Comments on: The tend towards an open STB continues. http://www.crafted.com.au/blog/2008/06/13/the-tend-towards-an-open-stb-continues/ JamieG looks deep into the ramifications of current trends in Technology and Media Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:40:37 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: JamieG http://www.crafted.com.au/blog/2008/06/13/the-tend-towards-an-open-stb-continues/comment-page-1/#comment-3561 JamieG Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:21:09 +0000 http://www.crafted.com.au/blog/?p=121#comment-3561 Thierry, I know Apple appears to be the "man of the moment" when it comes to digital distribution, however, I have to disagree that Apple is in any way helping this issue. Apple is like all the other large, "Take Over the world", companies. It is just Apple are much smarter and understand the tactic of making users want to be taken over. But at the end of the day, later on, when you look around, you relasise you have volentarily walked into a walled garden. Now you want to move past this. But cannot. The right stance a company should take at this is much more like Google and Android. I am actually surprised Google has not launched Android into a STB platform as well. Maybe they focus on "Where the ball is going to be" approch more. But really, they are simply putting there endorsement and technical strength behind a product that can be used by anyone for any purpose they can imagine. No strings. Their reasons appear to be to open up the wider use of the internet and therefore expand internet advertising and ultimatly their profits (And one could say control of the internet, but thats another story) Apple/Steve is all about controling the experience. This may, in the short term, improve the experiance some what, but in the long term, being controlled are what Wars are made of. If Apple completely opened the AppleTV, which I have been told is extremely unlikely, Apple is unlikely to be part of this open STB. James Thierry,
I know Apple appears to be the “man of the moment” when it comes to digital distribution, however, I have to disagree that Apple is in any way helping this issue. Apple is like all the other large, “Take Over the world”, companies. It is just Apple are much smarter and understand the tactic of making users want to be taken over. But at the end of the day, later on, when you look around, you relasise you have volentarily walked into a walled garden. Now you want to move past this. But cannot.

The right stance a company should take at this is much more like Google and Android. I am actually surprised Google has not launched Android into a STB platform as well. Maybe they focus on “Where the ball is going to be” approch more. But really, they are simply putting there endorsement and technical strength behind a product that can be used by anyone for any purpose they can imagine. No strings. Their reasons appear to be to open up the wider use of the internet and therefore expand internet advertising and ultimatly their profits (And one could say control of the internet, but thats another story)

Apple/Steve is all about controling the experience. This may, in the short term, improve the experiance some what, but in the long term, being controlled are what Wars are made of.

If Apple completely opened the AppleTV, which I have been told is extremely unlikely, Apple is unlikely to be part of this open STB.

James

]]> By: thierry fautier http://www.crafted.com.au/blog/2008/06/13/the-tend-towards-an-open-stb-continues/comment-page-1/#comment-3559 thierry fautier Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:12:09 +0000 http://www.crafted.com.au/blog/?p=121#comment-3559 James I fully agree with your analysis, but it might take a while before everyone agrees on a single standard on how to present internet content on TV. The closest to that is what has been standardized and deployed for IPTV in Japan, but this is still walled garden. One way to look at it is to use web technology and see how this can be mapped on TV or open STB. I would like to dig further on the "right" user experience of internet video on TV. Custom web interface (like Verismo is trying to do) for every site will require a lot of work, will not provide the same interface to end user when he goes from PC to TV and it might also disrupt the ad model that is now getting stronger on PC. On the other hand full browser experience on TV might work for some sites built purposely for TV viewing, but it looks like the best compromise is what Apple is doing short term on iphone with scrolling and scaling (need good HW support for that). If this is solved properly it could open the gate of internet TV content to our TVs. Thierry James

I fully agree with your analysis, but it might take a while before everyone agrees on a single standard on how to present internet content on TV. The closest to that is what has been standardized and deployed for IPTV in Japan, but this is still walled garden.
One way to look at it is to use web technology and see how this can be mapped on TV or open STB.
I would like to dig further on the “right” user experience of internet video on TV. Custom web interface (like Verismo is trying to do) for every site will require a lot of work, will not provide the same interface to end user when he goes from PC to TV and it might also disrupt the ad model that is now getting stronger on PC.
On the other hand full browser experience on TV might work for some sites built purposely for TV viewing, but it looks like the best compromise is what Apple is doing short term on iphone with scrolling and scaling (need good HW support for that).
If this is solved properly it could open the gate of internet TV content to our TVs.

Thierry

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