[opendtv] Re: News: Apple's television could offer superior
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:50:21 -0500
At 4:04 PM -0600 1/23/12, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
Mike Tsinberg wrote:
I can possibly use PC with my TV but my wife will not. But with
iPad I can browse the web while watching TV then airplay the
content to my TV through AppleTV.
Mike, tell me this. Why can't a TV be built to browse the web as
easily as your iPad or Kindle Fire can?
I'll take this one and hope that Mike responds as well.
The answer is that it is possible to put the hardware into a TV to do
this - or just a cheap box that connects via HDMI like the Roku and
current Apple TV.
But that does not solve the human interface problems, not to mention
the issues with different screen resolutions, screen sizes and
viewing distances. Google TV failed to deliver a viable human
interface.
By the way, I am not aware of Google blocking ANY Internet content to
Google TV. Dan has it right. Hopefully you'll believe him as you
refuse to believe me when I say the exact same thing.
What Mike wrote above says volumes about the reasons the traditional
CE vendors are scrambling to find solutions before Apple decides to
get serious about TV.
With an iPad or iPhone and an Apple TV, a vastly improved human
interface is already in place. The iPad or iPhone ARE the human
interface and Airplay makes it easy to display anything you can find
on the Internet on your TV.
Apple can easily build this into a TV and add important features like
PVRs and good media search capabilities. But this still does not
solve the problem.
The problem is CONTENT.
All the high value content that is tied up in the MVPD walled
gardens. Without this content it is not possible for Apple or Google
or Amazon to offer a viable alternative. Yes, it is possible to
supplement cable or DBS with stuff from the Internet, but this is not
going to fundamentally change theTV business model.
Ala Carte is what consumers are looking for. And they want it at
reasonable prices, not some jacked up price that "protects" the
content bundles offered by the MVPDs.
If you want to use the same sort of user interface exactly, instead
of a remote mouse, why not provide a pad that you can swipe, while
sitting on the couch, and watch the effect of that motion on the TV
screen?
Why not indeed. This could be a huge breakthrough for Bert...
;-)
Why not let any mobile device (phone, tablet, etc) act as the remote control.
OH WAIT.
I think Mike already pointed out that Apple is already doing this...
That's just one of many possibilities. I think a huge percentage of
the population has gotten very familiar with browsing the web, on
any number of devices. I just can't understand why everybody becomes
a luddite when they watch TV.
Because that is what TV is all about.
Lean Back
Veg Out
Watch plenty of commercials
And pay those monthly subscriber fees
Regards
Craig
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