Comments on: The Battle Over Your TV

By: Netflix HD Streams Coming to Xbox « NewTeeVee

Netflix HD Streams Coming to Xbox « NewTeeVee — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:41:46 +0000

[...] users. But what we didn’t know is that it was going to offer movies in HD. Hot diggety, the battle for your TV just got wayyyy more [...]

By: DivX CEO: “It’s Win or Go Home” « NewTeeVee

DivX CEO: “It’s Win or Go Home” « NewTeeVee — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:01:37 +0000

[...] heavyweights like Apple, Netflix and Amazon all jockeying for same goal, the company has its work cut out for it. When we last chatted with DivX CEO Kevin [...]

By: Keith Cruickshank

Keith Cruickshank — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:57:23 +0000

While there seems to be continued interest in the idea of set-top boxes as discussed in this story, I’m confident that internet video will be far more transformative as we move away from old-style couch viewing and move towards more interactive and dynamic consumption of video. Think more about changing behaviors than changing technologies. Keith Cruickshank (woodtreks.com)

By: David Mullings

David Mullings — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:38:07 +0000

I agree with those who think more boxes in the living room is really the way of the future. Even Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD is irrelevant in the medium-to-long-term because everything is going digital.

Right now mainstream people don’t seem to realize how easy it is to attach a Mac mini to their tv and watch Hulu, Joost and more instead of spending tons of money on cable BUT with increased education, it will happen.

Apple is the best positioned to take advantage of digitization of content and I do see them eventually releasing an actual TV, but with a Wii-type remote (touchscreen is so old school now), a built-in Mac mini and access to the iTunes store.

That device is a true convergence device and will allow Apple to be the hub of your living room, which is what everyone else is after.

My bets are on Apple.

By: Yuvamani

Yuvamani — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:37:31 +0000

Stark Ravin:

I agree with jose2. My parents and brother were surprised when I attached my laptop to the tv with 1 vga cable and 1 audio cable. They were surprised that you could actually do that and the quality also rocked. If more people knew, they might choose that route.

I have my mac mini firmly attached to my tv. It is amazing, I can actually watch hulu, youtube, dvds, itunes downloads, unbox streams etc on my tv. And i get to check email and weather pretty quickly too. Sadly, most people think its geeky or rocket science. It is nether, The mac mini occupies less space in my setup than the comcast set top box, And it looks far sleeker too. It is not hard to setup, as I mentioned its two cables (in fact as easy as anything else). The problem is awareness really…

By: jose2

jose2 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:17:52 +0000

Thank you for your comment, Stark Ravin.

Yes, I do think folks will hook up their laptops to their tv’s once they see how easy it is. Do you really think “everyday consumers” are going to spend up to $500 for a box that only provides SOME internet content? Why is it so hard to grasp the concept of using the “box” you already have? I’m watching all kinds of internet television and movies ON MY TV piped in through my laptop. And lots of stuff you can’t get on cable or satellite. Zipityzap makes it easy and its free.

By: Stark Ravin

Stark Ravin — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:17:54 +0000

To the commenters who hook their PC up to their HDTV: Do you actually think normal people are going to do that and mess with the headache of a flaky Windows box to watch their favorite shows? You are not even an early adopter crowd; you’re a no adopter, geeky crowd that engages in unnatural acts to get at the video content you want.

Everyday consumers are not going to do that. They are going to accept promotional offers from cable companies who offer to install all the gear and hand them one remote to control everything.

Apple is trying very hard to make video over the internet just as easy and acceptable as a cable company offer that arrives in the mail. They know the market isn’t quite there though. It will take a lot of marketing dollars to educate consumers about these new sources of video. And Apple knows how to educate consumer markets and bring “the person on the street” into the mix. Amazon and Netflix I have less confidence in doing this. Educating markets is expensive, but Apple has done it for decades now. First with the personal computer, and most recently with smartphones.

By: Kawika Holbrook

Kawika Holbrook — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:12:19 +0000

Perhaps Apple or some other enterprise will eliminate the need for all the boxes by building them into the TV itself. Given it’s design and usability prowess, Apple may have the best shot by turning Apple TV into an actual TV.

By: jose2

jose2 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:33:35 +0000

Great article but I’m going to bet that all of these “boxes” (and internet-ready tv’s) will flop. You can connect your laptop to your TV with a $20 cable and get whatever you want from whomever you want. Rent from Netflix (without Roku), Blockbuster, Amazon. It won’t be long until Quartics chip comes embedded in new PCs and TVs. Then you can throw out the cable. Find out how at Zipityzap.

By: Andrew Grumet’s Weblog » Blog Archive » GigaOM on Internet TV

Andrew Grumet’s Weblog » Blog Archive » GigaOM on Internet TV — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:34:01 +0000

[...] GigaOM: “The Battle Over Your TV” [...]

By: FiletOFish

FiletOFish — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:24:45 +0000

I’m w/Mr. Lilly. I have a 46″ XBR4 in my living room hooked to a $400 box. I enjoy Joost, Hulu, & Fancast in addition to Netflix and a handful of other sites. I know there are 100s I’m yet to discover.

Also, the whole “rent on demand” allows companies like AMazon to compete with OnDemand and Blockbuster.

They need to figure our a way to make the Netflix “subscribe and go” model to work & take on the Telcos/Satellite folks.

BTW, I just canceled Comcast today…$70/mo is stupid when I watch 6 HD channels.

By: Dave Zatz

Dave Zatz — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:55:27 +0000

There doesn’t need to be one winner. And in fact, there won’t be.

By: Q dub

Q dub — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:45:49 +0000

Definitely don’t agree that HD is a must have today. This is merely true for sports, but not VOD content which is mostly movies and TV shows. Consumers are far more keen on accessibility, simplicity, and selection–which reflect a slow convergence of computing and entertainment activities.

By: De strijd tussen de set-top boxen | zoomz - Alles over internetvideo vanuit een zakelijk perspectief

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:35:49 +0000

[...] Apple. Wat zijn de verschillen? Wie staat er het beste voor? Chris Albrecht vat het helder samen. Lees meer op GigaOM.. Gerelateerde berichten op Zoomz:Uitgaven aan online video advertenties naar $7.1 miljard in [...]

By: drew

drew — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:39:10 +0000

You forgot Comcast, Verizon, and Microsoft!

By: Matt Lilly

Matt Lilly — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:11:11 +0000

It will be very hard for any set-top-box startup or established company to generate significant revenue in the future.
Most new plasmas now can be used as computer monitors. The rest is very easy: plug your computer to your TV and stream movies from Hulu or Joost.