with VideoClix, I could hardly turn it down. VideoClix does pop-up content for Internet video, (think an online, ad-driven version of MTV’s pop-up video) and Revision3 is now planning to use VideoClix in some of its online shows, starting with a premier VideoClix-enabled episode of Diggnation.

Since advertisers have been slobbering over the idea of interactive advertising for a decade or more, I was anxious to hear how well VideoClix is working for Revision3. Disappointingly, there’s no answer on that yet. Not only is Revision3 not releasing specifics on that front (not surprising with only one VideoClix-enabled show up), but it turns out VideoClix, at this point, is just a piece of spaghetti that Revision3 is throwing at the proverbial wall. According to Louderback, Revision3 is a leader in product placement, online video sponsorships and is even part of Google’s early-stage Adsense-for-video program. In other words, while the company definitely likes VideoClix, Revision3 is hardly betting the farm on it. The company is really just trying something new and hoping it makes some money.

As a consumer, I haven’t remotely made up my mind about VideoClix either. The Diggnation demo is very cool, but in a novelty kind of way, not an I-want-this-on-all-my-TV-shows kind of way. I can see an ongoing appeal for non-fiction shows like Diggnation, but I think I’d find the feature highly irritating while watching, for instance, Battlestar Galactica. I really don’t want to know that I can get Starbuck’s boots at LL Bean. (My suspension of disbelief is stretched far enough with BSG, thank you…)

Despite not giving me any reason to believe that VideoClix is the one great answer to the problem of monetizing Internet video, Louderback did provide some heartening stats on Internet advertising in general. For example, viewers of Revision3 shows have very high unaided recall rates of sponsored products and companies. And, according to Louderback, 48% of viewers have purchased a product or service from one of Revision3’s sponsors.

In addition, without being able to provide any details, Revision3 is apparently pretty happy with VideoClix. The company was planning one VideoClix-enabled show monthly, but is now thinking of upping that number.

So has the Internet finally made interactive television advertising possible? It’s not clear. The answer is probably yes for certain kinds of entertainment and no for others. Sometimes interactivity is good. And sometimes I just want to watch my TV… even on the Internet.

Being The Cable Show, there were plenty of booth stunts at last week’s event in New Orleans. Among them was FOX’s display of beds (yes, mattresses) with large-screen TV projections. See the video above for a quick look. It was shot by a partner in crime (Thanks, Amy!), and that is me you see taking photos in the clip.

Is anyone else finding they have more Internet-connected devices now? Not gadgets where you can surf the Web, like a smart phone, but gadgets that access the Internet for a dedicated purpose. For example, my Slacker Portable radio has a Wi-Fi connection for refreshing my music stations. My Squeezebox connects to the Net for streaming live music. I’ve seen the idea touted in PowerPoint presentations for years: “Everything will be connected! Everything with have an IP address!” But this is the first time I’ve looked around and seen the prediction coming true in my own gadget life.

The trend doesn’t stop with music players either. Take the new ESPN tvCompass remote, or various widget stations that, admittedly, haven’t gained much traction yet. We’re not seeing the long-fabled Internet-connected toasters yet (at least not in my neighborhood), but more and more IP devices are hitting the market.

Looking for an alternative to the Harmony? It now exists. As I was leaving the floor at the Cable Show, I got the lowdown on the new Ultimate Remote from tvCompass. In a quick demo I was particularly impressed with the TV Guide EPG rendering - not an easy thing to get right on such a small screen. Even more important, however: the remote is WiFi-enabled, meaning plenty of extras like messaging and content applications. It’s launching with ESPN and associated sports content, but the partnership opportunities are really limitless. Operators are apparently looking at the tvCompass product, too. You can pre-order the ESPN version on Amazon. Hefty price tag at $299.99, but I bet there’ll be quite a few willing to shell it out.

Not much to report from New Orleans yet, but I’m on the ground. From the look of the sessions over the next few days, there will be a lot of tru2way talk, and no shortage of discussions on bandwidth, the DTV transition and cable advertising apps. Start looking for company news announcements today - a lot of folks won’t wait for the start of the work week. And if you’re a Twitter-er, the NCTA tweets under the name CableShow. (more…)

Like freebies? This one’s not bad at all. Laplink, which specializes in file syncing and migration software, is giving away copies of its PCmover product. According to the press release:

PCmover automatically moves selected files, folders, settings, and even applications from an old PC to a new one.

The software is normally $50, but to celebrate Laplink’s 25th anniversary, the company is giving it away for free for a very short time. The deal is scheduled to last for 24 hours starting tomorrow, but appears to be live on the site now along with steep discounts for other related products. Geeks descend!

I’ve been meaning to follow up on Dave’s Sezmi post. I’ll start by saying that I love the idea of Sezmi, the former Building-B, but I simply can’t imagine how the enterprise will succeed.

As everyone has discovered, video services are entirely dependent on the quality of the transmission systems they use. Sezmi is relying on two transport methods, over-the-air transmission and fixed-line broadband networks. Both Cynthia Brumfield and Glen Dickson pointed out that leasing over-the-air capacity is not as easy as Sezmi has made it out to be. According to Dickson, Sezmi is unlikely to get more than 60 Mbps of capacity in any market, which probably can’t support more than ten HD channels at most even using MPEG-4 compression at very low data rates. Given that folks are complaining about the lack of HD channels with FiOS, how can Sezmi compete with only ten?

On the wired side of the equation there’s even more of a bandwidth issue. Sezmi plans to sell its service through broadband partners (ISPs, telcos without TV service, and some retailers), but if it’s truly successful, the broadband portion is going to place a tremendous strain on the Internet delivery mechanisms (likely not fiber to the home) of those partners. I can just hear cable’s new Slowsky commercials now.

Of course, all of that’s not even taking into account the issue of the content deals Sezmi is negotiating. Video deals are notoriously difficult to arrange, and certainly if cablecos and telcos ever truly sees Sezmi as a threat, no doubt those operators will bring every bit of leverage they have to bear to make sure the content Sezmi gets is not as good or wide-ranging as theirs.

Sezmi is attempting to do two things that consumers are anxious for: provide a cheaper option to cable TV, and create an effective interface that combines broadcast video with Internet video. On the first point, I think it will be blocked at every turn. On the second point, I think the company may show others a way forward, but it’s a problem that all the big guys are already working on, and will bring out their own solutions for when they’re good and ready.

Best of luck to Sezmi. These guys have been really innovative, and deserve huge kudos for trying something new. I wish the obstacles in front of them weren’t quite so daunting.