[opendtv] Re: Valve's Newell: How PCs Will Take Over the Living Room

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:28:45 -0600

Craig Birkmaier wrote:

> So Apple and Google are in bed with the congloms?

Google, maybe not, but Apple might as well be.

GoogleTV's problem, as I have said more than once, was that it would have way 
too much control over what the users found when searching for content. There 
was never any reason why all the lemming CE companies HAD to jump to that 
solution. And the congloms made that super clear to everyone, by blocking 
content to it.

Apple behaves much like the other CE companies that provide limited access. 
They like to herd the consumer-cattle only in directions they want. Which is a 
travesty when you're talking about the Internet. Totally defeating the purpose.

> Did you read the analyst story I posted advising folks to invest in
> the media congloms?

Yup. It's like I've been telling you all along. The congloms hold the cards, 
because they own the content. It's the middlemen who subtract value that 
consumers need to shun.

Granted, the picture gets blurred when the congloms also own the cable 
companies. But there too, if CE companies would stop being on the take, and if 
consumers would wake the hell up, there's no way on earth that the congloms 
would continue to wall up their content on MVPDs. Not when consumers use 
Internet distribution more and more.

I've read the most astonishing articles on this topic, "explaining" that 
consumers are using Internet TV increasingly, but "are unable" to get this 
Internet TV content on their big screens. Whoooee, talk about dumb. Imagine 
these wise pundits implying to their loyal readership that there's nothing they 
can do about getting Internet TV to their TV sets? Must make the MVPDs happy, 
eh?

What you continue to miss is that the TV set and those handheld toys can and 
should be able to do the same things, in similar ways, each optimized for a 
different purpose. You say that the TV "in the living room" will be doing a lot 
more than it does now. Hey, I'm way ahead of you on this. Haven't you noticed? 
Mine already does. From traditional linear TV, to traditional TV recorded on a 
PVR, to live and on demand Internet TV, to radio reception, to Skype, to 
e-mail, web browsing, writing software or documents, or ordering pizza. Even 
playing multiplayer games, if I cared to. (Which I don't.) Ask me what else you 
want it to do, and I'll figure it out for you, Craig.

> You'll still need a way to control the TV...

I have no trouble controlling my TV, to do all of the functions I listed above, 
without so much as looking at a smartphone or tablet. I must be a genius!

Bert

 
 
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