[opendtv] Cord cutters article comments
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 01:11:15 +0000
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> Anyone can access the sites Bert. But your username and password are
> specific to an MVPD, and the content owners only allow access to
> systems that they have licensed.
That's not strictly true. The content owners allow any PC, new or old, the old
ones without HDMI or any sort of disk encryption of TV content, to display
whatever content the content owner decides to provide on their own or on third
party portals. The content owners have occasionally gotten their panties
twisted up in knots, when some device maker was getting too greedy, or too
hyped up, like GoogleTV. But that particular case was understandable, from
their point of view, and it's easy for an equipment maker to avoid the problem.
If LG embeds a low-cost processor and web browser(s) in their sets TODAY,
making sure that any external video output be either HDMI or SD RGB, for
example, they don't have to collude with the congloms or the MVPDs. And they
CERTAINLY wouldn't have to collude to carry specific shows.
> We've been over this. They did this with PCs more than a decade ago.
They did not individually collude with each PC maker, Craig. No. And mobile
devices are only different to the extent that their designers make them
different. Once again, the Surface Pro is not different. Device makers can
either create problems for themselves to the maximum extent possible, as Apple
did, or they can conform with design approaches that were already acceptable
before.
> You can buy or rent bits to download from Apple, Amazon and others,
> but these too are heavily protected.
Different discussion. Certainly, the content stores need to negotiate for the
content individually, and need to agree on measures for protecting the content.
That's because the congloms need to control who is selling their stuff. To me,
these are very different discussions. You seem to lump them together.
> If device makers wanted to put a PC into every TV they could. They do
> not for several reasons:
Doesn't have to be a literal PC, Craig. It can be a thin client, using one of
several low-cost processors on the market, for example. The key point being
only that the DRM rules that apply to PCs be made to apply equally in this
case. Cost should not be an issue. The OS should not be an issue either. Linux
could be an excellent, low-cost choice. Or roll your own. There are PLENTY of
young geeks around, who would gladly work for LG or Samsung, or anyone else,
and design such TV sets.
The UI is very important. To me, anything that can minimize this dependency on
separate "apps" would have huge competitive advantage. Maybe eventually the
teaming masses will get this. I disagree that this is so hard to do.
> You have no credibility on this Bert. You cannot say it is important to
> have next day access to shows in one breath,
Your credibility is always in jeopardy, Craig, when you don't read what people
write. I NEVER SAID it was important, for VOD, to have next day access. I was
merely contradicting *YOUR* comment, that unless you have MVPD subscription,
you won't have quick access. In the case of NBC and CBS, you were factually
wrong. Plus, what authentication methods are acceptable are no longer JUST an
MVPD subscription, in some cases.
Whatever limitations the content owner imposes across the board, on online
content, are of course HIS business. If device makers choose to make a royal
pain in the *ss of themselves, by deliberately NOT accepting the standards that
the online portals support now, that's THEIR problem. Don't blame the congloms.
Bert
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