ZillionTV tempts Network Neutrality gods with prioritized video

In the current US Internet climate, it takes a gutsy company to sign deals with ISPs and ask them to guarantee quality of service for its video content. It's about the least "neutral" thing someone could possibly imagine, but it appears to be ZillionTV's new business strategy. ZillionTV made a splash last week after going public with its plan to offer on-demand streaming video content from NBC Universal, Disney, 20th Century Fox Television, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. Viewers can watch free content by choosing to watch ads, but those who would prefer to rent or own can pay up to access the material ad-free. All this comes courtesy of a $50 set-top box—and the cooperation of one's ISP. Think of it like Hulu for TVs (and in fact it might explain why Hulu has recently cracked down on services like Boxee that try to make its content easily accessible on the TV), but with this difference: the box can only be ordered through an ISP that has partnered with ZillionTV. Why would such a partnership be necessary? Netflix and Amazon offer similar services through devices such as TiVos, Roku boxes, and Xbox 360s, but neither popular service needs a cooperating ISP. If the viewer wants to use his or her bandwidth to access the content, they are free to do so. But ZillionTV doesn't work this way. The company website is cryptic, saying only, "Without getting too technical, we work with your Internet service provider to make sure you can get the richest, creamiest programs playing right on your TV."