JamieG Analysis

There has been some interesting new developments in the fight for the living room. Microsoft slowly moves forward with the announcement of licensed generic Media Extenders. Sony announced a TV tuner add on for the PS3. Apple has its hands full with keeping premium content on iTunes. So what are we likely to see next?

The AppleTV experiment has been exactly that. An experiment. The sales have been low, not having much of an impact on the general TV viewers. This is an interesting development as it points to the fact that, the most likely person to have purchased AppleTV are a combination of avid video Podcast watchers, and hacker/pirates who download most content from the internet. Oh and the occasional person who purchased videos on iTunes.

The AppleTV must be considered an experiment as in real terms, it only ever had a very limited appeal. I was amazed as to why it did not come out with a built in DVD player or as a combination of a Digital Set Top Box and AppleTV device. In real terms, its just another remote control on the coffee table (for witch only the most geeky can get past there wives.)

Sony, on the other hand, appears to not have any real direction. A digital TV tuner add-on has been mentioned for this Christmas. But really, the Xbox360 and its run leading up the Halo3 plus lacking games of note for the PS3 for this Christmas are, to put it bluntly, giving PS3 a bad outlook. Sony will need to do something this Christmas.

Finally, the biggest development in recent days has been the Generic Media Extender for Microsoft Media Centre developed by different manufactures. These devices are AppleTV like devices. Small and cheap. They extend all the functionality from a Media Center computer to the “Extender Box”. For example TV, streaming video (Ie home movies, Podcasts). This is a significant development as it lets you not only watch Podcasts and purchased movies like the AppleTV, but also lets you watch TV’s and DVDs plus, and this is icing on the cake, can Play DivX videos. DivX or mpeg4 simple profile, is the standard for Videos found FREE on torrents.

Traditionally Microsoft has always played the company line supporting their biggest customers. The big companies. Microsoft has the most complex DRM system ever developed with more ways to lock you media up then you could imagine. This is most likely because the current media Gateway companies requested these features. And Microsoft wants to keep them happy. For example, the Xbox360 cannot play DivX. The development of Generic Media Extender devices made by third party companies like HP, Dell, are not under the same level of scrutiny and as such, adding support for DivX if mostly out of Microsoft’s control. This is good news for Microsoft, as it takes of the handcuffs.

As devices such as these start appearing in homes all over the world, the adoption of watching TV sourced from the internet will grow dramatically. Especially as trends towards no DRM and mostly free content appear to be developing at a fast rate.

This bring us back to Sony and the PS3. The PS3 is the dark horse in this race. To put it simply, the PS3 is an amazing box, but its left it a bit late. The Game console of the future is not simply the games it offers but also the on-line experience behind it. PS3 not only has a weak game line up , but also the on-line experience is years behind Microsoft. As such, Sony may be forced to OPEN up the platform simply to ensure getting back a lot of development costs. One advantage the PS3 has over Microsoft and Apple is the fact that they are not tied to a PC located near by as a life support system. There is no need for this. It ads considerable costs and complexity as you need a PC to control the media. In my opinion, the Set Top Box of the future should be able to operate without the need for a life support computer system telling it what to do. Sony could offer a Game console that was a DVD/BluRay player, Digital Set top Box, Streaming Video player for home videos and Torrent downloads (Lets face it. Its the future), plus a open standard RSS Video Podcast downloader and, I hope, an Open Standard on-line experience such as iTunes, however, you could for example, point it as Amazon, NBC, or whoever wants to build a on-line experience. Best of all ONLY ONE REMOTE CONTROL.

This of course, throws away the possible gatekeeper control one may archive (As Microsoft and Apple are playing for). But, hell it will probably sell a lot of boxes. Still there is a lot of “ifs”.

And finally, Apple. They appear to have there hands full right now with some of the biggest mistakes in there history. (Bricking iPhones). Plus the music labels trying there best to break the iTunes dominance. They defiantly have there hands full. Still, its time for them to make a a move in the TV area. The AppleTV may have been an experiment, but now its time for the serious stuff.

I call. Steve, its time to show us your cards.