Entelligence: The evolution of the TV
By Michael Gartenberg 
posted July 7th 2010 8:00PM
posted July 7th 2010 8:00PM
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.
>First, the PC and TV don't get along well. It's been a match that's been tried for more than a decade. It would seem like a no brainer: take a device with great connectivity and pair it with the TV. In the 90s Gateway introduced a line of Destination PCs that were designed for living room use, Microsoft later built some of the best TV and PC integration with their Media Center efforts, and even Apple has added a ten foot user experience to Mac OS with its Front Row UI. None of these efforts ever went mainstream. Why? Simple: PCs are designed for smaller screens, mice and keyboards, and TVs aren't. No matter what shell you layer on top, you're still stuck with a PC OS underneath that's not optimized for the TV experience.
Second, consumers don't want web content on their TVs. Even when it's possible, consumers have historically rejected the notion of online content on their TVs. Surveys show over and over there's simply no interest in email, web browsing, instant messaging or other online activities as discrete functions on the TV. While some services could no doubt be compelling on the TV, the lack of proper platforms, standards and user experiences make them awkward to implement, and the current TV widget platforms are simply too limited make much headway in capturing the consumer.
Your service provider already owns input one on your TV, and it has no intention of giving it up. |
Third, and most importantly, cable and satellite providers simply aren't interested in opening up their boxes.Your service provider already owns input one on your TV, and it has no intention of giving it up. Even with government-mandated laws to allow access, consumers in reallty are offered few options to make third party solutions integrate with their television service. Devices such as the Roku or Apple TV have no way to connect to cable content, and even devices like TiVo that support CableCard are expensive to purchase relative to the "free" service provider box and require users to jump through hoops just make things work. CableCard issues also hampered PC / TV efforts that were well-thought-out, like Media Center, and by the time Microsoft sorted everything out, many consumers had simply moved on.
The irony, of course, is that the TV viewer has evolved independently of the TV. While users may not want online content on their TVs, they do seem to embrace TV content on their PCs. Ask a certain demographic to point to their TV consumption device and it will likely have a mouse and keyboard. Services like Netflix tied to devices such as the Xbox 360, Roku and TiVo mean there's alternatives to what's being served by cable and satellite companies. Over time, these options will expand and the TV itself will evolve -- it's just a matter of time before the TV and internet finally, finally get together.
Michael Gartenberg is a partner at Altimeter Group. His weblog can be found at gartenblog.net. Contact him at gartenberg AT gmail DOT com. Views expressed here are his own.
@taylorsmith246
Wake up in the morning, feeling like mike G. Have my bagel and my coffee and write a piece.
@Alucard Sorry - I have to disagree. XMBC has a terrible user interface. It tries to be a swiss army knife of media centers promoting the 'more is better' fallacy.
It needs to be pruned down a LOT and made simple to use.
On the other hand, AppleTV is an example of TOO pared down. It's almost useless it's so minimalist.
The future of television is all about video and how easily it can move from one screen to the next. The TV does not need an independent media manager but instead your PC must be able to send video to any screen available. With a portable interface screens should be a peripheral that can link to any device.
Kintelligence is a column by Kin strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a Kin and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for Kin. In these articles, he'll explore where our Kin is and where it's going -- on both Kin and Kin -- with the unique wit and kinsight only he kin provide. Kin.
Is there actually anyone who desires only a mediocre cup of coffee?
@Loonie
I do, when the coffee's free. I'm cheap.
@Hap Hazard : That strikes me more as toleration than desire.
If TiVo can do it, so can Google. I agree that few companies have elegantly handled carriers' video streams but the evidence is there: motivated companies can make a difference. Add some YouTube and Netflix On Demand and we're golden.
We have 5 HD screens in our house from an 18" laptop to an 8' projector, all connected to Win 7 PCs which can record broadcast TV.
Like so many others we have cancelled cable and watch internet TV. We are thinking about Netflix and Hulu Plus but really are still backlogged on recorded shows, stuff we'd like to watch on Hulu, and a bunch of movies on disc that we bought or swap with family and friends that we haven't watched yet.
The laptop and one desktop are personal machines that really get a workout between "computing" and entertainment. The kitchen and den are used mostly for TV. The basement theater is used for movies, HDTV shows and gaming (an xbox360 and PS3 are down there too.)
My biggest compaint is I can't get Win 7 to handle power management reliably enough to let the PCs sleep and wake up to record shows... you'd think this could be foolproof by now.
I for one will be happy to see the cable companies go into oblivion.
Ever since his comments on the podcast about the kin being a huge success, how can anyone take this guy seriously?
Also, what purpose does that silly intro serve?
Count me as one who doesn't feel any need to consume web content on my TV. At least not as a full-screen option. However, using internet technologies to provide a more interactive TV experience would be very nice. For example, most of the news and sports channels now put a scroll at the bottom of the screen with various headlines or scores. How about a way to "click" on one to see a pre-recorded video on that topic? DirecTV has a feature where you can press the red button on your remote when watching a sports channel to see various scores in a pop-up window. I'd love to see that concept taken further so that clicking on a score would take you to a recap of completed games, or the game itself for those in progress.
The other best integration for computers and TVs, by far, would be a simple one-button ability to send video from my computer to the TV to watch it. Or, even better, from my phone! That would be very powerful. It'd be nice for photos, too, especially if you could send an entire photo gallery or slide show to look at.
I can't believe that after 2 or 3 years (at least) this guy is still looking for coffee and a bagel. Would someone please get him some breakfast stat? Or maybe help him come up with a new byline?