Sezmi looks to provide alternative for cable / satellite, confuse everyone

In case you're not content with just keeping your current cable / satellite / fiber TV service and using the recently launched ZvBox to pull in content from the web, a new startup is aiming to satisfy your bizarre desires. In what's potentially the most befuddling launch of the year, said firm is looking to introduce its 1TB set-top-box to consumers on a city-by-city basis. Put simply (or, as simply as possible), the box will fetch content from a number of places: the built-in OTA receiver will grab locals, and it will use the owner's broadband internet connection to snag IPTV material and web-based content (YouTube, Hulu, etc.). Sezmi plans to launch the product with "3G and DSL" telcos that don't currently have a way to offer a triple-play package, and while some sources say that monthly fees will be as low as "half" of a typical cable / satellite bill, we've also seen Phil Wiser, co-founder, chairman and president, quoted as saying that it will be "roughly comparable" to its rivals. Hit up the links below for loads more info, and join us as we sit back and wait for this entirely-too-complex endeavor to implode.

[Via PC Magazine]

[Todd @ May 1st 2008 2:17PM]

"...join us as we sit back and wait for this entirely-too-complex endeavor to implode."

Factor in teh pr0nz to hasten implosion.

[phanbouy @ May 1st 2008 2:18PM]

3G? awesome! now i can get GSM buzz on my home theatre while i stream youtube!

sez you? sez mi!

[Gruuu @ May 1st 2008 2:27PM]

Wow americans are easily confused.

[phanbouy @ May 1st 2008 2:31PM]

hey are you Gruuu the famous Zulu warrior? please help unconfuse me with your pearls of wisdom

[riggs @ May 1st 2008 2:56PM]

HA, like we could ever be con...wtf how did i end up on engadget?

[Moby Disk @ May 1st 2008 3:27PM]

It's true. Americans are used to having the government tell them which monopolies they can buy services from (Ex: Comcast is the licensed cable provider in your area, and Verizon is your local phone company) that the concept of someone using standard infrastructure to give customers a choice is just amazing. Apparently, they used to call it "capitalism"

[Jonathan Sousa @ May 1st 2008 10:42PM]

True, we probably don't know the meaning of capitalism in the largest, most vibrant, and competitive economy in the world..... good point though.

[Ian @ May 1st 2008 2:40PM]

The potential problems would seem to be excessive bandwidth usage which an ISP might object to, as well as the fact that an OTA tuner is only as good as the antenna feeding it. For many people these issues may be a deal breaker.

[Martin Nielsen @ May 1st 2008 2:51PM]

Now add Slingbox/SlingCatcher and you get the perfect product!

[phanbouy @ May 1st 2008 3:02PM]

first movie queud: Sling Blade. mmmhmmm.

[Miguel @ May 1st 2008 2:51PM]

Can they keep their programming methods and just sell that UI to third-party venders like Comcast? That is sexy.

[Benson @ May 1st 2008 4:57PM]

That happens when you hire artists to paint stuff on the back of plexiglass, and shine a light through it. :p

(I don't know that's how this one's done, but I have great faith in the ability of mockups to be only mockups, of whatever sort.)

[ddub @ May 1st 2008 2:57PM]

My local isp just became a telco this year, I could see this as an easy way for them to compete with ATT and Comcast in the local market.

[derspiess42 @ May 1st 2008 4:06PM]

The arena is getting more & more crowded, and I probably won't end up using this, but the more choice/competition, the better.

I like the concept.

[tomgrossi @ May 1st 2008 5:15PM]

It's such a shame you can't short private companies.

[Brad @ May 1st 2008 6:08PM]

Trust me, you would NEVER want to short this company.

This group is offering this as a service, hoping to pair with telcos that have high speed networks but no trippleplay deployments....there are very few of these telcos, and they're being actively courted by Adtran, Calix, Occam, or any of a half-dozen smaller firms.

For about $100,000 (not that much to a Telco) you can get an IP Prime Feed, a decent head end, and then deploy a bunch of the Amino IPTV Set Top boxes. The middleware can be almost entirely covered by RUS deals. Then you pay for service on a per-subscriber basis, and keep the profits. For a telco that's already doing a high-speed roll-out or a fiber overbuild, this will be a rediculous device.

What they SHOULD do is just offer this as a standalone. Let me buy this myself and plug it into my network. Then it has value. Not as a telco excuse not to roll out TV.

[Zorque @ May 2nd 2008 3:34AM]

It sounds good in theory, but if you're going to be grabbing stuff off of Hulu, it would be nice to actually have more than 3 or 4 episodes of current shows available. (Actually, it would be nice if Hulu offered that regardless)

[Welby @ May 5th 2008 2:01PM]

What is truly compelling about this product is the strong potential for homophonic malarchy. "Says WHO?" "Sezmi!" is really only the start. Imagine a new ratings system that combines the product name and the device that measures earthquakes. The "Sezmigraph."

Like so: "Katie Couric's news program barely tweaked the needle on the Sezmigraph."

Also, when someone cracks this firmware/software code for the device, they will undoubtedly exclaim, "Open Sezami!"

For this reason alone, we should all support the Sezmi and watch the linguistic mayhem ensue!