[opendtv] Re: Sony, six cable companies adopt two-way CableCARD tech

At 12:20 PM -0400 5/29/08, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:

This is what Michael Powell was trying to make happen. This should also
work with so-called switched video.

It seems inevitable that other companies will also sign on, and will
then also have a voice in the evolution of this standard.


Does this really matter anymore?
Panasonic has had an agreement for more than a year - last I looked it has not resulted in any meaningful products. 

Consider this...
Adding smarts to a TV - essentially building in a STB - may obviate the need for a box from the cable company, but it also creates the opportunity to do more...much more than the cable industry is willing to do.
When you add these capabilities it is trivial to add full Internet support - there is a good reason the cable industry has created a bright line between the boxes it rents to empower your TV, and the cable modems it rents/sells/gives away to empower the computers on your home network.
If you feel compelled to surf the net, they WANT to make you get up and go to a computer, not bring the Internet to you on that nice new high resolution, progressive scan, HD/INTERNET capable display in the family room.
The cable industry is not likely to develop STBs that integrate all of this into one box. The DBS industry cannot do this easily as they need a separate network connection that they do not typically provide. And they also do not want you to leave their walled garden to surf the Internet.
The CE guys are caught in the middle. On one hand they virtually own the Family Room/Home Theater venue. And they have a long standing and close relationship with the content oligopolies. On the other hand, they are seeing the computer and information technology industries making significant inroads onto their turf. 

Remember when Sony owned the portable music player market?
So do they align themselves with the content oligopolies including the multi-channel distribution networks? OR do they leverage their current dominance in the family room and try to keep the Microsoft's, Apple's and HP's of the world relegated to the den? 

Regards
Craig



----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org 
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word 
unsubscribe in the subject line.

Other related posts: