[opendtv] Re: Users as Toast: The Blocking of Google TV

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:32:29 -0500

At 4:50 PM -0600 11/17/10, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
I don't care about "Apple product," Craig. I'm talking about Internet TV. It's really ludicrous to claim that the only way to make Internet-connected TVs possible is to have people buy a separate PC or Mac. That shows zero ingenuity. It's hard to believe how much text you expended making excuses for existing Appple products, instead of addressing what should be a really simple issue.
For once we totally agree. What is happening today as the congloms shut down some devices and networks but not others is completely ludicrous!
I'm not advocating that you should buy a Mac or PC to hook up to my TV. But you seem to think that this is an answer. On November 12th you wrote in response to me: 


 > I can buy a PC or Mac with a big flat screen display and watch
 > it from my couch, just like the new Sony TV. End Of Story.
Sure you can, and that's what I'm doing too. But it's disingenuous to suggest that every tom, dick, and harry out there would take this approach for Internet TV. My "TV STB" for Internet access is costing me $800. And you were complaining about ATSC STBs? Get real. 

So if you object to this approach Bert, why are you doing it?

Perhaps because this is barrier to competition that the congloms have erected?
They will let their content be displayed on a TV with an $800 "STB," but try to attach a $99 Apple TV or integrate a cheap web browser with the TV and they shut it down and force these companies to negotiate carriage fees. 


Now, back to the main question.


 We agree that a TV should have the same open, unfettered access
 to the web as any other device. Obviusly the congloms do not
 share this opinion.
Well, too damn bad for the congloms. This is just the sort of collusion we DON'T need, the sort that gets people thrown in jail if they behave this way while doing business for the DoD. And rightfully so. 

Thanks! You finally are placing the blame where it belongs.

Now ask yourself this question:
Why is the government NOT taking legal action to prevent this form of collusion?
CE companies are not supposed to get in bed with the congloms, at our expense. And intelligent consumers are supposed to have enough gray matter to figure this out, and punish such behavior on the CE companies' part.
In principle I agree that it should be possible to build appliances that do not require deals with the congloms. In practice this is not possible today.
And for the record, Sony is not cutting side deals, nor is Google. The congloms are simply saying, if you want to watch our content on a Sony/Google TV, pay the monthly subscription fee for Google Plus. If you don't want to pay this fee you can pay $800 for a media PC and hook it up to your TV. 




 Gaining control over buyers is NOT necessarily a bad thing.
Sorry, I thoroughly disagree. I find it unethical, at best. This is not a matter of a wished-for design that would cost way too much money to produce. This is a question of a product that would cost no more, and would be far preferable to the ones now being peddled.
Do you have a favorite brand of automobile? A favorite beer? A favorite ____ ____ ____?
We all develop brand loyalties. Not because the brand is trying to control us, but rather because they meet our needs , provide what we perceive as a the best product in a category, etc.
Clearly Apple does not control the well entrenched PC industry. But they do have a loyal customer base who prefers being "controlled" by Apple rather than Microsoft. And they have a much larger consumer base that finds the devices and content ecosystem that Apple has created to be of value.
You claim that Apple is exerting too much control over its customers. They have produced a tiny little box that connects to your TV via an HDMI port that costs $99. With this box you can rent or buy content ala carte. This box has the potential to do exactly what you want in terms of an Internet TV device that could openly access any website.
Apple has not opened this platform because IF THEY DID, the congloms would shut it down. So for now they are doing the best they can to give their customers a viable option to pay for content. 

Regards
Craig


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