[opendtv] Re: It's all about Apps
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2015 22:04:14 -0400
On Sep 12, 2015, at 4:39 PM, Manfredi, Albert E <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
In any case, that's never been the point. The point has always been that you
can build a perfectly good Internet thin client into TVs or even stand-alone
boxes, without having to get in bed with the content owners. You can use one
of the super cheap computers, such as Raspberry Pi, for instance, with a real
web browser. This does NOT prevent you from going to the pay sites you
cherish, Craig. But at the same time, it gives you all the other options too.
Which the lesser solutions do not.
Obviously there are many ways to watch OTT services. The PC was often the
platform of choice before smart TVs, game consoles and add on boxes/dongles
became commonplace. And PCs, especially laptops still have advantages with
certain demographics and usage scenarios:
1. At work - the huge installed base of desktops and laptops in the enterprise
is a factor, although these platforms are not used that much for viewing TV and
movies, except for road warriors.
2. Trailing Millennials use laptops, especially in college dorms.
3. Some people hook their laptops to the big screen. I did this for years
before better alternatives became available.
What is far more rare today is what you do - dedicating a PC to a TV. The trend
is toward smart TVs and add on devices like Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV and Apple
TV.
As long as PCs continue to be the most popular device for streaming media,
the content congloms will continue to support them. And as people cut the
cord, I wouldn't be surprised if people demand more flexibility than what the
limited boxes give them.
Yes, Internet portals will continue to be supported, even as the content owners
develop Apps for the new mobile screens, smart TVs and add on devices for the
big screen.
And I agree that people are looking for better solutions - we talk about this
all the time.
But the limitations of devices that run Apps are being driven by the content
owners, who are still protecting the bundle. However, this situation is
changing in many ways.
- The MVPDs are starting to add support for OTT services to their boxes. And
TiVo is starting to get more attention (and sales).
- TV Everywhere is growing rapidly - it is providing access to more live and
library content, and freeing MVPD subscribers from the cord.
- slim MVPD bundles like Sling are starting to appear. When somebody gets this
right there could be a major shift in who we buy the bundle from.
You might have missed in one of your own posts that PCs are still the most
used streaming platform. And all of the OTT sites I'm aware of, including the
networks' own, are accessible with PCs. Plus, the two-in-ones are PCs that
handle like tablets, so it's very doubtful to me that content owners are
losing interest in all these eyeballs. The limited-use streaming boxes still
account for very little of the total online TV usage, and they only work for
stationary TVs. With increasing use of handheld gadgets to watch TV,
including laptops and all in one tablet-like devices, it strains credulity to
believe that content owners will favor Rokus or AppleTVs over the more
standards-based solutions.
Obviously they are interested in any platform that delivers eyeballs. But you
love trends, and the trend is Apps on mobile devices, smart TVs and add on
devices.
I don't know what you mean by standards based solutions. All of these devices
are standards based solutions. The fact remains that "the gold standard" for
the big screen today is a MVPD set top box.
Everything we have seen says the trend is not JUST streaming to TV sets, but
streaming to handheld devices. The apps for your limited-use boxes don't work
on smartphones, and laptops and two in ones don't need them.
Really?
I run essentially the same apps on my iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
To be fair, on Apple TV it was not possible to install apps...until now. The
new Apple TV opens the platform to developers and content owners.
So overly hyping the limited-use boxes just sounds wrong. "Apps" are a good
way to make the box dependent on collusion between CE vendors and content
owners, so the trade scribes might spend some quality verbiage explaining
this.
Think about what you are claiming. Before the iPhone, the telcos controlled
what you could do on a phone - exactly the kind of collusion you claim is
happening with Apps.
Today there are more than ONE MILLION apps that run on an iPhone, and most are
available for Android as well.
Perhaps you should wait to see how things evolve over the next year before
claiming that Apps are just hype.
Regards
Craig
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